Reggae: starting a collection - where to begin (other than Legend) ?

I would say Horace Andy's Dance Hall Style is a good step into the Wackies sound.



It has good re-recordings of some songs Horace recorded for other producers. Since all the tracks are extended versions, you can also get a taste of the label's dub style.

The album got a vinyl re-release last year. I don't have a copy. So, I can't comment on the sound quality. Most of the music released on Wackies has a murky sound to it anyways.

 

This is the album I was listening to on YT a couple of nights ago, before even taking note of the label. Then I heard the Love Joys this morning, and decided I needed to investigate some.

 

Yes. The Love Joys are great. They do have a vocal style that is not for everyone.

This is a wonderful documentary about the Wackies label from 1981. Some studio and live footage.



The tracks played in the doc are listed in the description of the video. The Love Joys show up around the 43 minute mark.

 

@manicpopthrill: Check Honest Jon's for Wackies, they recenty got restocked and several of the titles are a bit unusual to find elswehere (although it's overseas for you their shipping rates are really good).

I was going to say what Dubmart already said, if you like that trademark sound there is a lot to recommend, personally I am not a huge fan, but I like the Horace Andy and Wayne Jarrett records especially and Sugar Minott has a couple good ones. There's a nice compilation not mentioned called Reggae Goodies (two volumes, combined on CD).

 

What's the best Barrington Levy album to try? Just start at the beginning?

 

I'm sure there are plenty of decent compilations by now, but starting at the beginning works for Barrington Levy, after all it's how most of us started, so with the proviso that it was with singles he made an impact, for LPs I'd try: "Bounty Hunter", "Englishman" or "Robin Hood", if you want his two big crossover hits for Jah Screw, "Here I Come" and "Under Mi Sensi" then pick up the "Here I Come" LP on Time 1, otherwise stick to the earlier LPs and avoid those post '85.

 

This compilation covers the early years well.



Barrington Levy - Love Your Brother Man - The Early Years

If you want a more expansive set, there is this comp covering 1979-84.



Barrington Levy - Sweet Reggae Music 1979-84

There's also this compilation of Joe Gibbs productions.

Barrington Levy - Teach The Youth: Barrington Levy & Friends At Joe Gibbs 1980-85

Besides that, I would stick to original albums that @Dubmart mentioned.

Although, I think he was still making good music past '85. I would push that at least to 1995. "She's Mine" and "Living Dangerously" are two of his later hits. The latter was originally recorded in 1988. There is a re-cut he did with Bounty Killer in 1995.

A lot of of his later songs where often in a combination style with DJs. A recut of "Murderer" with Beenie Man and this song with Jigsy King from his only major label release, Barrington (MCA, 1993)



The sound is straying away from Reggae and more into Hip-Hop on that track. But, that was (is) the case with most of the music being made at the time.

 

Ha, I think I have those first two comps, but as they are CDs I didn't remember them, I agree he made some good tracks post '85, but I'm not sure there are any good albums and even if there are the early ones are stronger.

 

Since I am primarily a CD/digital consumer, here's a noob question:

Generally, have Reggae remasters suffered from the same loudness/compression issues as Rock/Pop remasters?

 

I wouldn't say it's a general rule. The real general rule in reggae CDs and the genre as a whole is piracy, going all the way back to when the music was recorded. Producers would make promises and just didn't pay the artists, then they'd flee to the UK and release the albums without the artists' knowledge.

Anyway, in general the best reggae reissue companies issue CDs with good sound: B&F, Pressure Sounds, Bristol Archives, Trojan, Heartbeat, Soul Jazz, etc. There's also the Japanese labels that do a good job as well. I had a hard time with the sound on Iroko's Freddie McKay CD of Tribal Inna Yard being maxed out, but it wasn't bad enough not to recommend it. Freddie's albums aren't the easiest to come by so you basically have to take what you can get.

 

It is not that common with "remasters" in Reggae, in the meaning that the word is most often used, meaning an album that has had an original CD release and then later an "upgrade". That has mostly happened with albums that are on major lables, mainly Island (and in those cases remasters are louder). There are all kinds of masterings on newer releases, both dynamic and compressed, but often there is just the one release of a given configuration (as in an "album") to choose from. (Of course specific songs have been released many times with varying masterings.) I would say the worst type of super loud/compressed mastering style is non-exixtent in Reggae though.

