« back

u-roy - version galore - get on down - vinyl

New Copy

Genre: Reggae / Dub

1. Your Ace From Space
2. On The Beach
3. Version Galore
4. True Confession
5. Tide Is High
6. Things You Love
7. The Same Song
8. Happy Go Lucky Girl
9. Rock Away
10. Wear You To The Ball
11. Track 11
12. Hot Pop

U-Roy was a true reggae pioneer, dubbed The Originator for good reason. Bursting onto the Jamaican scene in the early 1970s, he pioneered the vocal approach called “toasting,” which in addition to bringing Jamaican music into a new era, was also heavily influential on an American vocal style also in its infancy: rapping.

.
This full-length, his first after a string of singles (mostly on the
Treasure Isle and other Duke Reid labels, run by the famed
producer and studio owner), rolls like a crazy party where a
wobbly, but talented, “master of ceremonies” grabs the mic and
won’t let go. Speaking over and around songs that already have
straight-ahead vocals on them, U-Roy shows the world why he is
considered an iconoclast and trailblazer.

In all honesty, there are few standouts on the album since they all
run a similar course, and all are captivating in their own way.
Modern listeners will especially note “Tide Is High,” originally by
the Paragons (featuring dulcet-toned vocalist John Holt) and
recorded later as a 1980 smash hit by Blondie.

Each track here is a new adventure, and while U-Roy’s approach
might take some getting used to, it will eventually capture your
ears as it did the entire island of Jamaica in the ‘60s and ‘70s.