CASTLE MUSIC

Suzanne Beware of the Devil - The Best of Dandy Livingstone - Trojan - TJACD057

Released on 11 November 2002

We get here some groundbreaking cuts and some great commercial reggae so it is right that we should concentrate on those.

Classic tunes such as Rudy A Message to you and Reggae in your Jeggae from the late 60's were huge in the late 60's amongst the skinhead movement, and the former picked up by the Specials in the 70's two tone revival. Doctor Sureshot, Monkey Retrurns and Move your mule are more favourites from those early Tighten Up years. Lets do the Rocksteady also from this era was also a two tone hit for the Bodysnatchers. I think it is these tracks that make the album worthwhile and I am sure it will be these sixties cuts that will sell the album. They very much captured the Rude Boy of the time in for example Trouble in the Town as well as the more well known ones already mentioned.

Version Girl with Dandy toasting rather than singing is also worth a mention.

Paydirt came later kickstarted by Raining in my heart, a great smooth ballad recorded in London and realising it with an original bside Suzanne Beware of the Devil, a big UK pop hit. Followed up with the double header Big City and Think about that.

Amongst the good stuff are some covers of hits and standards the early ones for me are ballroom reggae for middle aged white tourists, and the later ones attempts to find a market to make some money. Whilst you can't necessarily knock that sentiment it's not for the purist.