Island Records Rhythm & Blues - 1964-1969
To pick up where our other review left off, this is the second Island Records compilation which I like. There are a lot of good songs on here, and most people know the Spencer Davis track Gimme Some Lovin', but as we are always looking for the best of the best I think there are 3 standout tracks on this album:
9) Jackie Edwards - Come on Home
16) The Wailers - Put It On
18) Pioneers - Long Shot Kick De Bucket.
The second two of these tracks made our top 20 roots reggae tracks list and you can listen to them here.
This album has been in my rotation a long time, one of the Island Records compilations. I remember being in an old antique store in San Juan Puerto Rico and I saw some old records stashed next to various (useless) trinkets. I started talking to the owner and he said oh I have a few more records upstairs. So we went into the attic and there were about 25000 records all disorganized and jumbled together, the sun was going down and there were no lights in the attic. A record collector's nightmare, ahhh! It turns out he was the owner of Downtown Records in Manhattan. One of the gems I found was a dusty EP by Lord Creator called Independent Jamaica, a classic Calypso song about Jamaica which became an anthem for Jamaicans when they became independent from British rule in 1962. The other track is a classic ska/ rock steady song by Justin Hinds and The Dominoes called Carry, Go, Bring, Home. Tracks 5 and 16 on this compilation.