Customer Reviews

Big Twenty Four

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think this album was very fun. Good beat, good lyrics, and catchy tunes. Judge Dread plays with the listener in many of his songs, for example: "There once was a sailor, sittin' on a rock. Wavin' and shakin' his big hairy fist at the ladies." Good Cd! Two thumbs up!

Without any airplay, Judge Dread regularly scaled the UK singles charts from 1972 to 1978 with his rude nursery rhymes. Dread's lyrics were intended to offend and most of these songs were banned by the BBC. That helped to propel them into the Top 50, starting with Big Six. The good Judge had infectious foot-tapping rhythms and catchy tunes to back up his offensive lyrics.

Judge Dread had more UK reggae hits than any other artist, had the highest number of songs banned by the BBC and was the first white singer to have a reggae hit in Jamaica. All the "Big's" on this collection were hits, plus the songs Molly and Je T'aime.

My favorite is Je T'aime, a hilarious deconstruction of the famous Jane Birkin/Serge Gainsbourg hit. The Judge gives it an unexpected twist as the mood suddenly shifts from the sensual to the outraged after a certain discovery is made.

Come Outside (a hilarious dialogue between him and a girlfriend), Y Viva Suspenders, a lovely parody of the 1970s European holiday hit Y Viva Espana, and his last hit Hokey Cokey/Jingle Bells from December 1978 are unfortunately not included on this compilation.

The Legendary Judge Dread