Time Has Come Riddim – Explosion Records

1972 was a turning point for Jamaican reggae, with the music moving deeper into the leaner, tougher sound that would define the early decade, and this Time Has Come Riddim sits right in that pocket. Explosion Records keeps the set tight: just three cuts, with Slim Smith’s title tune carrying the strongest emotional weight and Sir Collins and Mickey’s “Shake Down” and Steve Collins and Gary Collins’ “Shake It Up” framing it from both sides. Slim Smith’s presence matters here too, because his voice had already become one of reggae’s most expressive instruments by then, and the riddim gives him a spare, unhurried backdrop. The sequencing feels deliberate, almost like a small showcase rather than a loose compilation, moving from the lighter dance move of “Shake Down” into the title song before closing on “Shake It Up. ”