It Has Been Fun!

 By now most of you have surmised that this place is essentially closed. It was a helluve a run and I had a lot of fun. Met some good friends whom I am still in touch with, but I don't see continuing this project. I built something here that became impossible to maintain... too many links, too much upload space, too many re-up requests (more than 20 a week and everyone wants the big sets) - it just isn't possible to continue this. Thanks to everyone who made this special - you can still pop in and see me at The King Cake Crypt redux (kccryptredux.blogspot.com), or one of the two new projects Kingston to Rio or Casablanca to Capetown. That's all folks!

The Chitlin Circuit

"The "Chitlin' Circuit," like "Tin Pan Alley" and "Motown" and other legendary music locations, is both a real and symbolic term for the on-and-off-again venues--shoebox-sized bars, clubs, cafes and increasingly in the 21st century, casinos-- that support traditional rhythm and blues in a tenuous but tenacious thread through America's mostly rural (or low-profile urban) Bible Belt." Daddy B. Nice

" A circuit of nightclubs and theaters that feature African-American performers and cater especially to African-American audiences.

When Jim Crow and segregation were even more prominent in the United States, the Negro race, freed through emancipation, did not have equal access to public “White Only” places. The Chitlin’ Circuit - a connected string of music venues, diners, juke joints, and theaters throughout the eastern and southern United States that catered primarily to African American audiences was created.

The Chitlin’ Circit was the only option for touring Black entertainers such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Etta James, Billie Holiday, Ike and Tina Turner, B. B. King, Bobby “Blue” Bland, T.D. Bell and the Blues Specialists, Roosevelt "Gray Ghost" Williams, Eubie Blake, Robert Shaw, Big Joe Williams and many others begin touring in an effort to “eek” out a living when Jim Crow and segregation was even more prominent in the United States.

Historically, Baltimore was the first city on the Chitlin' Circuit. The Chitlin’ Circuit stretched through the South, bending Westward throughout Texas, extending Eastward on through Chicago, offering continuous opportunities for black entertainers." Urban Dictionary

"The "Chitlin' Circuit" is the collective name given to the string of performance venues throughout the eastern and southern United States that were safe and acceptable for African-American musicians, comedians, and other entertainers to perform in during the age of racial segregation in the United States (from at least the early 19th century through the 1960s) as well as the venues that contemporary African American soul and blues performers, especially in the South, continue to appear at regularly. The name derives from the soul food item chitterlings (stewed pig intestines) and is also a play on the term "Borscht belt" which referred to a group of venues (primarily in New York's Catskill Mountains) popular with Jewish performers during the 1940s, 50s and 60s.

Noted theaters on the Chitlin' Circuit included the Royal Peacock in Atlanta; the Carver Theatre in Birmingham, Alabama; the Cotton Club, Small's Paradise and the Apollo Theater in New York City; Robert's Show Lounge, Club DeLisa and the Regal Theatre in Chicago; the Howard Theatre in Washington, D.C.; the Uptown Theatre in Philadelphia; the Royal Theatre in Baltimore; the Fox Theatre in Detroit; the Victory Grill in Austin, Texas; the Hippodrome Theatre in Richmond, Virginia; the Ritz Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida; and The Madame C. J. Walker Theatre on Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis.

The second historic marker designated by the Mississippi Blues Commission on the Mississippi Blues Trail was placed in front of the Southern Whispers Restaurant on Nelson Street in Greenville, Mississippi, a stop on the Chitlin' Circuit in the early days of the blues. The marker commemorates the importance of this site in the history of the development of the blues in Mississippi. In the 1940s and 1950s, this historic strip drew crowds to the flourishing club scene to hear Delta blues, big band jump blues and jazz." wikipedia

Much love to Wikipedia on this project, they have saved enormous amounts of time for me and most of what I've found so far is pretty informative and reasonably accurate. Believe me, I'll cheerfully point out where they got it wrong and do my own writing where necessary but the point of an encyclopedia is a place to cite information from and in this function they have been invaluable. On the music side I am deeply indebted to "Unky Cliff" for a huge portion of what appears here and for the books I am educating myself with as well. My morning discussions with him will often filter into the blog. The files here that do not come from actual rips or itunes, likely originated on other blogs through the years, thanks to all of them as well, your generosity to me is being passed on.  kc 

Shares and Requests

Here is a place to drop both your own shares and requests for shares in a central place everyone can check - you know how this works by now.

