Search - Duke Reid :: Treasure Isle Rock-Steady

Definately a Great Collection

Adam Adam Adam | Placentia, CA United States | 06/05/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are really only a couple great rocksteady cds out there, and this is one of them. The thing that probably makes it stick out is the fact that it is all from one producer. Duke Reid had great style and quota of excellence that creates a real sense of consistency during the whole listen. A great collection of hits from a short, but improtnat time in jamaican music history"

I want to give it 20 stars!

Akira Watanabe | Oakland, CA United States | 01/05/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is one of the compilations that taught me what good vintage Jamaican music is all about! Here are some of the things that makes this music great:



1)Excellent musicians-Duke Reid's studio band consisted of some of the best musicians on the island such as Gladstone Anderson, Ernest Ranglin, Hux Brown, Tommy McCook, Baba Brooks, Jackie Jackson, Winston Wright, and Lyn Taitt. Collectively known as the Supersonics and later, as the Jets.



2)Great singers-Jamaicans are serious about singing. Treasure Isle had some of the top vocalists and vocals groups of the era such as Alton Ellis, the Techniques, Phyllis Dillon, the Paragons, the Melodians,and the Ethiopians to name only a few.



3)Quality recordings-Treasure Isle had excellent recording equipment for that time period. (early 1960s to the early 1970s)In fact Treasure Isle's sound is often compared to the Motown sound in Detroit.

(Plus all the tracks are taken from the original master tapes for the best quality sound. Much better sound quality than the Trojan reissues, although I love Trojan too!)



4)Historically significant-These Treasure Isle recordings(along with Studio One)formed the template for much of the reggae that came later in the 1970s till the present day. The rhythms("riddims" in Jamaican patois)and melodies of these original recordings are still being recycled and versioned to this very day. In other words, without Treasure Isle(& Studio One)there would've been no 70s roots or rockers reggae, let alone dancehall from the 80s to the present. Elephantman knows this and so does Sean Paul!



Do yourself a favor and pick this one up! It's much more than a CD, it's a slice of Jamaican musical history!



"