Anniversary

Performer: Sly & Robbie
Engineer: Errol Brown; Jeffrey Chung; Fatta Marshall; Hugh Palmer; Colin York; Rory Baker; Stephen Stanley; Anthony Graham; Soljie Hamilton; Errol Brown; Rory Baker; Bulby York; Solgie Hamilton; Anthony 'Al' Graham; Stephen Stanley; Jeffrey Chung; Fatta Marshall; Hugh Palmer
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: Sly & Robbie: Gwen Gutthrie, Luciano (vocals); K. Asonuma, Omar (guitar); Dean Frazier (tenor saxophone); Steve Marsden, Richard (piano); Rory Baker, Uziah "Sticky" Thompson (percussion); Red Dragon, Beenie Man (turntables); Wailing Soul (background vocals); Diana King, Franklyn Waul, L. Willis, Mikey Chung, Nambo Robinson, Robert Lyn, Robbie Shakespeare, Sly Dunbar, Tony Gold, Vegas, Cherine Anderson, Chico Chin, Leeba Hibbert, Brian Gold. Personnel: Diana King, Gwen Guthrie, Tony Gold, Vegas, Cherine Anderson, Leeba Hibbert, Brian Gold (vocals); Robbie Shakespeare (guitar, bass instrument); L. Willis, Mikey Chung (guitar); Chico Chin (trumpet); Nambo Robinson (trombone); Franklyn Waul, Robert Lyn, Steven "Lenky" Marsden (piano, keyboards); Ansel Collins (piano); Sly Dunbar (drums); Sticky Thompson, Rory Baker (percussion); Wailing Souls (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Errol Brown ; Jeffrey Chung; Fatta Marshall; Hugh Palmer; Collin "Bulbie" York; Rory Baker; Stephen Stanley; Anthony Graham; Solgie Hamilton. Recording information: Cell Block; Channell One; Grafton Studios; MIxing Lab; One Pop; Sonic Sounds. Although it was released two years after Sly & Robbie celebrated their Taxi label's 25th anniversary with a worldwide tour, the 2007 release Anniversary must have originally been planned to cash in on the festivities, since it's hard to find another reason for this baffling collection. First of all, tracks come from the late '80s and onward, but there are no dates or sources given in the liner notes, something that would have been helpful seeing how some of these cuts come from the fringe of Sly & Robbie's discography. Second, there are some misleading titles and a couple of doubtful credits. For instance, "Bread Man Shuffle" is better known as "Live It Up," and usually comes with the aka "Beardman Shuffle" (see 1997's Mambo Taxi album). Even stranger is that "Viva Tirado" is credited to its composer, jazz legend Gerald Wilson, when it was originally credited to the Taxi Gang, and Wilson sure doesn't seem to be playing on the cut. As far as the music itself, there's the classic instrumental "Unmetered Taxi," which provided the riddim for Buju Banton's massive hit "Driver A." Then there's the seductive "Good Love" from sweet siren and sometimes actress Cherine Anderson. Both "Fire in the Oven" and "Ticket to Ride" with post-disco diva Gwen Guthrie do a good job of representing Sly & Robbie's love of crossover dancefloor material. "Crazy Bald Head" combines Beenie Man, Luciano, and a Bob Marley sample for a crucial tune, and "Rasta Fiesta" is a punched-up version of Jacob Miller's "Baby I Love You So" with plenty of echo and the kind of fat, solid foundation that has made this rhythm section a reggae favorite. There's great music here, no doubt about it, but don't expect any context to be provided by this scattershot collection. ~ David Jeffries

Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare are not only the most renowned rhythm section in reggae, they're among the most celebrated groovemeisters in all of pop music. The Kingston pair starting playing together in the mid-1970s, when reggae was really hitting its stride, and they quickly became in-demand session players. In Jamaica they graced the recordings of countless artists, from Lee "Scratch" Perry to Peter Tosh. After Sly & Robbie's fame spread to the US and UK in the '80s, they were recruited by Bob Dylan, Grace Jones and other pop/rock stars. The duo's own project Taxi, featuring various guest vocalists, was a reggae crossover success that displayed Dunbar and Shakespeare's growing technological facility as well as their vaunted rhythmic prowess.

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