Sanctuary Records Group - Trojan
Back to Sanctuary/ Castle Music Review Menu - reviewed
Trojan 12" Box Set
Released
on 22 April 2003.
"Primarily focusing upon the
material issued on Trojan's own 12 inch singles issued during the latter part
of the seventies and early eighties, this compilation features 30 superb
mega-mixes of some of the biggest Reggae hits of the day. Included are many of
Jamaican music's biggest names, including Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Ken Boothe,
Gregory Isaacs, John Holt and Lee Perry, with the majority of tracks featured
previously unavailable on CD. This is surely one of the greatest collections of
extended Reggae cuts of all time"
I enjoyed this set very much as it
featured some of the Disco Mix Extended versions of theses songs. Some of them
petered out into insignificance and mybe don't do much at home but out the
extended mix allowed for creative dub Dj's or toasters to take over. In
retrospect some of the extensions are valid, some less so.
However before I start to review the key
cuts I have to mention one track that passed me by or didn't stick in my head.
If the latter shame on me but I Will Never Change/Version - Cornell Campbell
& The Aggrovators is absolutely phenomenal. The vocals on this are so
soulful with sweet harmonies, it really is a hairs on the back of the neck job.
More Lovers than Lovers and more Rockers than Rockers, soulful in the extreme.
The album kicks off with the obligatory
Bob Marley, Small Axe/Battle Axe – Bob Marley & The Wailers & The
Upsetters. Derrick Harriott always puts in faultless vocal performances and
this slow and sexy rendition of Let Me Down Easy is no exception.
Hurt So Good/Loving Is Good - Susan
Cadogan & The Upsetters is one that realy cuts loose on a discomix, a
favourite song of mine by Katie Love and the Four Shades of Black (and not
Millie Jackson) but still sounds good with Susan's shrill and non octave
challenging style.
More great vocals on the slow grooving
Rock A Bye Woman/Version - Freddie McKay and Love Me Girl/Version - Leroy
Sibbles illustrating that there were still song great songs around in the
middle ground between Lovers and Rasta. This groove continues on both Just Say
Who/Version - Delroy Wilson & The Aggrovators and Moving Away/Version -
Dennis Brown & The Observers aalong with the aforementioned Cornell. All
conscious people here but all excelling on downbeat love grooves with the
vocals to the fore. A run of five good
songs that will take some beating.
The distinctive voice on
Materialist/Poor Man Style - Horace Andy & The Observers. This is where
more conscious lyrics come in and more adventurous and provoking dub and echo. Clap The
Barber/Run Bald Head Dub - Michael Rose & The Observer Band – distinctive
voice but not one of his best, neither is You’ll Never Find Another Love Like
Mine/Version - John Holt & The Aggrovators version of Lou Rawls, although a
cracking bassline, and the song did meet with some success.
DISC 2 starts with a master cut, more of
the great DB - Wolf And Leopard/No Conscience - Dennis Brown & The
Observers, again a slow reggae beat allowing Dennis's vocal to ease over this
enduring masterpiece. I’m Still In Love/Three Piece Suit is a rhthm that is
well known and popularised by the number one hit by Althea & donna, but
this version predates it by Marcia Aitken & the excellent DJ style of
Trinity also on show. One of the most memorable and biggest around back then
was the Cool Ruler himself Gregory Isaacs and Never Be Ungrateful/Dub is so
typical. Then madness takes over! Bionic Rats - Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry
& The Upsetters.
Typically
one of these sides would be 5 orr 6 minutes but Worth Your Weight In Gold -
Delroy Wilson is extended to over 9, and a soulful delight it is too, over 5
minutes of Southern Soul tradition and then taken over by Gussie's studio
antics.
The next
three tracks have big name vocals and Prince Jammy at the controls - You’re No
Good - Ken Boothe & Prince Jammy - Born Free - Michael Rose & Jammy - Stand And
Look - Dad Brown, th elatter track being particularly nice.
