On the 4th of May this year Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd died. He is oneof the most important figures in the history of reggae music; he openedand ran the now famous Studio One recording facility in Kingston, waspresent and perhaps partially responsible for many of the stylisticdevelopments within reggae, and put out some of the first records fromsuch individuals as the Heptones, Burning Spear, and the Wailers."Studio One Classics" collects 18 tracks from 1964 to 1981 and itclearly demonstrates the brilliance, depth, and soul of reggae and allits variations. Carlton and the Shoes of 1968 are placed next to theHeptones of 1978 and the Wailers from 1965 are heard next to tracksfrom Sugar Minott and Lone Ranger from 1980 and 1981; while the styleschange and shift from track to track and attitudes slip from relaxed topoppin' and feverish, what this compilation makes so evident is thatthere is more heart and love in these tracks than any dancehall orR&B performer today could ever hope to touch on. Hearing DennisBrown perform "No Man Is an Island" or Sound Dimension bleed "RockfortRock" is like a slap to the face because its thatmuch better than anything that's been thrown onto the radio ortelevision screen. And while I can appreciate Bob Marley, listening theWailers bop through "Simmer Down" makes me wonder why this part of hiscareer hasn't received more attention than anything else. Every lasttrack feels fresh, too, with songs like "Rougher Yet" and "Pretty LooksIsn't All" exhibiting all the sounds and feelings that a large numberof future dub, reggae, soul, and jazz lovers would emulate and developout of. This is an excellent set of songs from one of the mostimportant, if not the most important, studios in all of reggae.The beginning of every change in reggae history can be heard here andat the top of its form - it simply doesn't get much better than this.If only Prince Far I and Toots and the Maytals had been includede onthis compilation, then it could have been perfect. Read More
