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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Just The Vibes '76 - '83" is a collection of timeless songs, May 5, 2001
There are many ways to look at Mike Brooks' career and one single musical tableau can't possibly cover the diversity of his musical activities. This release puts the spotlight on his work with fellow singers and DJs in Jamaica between 1976 - 1983. Mike Brooks never craved for the limelight. He'd rather let other artists go first and helped with their careers. Staying in the background mostly, Mike Brooks never was a household name in Reggae history. As a producer, he was quite prolific though: between 1974 and 1977 he worked with the famous session group The Revolutionaries. At Jojo Hookim's Channel One studio, he produced The Mighty Diamonds' successful song "Shame And Pride". The artists he recorded at Joe Gibbs' studio, or at Treasure Isle, include Bim Sherman, Blacka Morwell, Earl "Chinna" Smith, The Soul Syndicate, Hortense Ellis, Pat Kelly, Bobby Melody and Gladstone Anderson.While supporting all of these artists, Mike Brooks ignored his own talent as a singer. Though his falsetto is one of Jamaica's best, he only sang on a handful of records in 30 years. His restless search for young talents seemed to hinder his own career as a singer. He has a complete album that could make him famous as Jamaica's answer to Curtis Mayfield, but it still remains in the vaults. Born 1953 in Westmoreland, Jamaica, Brooks founded the Teems-label with Jah Lloyd in 1969. Their friendship lasted until Lloyd passed away in 1999. Its first release, Jah Lloyd`s "Soldier Round The Corner" (1970), still remains a classic. His first single with the Tots, "The Earth Is The Fullness" (1972, planned for re-release later this year), was produced by Lee Perry. Since then Brooks, who is not just a gifted singer but a master of all styles from Roots to R&B, handled everything on his own. As a singer, producer and A&R man, he scored some local hits like "Guiding Star" (w/ Alvin "GG" Ranglin, 1977), "Who Have Eyes To See" (w/ Prince Far I), and his own "What A Gathering" (based on the riddim of "Ballistic Affair") that also drew the attention of European fans. By 1991, Brooks felt his songs deserved a wider audience and moved to London. While many touring Reggae artists stopped off at his house, Brooks himself spent most of the time in the studio, working on his songs with Glen Brown and B.B.Seaton. He launched the career of successful R&B-singer Wayne Marshall, and joined the British Artists Famile Appeal to co-release the charity single "Let's Make Africa Green Again". "Just The Vibes 1976 - 1983" is a tribute to Brooks' powerful Roots-style songwriting and a document of his time as a deeply religious social critic in Jamaica. Next to Roots hymns like "Holy Jah Jah" and "Money Is Not All", there are two rare Lee Perry/Black Ark versions every sound system will benefit from - "Solid Ground" (a version of "Party Time"), and "Changes". Black Uhuru-singer Don Carlos succeeds with "Nice Time", a haunting late night Blues ballad ina Reggae style, doubtlessly one of his best solo works ever. Militant Roots singer Barry Brown, fronting two fine Fatman productions here, returned to fame recently when his Studio One classic "Far East" inspired countless versions in the Dancehall scene. Errol Dunkley's career is like a string of hits. He started recording as a 14-year-old in Jamaica and hit the British Top 20 in 1979 with his version of John Holt's "OK Fred" which he also performed at "Top Of The Pops". MOLL-SELEKTA is pleased to present his deep hommage to love to a new audience. We come full circle with Cornel Campbell's falsetto which is as highly distinctive as Brooks'. He recorded evergreens like "Queen Of The Minstrels" and "Stars" at Studio One and his interpretations of Roots songs like "Dance In A Greenwich Farm" were equally successful as his lovers tunes ("The Instigator"). "Brother Killing Brother" (1981) is his powerful statement against social injustice and a plea for humanity in general. "Just The Vibes 1976 - 1983" is a collection of timeless Roots songs in remembrance of the days when Jamaican culture was on the verge of setting out for worldwide triumph, spreading its language and religion through Reggae music. Last honours go to the great toaster Jah Lloyd, still the best friend of Mike Brooks until Lloyd passed away in 1999.
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