Toots Reggae

Toots & The Maytals - Reggae Got Soul (1976) {Island Records - 2015 Expanded Reissue CAROLR019CD}
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© 1976, 2015 Island Def Jam / Caroline | CAROLR019CD
Reggae / Rocksteady / Ska / Roots Reggae

A classic moment from Frederick "Toots" Hibbert – a set that's maybe his equivalent to some of the key Island Records albums of the 70s from Bob Marley & The Wailers! Like those, the production here is top-shelf – handled partly by Joe Boyd, who brings a very respectful vibe to the set – and perhaps even goes for more of the soulful currents in Toots' vocals than before – at least in ways that might cross over more to American and British audiences than in the early days. Hibbert really seems to take to the spirit of the moment, and rises up with these beautifully expressive passages – of the sort that he may never have hit this well again!

For those who don't want or can't afford to plonk out for the Toots & the Maytals' Time Tough: The Anthology, The Very Best Of provides the perfect solution, distilling down that two-CD, 41-track set to a single 19-song disc. There are a few subtle differences, however; for starters this set boasts two different versions of the band's reggae smash "54-46, That's My Number," as well as the original ska version of their Jamaican Song Festival winner "Bam Bam," unlike the anthology, which included only a later remodel. However, the "Never You Change" found on this set is not the trio's original ska hit, but a reggae-fied remake. The rest of the album pulls directly from the anthology, with the disc divided almost evenly between the trio and a solo Hibbert's pre- and post-Island career. Thus, for those who prefer the Maytals' ska and/or reggae hits, this is not the collection for you, as there are much better compilations of those periods. But for fans looking for a larger overview of both the band and Hibbert himself, this is an excellent place to start.

This release collects two of Toots & the Maytals' finest releases of the mid-'70s: Funky Kingston, generally viewed as their finest album, and its follow-up, In the Dark. This is some of the finest music of the rocksteady era, and with improved sound over the individual album releases, a great place to start for Toots & the Maytals or the rocksteady movement in general.

The Reggae Box presents all different sides of Reggae. This deluxe 6CD box set features many of the biggest reggae classics, such as Stop The Train by Bob Marley And The Wailers, Rivers Of Babylon by Ronnie Davis, Monkey Man by Toots and the Maytals and the fantastic Some Like It Hot by Dennis Brown. We also find some great dub versions from Bob Marley’s repertoire performed by the Wailers themselves (Get Up, Stand Up and Concrete Jungle). The collection dedicates a complete CD to reggae’s roots: calypso and mento, and finally, another CD that showcases the re-invention of the genre in the 80s, with songs of Bad Manners, Selecter, the Beat and the punk band Alternative TV. The Reggae Box is the compilation that every pop culture lover should have in his music collection.

This is an excellent reggae sampler. It should be obvious that everyone's first introduction to reggae should be Bob Marley's great LEGEND which is the reggae desert island disc of all time. That is the place to start for any introduction to reggae. This sampler is a good next step and includes classics from Jimmy Cliff, Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, Toots and the Maytals, and many others. The rhythm section for many of these tracks is the famous Sly and Robbie duo…

Legendary Jamaican artist Frederick “Toots” Hibberts returns with his first studio release in more than a decade. Got To Be Tough is an energizing provocation that renews the near six-decade career of the man who launched a new sound and genre with his 1968 release, Do The Reggay.