Tribute to the Martyrs - Steel Pulse, Brown, Selwyn
Babylon Makes the Rules - Steel Pulse, Brown, Selwyn
Sound System - Steel Pulse, Brown, Selwyn
Uncle George - Steel Pulse, Brown, Selwyn
Burning Flame - Steel Pulse, Hinds, David
Caught You Dancing - Steel Pulse, Hinds, David
Not King James Version - Steel Pulse, Hinds, David
No Justice, No Peace - Steel Pulse, Hinds, David
Settle the Score - Steel Pulse, Brwn, Selwyn
Back to My Roots/Dub to My Roots - Steel Pulse, Hinds, David
Evermore - Steel Pulse, Martin, Alphonso
During the mid-'70s, Steel Pulse were among the most important culture lions to emerge from England's highly politicized and supremely educated Caribbean community. Contemporaries of Aswad, Black Uhuru and dub poet Linton ... more »Kwesi Johnson, Steel Pulse produced a dub-heavy reggae that referenced African diaspora history and fed off of the burgeoning British punk rock movement. The resulting music was thematically dense yet readily accessible to a widening mainstream audience. Unfortunately, the ambitiously titled Ultimate Collection doesn't quite live up to its name. The disc gathers 20 years' worth of Steel Pulse's vision, representing some of the group's biggest hits, but some of its best compositions (such as "Rally Round") are glaringly absent. No worries, though--the ability to hear "Handsworth Revolution," "Ku Klux Klan," "Babylon Makes the Rules," and "Uncle George" (Steel Pulse's tribute to Soledad Brother George Jackson) on a single CD compensates for the omissions. --Rebecca Levine« less
During the mid-'70s, Steel Pulse were among the most important culture lions to emerge from England's highly politicized and supremely educated Caribbean community. Contemporaries of Aswad, Black Uhuru and dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, Steel Pulse produced a dub-heavy reggae that referenced African diaspora history and fed off of the burgeoning British punk rock movement. The resulting music was thematically dense yet readily accessible to a widening mainstream audience. Unfortunately, the ambitiously titled Ultimate Collection doesn't quite live up to its name. The disc gathers 20 years' worth of Steel Pulse's vision, representing some of the group's biggest hits, but some of its best compositions (such as "Rally Round") are glaringly absent. No worries, though--the ability to hear "Handsworth Revolution," "Ku Klux Klan," "Babylon Makes the Rules," and "Uncle George" (Steel Pulse's tribute to Soledad Brother George Jackson) on a single CD compensates for the omissions. --Rebecca Levine
"Simply put, this is my favorite reggae CD. Better than Exodus, Catch A Fire, anything by Bunny Wailer, Tosh, Black Uhuru, Toots, Israel Vibration, Augustus Pablo, Burning Spear (although 100th Anniversary would be close), etc.This CD has so many good songs: Sound System, Handworth Rev., Babylon Makes the Rules, Prodigal Son, Tribute to the Marytrs.This CD will be very easy for someone who like rock and roll to get into as many of Pulse's songs have a hard, fast beat.Whenever someone asks me where to go after Bob Marley, I always tell them Steel Pulse, Ultimate Collection.Seriously go buy this or burn a copy from someone."
Pleased... but still a little disapointed
hinkley16 | San Diego, CA United States | 03/26/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I'm a new reggae fan who is just getting into this music. I was first lured by songs by Bob Marley which after hearing I couldn't forget. I bought the cd "Legend" and was really pleased. This was a true collection of Bob Marley's greatest songs. I did some reading and I came upon a band called Steel Pulse. I downloaded some of their songs including: Steppin Out, Rally Round the Flag, Chant a Pslam, and Not King James Version. When I saw this cd I thought it had songs that were even better than these but was dissapointed. Don't get me wrong, the songs are great (especially #14), but I'm not sure this is quite a "Ultimate Collection." Now I've had to order "Smash Hits" in addition cause I looked it up and saw the songs I like. "Ultimate Collection" is a great cd that outlines Steel Pulses' progress in their music. Get this cd and also get "Smash Hits" if you want to hear this band at it's best."
Steel Pulse
T. Snyder | AZ | 09/24/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Steel Pulse "Ultimate Collection" is a very nice collection of the group's best work on Island in their early years. This is reggae from that classic late 70's period. A lot of the music from that timeframe is pretty good stuff across the board. Steel Pulse is no exception.
It's very relaxing, even when it's sometimes politcal in its message. The CD is missing a few good songs from when they switched labels in the early 80's though.
I would recommend this to fans of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. It's in that similar style of reggae.
Good music for calming down to."
The Greatest Introduction to Steel Pulse
Spencer Pennington | Seattle, WA | 03/06/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Steel Pulse's "Ultimate Collection" is, overall, a great introduction to the world's greatest Jamaican-born British reggae unit. It contains several of the group's greatest hits spanning their entire career up to the compilation's May, 2000 release.
The compilation starts off with the title track of Steel Pulse's 1978 debut, "Handsworth Revolution," followed by the angry and beautiful "Ku Klux Klan," and the latin-tinged "Prediction". The CD also contains several other hits such as "Prodigal Son," "Tribute to the Martyrs," "Uncle George," and my personal favorite, "Babylon Makes the Rules". Each of these songs shows Steel Pulse's trademark unapologetic sociopolitical stance perfectly. The compilation also contains a dub version of the opening track, "Handsworth Revolution".
There are even traces of the group's lighter side with songs like "Caught You Dancing," "Burning Flame," "Evermore," and "Back to My Roots/Dub to My Roots". The compilation delves equally as well into the later years of Steel Pulse's career with songs like the millitant "Not King James Version," from the grammy-winning 1986 "Babylon the Bandit" album. Alongside the 1986 masterpiece are other later classics such as "No Justice, No Peace," and the straight-forward Dancehall-Pop influenced "Settle the Score," from the "Rage & Fury" album 1997, their latest album up to the compilation's release.
While there are a couple of obvious hits missing such as "Taxi Driver" and "Rollerskates," this hardly hinders the compilation. Steel Pulse's "Ultimate Collection," is sure to please any listener wanting an introduction to this fine band. This compilation will leave the listener pleasently surprised and asking for more."