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Includes liner by Digitally remastered by Toby Mountain (Northeastern Digital, Southborough, Massachusetts). The rocksteady era was a magical time in the history of reggae music.
The jazzy, galloping ska backbeat was ceding place to a slower, more elastic groove, and singing styles were mellowing out as well; the vinegary trio harmonies of groups like the Wailers and the Ethiopians gradually gave way to the smoother, more soul-influenced sounds of the Techniques and the Melodians.
The music of this period was, paradoxically, both more spiritual and more sensual than the music that came before, without the ganja-infused mysticism that would come to dominate the music later on. This collection, yet another in a long and fruitful string of collaborations between the American Heartbeat label and Duke Reid's Treasure Isle, brings together 18 gems from the period, including classic tracks by John Holt ("I See Your Face"), Justin Hinds ("Time Pass By"), and Phyllis Dillon ("Take My Heart"), as well as a couple of less noteworthy efforts (such as the Sensations' mediocre "Baby Love").
Overall, this is an excellent overview of a sometimes-neglected chapter in reggae history. ~ Rick Anderson Techniques/John Holt/Sensation Dennis Alcapone/Jamaicans/Vict Chris Wilson. Producer: Duke Reid.
Compilation producer: Chris Wilson. Personnel: Lyn Taitt, Hux Brown, Ranny "Bop" Williams (guitar); Danny Simpson, Herman Marquis, Karl Bryan, Lennox Brown, Tommy McCook (saxophone); Johnny Moore Band, Baba Brooks, Bobby Ellis (trumpet); Vin Gordon (trombone); Gladstone Anderson, Aubrey Adams (piano); Neville Hinds, Winston Wright (organ); Hugh Malcolm, Arkland "Drumbago" Parks, Winston Grennan, Esmond Jarrett (drums). Liner Note Author: Chris Wilson. Recording information: Dynamic Studio, Kingston, Jamaica; Treasure Isle Studio, Kingston, Jamaica. The Wire (2/02, p.65) - "...A well judged mix of familiar and rare tunes..."
Track List :
The Techniques - There Comes A Time
John Holt - I See Your Face
The Sensations - Baby Love
Dennis Alcapone - Dj's Choice
The Jamaicans - Woman Go Home
Winston Wright - Cool Down
Ken Parker - True True
United Brothers - What More Can I Say
The Melodians - What More Can I Say
U Roy & The Jamaicans - Peace & Love
Justin Hinds - Time Pass By
The Ethiopians - Conditions Bad A Yard
Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - Real Cool
The Termites - Love Up Your Kiss
Phyllis Dillon - Take My Heart
Relations - My Cousin
Victors - You Can't Stop Me
The Dynamic Man - Boss Boss
