Do not buy this version
Anax | 03/06/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"These are great songs. Toots is great, but this particular CD mix sounds as if the staff at House of Reggae records (the label for this issue) just held a dictahpone recorder up to some speakers while the master tapes were playing and then transfered that to CD. A lot of reggae bands get this treatment from indie labels, and you feel bad for the bands because good quality mixes are out there. A band gets a bad deal from rough-sounding mixes. They tend to make the band sound cheap and inferior, and Toots and the Maytals especially suffers when their clean, slick vocals sound as if they were recorded in a metal cage. Stick to a reputable label. Don't buy this version."
Another Unreliable Pressing
Phillip C | Nfld | 07/30/2002
(2 out of 5 stars)
"This album contains a few classic Toots and the Maytals songs, "Monkey Man," "Sweet and Dandy," "Pressure Drop," etc. But the quality of this pressing is so bad, you'd be better off skipping it. It's the same situation with most the early Bob Marley/Wailers recordings: Those early recordings are licensed out to just about anyone, and for the most part, the quality is garbage. The only reliable recordings I have found of Toots and the Maytals (and early Bob Marley/Wailers) are those which appear on Island Records (e.g., IN MEMPHIS, JUST LIKE THAT) and Trojan (e.g., IN THE DARK), Island Records being the highest quality. It's unfortunate that the majority of the Maytals cds presently available are low-quality pressings---and this pressing of MONKEY MAN is one of them. Stay clear."
Soulful pre-reggea music
nadav haber | jerusalem Israel | 11/25/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this cd because I was curious about Jamaican music from the era before Bob Marley, Burning Spear and The Abyssinians. The cheap price convinced me I can take a risk.
What I found was great music. Toots sounds like a Jamaican Otis Redding at times. His singing is very emotional, and the music is uplifting. You should expect low-fi sound, though.
I like "We Shall Overcome", "54-46" and "Sweet and dandy" more than the rest, but they are all fine songs.
This music is close to reggae and in some cases to 60's soul. It is a great CD for people who want to learn the roots of reggae and to create new music that has firm foundations."