Various Artists - Christmas In Soulsville (Stax Comp 2007)

Merry Christmas to all = If you're feeling cynical...Read 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens (celebrating its 175 year anniversary)...or watch one of the many films (my favourite is 'Scrooge' from 1951) ...Meanwhile enjoy some classic soulful blues - Cheers Gus 

Desmond Dekker - The Writing On The Wall

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"Before Bob Marley, before even Jimmy Cliff, there was Desmond Dekker, the self-styled original rude boy who with his 1968 international hit "Israelites" put Jamaica and its skewed, unique, upside-down take on pop music firmly on the map. Unfortunately, "Israelites" is not included in this set of early Dekker sides recorded between 1963 and 1970, and neither is the enduring "007 (Shanty Town)," so this isn't the first place for casual listeners to sample Dekker's work, but it is a nice look at his early ska sides, including "Honour Your Mother and Father" from 1963, the Jimmy Cliff-like "I Believe," and the loopy but infectious "Mother Pepper." Also worth noting is "I've Got the Blues" where the normally sweet-toned Dekker roughs things up a bit and turns himself into a pretty convincing soul shouter."

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Delroy Wilson - Cool Operator

"Regarded as the first Jamaican child singing star, Delroy George Wilson was born on October 5, 1948. Wilson began his recording career at the age of 13 while still a student at Boy’s Town Primary School. Barely out of short pants, he recorded his first single, ”Emmy Lou”, for Producer Clement “Coxsone” Dodd. His early years with Dodd yielded a number of ska hits, the biggest of which was the Lee Perry- penned “Joe Liges”, an attack on rival producer and former Dodd artist, Prince Buster. Wilson later followed up with “Spit in the Sky”, yet another lyrical attack on Buster. But it didn’t stop there, Wilson went on to record:

• One, Two, Three
• I Shall Not Remove
• Look who is Back (Duet with Sun Smith)
• Prince Pharaoh (the only recording featuring Coxsone)

It was in the mid 60’s when Wilson’s voice began to mature and as he left his teenage years behind that he began to transition from ska to rocksteady. This would be his peak production period. His songs included one of the first rocksteady hit records, “Dancing Mood”, and also Jerking Time, Feel Good All Over, I’m not a King, True Believer in Love, Rain from the Skies, Conquer Me, and Won’t You Come Home”, a duet with Ken Boothe. His hit with Boothe went on to become one of the most versioned tracks ever.

Wilson left Studio One and recorded tracks for other labels before him and his fellow artists created their own “D&C” label in 1972. Under this label he recorded the song “Better Must Come”, a song that was later used as the People’s National Party political slogan and campaign song. This same year Wilson recorded the hit “Cool Operator”, which later became his nickname.

It was in 1976 that Wilson recorded “I’m Still Waiting”, which met with some crossover success. This was followed by “Last Thing on My Mind”, which sailed up the Jamaican music charts to occupy the #1 spot.

In his later life, Wilson drifted in and out of the limelight. He eventually died on March 6, 1995, due to complications of liver disease. He will always be remembered for his earlier works. His son Karl “Konan” Wilson is carrying on his legacy to this day." Exquisite Soul 

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Bob Andy - Retrospective

As a founding member of the Paragons, Bob Andy began his musical career at Studio One, and it was from there that he launched himself as a solo singer. Coxsone Dodd bundled up the best of these early cuts for Andy's Song Book album, and thus Retrospective looks mostly beyond his work at Studio One. However, two songs are drawn from the Dodd era -- 1968's bubbly sufferer's song "Let Them Stay" and the 1970 romantic masterpiece "Desperate Lover," later covered by Taj Mahal. By the time that latter 45 hit the shops, Andy had already linked with Marcia Griffiths, with the duo storming across the Jamaican charts and up the U.K. listings with a stream of pop and reggae-lite singles. Simultaneously, Andy was penning more hits for a solo Griffiths, as well as for himself. Although the more pop-flecked John Holt was responsible for the bulk of the Paragons' hits, Andy was arguably the better songwriter. One of his best was "You Don't Know," an extraordinarily poignant, cultural number, that elegantly presented both believers' and outsiders' views of Rastafarians. Andy revisited this on the infectious "Nyah," but then strictly from the believer's viewpoint. An eloquent discourse on getting the most out of "Life" is just as strong, as is "Fire Burning," one of the most unusual apocalyptic numbers ever recorded, a sublime pop piece that gives a gentle musical but vivid lyrical warning of the coming Armageddon. "Life" was produced by Harry Johnson and "Fire" by Lloyd Charmers, while Andy himself oversaw "You Don't Know." All three come from the first half of the '70s, the period from which virtually this entire set was drawn. From stunning cultural numbers -- "Hell a Go Broke Loose" is also worth noting -- to emotive romantic pieces, and across uplifting messages, like the show-stopping "Too Proud to Beg" to sound system rousers, Retrospective proudly showcases Andy at his most magnificent. With his unforgettable lyrics and his superb performances, Andy was an absolute phenomenon during this era, and this set is the ultimate proof of that.

