Over the past several years, the brilliant 17 North Parade label (an imprint of VP Records) has been picking up where boutique reissue labels like Motion Records and the lamented Blood & Fire left off, documenting reggae music's classical period in the 1970s and the transition from roots to dancehall styles that took place during the 1980s. Producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes was one of several producers who helped to usher in that transition, guiding roots masters like Wayne Jarrett, the Wailing Souls, and the young Hugh Mundell into the new era while simultaneously fostering the careers of emerging dancehall artists like Cocoa Tea, Barrington Levy, and the exciting (but ultimately commercially doomed) teenage toaster Billy Boyo. This excellent two-disc set (one disc for singers, the other for DJs) offers an overview of some of the strongest material from Junjo's vault: stone classics like Barrington Levy's "Prison Oval Rock" and Yellowman's effortlessly propulsive "Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt", Tony Tuff's brilliant "Come Fi Mash It" (on the "Three Blind Mice" rhythm), and the wonderful craziness of Eek-A-Mouse's "Anarexol." This is a fantastic introduction to one of reggae music's most fertile periods and greatest studio talents!
| Volcano Singers |
A1 | Barrington Levy - Prison Oval Rock |
A2 | Leroy Smart - I Am The Don |
A3 | John Holt - Police In Helicopter |
A4 | Don Carlos (2) - Hog & Goat |
A5 | Barry Brown - Give Israel Another Try |
A6 | Wayne Jarrett - Chip In |
A7 | Junior Reid - Lover's Affair |
B1 | Johnny Osbourne - Ice Cream Love |
B2 | Wailing Souls - Fire House Rock |
B3 | Tony Tuff - Come Fi Mash It |
B4 | Little John - Dancehall Style |
B5 | Frankie Paul - Pass The Tu Sheng Peng |
B6 | Linval Thompson - Look How Me Sexy |
B7 | Al Campbell - Last Dance |
| Volcano Deejays |
C1 | Nicodemus - Boneman Connection |
C2 | Yellowman - Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt |
C3 | Josey Wales - Wolla Woope |
C4 | Early B (2) - Bible Story |
C5 | Eek-A-Mouse - Anarexol |
C6 | Clint Eastwood And General Saint - Two Bad DJ |
C7 | Captain Sinbad - Fisherman Style |
D1 | Lee Van Cleef (2) - Bam Salute |
D2 | Charlie Chaplin (2) - Bubbling Telephone (Chalice) |
D3 | Ranking Trevor - Some A Holla |
D4 | Michigan & Smiley - Diseases |
D5 | Billy Boyo - Wicked She Wicked |
D6 | Sister Nancy - Dance Pon The Corner |
D7 | Toyan - How The West Was Won |