Try To Turn Me On Riddim – Greensleeves Records

A tight little 1981 Greensleeves set, this one hangs on Johnny Osbourne’s title cut and the way the riddim keeps circling back through a dubby, late-Roots mood. Only four tracks are listed, but that lean lineup gives it a sharp focus: Osbourne’s “Try To Turn Me On” sits alongside the Papa Tullo-assisted “Turn On Dub” and the 12-inch mix, while Linval Thompson’s “Marijuana Tree” pulls the whole thing deeper into the conscious, herb-tinged side of early-’80s reggae. Thompson’s name matters here too, since he’s tied to the release as producer and singer, which helps explain the set’s sound: sturdy bass, clipped drums, and that smoky Kingston atmosphere Greensleeves was putting on wax in that period. Osbourne’s vocal on “Try To Turn Me On” is the one that leaves the cleanest mark, riding the riddim with the kind of ease that made him such a reliable voice in the era.