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Beres Hammond - Love Affair & Collectors Series

One of the most under-appreciated reggae artists of his time, Beres Hammond was something of a throwback during his '90s heyday: a soulful crooner indebted to classic rocksteady and American R&B, one who preferred live instrumentation and wrote much of his own material. Hammond specialized in romantic lovers rock, but he also found time to delve into light dancehall, conscious roots reggae, hip-hop fusion, and straight-up contemporary R&B. He was born Hugh Beresford Hammond on August 28, 1955, in Annotto Bay, in the Jamaican province of St. Mary. Hammond grew up listening to his father's collection of American R&B (Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, etc.) and jazz, and also fell in love with native Jamaican music during the ska and rocksteady eras; his primary influence was Alton Ellis, and he also listened to the likes of Peter Tosh, the Heptones, and Ken Boothe.


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Cocoa Tea - Israel's King

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Augustus 'Gussie' Clarke - Gussie Presenting the Right Tracks, Disc 1 & 2

VP Records and 17 North Parade present “The Right Tracks” a newly compiled, 40 re-mastered track set chronicling the work of Producer Augustus “Gussie” Clarke. In some of his earliest work (featured here), Gussie Clarke has shown his distinctive talent and created a rich legacy in music that continues to resonate decades later.
The 2 CD package features collectable ‘Gussie’ productions from the 1970s and is a true parade of Jamaican greats with: Horace Andy, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Augustus Pablo, Leroy Smart Jacob Miller and more.

Tracklist:
The Right Track – Tommy McCook
Guiding Star – Leroy Sibbles
Scorch Special – Simplicity People
Gussie Special – Simplicity People
Classical Illusion (12” Version) – Augustus Pablo
Oh No I Can’t Believe – Gregory Isaacs
Believe A Dub – Augustus Pablo
Love You To Want Me – Horace Andy
Girl Don’t Come – Jacob Miller
Lying Lips – Leroy Smart
Schnectady’s Shock – Simplicity People
Logan Street Rock – Simplicity People
How Can I Love Someone – Delroy Wilson
Delilah – Horace Andy
Born To Love You – The Heptones
Born To Dub You – Augustus Pablo
Born To Dub You Pt. 2 – Simplicity People
Their Own Way – Dennis Brown
Pride And Ambition – Leroy Smart
Pride Version – Old Boys Inc.
Try Me – Roman Stewart
Leggo Beast – I Roy
Rhythm Style – Simplicity People
Stardom – Augustus Pablo
No, No, No – Leroy Sibbles
Magnificent Seven – I Roy
Origan Style – Augustus Pablo
K. G.’s Halfway Tree – Simplicity People
High Jacking – I Roy
Skylarking – Augustus Pablo
Skylarking 2 – Augustus Pablo
The Killer Version – The Society Squad
My Time – Gregory Isaacs
Funny Feeling – Dennis Brown
Danger In Your Eyes – The Mighty Diamonds
Danger In Your Dub – Tommy McCook
Black Foundation – Augustus ‘Gussie’ Clarke
Proud To Be Black – Mikey Dread
Love The Daughter – Trinity
Peace Can Solve It – I Roy

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Aswad - Roots Rockin' - The Island Anthology 1 & 2

