Punky Reggae Party: New Wave Jamaica 1975-1980 [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Various Artists (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 24, 2002)
• Original Release Date: September 24, 2002
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sanctuary Records
• ASIN: B00006JJ5K
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,994 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thumbs up, December 23, 2004

By	Laurence Upton (Wilts, UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is one of Trojan/Sanctuary's most successful sets, compiled by Laurence Cane-Honeysett and with an essay by Jean-Jacques Burnel of the Stranglers by way of introduction. It charts the musical explosion of reggae and dub in the latter half of the seventies with both well-known pieces such as Dennis Brown's Money In My Pocket (with a toast from Prince Mohammed) and Bob Marley's Natural Mystic (in an early Lee Perry-produced version) to cult favourites such as those by Junior Delgado, Prince Far I, Linval Thompson and Prince Jammy. Bob Marley's Punky Reggae Party, oddly, is not included.
Trinity's highly influential Three Piece Suit And Thing, using the rhythm from Alton Ellis' classic Still In Love With You, is followed by the big hit Uptown Top Ranking which utilizes the same rhythm, in its superior original Joe Gibbs production (it was later remade for Front Line). Most if not all of the tracks were single A-sides, with half-a-dozen appearing in extended 12" mixes, such as The Congos magnificent Neckodemus, another Lee Perry production, in a different mix from that on their indispensable Heart Of The Congos album.
Thumbs up to this one

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT Collection, July 2, 2009

By	A. Fontaine "AMF" (Richmond, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This collection gets nuff rotation, and is one of the best ever. The music is well organized, and every song is a hit. From Bob Marley, to vintage Gregory, to great Dennis Brown cuts, the highly underated Mighty Diamonds, and list goes on. I wish they would do another such collection, this is the greatest

Guidance!

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent compilation, August 3, 2008

By	sluggo77 (USA) - See all my reviews

This is one of the best reggae compilations I've seen. The period which it covers, 1975-1980, was the best time for reggae, in my opinion. There are so many great songs on here, some of which are very hard to find now. You'd be hard-pressed to get all of them separately. This 2-CD, 38-song compilation saves you a lot of trouble, just get it.

Like the other reviewer, I was puzzled why Marley's "Punky Reggae Party" song wasn't included and "Natural Mystic" was, but either way you get a great song. Anyhow, there are some real gems on here:

* "Man Next Door" by Dennis Brown is one of my all-time favorites. It has so much soul to it, no one sings like that anymore (unfortunately). It has such a great sound to it, I could listen to it over and over.

* "Rockers (Nuh Crackers)" by Glen Washington is one of the catchiest reggae tunes ever. This song will get stuck in your head. And how could anyone not like a reggae song with a Mendelssohn reference!

* "City Too Hot" by Lee 'Scratch' Perry is an eight-and-a-half minute song that doesn't seem that long. It has a very cool, trippy, echo-y, underwater kind of sound. One of my favorite songs of his.

Some of the other highlights here are the famous "Mr. Cop" by Gregory Isaacs, "Uptown Top Ranking" by Althea & Donna, "Mr. C.I.D." by Barry Brown, "Cool Rasta" by The Heptones, "Milk and Honey" by Lizzard, and the underrated "You're No Good" by Ken Boothe & Jammy's.

There is some good dub here, including Prince Jammy's "Throne of Blood" and "Slum (In Dub)" by Gregory Isaacs' All Stars. I like "Barber Saloon" by Mikey Dread, but I would've preferred a different song of his here (like "Saturday Night Style").

Overall, this is a fantastic compilation that you could not go wrong owning.