When Riddim Was King – Studio One Records

WHEN RIDDIM WAS KING – STUDIO ONE RECORDS 2007

This one reaches back to Studio One’s deep catalog and lets the label’s classic riddim culture do the talking, with a strong run of voices from Al Campbell, Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown, Bob Andy and Johnny Osbourne moving over a set that feels rooted in late-’60s and ’70s Kingston rather than modern polish. The longer flows of “Unchained (Original Mix)” and Dennis Brown’s “Created By The Father (Ext Mix)” sit nicely beside sharper cuts like Dillinger’s “Natty Kung Fu, ” while Ernest Wilson turns up twice and gives the sequence a little extra weight. Studio One’s role as Coxsone Dodd’s cornerstone operation matters here, because this is the sound of singers working over familiar foundations and making each version count. The release appears in 2007 and runs through 12 tracks, ending with Johnny Osbourne’s “Can’t Buy My Love. ”

When Riddim Tracklist:

1. Al Campbell – Take A Ride
2. Alexander Henry – Please Be True
3. Alton Ellis – Mad Mad
4. Basil Daley – Hold Me Baby
5. Bob Andy – Unchained (Original Mix)
6. Carlton And The Shoes – Me And You
7. Dennis Brown – Created By The Father (Ext Mix)
8. Dillinger – Natty Kung Fu
9. Ernest Wilson – Undying Love
10. Ernest Wilson – Why Oh Why
11. Im And Dave – Candid Eye
12. Johnny Osbourne – Cant Buy My Love
13. Michigan And Smiley – Compliments To Studio One (Alt Vocal Mix)
14. Sugar Minott – Come On Home
15. The Bassies – Things Come To A Bump
16. The Heptones – Fattie Fattie
17. The Silvetones – Smile (Alt Mix)
18. The Wailing Souls – Back Out With It