Aswad is a rarity among reggae groups as one that started out relatively weak and got better as it incorporated more pop and soul influences into its sound. The band's albums of the 1970s were primarily roots reggae of the blandest sort: two-chord vamps loping along beneath negligible melodies and by the numbers Rastafarian lyrics. By contrast, Aswad's chart-topping version of "Don't Turn Around," released in 1989 after the band had hardened and slicked up its sound, remains its biggest hit and arguably the best single the group ever produced. This retrospective collection presents a nice, two-disc précis of the band's work from its earliest albums until it jumped labels around 1990. Disc One is certainly not bad -- while there is little exceptional material to be found (and the worst of it, such as the embarrassingly atonal "Rainbow Culture," should clearly have stayed out of print), there are moments of real musical and spiritual uplift, including a live version of "Not Satisfied" and the dubwise excursions on "Three Babylon" and "It's Not Our Wish." But Disc Two is the payoff. The band's sound is tough, lean, and modern, though still well grounded in Rasta roots and culture. "Don't Turn Around" shows up in a 12" version, as do such other gems as "Don't Get Weary," "Gimme the Dub," and a surprisingly attractive version of the '70s soft rock potboiler "On and On." This set is very nice overall, and probably represents everything most people need to hear from Aswad's earlier years.

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Dennis Brown - Some Like It Hot

This 18-track compilation bundles up some of the best of Brown's work with producer Niney Holness and, in conjunction with Heartbeat's Open the Gates collection, mops up virtually all the pair's material together from the 1970s. And what a phenomenal flood of music it was. Although only 16 when he and the Observer began working together, Brown was already a music veteran, a former child star, who had grown into a winsome teenaged balladeer. Holness himself was barely out of his teens, but still managed to help shape the youngster into one of the age's greatest roots singers. Between 1973 and 1977, the pair, accompanied by Earl Chinna's Soul Syndicate, unleashed a torrent of seminal recordings and sent a slew of singles rocketing into the Jamaican chart. Some Like It Hot may disregard chronology -- in fact, the duo's first hit, "Westbound Train," is immediately followed by their last, "Tribulation," but to complain would be churlish, considering the masterpieces found here, including the two just mentioned. There's also the sublime "Wolf and Leopards," the infectious title track, the pop classic "My Time," and the powerful "Cassandra" (one of several cuts utilizing the "Westbound Train" rhythm). For collectors, there's also the fabulous 12" mixes of "Africa" and "Here I Come" (like "Tribulation," its rhythm was cut in London with the Cimarrons, misspelled Cimaroons here), alongside Big Youth's DJ version of "Westbound," "Ride On/Wild Goose Chase." As an added bonus, the liner notes include an interview with the Observer himself. In their catalog, Heartbeat subtitles the album The Best of Dennis Brown -- they'd have been justified to print that on the CD's sleeve.

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Garnett Silk - Kilimanjaro Remembers Garnett Silk

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"The late Garnett Silk was one of the most promising of the "cultural" dancehall singers of the early '90s, a period when "slackness" was in the ascendant and few of Jamaica's top-flight talents were still bothering to deliver the lyrical messages of spiritual and political uplift that had been reggae's stock in trade for so long. Silk spent some time with the Killamanjaro sound system, singing over new and vintage reggae rhythms, sometimes in collaboration with other singers and deejays. This collection brings together 21 such tracks, most characterized by the slightly rough, improvised feel that often attends sound system performances. Silk's talent, though, was such that even when getting lost in the chord progression of "Marley Medley" or grinding to a ragged halt on "Jaro Ruling," his voice still has the power to captivate. Notable team-ups on this album include a duet with Dennis Brown on "Sing With Me" and "Rule Dem" with Luciano. Recommended."

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Alton Ellis - Cry Tough

"Although Alton Ellis was never to receive the international recognition of such contemporaries as Desmond Dekker or Delroy Wilson, the singer was at least their equal. Launching his career as the duo of Alton & Eddie (Parkins) at the dawn of the ska age, Ellis' career has continued unabated since, both as partner with other singers (including his equally talented sister Hortense Ellis) and as a solo artist. Although he recorded for a multitude of producers, some of his most glittering work during the rocksteady/early reggae eras was cut with Duke Reid, and it is from Reid's Treasure Isle chest that this compilation is drawn. There were scores of classics to choose from, and Cry Tough contains many of the best, a sumptuous entrance to the singer's world. Accompanied by a string of Reid's superb session bands and backed by the Flames (initially the Maytals and then a new grouping with Winston Jarrett at its core), Ellis proceeded to turn up the heat on the island with a flood of evocative hits. However, some of his best-known songs included within this compilation are not the original releases, but alternate takes. As these versions are in no way substandard to the actual releases, this a boon for collectors, while not penalizing new fans. In the case of his best-known number, "Girl I've Got a Date," the alternate is arguably superior, as Ellis reaches new soulful heights. The version of "Cry Tough" is also a masterpiece of emotional shading, almost overwhelmed by its sheer poignancy. And it was this emotive power that defined the singer -- a sweet soulfulness, rich with feeling, that Ellis brought to all his records. This was as true for his many self-penned songs as for the American pop hits he often covered, and it's arguably the latter that best showcase his talent, as Top 40 fluff resonates with new depth under his attention. With 20 classic songs and Ellis at his best, it's not all you'll need -- because after hearing this, you're guaranteed to want more."

