Rating:
Genre:
Reggae
Release Date: 05/20/2003
For those
reggae fans who took so quickly and proudly to
Reggae Got Soul,
Toots & the Maytals' 1976 debut for
Island Records, these sides on
Trojan may prove to be quite a shock. What is contained on this re-release of
Monkey Man,
the Maytals' true debut album from 1971, is just how raw and immediate the group's sound was. Having cut the first single that mentioned
reggae music in 1968 with
"Do the Reggay" and coming back with another winning single in
"Sweet and Dandy" a year later,
the Maytals before
the Wailers were the first Jamaican band to distill
soul and
ska into something very different, something that would change music forever on the island. Here are 25 tracks that feature the original
Monkey Man album delightfully remastered from studio tapes, plus 12 more cuts of rare 45 material, unreleased tracks, and alternate takes. Among the highlights on
Monkey Man are
"Peeping Tom," the deep
Otis Redding-inflected
"Gold and Silver," a delightfully bastardized version of
"Give Peace a Chance," and the classic
reggae scorcher cum
ska barnburner
"Pressure Drop," made infamous by
the Clash some seven years later. Of the bonus cuts,
"Sweet and Dandy" in its original 7" version is included, as is the skanking
"Johnny Coolman" and the terminal groover
"Never You Change." This is highly recommended, no, necessary for any fan of early, authentic, un-smoothed-over
roots reggae.
~Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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