Gorgeous roots. Seemingly sardonic and above-it-all but utterly trenchant. All the singing is sublime, including the back-up. The gentle nyabinghi percussion and keyboard stabs are beautifully restrained, as Sylvan Morris brings his genius to the mix. Same dub as the original 45. A stone classic. We could listen for days.
Plus the 12 Tribes launch a two-headed-shark attack on the flip, featuring maestro Pablove Black. No less than an instrumental cut to George Beaufort’s insurgent Reaching Our Goal, and a sick synth excursion on the revered Black Star Liner rhythm.
Easy-squeeze, rocking steady loveliness from 1968.
A deadly fleet of Studio One sevens, and one almighty ten-inch, swooping in from the Far East.
Two sides of rare, body-rocking rocksteady lit up by Linval Martin’s personable singing, and the sweet, warm close harmonies of Hyacinth McKenzie and co, behind him.
Masterpiece. Top-drawer songwriting — thoughtful, soulful lyrics and ace tunes — and definitive performances. In the top three Studio One LPs; one of the greatest reggae LPs of all time.
Unmissable, cornerstone Wackies, back in.
Horace Andy’s greatest artistic achievement, surpassing even his Skylarking set for Studio One. With definitive reworks of songs he first recorded for Bunny Lee and Derrick Harriott (Money Money and Lonely Woman); a deadly version of Lloyd Robinson’s Cuss Cuss; and a first outing for Spying Glass, later versioned by Massive Attack. Musicians include Wackies regulars like Owen Stewart and Oral Cooke from Itopia, and Ras Menilik and Jah T; also Sleepy’s multi-instrumentalist spar Myrie Dread from the In The Light sessions for Hungry Town. At the desk, Lloyd Barnes, Junior Delahaye and Douglas Levy coax unequalled vocal performances from the singer, bejewelling ineffable extended mixes.
Crucial.
Stalag alert! With Ansel Collins, a killer Big Youth, and King Tubby.
Superb Blood & Fire selection of scattered late-seventies outings, all in discomixes. Treasures include the opener, Reggae Rhythm, with its blaring horns, originally out on Trio International; the 12” mix of Pure Ranking by Jammy, at Tubby’s; and the deadly triumvirate of Everton Da Silva productions — Youths Of Today, Don’t Let Problems Get You Down, and Mr. Bassie.
Phil Pratt productions, 1972-1974; Sunshots recorded at Channel One, Black Ark, Dynamic Sound and Randy’s Studio 17, with house engineers Ernest Hoo Kim, Lee Perry, Carlton Lee and Errol Thompson at the helm, and backing by Sly & Robbie, Family Man, Chinna, and co, aka Soul Syndicate. Check the versions of Money Money Money and I Don’t Want To Be Outside.
Superb, fat, classic roots production by Michael Forbes, with full horn section, organ, expert percussion and drumming. Strong, heartfelt, resigned singing by Mike Anthony (not to be confused with the much more prolific Lovers singer from Lewisham).
With a Nitty Gritty dubplate do-over of Trial And Crosses.