Rich Man Poor Man : Barry Brown

There are 14 tracks on this late seventies greatest hits with most of them ranging from roughly 3 to about 4 minutes.  The Revolutionaries, Roots Radics, The High Times Band, and the Aggrovators are all credited as backing bands on different tracks giving this a disc a wide variety in instrumental styles.  This is a true Kingston production going down at Harry J's, King Tubby's and Channel One.  This is a fairly good representation of the Barry Brown style and coupled with King Jammy presents Barry Brown you should get the best of Barry Brown.  This CD is from the Moll Selekta label with material from 1978-1980.  My favorites in this one are #1 (Fire Fire), #4 (Pass Up the Chalice), and #7 (Burial).  This version of "Burial" is my personal favorite of all the attempted covers - very nice pace - very nice vocal delivery.  The last two tracks on this disc are the title track and it's dub counterpart, a very nice way to end the set,  instead of starting the album with the title track.

Africans Unite : Sylvan White

You might not of heard about Sylvan White, but this compilation disc will make you remember him. It showcases his vocal work of the late 70's and early 80's with the sweet roots sound of The Soul Syndicate and The High Times Band. The mixing engineer is listed as King Tubby and the Producer Bertram Brown. This disc is a pleasant surprise with many extended mixes and alternate dub tracks. There are 13 tracks total, but my favorites on this one are #1 (Africans Unite), #3 (Mountain Top), and #4+#5 (Faith w/ Version). All tracks were recorded at Channel One and King Tubby's in Jamaica. There really isn't too much out on the market for Sylvan White CD's, but this one has great sound quality and a solid track list.