REGGAE

Rip It Up, Issue 53, 1 December 1981, Page 16

REGGAE

Gregory Isaacs I-Roy

Prince Far I

Virgin 1 + 1 tapes

Reggae fans, many of whom own portable cassette players, should be delighted with this series from Virgin, starring the cream of JA talent from the now-defunct Front Line label.

Gregory Isaacs is the pick of this bunch, not only because he's a divine singer, but also because it's the first time his product has been available here. The Isaacs' cassette gives you ■; Cool Ruler and Soon Forward, both warm and captivating albums. Just try and avoid singing along with the man. He's magic. I-Roy (Roy Reid) is an accountant-turned-toaster who's been recording since 1970. He's often confused with U-Roy (Ewart Beckford), arguably the original toaster, whom he's been accused of ripping off. Hardly ' fair, because the two employ very different styles. His 1+ 1 cassette contains World On Fire and Cancer,, the . latter purely instrumental, showing his ability to write tunes as well as talk. Prince Far I is one of the new breed of toasters, a poet who takes his art seriously. His heavy-mannered vocal style won't appeal to everyone, nor will. his unequivocal statements. He is, nontheless, a significant performer, and the interested should also check out his Showcase In A Suitcase LP, recently released here.

Other 1 + 1 cassettes: Various artists Last Chance/ Frontline (compilations), Gladiators Trenchtown Mur-

Up/Proverbial Reggae, U-Roy Dread In A Babylon/Versions Galore, Mighty Diamonds Ice On Fire/Right Time, Jah Lloyd The Humble / Black Moses, Culture Harder Than The Rest/International Herb. Duncan Campbell

Jacob 'Killer' Miller Mixed Up Moods Dillinger

Bionic Dread

Burning Spear Living Dub

Island These three lovely records are just a small selection from the reggae catalogue imported recently by Festival.' Some of the best stuff has already been snapped up, but there's still some excellent material available. Check the bins, if you haven't already done so. Jacob Killer' Miller was a monster of a man, physically and spiritually, a giant with a sweet and gentle voice, - the inspiration behind the vocal trio Inner Circle. The group's releases were only occasionally good, as the financial necessity of playing the Jamaican hotel circuit knocked most of the stuffing out of them. Miller solo achieved better results, .and Mixed Up Moods showed he had the ideas, needing only the vehicle. Sadly, he died last year in a car crash before his full potential was realised.

Dillinger (born Lester Bullocks), is a young, enthusiastic DJ-turned-toaster, a sharp and witty talkover artist who scored an international hit in the late 70s with 'Cocaine In My Brain'. His best work was done for producers Joe Jo Hookim and Augustus Pablo. He's moved to Europe in recent years, and has had problems equalling his earlier successes. Bionic Dread and CB2OO show Dillinger at his peak, and both have been imported. Burning Spear (Winston Rodney) needs no further introduction to roots followers. A man of great majesty, whose music breathes spiritual flames. Living Dub is a reworking of tracks from the Social Living and Haile H.I.M. albums. Just lie back, listen, and let him

weave his spell. A peerless performer. Other imports in the Festival catalogue (a random sampling here) include Lee Perry's dub album : Super Ape and the compilation Scratch On The Wire, Max Romeo's War In A Babylon (produced by Perry and a classic), Rico's Man From Wareika (Specials' trombonist), Judy Mowatt's Black Woman (member of the I-Threes), Linton Kwesi Johnson's LK] In Dub, Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey, Social Living and Garvey's Ghost (another dub), Junior Murvin's Police And . Thieves, The King Kong Compilation (hit singles produced by Leslie Kong), and a selection of very good 60s ska collections. Some may have already sold out, but keep looking. Duncan Campbell