Real Authentic Reggae, Vol. 1

Performer: Various Artists/David Rodigan
Artist: Harold Butler
Producer: D. Brown; Derrick Harriott; Donald Manning; Roy Cousins; Alton Ellis; Robbie Shakespeare; Yabby You; Bernard Collins; Bunny Lee; David Rodigan (Compilation)
Distributor: Caroline Distribution

Notes: DJ: David Rodigan. Liner Note Author: David Rodigan. Recording information: Channel One Studio; Dynamic Sounds, Kingston, Jamaica; Jamaica. Introduction by: Derrick Harriott. Arrangers: A. Graham; Roy Cousins; Yabby You; Bunny Lee. If you aren't familiar with David Rodigan, he's a BBC Radio DJ who looks like a stockbroker but rocks the reggae like a straight-up Jamaican. His taste is excellent and covers all eras, plus he's a combination populist/advocate for reggae like Leonard Bernstein was for classical music or Carl Sagan for astronomy. This compilation for the BBE label features "tracks which encompass the positive aspects of real authentic reggae." Also in the liner notes, Rodigan notes that many of these cuts have fallen into obscurity, and through no fault of their own. One listen to the smooth 1981 track "Truth and Rights" from Ernest Wilson and it becomes obvious that Rodigan is a superb crate-crawler, liberating crucial tracks like Barrington Levy's "Deep in the Dark" and the Crystalites' "Smile Orange Reggae" and making one wonder how these gems fell through the cracks. New numbers like Suzanne Couch's "Smile" (wicked) and Bushman's "I Know" (righteous) fit just fine in this environment, since Rodigan knows how to pick a future classic. Add some evergreens like Ini Kamoze's "My Girl" and you've got that rare compilation that can persuade the novice with its superior quality while satisfying the veteran with its lost hits and underplayed treasures. None of the man's persuasive voice or exciting mixing, but as they say in every dancehall he lands, "Rodigan kill again." ~ David Jeffries

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