OK, OK, this is the final post in this blog series for sure, and I mean it this time.
Is this a record label sampler? Well, yes and no. As far as I can tell, all the tracks here had been previously released by Island Records, and most of these acts were signed to Island Records.
But of course, Island Records didn’t just do reggae — they had a lot of prog and pop artists, too, and they’re not anywhere to be seen here.
I think for something to count as a “record label sampler”, the main idea should be to get people to buy the artists represented, and not sell the compilation itself, so to speak. And I think this was one of those; i.e., sold cheaply to boost sales of the “real” albums, but I’m not quite sure.
In any case, as an album, it’s great. It was released in 1974, and one of my older sisters had this album, so I listened to a lot as a child. And then I started listening to it again in 2017, and I see that I’ve listened to it 46 (!) times since then. That’s once every other month, for those of you without a University maths education.
There’s not a single bad track here — it’s all spiffy. It’s all “lighter” reggae music, I guess (I’m no expert) — the music has a very intimate, almost cosy feel to it. And the sequencing is perfect.
03:08 Zap Pow - This Is Reggae Music 04:43 The Wailers - I Shot The Sheriff 02:55 Joe Higgs - The World Is Upside Down 02:53 Jimmy Cliff - Hey Mr. Yesterday 04:55 The Maytals - Funky Kingston 03:14 Lorna Bennett - Breakfast In Bed 03:44 The Maytals - Louie, Louie 02:59 Owen Grey - Guava Jelly 03:29 The Heptones - Book Of Rules 04:08 The Wailers - Concrete Jungle
Full album:
Individual tracks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdn5NkQGfKQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbXyDHbINu4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4gekSNR890
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p_BUBvVM7U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Or2_x8hsGTs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnTtahXHr2c
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlFGvTtGMBI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJ6QfeSW2FI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-dZa13GfhU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBRMz_QV8Kg
This blog post is part of the Record Label Samplers series.