"Revolutionary" is precisely correct. Mid-'70s Jamaican pop music presents nothing less than the sound of a new world being imagined. Consisting of 56 tracks on four discs, this boxed anthology comes to grips with passiona... more »te anticolonial politics, marijuana-fueled Old Testament theology with a back-to-Africa kick, and the hard, thick, psychedelically modified sound of drum & bass at their most magnificent. Three of these discs--The Power of the Trinity: Great Moments in Reggae Harmony, By the Rivers of Babylon: Timeless Hymns of Rastafari, and In the Red Zone: The Essential Collection of Classic Dub--have been previously released and can be purchased separately. A fourth, Revolutionary Sounds: Essential Rockers Reggae Classics (1973-1981), presents the music in its most potently rhythmic and lyrically uncompromising form. With the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers the most obvious omission (although countless substitutions might have been made), this remains an excellent gateway to reggae-topia. --Richard Gehr« less
"Revolutionary" is precisely correct. Mid-'70s Jamaican pop music presents nothing less than the sound of a new world being imagined. Consisting of 56 tracks on four discs, this boxed anthology comes to grips with passionate anticolonial politics, marijuana-fueled Old Testament theology with a back-to-Africa kick, and the hard, thick, psychedelically modified sound of drum & bass at their most magnificent. Three of these discs--The Power of the Trinity: Great Moments in Reggae Harmony, By the Rivers of Babylon: Timeless Hymns of Rastafari, and In the Red Zone: The Essential Collection of Classic Dub--have been previously released and can be purchased separately. A fourth, Revolutionary Sounds: Essential Rockers Reggae Classics (1973-1981), presents the music in its most potently rhythmic and lyrically uncompromising form. With the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers the most obvious omission (although countless substitutions might have been made), this remains an excellent gateway to reggae-topia. --Richard Gehr
CD Reviews
Black Uhuru
Alexandre Esberard Gomes | Sao Paulo | 06/23/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This colection shows the best of reggae in that period, a lot of famous songs and bands are here. If you like reggae, you must have it in your collection. 4 cds, with 14 songs each, including Melodians, Jacob Miller, Culture, Joe Higgs, Rita Mrley, Lee Perry, The Scientists and a lot of bands that you will know if you really like reggae. This boxed set ignores reggae's big three (Marley, Tosh and Cliff) in favor of presenting some of the best classic sounds of the period....makes for a well-balanced collection. A good choice!"
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1