Search - Various Artists :: Trojan Club Reggae Box Set (Spec)

Glad to have joined the "Club"

Big Wheel | Los Angeles | 04/20/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not here to kiss up to Trojan Records. I was not all that impressed with their "Rocksteady" Box Set release, finding most of the selections on it uninspired. Having said that, I did NOT have buyer's remorse with "Club Reggae". My favorite time period for Reggae is the late 60's early 70's and my first Box Set purchase was "Tighten Up", which I found to be excellent, but it only made me want more. "Club Reggae" has the usual "big names" included in this compilation along with many artists that I'd not heard of before, but I was glad to have been introduced to them. There are perhaps a few too many cover songs for my taste, the worst of which sound like they were produced by Pat Boone while he was on vacation in Jamaica. But there are definite exceptions: The Toots and the Maytals version of "Louie Louie" is different than the one most commonly heard on their greatest hits collections. And the Pioneers' cover of "Mother and Child Reunion" gives the Paul Simon original a major run for its' money. There are many excellent originals, some of them impossible to resist dancing to, some are simply beautiful, and of course there are a few stinkers which kept my overall rating at four stars. But the good far outweighs the bad and let's face it: you're getting three CD's worth of material that you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else for [money]. I've checked the prices in some of those dirty-no-good chain stores and if you actually do find a Box Set be prepared to part with [more money] to [more money] or more. Also, I'm a sucker for photos and bio information on artists and songs which is sorely lacking with these box sets, but if it means keeping the prices reasonable and the vintage Reggae pumpin', I'm willing to do without."