DanceCrasher

Doctor Bird continue to build an impressive catalogue of vintage Jamaican music, they have two new CD’s out on November 10th.

Various Artists – Hot Shots Of Reggae

A quality selection of Lesley Kong productions first released in 1970 on Trojan in the UK and on Kong’s own Beverley’s imprint (as Original Reggae Hot Shots) in Jamaica. This edition collects the original 12 tracks and adds another 13 Lesley Kong productions from the same era. There are plenty of gems here, massive hits from the Maytals (Monkey Man) and the Melodians (Sweet Sensation) alongside stone cold classics from the Gaylads (This Time I Won’t Hurt You), Delroy Wilson (Show Me The Way) and Bruce Ruffin (Dry Up Your Tears). If there is a weakness it’s the instrumentals, the rhythms may be classics but these always sound like they were going through the motions and don’t have that edge that many other producers of the era managed to bring.

This comes with a 12 page booklet with illustrations of both the UK and Jamaican album sleeves, plenty of label pictures etc. and sleeve notes from Lawrence Cane-Honeysett.

1. Freedom Street – Ken Boothe
2. Sweet Sensation – the Melodians
3. Monkey Man – the Maytals
4. Why Baby Why – Ken Boothe
5. Cotton Dandy – Ansel Collins & the Beverley’s All Stars
6. So Much Love – Joe White
7. She’s My Scorcher – the Maytals
8. Simmer Down Quashie – the Pioneers
9. There’s a Fire – the Gaylads
10. Show Me the Way – Delroy Wilson
11. This Time I Won’t Hurt You – the Gaylads
12. I’m the One – Bruce Ruffin
13. Drums of Freedom – Ken Boothe
14. High Voltage – Ansel Collins
15. I’ll Need You Tomorrow – the Kingstonians
16. (Heavy Load) Don’t Get Weary – Carl Dawkins
17. Double Shot – Beverley’s All Stars
18. Lick It Back – the Clarendonians
19. Jaga Jaga War – the Wanderers
20. Night of Love – Ansel Collins
21. Hoola Bulla – the Slickers
22. Gimme Gimme Gal (Banana Water) – the Mellotones
23. Wiggle Waggle – the Wanderers
24. Moon Dust – Ansel Collins
25. Dry Up Your Tears – Bruce Ruffin

Dubb Everlasting/Dub Expression

Two dub LP’s collected together on one CD, original released circa 1977/1978. These are Sonia Pottinger productions recorded at Treasure Isle studio with the Revolutionaries band and mixed by Errol Brown.

Dub Expression is definitely the stronger of the two sets so it’s a little surprising this is the second one on the collection. That said, it’s also been reissued individually on vinyl/CD by Dub Store of Japan recently so they’ve somewhat stolen the march on Doctor Bird. Weather Doctor Bird know this is another matter as they continue to claim “All tracks unavailable in any format since the 1970’s”. Oh well.

Controversies aside Dub Expression is a stormer so buy it without hesitation.

[Dubb Everlasting]
1. Babylon Dubbing
2. Escape Affair
3. Biblical Dub
4. Easy Locks
5. Living Strings
6. Eva a Dub
7. Mariguana Affair
8. Dub Due
9. Winning Dub
10. 37 Orange Street
11. Spinning Dub
[Dub Expression]
12. The Gun Court Dub
13. Ital Stew
14. Super Tracks
15. Dread at the Controls
16. Ghetto Dub
17. Ranking Marshall
18. Down Town Thing
19. Bond Street Rock
20. Melodious Dub
21. Mark Dis Yah Dub