Juno Recommends Reggae Classics September 2021

Review: This week we have a new release on California's Funk Freaks, the label that brought us the likes of Dabeull, Diamond Ortiz and Mofak recently. It comes in the form of this new cover version of Les Femmes 'Yes You Thrill Me' from the Funk Freaks Dub Spliff Funk series. Sensual and neon-lit roots reggae if we have ever such a thing, and those gorgeous vocals atop are the icing on the cake. Rest assured that there is the mandatory dub version on the flip and that's pretty wicked in its own right too. Produced by King Hippo and the aforementioned Diamond Ortiz.

Review: The uninitiated might not be that familiar with Jackie Mittoo, but suffice it to say he is one of the many unsung superheroes of the Jamaican music scene. A towering figure who played a key role in the development of reggae, his skills as a keyboardist and musical arranger are second to none. He was a supremely expressive player who mastered the organ and thus gave shape to ska at Studio One, roots reggae at Channel One, and lover's rock at Wackies in New York UB40 in the UK. Showcase is a superb display of his skills that came on Bunny Lee's own imprint Jackpot in 1977.

Review: Even those with only a puddle deep understanding of reggae will be familiar with Trojan, and surely understand the importance of its output. The legendary Jamaican label put some of reggae and associated genres most acclaimed artists and this collection was compiled by Laurence Cane-Honeysett, who also wrote the liner notes. It includes plenty of big hits as well as some lesser known hems and obscurities and given a full heavyweight vinyl pressing with a super flashy sleeve to boot. A real collector's item across two lovely pieces of wax, for sure.

Review: Keiichi Sokabe and the vast Inokasira Rangers collective love to serve up their own covers of the biggest tunes from a range of genres. They've done 'Born Slippy,' 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' and 'Autobahn' amongst many others before now and this time out they add their own reggae spin to Oasis's classic 'Whatever.' In their hands, it has noodling melodies and a fat rhythm section that trundles along with a sense of playfulness. On the flip is the more upbeat 'The World On Pause.' It's driven by some clacking wooden hits and warm chords, with organ stabs and busy vocals all getting you up on your toes.

Review: Is anyone in the dub world more iconic to look at or legendary to listen to than one man dub conceder, Lee "Scratch" Perry? His catalogue is an endless treasure trove of dub works and back in 1971, the first ever album he put out under his own name was Africa's Blood. His famous band The Upsetters appear on most of the tracks and elements of the r&b of the time pervades the music. That said, Perry's signature dub sounds and reggae rhythms still define each track while the man himself muses and mutters of the top of plenty of them.

Review: This Record Store Day special is an unreleased live recording of The Selector's November 1979 gig in their hometown of Coventry. That was the first ever 2Tone label tour and it featured greats like The Special and Madness. The record comes exclusively on clear vinyl and was also included as part of the recently released Deluxe Edition CD Box Set of the band's Too Much Pressure album. It's packed with classics as well as plenty of the atmospheric crowd noises and raw stage vibes of that historic show.

Review: Sometime welder turned reggae legend (and the man who launched Bob Marley's career from a similar starting point) Desmond Dekker released his collaborative album King of Kings with English ska band The Specials in 1993. It came on the famous Trojan label and is made up of songs originally written by Dekker's heroes such as by Dekker's musical heroes including Byron Lee, Theophilus Beckford, Jimmy Cliff, Derrick Morgan and more. This special reissue come son black, heavyweight 180g vinyl on the Music on Vinyl label and has classics like 'King of Kings,' 'Take It Easy' and 'Jamaican Ska.'