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Artist:
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Dennis
Brown |
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Dennis Brown’s extensive back catalogue has been the subject of many retrospective compilations over the years, though most have focused on the material he recorded for Winston ‘Niney’ Holness and Joe Gibbs back in the seventies; undertandably so, as these were the records that established Dennis as ‘the Crown Prince Of Reggae’ and still make for sublime listening nowadays - and we get both versions of the title track, from 1972 and 1978 respectively. This double CD covers the years 1970 to 1996 and includes plenty of that classic material, ranging from standards such as the early ‘Silhouettes’ (for Derrick Harriott) to roots & culture: ‘Wolves And Leopards’, ‘Whip Them Jah Jah’, ‘Equal Rights’; from the ska-inflected ‘Westbound Train’ to digital riddims for Prince Jammy. It is these later sides that really distinguish this compilation from many others - whereas most tend to stop around the end of the seventies, all but the first three tracks of the second CD - 16 numbers - postdate 1979. They include tough material for Sly & Robbie, just a couple from Dennis’s A&M contract where the attempt was made to ‘cross him over’ with Philly-disco influenced sounds, an example of his work with Aswad, songs for Tapper Zukie, Bunny Lee, and Roots Radics - plus Joe Gibbs of course. Dennis is sorely missed these days. His voice was instantly recognisable, and did he ever record a less than worthwhile performance? I don’t think so and those here are so, so much more than merely worthwhile. - Norman Darwen |
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