Never Give
Up In A Babylon - Pancho Alphonso & The Revolutionaries is a sweet Rasta
calling tune. Another sweet tune is Lightning And Thunder/Ball Of Fire
- Bim Sherman from a time when Bim was enjoying particular (UK) success.
David Isaacs resurfaces in late 1979 with Just Like The Seawith Ting A Ling Jah
Thomas .
DISC 3:
Money In My
Pocket - Dennis Brown & Prince Mohammed, no comment needed but still
sounding good and I still love that changeover to the Prince. Colour Of The
Rainbow - Dave Richards was one out of leftfield that is worthy of attention
this time round if rasta is your sensibility. Another one with a second
showcase is Bim, illustrating his popularity of the day, and we're about 1979
now with Why Won’t You Come On
Caution -
The Sowell Radics is one of those sounds of the day, pounding undernath the
arches at Carnival. We're deep in Linval Thompson territory now and bring on
sweet Barry Brown, hard edged bassline, heavy dubs and dancehall style - Cool
Pon Your Corner, and then the hard, real hard militant stylee of Pop No Style -
Linval Thompson. More dancehall with Pretty Woman - Eddie Fitzroy
Personally
I would have chosen the original cut but nonetheless the anthemic Kouchi
Vibes/Pass The Knowledge - The Mighty Diamonds is a superb piece.
The Sugar
man hit pay dirt a few years earlier but this from his debut Trojan
Ghetto-Ology - Sugar Minott. Another voice that was huge at the time was
Tristan Palmer and I still recall to this day slates coming down in a Rodigan
soundclash back then, can't recall if it was this one but it could well have
been, the distinctive Settle Down Girl.
Closing in
fine style with If I Didn’t Want Your Loving - The Majesterians.
A cracking
showcase, fine indeed.
3-CD SET |
DISC 1: |
Small Axe/Battle Axe – Bob Marley & The Wailers
& The Upsetters |
Let Me Down Easy/Version - Derrick Harriott & The
Crystalites |
Hurt So Good/Loving Is Good - Susan Cadogan & The
Upsetters |
Rock A Bye Woman/Version - Freddie McKay |
Love Me Girl/Version - Leroy Sibbles |
Just Say Who/Version - Delroy Wilson & The
Aggrovators |
I Will Never Change/Version - Cornell Campbell &
The Aggrovators |
Moving Away/Version - Dennis Brown & The Observers
|
Three Blind Mice/Three Times Three - Leo Graham &
King Tubby & the Upsetters |
Materialist/Poor Man Style - Horace Andy & The
Observers |
Clap The Barber/Run Bald Head Dub - Michael Rose &
The Observer Band |
You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine/Version -
John Holt & The Aggrovators |
DISC 2: |
Wolf And Leopard/No Conscience - Dennis Brown &
The Observers |
I’m Still In Love/Three Piece Suit - Marcia Aitken
& Trinity |
Never Be Ungrateful/Dub - Gregory Isaacs |
Bionic Rats - Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry & The Upsetters |
Worth Your Weight In Gold - Delroy Wilson |
You’re No Good - Ken Boothe & Prince Jammy |
Born Free - Michael Rose & Jammy |
Stand And Look - Dad Brown |
Never Give Up In A Babylon - Pancho Alphonso & The
Revolutionaries |
Lightning And Thunder/Ball Of Fire - Bim Sherman |
Just Like The Sea/Ting A Ling - David Isaacs & Jah
Thomas |
DISC 3: |
Money In My Pocket - Dennis Brown & Prince
Mohammed |
Colour Of The Rainbow - Dave Richards |
Why Won’t You Come On - Bim Sherman |
There’s A Song - Pat Kelly |
Caution - The Sowell Radics |
Cool Pon Your Corner - Barry Brown |
Pop No Style - Linval Thompson |
Pretty Woman - Eddie Fitzroy |
Kouchi Vibes/Pass The Knowledge - The Mighty Diamonds |
Ghetto-Ology - Sugar Minott |
Settle Down Girl - Tristan Palmer |
If I Didn’t Want Your Loving - The Majesterians |
.
Visitors: