Up Tempo Collection Vol. 1 : The Posse

This CD features 22 tracks from various outstanding reggae artists such as: Don Carlos, Michael Palmer, Sugar Minott, and several others. Sugar Minott is also listed as an executive producer along with Steve King on this 2006 release. The Uptempo label is new to me, but Steve King started it in the early eighties. At that time he was a producer with Black Roots, working with talents such as Jah Shaka and Bim Sherman. The sound quality and track selection on this compilation are excellent - many thanks to JFC music label w/ Method Recordings. New beats and some fresh rhythms make this disc a rare musical and lyrical treat. My favorite tracks are #1 (I and I Time - Trevor Junior) and #2 (Too Much Sufferation - Anthony Johnson). These are two seriously crucial tracks and I hope to find more quality roots from other Uptempo compilations and upcoming re-issues. Thanks to Ernie B's on-line reggae store for pointing me in the right direction on this one.

96 Degrees in the Shade : Third World

This is by far the most popular and influential of all the Third World albums. Most reggae aficionados are familiar with the title track - and it's a great track. My favorites on this disc are: #1 (Jah Glory), #2 (Tribal War), and #5 (Human Marketplace). Human Marketplace has a great haunted sound provided by the ambient effect of the horns. This material was released originally in 1977 by the Island label that was blowing up big time, largely thanks to Bob Marley. Third World is a definitely a band with great talent, most of the group members contribute to the vocals as well as providing an excellent musical foundation for these roots tracks. The original album only has eight tracks total but when you listen it feels as if you were maybe a concert. The sound quality is very clean and this album gives us a great set of songs that show the outstanding musical bond this group had at the time.

Kingston All-Stars meet Downtown at King Tubby's 1973-1975

This disc is another great offering from the Kingston Sounds/Jamaican Recording label. Another great list of artists on this compilation include: Cornell Campbell, Johnny Clarke, Linval Thompson, Horace Andy, and others. Within the 14 Tracks total, you'll here rare tracks that have been left off many of these artists other discs. My favorite track on this on is #2 (Here Me Now Star - Cornell Campbell). This is really a great song/rhythm and Jamaican Recording has a dub version on their Dub Sampler Vol. 3. The booklet is a nice addition and breaks down each track and shows the credited musicians and other info for each one. At the end of the booklet their is a Two-Page breakdown on the materials included and the time frame from which they came from King Tubby. There are too many great reggae musicians on this disc to list here, but it's the usual line-ups of outstanding horn, percussion, guitar, and bass.