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.

Forward the Bass - Dub from Randy's 1972-1975 : The Impact All-Stars

If you love a good straight forward dub album, then you should love this disc. It's in my top ten dub albums of all time. Blood & Fire is no slob when it comes to sound quality and production value. You get 15 tracks of clean, killer, instrumental dub from such legends as: Bingy Bunny, Familyman, Sly, Tommy McCook, the Wailers, the Impact All-Stars, and Augustus Pablo. My favorite tracks on this one are: #5 (Wire Dub), #9 (Last of the Jestering), and #12 (S-Corner Dub). S-Corner Dub has the melodica pushed to the background with an ambient echoing affect that gives this track a foggy-night/spy work type of feal to it. Another great addition to this roots dub catalog is the harmonica work they sneak in on about every third track. The harmonica work is credited to the mysterious "Chicago Steve", who's great at adding the perfect touch of soul to the dub out. Like most Blood & Fire CD's this disc comes with a great booklet that tells the story of Randy's and it's various reggae engineers.

Rockers from Channel One : Linval Thompson

If you like multiple version sets with dj and dub tracks, then you should eat this up big time. A true master of roots reggae; Linval Thompson is showcased on this CD along with Ranking Dread , Big Joe, and the Revolutionaries. This disc is a 2001 release from Trojan with a large 22 tracks. Some of the Linval vocal tracks are considered classics and can be found on other discs ( Ride On Dreadlocks : Linval Thompson ) and compilations ....... but the alternate versions really make this a great disc for your collection. My favorites on this one are: #2 (Natty on the Rock - dreader than dread version by Ranking Dread), #17 (Love Can Conquer - love is the question version by Big Joe), and #18 (Poor Man - love is the question version by Ranking Dread). This isn't a cheap production of extra tracks slapped together. It's a very well thought out set of lyrical versions that would really take a little work to dig up elsewhere - BIG Thanks to Trojan for this one.

Climb the Ladder : Bob Marley & the Wailers

Climb the Ladder is a decent release, the bulk of the material is old school vocal trio Wailers featuring Bunny and Peter in the lead as well as Bob. This disc has 17 tracks total, but my favorites on this one are: #2 ( I'm Gonna Put It On), #3 (Lonesome Track), and #10 (Sinner Man). You might have some of these tracks on other Bob Marley or Wailers compilations. I actually prefer the JAD released series of discs called "The Complete Bob Marley & the Wailers". The sound quality is better on the JAD discs and multiple versions are offered on many of the tracks. Climb the Ladder was released by Heartbeat in 2000. It's a more rocksteady and ska set from the mid-sixties when there was still a large R&B and Soul music influence on the Jamaican scene. This is a strange CD because it's billed as Bob Marley mainly. I just don't feel like this enough time was put in to this CD - it's make-up of commonly used Wailers tunes just makes this disc another lack-luster compilation and you might have the material covered in your collection already. It's worth a listen, just so you know what's out there.

Who Say Jah No Dread : Jacob Miller

This disc shows us some great tracks from Jacob Miller alternating with the instrumental/dub track featuring Augustus Pablo and King Tubby. This is a great disc to have in your catalog because it serves a dual purpose. Not only do you get 6 Jacob Miller classics, but you get the complementary dub sides to these gems. This is a Jamaican production through and through. All material came from Dynamic, Randy's, and King Tubby's. Many of the usual suspects are present in the line-up: Bobby Ellis, Sly & Robbie, Chinna, and others. These classic mid-seventies sounds were compiled and released by Greensleeves in 1992, the sound quality is excellent and the set list is solid. My favorites on this one are: #3 (False Rasta), #4 (Hungry Town Scank), #7 (Who Say Jah No Dread), and #8 (Jah Dread). Even is you have some of this material on other discs - these tracks are set up nicely and it's a pleasure when listened to straight through.

