BARRINGTON LEVY Schallplatten & CDs

Review: For the label's latest essential two-disc trawl through the archives of Jamaican music culture, Doctor Bird has decided to take us back to the late 1970s and the dawn of dancehall - then a kind of harder, more upbeat take on reggae rather than the drum machine-powered rhythmic powerhouse it became. The Volcano Dancehall Albums Collection features a quartet of full-length excursions produced by early dancehall hero Henry 'Junjo' Lawes: Barrington Levy's influential 'Bounty Hunter', 'Weh Dem a Go Do' by young deejay/toaster Cocoa Tea, and a pair of sets by fellow patois proto-rapper Charlie Chaplin ('Sound System' and the superb 'Dancehall Rockers'). Throw in a handful of essential bonus cuts (including the full 12" version of Barrington Levy's take on Horace Andy favourite 'Skylarking') and you have an indispensable collection of formative dancehall classics.

Review: Legendary dancehall and reggae artist Barrington Levy started out with a fine run of albums in his early years, and then switched to serving up a steady and solid stream of singles. Some of the most famous ones include "Even Tide Fire a Disaster" and "I'm Not in Love", as well as "You Have It" which is presented here as a nice extended version. It features a pained vocal over a fat and dumpy groove with some tropical percussion and warming chords to help oil the mood. GG's All Stars step up on the flip with a version that is heavy and lazy in all the right ways.

Review: Henry 'Junjo' Lawes produced a double-headed twin spin on the iconic Eventide Fire riddim for this one. It is arguably that which helped Barrington's 'Crucifixion' soar to the top of the UK reggae charts in 1980 when it was released. It is one of his most iconic vocal performances, which is saying something given how much music the man has worked on. On the flip side of this new 7", Ranking Joe delivers 'River Jordan' with full force, riding the rhythm with impeccable skill. These jams were recorded with the one and only Roots Radics at Channel One and King Tubby's, so very much capture the essence of reggae at its peak with some of its key players all involved.