Search - Various Artists :: Reggae Anthology: Channel One

STRAIGHT TO CHANNEL ONE HEAD!

Locks Lion | Blue Mountain Peak | 08/18/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THE CHANNEL ONE STORY: Part of the royal lineage that included such prestigious venues as Studio One and Treasure Isle, the Channel One studio was Jamaica's premier destination for musicians and producers in the mid-late seventies and early eighties. Two of Jamaica's biggest session bands - the Revolutionaries, featuring the world champion rhythm combination of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, and later the Roots Radics - came together at Channel One, whipping up wave after wave of top-ranking, chart-busting 7" and 12" releases, and ensuring that Channel One was number one well into the early dancehall days of the 1980s.



VP's retrospective anthology collects many of Channel One's biggest hits; virtually every side collected here was a Jamaican top ten release, and several did brisk business abroad as well, especially in England. There's Dillinger's celebrated CB 200, The Meditations' classic WOMAN IS LIKE A SHADOW, John Holt's fantastic UP PARK CAMP, Junior Byles' FADE AWAY, and many more instantly recognizable roots rockers, as well as the best of the early eighties sound with Lone Ranger's NATTY BURIAL, Clint Eastwood's cut of DEATH IN THE ARENA and Yellowman's HERBSMAN SMUGGLING. Special mention must also be made of The Jay's TRULY, which in combination with Ranking Trevor's DJ cut was the first extended 12" reggae "discomix" ever released - a real historical document! While none of these sides will be new to reggae fans, it's a real bonus to find them all together in one place, and for that reason alone this release is well worth picking up. I would also recommend Pressure Sounds' MAXFIELD AVENUE BREAKDOWN, which features dub and instrumental versions for several of the singles collected here.

"

Great

Dries | 01/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Channel One Studio the legendary reggae studio downtown Kingston that changed reggae music and opened the door for rubadub dancehall music. This 2 cd-compilation concentrates on the late seventies output of Channel One, when the Hookim brothers were still the leading producers of Channel One. Compared to other reggae of the age, in my opinion Channel One had the best and most expensive sounding sound. Emphasis on the bass and drums, a clean, airy sound, but still far from the cheesy eighties reggae most of us dread. On this compilation you'll find 37 well known songs from Channel One, most of them backed by the Revolutionaries band (featuring the instantly recognizable and often unbelievable drums of Sly Dunbar; and some very good bassplayers). The roots side is represented by Mighty Diamonds, Don Carlos, Sammy Dread, Wailing Souls, Junior Byles; but there is also a lot of dancehall/dj stuff, lover's rock and three instrumentals by the Revolutionaries. Two extended versions: "Truly" by the Jayes and Ranking Trevor, which was the first Jamaican 12" ever; and another one "Queen Majesty" by the same artists (if you've seen the movie Rockers you'll know this song from the scene when Horsemouth enters a disco club and puts on this song).

five stars

"

Channel One Surfing

Erich A. Scholz III | Dallas, TX | 05/01/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a review of the 3 disc vinyl version. I can't believe that the vinyl of this extensive, relatively recent release is actually cheaper than the CD version. The volume and quality of the songs on this set are indisputable. The actual audio quality on the vinyl, however, is a little shaky. Not a complete deal breaker when you consider the fidelity of the original Jamaican recordings. But, using an A-B test contrasting Leroy Smart's "Ballistic Affair" from this set and the same track pulled from Island's THE STORY OF JAMAICAN MUSIC comp revealed almost two different songs from the same source recording. Island's release (from the early '90s) is punchy and in your face -- modern sounding. VP's Reggae Anthology track from 2004 is murky, reverb-laden, psychedelic. I haven't heard an original JA pressing, so I can't say which is actually the most "authentic." On the other hand, I contrasted I Roy's "Welding" and VP's pressing is actually superior than the Island CD's rather lifeless presentation. QC never seemed to be a particular virtue of the reggae music industry. Just fyi.



There are some pretty extensive liner notes that are informative although loaded with grammatical and printing errors. For some reason there is a space for a picture of Bob Andy (who doesn't appear anywhere on the album or liner notes), but there's nothing in the space except some rasterized dots.



Despite the quibbles, when taken in total, this is a crazy great value. Tons of crucial tracks from the late roots thru early dancehall era and a great intro for newbies or folks who may not even know they like Jamaican music. The vinyl is a particularly good value. Maybe not a showcase piece, but a generous amount of material for comps, dj sets or just chilling."