I think by the standards of this forum even the releases from several of these might probably be considered loud, and especially Pressure Sounds, while generally an excellent label, has some releases with substandards sonics that are due to the way they have been transferred and/or mastered. Early Trojan CDs are not loud but are all over the place as far as sources are concerned (ranging from original master tapes to incredibly scratchy vinyl), later (Sanctuary era) releases, while from much improved sources, can be unessecarily loud/bright. Soul Jazz can be from vinyl and/or can be a bit compressed. Heartbeat are also a bit like Trojan, but not nearly as extreme, early releases can have less than pristine sources while their latest releases started to get loud, but this is nitpicking. All of this is often moot anyway because there is no choice, it is not comparable to how it works with major label Pop/Rock.

 

This is exactly what I was hoping to hear. Awesome explanation.

 

I would be curious is anyone has done comparison of all the Dr. Bird reissues soundwise. Pretty much everything they have released has been put on CD previously by Trojan or Jamaican Gold. I imagine they sound better than the pre-Sanctuary Trojan’s, but I always thought JA Gold had good sound. I suppose there aren’t many people like me who own the original CD and have also bought the new DB issues. (I just haven’t had time to sit down and compare them side by side)

 

I have bought roughly the first half of their output so far, but haven't gotten around to comparing anything. I wouldn't say everything has been released on CD before, most releases have tracks new to CD and the releases are based around original albums that have often not been reissued before in that original configuration. They also make a point of not repeating tracks (going as far as deleting tracks from an original album's trackslist if it has been on a previous release), very much unlike old Trojan. (I agree about Jamaican Gold having good sound, those CDs are hard to find now.)

There is a 20% off discount on Doctor Bird through July: Summer Sale | There's still time to grab 20% off our Reggae Releases on the Doctor Bird label! - Cherry Red Records (Most effectively used on double CDs, since there is a regular discount when buying multiple single CDs which is canceled out.)

 

Uptown Top Rankin - Althea And Donna
Dreadlock Holiday - 10CC
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me - Culture Club
Pass The Duchie - Musical Youth

Start with these and let me know if you want me to recommend some others...

 

I haven’t checked the most recent releases, but when they started saying that various releases included new to CD tracks I decided to check and I discovered that in nearly every case it was untrue. They seemed to be under the impression that if Trojan hadn’t put a song out on CD that no one else had either (or, more likely, the compilers weren’t as obsessive about collecting reggae reissues on CD as I have been the last few decades and just didn’t realize a lot of stuff has been released and then gone out of print fairly quickly thereafter).

 

Bim Sherman is fantastic. What do I need to hear besides the Tribulation comp?

 

He sure is! This collects his first album and more:
Bim Sherman - Love Forever (The Classic Jamaican Recordings)
Some overlap with Tribulation, but essential!

 

there are dozens if not hundred GREAT reggae ALBUMS
all the Bob Marley's on Island
all the artist records released by Frontline or Island
tons of dub albums
etc....

 

The bulk of my ska and reggae collection starting in the mid-2000's was on Trojan. I've always felt it, as a general house sound at that time, was a bit rough mastering wise; brighter than necessary and compressed/squashed in a DR 8 land. Any time I went back to original CDs, maybe 6-8 cases, I felt the original Trojan CD releases were equally pretty grim but maybe more so because of the sources. I am now about 4-5 of the recent Dr. Bird releases and I am very happy with them. To me it now seems like the great sources and pretty good mastering; maybe a tad loud, but that is a volume thing to me, it doesn't stretch into compressed. Not bright at all other than what is on the tape, and maybe a tad thick in the bass from a mastering move but it isn't bothersome especially given the genre. I think every one I've gotten so far has been mastered by Andy Pearce. That and there are maybe 6-7 Trojan comps/boxes done by him since maybe 2017 that are similar in sources and approach and improved or less grating to me compared to the mid-2000's trojans. A very nice way to pick up good sounding reggae/ska without chasing down out of print stuff. I don't think I have much experience with JA Gold to comment on that.

 

ALL of Channel One, most of Wackies,
And ALL of the Blood & Fire catalog, ALL of the Pressure Sounds,
then, feel free to sample TABOU1 (my label! try X Uhuru by Michael Rose, any Bitty McLean with Sly & Robbie, Dubrising by Sly & Robbie, etc...)

 

RE: Freddie McGregor

Do I need to hear anything beyond Bobby Bobylon and Big Ship?

Also, anyone know if this track ever became available on a CD compilation?

 

Depends on how much you like Freddie, though I have to concede I've pretty much ignored most of his later albums, I would probably add "Mr McGregor" to your essential list as it's a Niney production when he was still on top form and has some strong tracks.

 

Well, I love the ones I mentioned, but sampling around to some later albums I quickly tune out. I will try Mr. McGregor for sure though.