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Black Uhuru - Liberation - The Island Anthology (1993) 2cd

Black Uhuru is a Jamaican reggae group formed in 1972, initially as Uhuru (Swahili for 'freedom'). The group has undergone several line-up changes over the years, with Derrick Duckie Simpson as the mainstay. They had their most successful period in the 1980s, with their album Anthem winning the first ever Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album in 1985. (Wiki)

Black Uhuru's all-too-brief years at Island/Mango produced some of the most astonishing sounds to come out of Jamaica. Militant, spiritual, loving and liberating, their six albums cut for Chris Blacwell's label from 1980-1983, were prototypes for a new generation.
Black Uhuru emerged at exactly the right moment. In the late 1970's, Jamaica was raging: outside imperialist threats, political violence, teetering economics, covert U.S. intervention and angry, politicized youth. Reggae music was no longer reflecting the change; Bob Marley and Peter Tosh were lone rebels. Just as the punk revolution had toppled the rock hierarchy, reggae was in need of its own uprising.
Giving voice to the street was Black Uhuru. Founded by Derrick 'Duckie' Simpson in the mid-1970's , Uhuru was just one of the many second-generation, Rasta-inspired vocal groups - until Simpson was drawn to the magical voice of Michael Rose. A rude bwoy from the crushingly violent Kingston slum known as Waterhouse, Rose, a struggling solo artist - he did the original 'Guess Who's Coming To Dinner' - would find in Uhuru a vehicle for his own edgy word-fall of songs. Then one day Simpson and Rose heard from an apartment above the recording studio, another haunting sound: the ethereal  voice of South Carolina-born, Columbia-graduate, Rasta sister, Sandra 'Puma' Jones... (from the CD notes included)          

All tracks feature 'The Riddim Twins' Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, Drums and Bass (shown below) and a crack band. Details of musicians on all tracks are shown in the scans provided - Listen to it a few times and the vocal and instrumental hooks will grab you ! Unlike Bob Marley's natural, organic recordings, Black Uhuru make full use of the studio to create the way Reggae music would evolve.  - Gus 

Alton Ellis - Sunday Coming

"Alton Ellis is one of the best Jamaican vocalists to have emerged during the ska and rocksteady periods in the '60s. His singing prowess remained intact through the reggae, dancehall, and ragga years as well, proving that his uniquely soulful delivery and impeccable phrasing could transcend reggae's many changes. Recording with his preferred producer Clement Dodd, Ellis cut Sunday Coming around 1969-1970 at Dodd's legendary Brentford Road studio. Most likely backed by the producer's Sound Dimension band (featuring the great Jackie Mittoo as arranger and organist), Ellis offers up a typical set of originals and choice covers from the day's charts. On the handful of tracks Ellis co-wrote with Dodd, breezy medium-tempo cuts like "It's True" and "The Picture Was You" particularly stand out; the buoyant soul-based rocksteady beats, occasional jazz chords, and sweet harmonies all seem to be part of a musical setting in which Ellis thrived. The point is substantiated by great Ellis performances on similarly disposed covers like the Guess Who's "These Eyes," Blood, Sweat & Tears' "You Make Me So Very Happy," and the "Junior Walker hit "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)." Ellis also shows some musical flexibility with his funky James Brown-inspired jam "Alton's Groove" and the fine roots reggae track "Reason in the Sky"; he even proves his contemporary relevance on two impressive tracks from 1994, including the updated rocksteady cut "Joy in the Morning" and a digitally enhanced number entitled "The Winner." This disc is one of Ellis' best and comes highly recommended to newcomers and reggae enthusiasts alike."

