Search - Clancy Eccles :: Reggae Revue at the Vip Club 3

Wow! Where 'ave some of these song been!

Tom Plum | Roswell, NM United States | 03/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off; the songs here listed come from the years 1970-73; so it is nice unearthing some of the songs, makes me think of when I purchased the excellent album "Club Ska '67" some years ago.



One o' the things that makes listening to Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady so exciting is what gems of songs one can find; unknownst before; I mean this thing is it; like hearing Lord Creator's "Kingston Town" makes me recall the first time I ever heard such classics as the Melodians "By the rivers of Babylon" or Desmond Dekker's "007 (Shanty Town)" both in a roots vein. Such great music and it appears that this song is not even found on the greatest hits compilation of Lord Creator's best; besides that, it certainly brings to mind that classic "Kingston Girl" by Harry B. & has been performed by UB40;



This fellow Clancy Eccles is another pioneer of reggae but one I will have to study about some (and the accompanying CD booklet is 16 pages long!); he's the writer on a number of the generous 20 songs found on this platter; the opening sung and written by Clancy Eccles is another absolutely thrilling chill out number titled "Africa"; so this song included with some others, provide some good pan-African listening;



The Ska-Reggae tracks by the likes of the Dynamites, the love songstry per Glenn Ricketts makes this album move as well; it is a mere detail that a modernish tune is found by a very early Third World group "People can't you see" , a band whose certain releases can not be recommended high enough; but here, it is not so much as a highlight; but does give you insight into a very early stage of this band's career. Still, a foreshadowing of things to come by Third World, lyrics with a higher consciousness, instruments a bit like what one would hear in something by the Tempations;



In fact, elsewhere there seems to be shades of Motown, Sam Cooke, Top 40 & English Top of the Pops often tinged with a reggae beat but not always. Such songs that many of us know with renditions here include "One-man band", Neil Diamond's "Holly Holy" and Blood Sweat and Tears "Hi-D Ho." The Silvertones "Teardrops will fall" maybe as well and has an upbeat tempo;



I'm always generous; but this is a top star release under any cirucmstnaces, not all the tunes that strong; but "there is magic in Kingston town" released on the Jamaican Gold label; made in Portugal to boot;



The Roots tone is the number one asset to these songs; the painfully titled and singing in track 12 to be only followed by the nice instrumental jazzy jam by the Dynamites "George"; it makes me wonder; could this have a thing to do with hero George Jackson as is found some on the recent Steel Pulse CD release? We probably can't know and chances are I read more into things than are there but certainly standout music. The notes to this album lists some of Eccles' music had been lost due to weather, so I appreciate some of these songs even moreso.

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