Crab's Biggest Hits

  Man I woke up this morning with the biggest mortal fear of going to work, couldn't deal with co-workers and unable to cope with the thought of dealing with customers ... so I stayed in bed moaning and crying at the fact that I eventually have to rise and face the day.  As I finally rose to make coffee and breakfast, I needed some mellow tunes to soothe my tortured soul.  I grab Crab's Biggest Hits knowing that it's smooth Reggae sounds were just what the doctor ordered ... and damn sometimes the best medicine is going to work late, making grub, listening to killer Rocksteady that exercises your chill muscles and helps the day work out fine!

Peter Tosh -- Legalize It

  After becoming increasingly hard to deal with, due to a car accident, Tosh leaves The Wailers to release his debut solo effort Legalize It.  To be honest there aren't too many surprises here, it's pretty much a run of the mill Reggae record, but I have to agree with Tosh, it must be legalized, has anyone done anything bad after a joint??  I doubt it, unless you consider buying some chips and take out a source of evil, booze has done way more to worsen society but everyone does that, we'd all be better off if we could just mellow out on jazz cigarettes!

The Upsetters -- Scratch & Company Chapter 1

  Not sure if this is a comp of various artists or what ... seems like a purposeless cash grab exploiting Jamaica's greatest producer.  Needless to say side one of this Reggae/ Dub album has some killer numbers, sorta the kind of tunes you are looking for when buying a Perry record, where side two drops the ball, way too much Dub, cheesy vocals and over access of fading in and out with flange.  All in all it's pretty good -- OK.

Jimmy Cliff -- Unlimited

  The poor man's Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff.  Unlimited feels more like a Soul Pop album with Jamaican undertones, rather than a full on Reggae record, with that being said it was a total unexpected surprise.

Bad Brains -- S/T

  KAAAAABOOOOOM!!!!!  Is probably the best way to describe Bad Brains's debut album, Christ they even put it on the cover.  They took what the Ramones had started and cranked it to maximum velocity.  Funny how once again in music history a genre is started with creative black men, and then whitey decides to copy cat them, not that there weren't any good creative white Hardcore bands, but there were sure as hell tons of terrible ones.  What makes this record even better is that there are a couple of killer Dub style Reggae tunes, just to remind you what they are really about!

Bob Marley And The Wailers -- Legend

   Yeah Yeah Yeah, he's a brilliant man and had one hell of a career!  But every white boy jock, hipster- wannabe who smokes tha ganj seems to flock to this album proclaiming their undying love for Reggae, even though this is the only Reggae album they own and it's probably on CD.  Not that I think that these songs are bad, but they're hardly the ones that I'd consider his best.  These tracks are the easiest for an American market to swallow, like a sorta friendly, kind hearted Marley, who didn't have utter contempt for the white man and Babylon, those themes are represented on his actual best numbers ... anyway these are his biggest Babylonian hits ... but they hardly represent the Legend that is Bob Marley!

U-Brown -- Weather Baloon

 Dub Reggae, early Rapper, known in Jamaica as a Toaster, Classic U-Brown.  The back cover tells me that U Brown replaced U Roy during a stint with illness, he became such a good DJ/ Toaster, he started his own thing.  As far as Dub Reggae goes this album doesn't even touch anything by the likes of King Tubby or Lee Perry, it has it moments but I can't say I was crazy about it ... just too damn long, with the same thing over and over, U Brown blabbering in nonsensical rants, which at some points I wasn't even sure if he was even saying words or just blabbering sounds that he might have thought were cool -- who knows?  Point is this record was OK,  but a 45 would have been enough ...

Toots & the Maytals -- Funky Kingston

   As far as I'm concerned Funky Kingston is one of the best records to come out of the whole Reggae scene.  Now there is one little problem I have with, maybe not this record, but rather Jamaican music.  Many of us put on our Reggae hats in the summer while doing yuppie seasonal activities, enjoying our luxuries, thinking isn't this the greatest music to, for example, lounge in a pool on air mattress or sit on a dock with friends enjoying drinks?  And it is, isn't it?  But i can't help feeling guilty thinking of who and what this music was actually made for.  Just look at the cover of this record, ahh their smiling faces, but what's in the background, that's the shanty town, where living is hard, and albums like these can make life a little easier for all it's inhabitants.  Lets all think twice when playing one of Jamaica's finest!