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Mad About You – Bruce Ruffin Anthology -  TJDD177

Don’t dismiss this one on the grounds of some of the later material and some of the more poppier songs.  Bruce Ruffin has a great voice and this double CD showcases it excellently with a lot of material available on CD for the first time. Another interesting feature is that most of the cuts were penned by Bruce himself and I for one did not realise how prolific a songwriter he was. Also quite a bit of of world commentary, the kind of stuff theat came out, in the US, of the blaxploitation period – Colourless world, bitterness of life, make love, not war.

Dry up your eyes from the late 60’s , produced by Leslie Kong, is excellent indeed.  Love lazy rhthm, sweet organ and superb vocals.  Similarly Bitterness of love, where the vocals are stretched and strained, to fit the reggae rhythm.

There are various covers most of which do not work.  One would have though that the Stairsteps with it’s sweet Chicago groove would fit effortlessly to Bruce Rufin.  Yet it doesn’t.

Also the Creole period is better than my memory would have suggested. Nothing earth shattering but a certain funkiness to it.

Included as bonus tracks are verious versions, live cuts and an unknown master tape.

 

Bruce Ruffin: Bruce Ruffin (TJDDD177)

 

Format: Double CD album
Released: May 24 2004
Availability: In stock: immediate despatch
Price: £13.99




The CD is the first anthology to incorporate both Ruffin's Trojan and Creole hits. Tracing his career from the late sixties through to the early seventies, every major recording from the period is included, with many seeing issue for the first time ever on CD. Noted for his smooth tenor as much as his songwriting skills, Ruffin was a true great of Jamaican music and this long over-due collection goes a long way to proving that point.

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Tracklisting

  2-CD SET

  DISC 1

  Long About Know (1969 Version) - Listen

  Dry Up Your Tears - Listen

  I'm The One - Listen

  Who's Gonna Be Your Man - Listen

  Cecilia - Listen

  The Bitterness Of Life - Listen

  O-o-h Child - Listen

  Candida - Listen

  Are You Ready - Listen

  Free The People - Listen

  Now You See Me Now You Don't - Listen

  Then Came The Heartbreak - Listen

  We Can Never Go On This Way - Listen

  Rain - Listen

  One Big Happy Family - Listen

  Heaven Child - Listen

  Make Love, Not War - Listen

  Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers - Listen

  Song Of Peace - Listen

  You Are The Best - Listen

  You Can Make It - Listen

  Mad About You - Listen

  Save The people - Listen

  Coming On Strong - Listen

  Crazy People - Listen

  Tickle Me - Listen

  I Like Everything About You - Listen

  DISC 2

  I'm In the Thick Of It - Listen

  Don't Walk In My Footsteps - Listen

  I'm Depending On You - Listen

  While There Is Life (There Is Hope) - Listen

  Colourless World - Listen

  A Little Today (A Little Tomorrow) - Listen

  Little Boys And Little Girls - Listen

  Candida (JA. Mix) - Listen

  Rain (Live Version) - Listen

  The Bitterness Of Live (Live Version) - Listen

  Lord I'm Ready - Listen

  One People - Listen

  Now That I'm A Man - Listen

  Love They Neighbours - Listen

  Long About Now (1971 Version) - Listen

  What's The Matter Now - Listen

  What Can I Do - Listen

  My Mind Is Leaving My Body/ Stop Living In A Dream World - Listen

  Two Sides To Every Story - Listen

  Country life - Listen

  What About The Children - Listen

  Uppity Up, Y'All - Listen

  Isn't It Good To Know - Listen

  It Don't Worth My While - Listen

  John And Judith - Listen

 

 

 

 

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