Dread Meets Greensleeves: a Westside Revolution/Selected By Don Letts

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Customer reviews

review by: stipesdoppleganger date: 2008-10-22 rating:
Ultra cool Letts is the don of reggae.
Putting aside the fact that Don Letts is one of the coolest men on this godforsaken planet( What is cool ...? b****red if I know but I'm willing to bet that what ever it is Letts has it in abundance) I thought his previous compilation "Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown: the Soundtrack to London's Legendary Roxy Club December 1976-April 1977" was an inspired selection of reggae classic's .Or to put it this way -I didn't know they were classics prior to purchasing it , but I do now.
Anyway someone has had the good sense to let him loose on the archives of the Greensleeves label and while this album isn't as essential as the aforementioned DMPRU it contains more than enough quality reggae cuts to make it a worthy purchase.
As Letts mentions in his sleeve notes Greensleeves was the only British based reggae label to "Really run tings from that time till this". In 1977 the Greensleeves record shop relocated to Shepherds Bush in West London ( which is why this album is sub-titled a "Westside Revolution") and Letts also explains in the notes that this is the only label , including Trojan , that was able to say the course "Riding every new twist, turn and new innovation that Jamaican music would throw up". As it takes in over 30 years of music and over 400 albums this compilation has a wide remit but over the two discs Letts takes us from the old school vibes and smooth tones of Wailing Souls "War" right up to date with Sizzla,s "Love Is Divine".
The journey is an interesting and enjoyable one and maybe just a touch contentious too. The inclusion of Shaggy "Oh Carolina" may raise a few eyebrows but it was the labels 1st number one so it's an essential inclusion and I must say I rather enjoyed hearing it again. Whether it's entirely necessary for the inclusion of another Shaggy track is open to more vigorous debate. Other favourites for this reviewer are the celeritously emollient tones of Beres Hammond ,s "She Loves Me Now", the great Johnny Osbournes, "Family Ranking "- a lovely slice of classic reggae vibe. General Smiley's "Diseases" is a shivery delight while Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus "None Of Jah Jah Children No Cry" has some great backing harmonies and spirited bongo's. Augustus Pablo provides the eerie dub tones and fragmented echoes of "King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown ",
And that's just disc one. Disc two has the funky "Under Me Sleng Teng" by Wayne Smith and a great Gregory Isaacs track "Mind Yu Dis" .And even if Me Vegas with "Heads High ( Kill Em With It remix) " and Bounty Killer's "Sufferer" are as irritating as a wasp in your ear canal there is always another superb Gregory Isaacs track -"Rumours" and the proficient silky tones of Wayne Wonder and "No Letting Go" to enjoy.
Personally I'd have preferred more of the older classic Greensleeves reggae than the more ragga based contemporary material but that's just me. Don Letts had to represent the labels history here and he has done his usual meticulous conversant job. The man knows his stuff and through compilations like his Don Letts Presents The Mighty Trojan Sound and the brilliant aforementioned Dread Meets Punk Rockers Uptown: the Soundtrack to London's Legendary Roxy Club December 1976-April 1977 you can gain one as well. Education has rarely been this much fun.

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