Repatriation : U-Brown

This is a greatest hits disc representing the legendary U-Brown. You get a solid 18 tracks of roots and culture dj from the 70's. From what I can see there are only 10 tracks on the original LP release. The extra eight tracks you get on the CD are dub tracks and alternates, so it creates a nice listening package. My favorites on this disc are: #9 (Reggae dub), #12 (Set Jah Jah), #13 (Give the People), and #14 (The People Dub). All the tracks on Repatriation are about 3 minutes, except the first song wich is an extended disco mix. This is a solid production with the Revolutionaries as the backing band at Channel One in Kingston, JA. There's another U-Brown compilation by Blood & Fire (1997) called Train to Zion. It covers more seventies material ('75-'78) and between these two discs you'll have a great cross-section of U-Brown's best material.

Far East : Barry Brown

This is known to be one of the more popular albums in the Barry Brown archives. Far East was recorded and mixed in 1982 at Channel One in Kingston, JA. This one's got 13 tracks total. The vocals are backed by some of the usual suspects : Tommy McCook, Sly & Robbie, Bobby Ellis, and Ansel Collins plus many more. My favorites on this one are: #7 (Forward On), #8 (Run Wicked Man), and #9 ( So Jah Jah Sey). A lot of people like the title track "Far East", but for me "Run Wicked Man) is the crucial track on this one. Unfortunately, Barry Brown passed away in 2004, taking with him the conscious message of roots reggae and a sweet youthman voice comparable to other legends like Linval Thompson and Johnny Clarke.

Firehouse Clash : Junior Reid vs. Don Carlos

This disc is a short simple compilation of a few Junior Reid and Don Carlos tracks. It's got 11 tracks total. The first 5 are from Junior Reid and the last 6 are from Don Carlos. I've had this disc since the late 1990's and still listen to it on a regular basis. It serves as a decent sampler for the two artists. My favorite Junior Reid track on this on is #2 (Respect Due). My favorite Don Carlos track off this one is #11 (Spread Out), although the CD has other popular Don Carlos tracks like (Living in the City) & (No Trouble This). Although this CD was distributed by RAS, it was put out under the label name "Live & Learn". It seems to be kind of an economy type of release - maybe meant for cheaper retail pricing. None the less, this is still a solid set of tracks to have in rotation.

Rare Reggae Grooves from Studio One : Clement Dodd

This disc is from the Heartbeat label (1999) and meant to be a follow-up to "Studio One Showcase Vol. 1". This is a short disc with only eight tracks, but they're all crucial. Many of the tracks on this one are extended tracks and the result of the re-mixing the popular hits of the time. What we end up with are these great versions that have been picked from deep in the Heartbeat catalog. My favorites on this one are: #1 (Cuss Cuss - Lloyd Robinson), #6 (My Baby - The Martinis), #8 (Going to Zion - Winston Francis), and #2 (Sing a New Song - Peter Broggs). Sing a New Song showcases Peter Broggs' outstanding vocals with simple clear lyrics and a killer organ riff turns this one in to a heavy, heavy classic. Other artists on this album include The Gaylads, The Silvertones, and Ken Boothe. I don't want to forget about the booklet - it's has nicely detailed notes on each track. Only eight tracks, but at least you get a deep look in to the story of each one. Listening to this disc after reading the booklet makes this quite an lesson on roots music. Give it a try.

Owner Fe De Yard : Ethiopians

This is a selection that's been in my permanent catalog for over ten years now. Another quality release from the Heartbeat label (1994) and a great compilation of classic roots with great sound quality. The Ethiopians are some of the old school reggae masters who made that transition from the sixties to seventies a legendary time in reggae culture. Clement Dodd and Leonard Dillon recorded these 15 tracks at Studio One and Randy's mostly in the mid-sixties and the seventies. My favorites on this one are: #1 (Owner Fe De Yard), #3 (One Heart), #4 (Bad to Worse), #5 (So You Look Pon It), and #10 (Fire Fire). The Ethiopians have a very gentle vocal delivery that softens these roots tracks. Like most Heartbeat discs, this has a decent booklet that comes with it. It discusses the early influences of church music and the first meetings with Bob, Bunny, and Peter. Also tracks notes on each song and an interview with Leonard Dillon round out the booklet and make this a quality representation of the prime Ethiopians tracks and a glimpse in to their background.