jussumen, Apr 25, 2005
Extra classic Compilation of vintage TAXI Records material. Well packaged and mastered in pure analog style, that accepts some tape hiss or vinyl crackling in order to present the warmth and depth of these fine tunes. LP 1 is a showcase of lesser known 45's , such as the obscure version of The early Wailer's rude-boy hymn "Let Him Go" by the early Black Uhuru, an instrumental version of Shineheads take on Michael jackson's "Billie Jean", a rare DeeJay performance by General Echo besides 2 strong Rockers by Sugar Minott, the Reggae anthem "World-A-Music" by Junior Reid or a classic Love Song by Jimmy Riley. A lot of great material with outstanding musical backing by The Rhythm Twins and their high flying Revolutionaries comrads. LP 2 goes deeper and comes with 3 gems taken from so called Showcase albums (long vocals with additional dub)- Dennis Brown's "Revolution" with superb Bass by Robbie and 2 of Gregory's first 6 Trax for the TAXI Label "Motherless Children" and "Going Downtown" - heartbreaking descriptin of Getto Life - the power of Reggae Music and the faith in Jah leave the only light of hope in a crucial time + space. The highlights of this package come from a nearly forgotten group. : Two 12" versions from the fine vocal Trio The Tamlins - "Baltimore" a portarit of everyday hustle in a foreign, cold city show a perfect musical and vocal symbiosis. The last song is the best = "Smiling Faces Sometime". Never heard a better Reggae take of a Soul song coming from the island. To spice up this sweet song is the addition of a Bass figure, that reminds a lot of Fleetwood Mac's mighty "Albatross" as intro and additional Dub-outro. This is living and breathing musical magic, that will bring dancefloors to life even today.. The interesting hard-cover sleeve with interesting notes by David Katz and the great Din A 4 colour picture of Sly & Robbie in front of the Channel One Studio make this a collector's dream. More than half of the selected material was unknown to me and this means a lot, since i collect Reggae Vinyl now since nearly 3 decades.
5.0/5 (