Splendid
Sean M. Kelly | Portland, Oregon United States | 09/18/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The late 60's and the 1970's were periods of great growth in Jamaican music. Rocksteady gave way to reggae, and from reggae sprung dub and dancehall. While reggae made it harder for the ska, rude boy, and rocksteady veterans to have studio time to perfect their art, many survived and contined to put out quality music.Alton Ellis was certainly no exception to this rule, as this compilation of tunes from 68-78 clearly shows. Ellis' beautiful, soulful tenor was a welcome voice on radio all through these years, continuing his tradition of covering American r&b tunes in his fashion, as well as penning increasingly socially conscious and spiritual music that showed the reggae consciousness in it.Sadly missing from this fine collection were Ellis' 2 major hits of the early 70's, "Deliver Us," and the reggae/Marcus Garvey inspired "Back To Africa." Despite this, the cd beautifully illustrates Ellis' growth both as a person, and as a musician. The covers are there- including the Isley brothers' funky "It's Your Thing," the Crewcuts'good time "Sh-Boom," and the beautiful "(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Wanna Be Right." But it's Ellis'growing consciousness that permeates this period, as the moving "Rhodesia," the blatent "Rasta Spirit," "African Descent," and "Black Man's Pride," clearly show.The combination of these 2 seperate but very equal sides of Ellis makes for a fantastic album, and I'm glad it was done. Ellis' canon is too broad and too beautiful to limit to just a few lp's of the "best of" variety. Hopefully one day, a box set will emerge tying all of his music together; until then, any fan of Alton Ellis needs to add this cd overlooking this critical period of music to their collection."
Track Listings (16) - Disc #1