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Dennis Brown - Open The Gate (Greatest Hits, Vol 2)

"Picking up the Brown/Holness story where Some Like It Hot left off, Open the Gate rounds up most of the rest of the pair's 1970s material. The singer recorded exclusively with the Observer from 1973 and 1975, and those songs made up the bulk of Hot. After a trial separation, so to speak, during 1976, Brown returned to Holness' side early in the new year, and recorded a new batch of equally crucial cuts. The most seminal -- "Wolf and Leopards" and "Tribulation" -- are found on Hot; the rest appear here, alongside a handful of rarities. Collectors will revel in the cuts culled from albums, the 12" extended mix of "Tenement Yard," an alternate version of John Holt's "Only a Smile" (one of four excellent covers found here), Dillinger's DJ version of "Here I Come," and, most spectacularly, a ferocious live version of "Cassandra," seeing the light of day for the first time here. In some ways, Gate is a greater revelation, and not just for collectors. Hot's hits are so familiar from previous compilations that the very freshness of these tracks enables the listener to discover Brown's power anew. Holness' deep roots production played to the singer's strengths, while the Soul Syndicates' impeccable playing is also showcased. There's a palpable chemistry at work here, with all the parties involved pulling out all the stops, not just on their own behalf, but to also complement each other. The guitar frills on "God Bless Our Souls," for example, give an added sense of poignancy to Brown's own superbly soulful delivery. "Take a Trip," a revision of the Hollywood chestnut "On Broadway," could have been a throwaway, but turns into a dread classic via Brown's new lyrics and emotive delivery, which are heightened by Holness' dread production. The lightly dubbed "Whip Them Jah Jah" is a standout, as is the title track and "Tenement Yard," featuring a fine toast by a now barely remembered DJ. But with 19 excellent tracks to choose from, it's almost impossible to play favorites, so why bother?"

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Garnet Silk - Lord Watch Over Our Shoulders

"A distressingly large number of great reggae artists have died needlessly before their time, many of them -- Prince Far I, King Tubby, Hugh Mundell -- the victims of politics or criminal violence. But when Garnett Silk was killed in 1994 by an exploding gas canister, the random and accidental nature of his death was especially upsetting. This excellent posthumous compilation was originally released in 1995, and demonstrates how much the reggae world lost when he died. Reissued in 2001 in a mid-priced, digitally remastered version (with a bonus remix of the title track), Lord Watch Over Our Shoulders consists primarily of King Jammy-produced songs with a smattering of productions by E.J. Robinson (including the exquisite "Cry of My People"), Jack Scorpio and Philip Smart thrown in as well. Silk's emotional, gospel-inflected voice is in excellent form throughout, and the digital dancehall rhythms his producers generate for him are consistently world-class. Highlights include both mixes of the title track, the very dread "Babylon Be Still," and a fine combination track with Frankie Paul and the up-and-coming Bobo Dread DJ Determine. Highly recommended."

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Slim Smith - Out Of Love - 24 Hip Hits

"Slim is an incomparable singer even though he's been dead thirty odd, coming on for forty years. Slim was the nearest thing to Curtis Mayfield and he could also play instruments... look how long Slim Smith dead and you hear his music still. Do you know of another singer who's come up like Slim Smith? You've never had another singer who's made that impact on Jamaican music like Slim Smith." Bunny 'Striker' Lee

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Bob Andy - Song Book

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"Bob Andy was introduced to Jamaican record buyers in the 1960s as a member of the Paragons, the vocal quartet best known for the hit "The Tide Is High." Andy went on to achieve greater fame in the following decade as one half of the vocal duo Bob & Marcia (with Marcia Griffiths) on hits like "Young Gifted and Black" and "Pied Piper" for Harry Johnson. His greatest artistic successes, however, can be found on the three albums the singer recorded for Clement Dodd's Studio One beginning in the late '60s. While selections from The Music Inside Me cropped up on Heartbeat's Retrospective, Lots of Love & I had long been out of print and Andy's exceptional Songbook was available, in CD format, only on this inferior quality Studio One issue. Criticisms about sound and packaging aside, however, Songbook (recorded between 1966 and 1968) remains utterly essential. Though the music preceded the roots era by nearly a half-decade, many of the themes taken up by the dreads of the 1970s can be found blossoming in Andy's late-'60s songs. His classic "I've Got to Go Back Home" must have been one of the earliest songs to deal so explicitly with a "sufferers" theme. The singer's delicate, bittersweet melody is married to a tune of ghetto hardship. "Unchained" attacks slavery with lyrical directness and an impassioned vocal. Covered by Gregory Isaacs, Big Youth, and Barrington Levy, the definitive version of Andy's classic "My Time" is found here. Equally moving are "Going Home," "Let Them Say," "Feeling Soul," and "Crime Don't Pay." A singer and songwriter of the highest order, Andy's place in musical history is assured on the basis of Songbook alone." AMG

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