Too Much Iron in the Fire : Blackbeard & Friends

This 2 disc set is a compilation that represents the work of Roy "Blackbeard" Sinclair. Each disc has 20 tracks, but most of what you will hear are 3 maybe 4 versions in a row of the same rhythm. It seems Blackbeard borrowed many of these familiar beats we're used to, but that seems to be a more common practice with the increasing number of dj's, engineers, and producers on the reggae scene. There are a ton of artists that have contributed to this release including : Barry Brown, Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Trinity, Jacob Miller, Wayne Jarrett, and Ronnie Davis. So, when listening to this set straight through, you'll hear a couple of versions by some of the masters listed above - and then maybe a dub version by the Blackbeard All-Stars. My favorites on disc 1 are: #2 (Pass up the Chalice - Barry Brown), #7 (False Rasta - Jacob Miller), and #14 (Cayamanas Park Dub). This last one is a Blackbeard dub track of Black Uhuru/Ranking Joe's "Rent Man". My favorites on disc 2 are: #8 (Eyes on Africa - the Mighty Diamonds) and #11 (Mount Zion - Wayne Jarrett). This is a Trojan release from 2004 and the material was originally recorded 1974-1984.