Big Youth

Big Youth

Big Youth - Musicology - Vizion Sounds

Here's another big test for Wally F. If working with superstar singers

is hard, what about superstar DJ's!!! According to some a DJ should

have a very short sell by date. Well if nothing else the likes of

Capleton, Sizzla, Beenieman, and Buju have proved that to be nonsense.

So what of Jah Youth. Well this set stands up very strongly alongside

greats like 'Screaming Target' and 'Hit The Road Jack' its got all the

Youth trademarks some great social comment - a little bit of singing

and that razor sharp timing that all the deejays from the first era of

deejaying have - Wally for his part give the Youth some great rhythms

- and like all the other albums on Vizion the production is superb.

Big Youth - Natty Universal Dread - Blood & Fire

After the first wave of deejays, U.Roy, Dennis Alcapone and I.Roy came

The Youth - Big Youth. This latest box set from Blood & Fire rightly

places the Youth at the forefront of deejay innovation over a

seven-year period - starting from 1973, the roots era, and going up to

the start of the dancehall era in1979. The packaging on this set is up

to very high standards set by Blood & Fire. In fact it was withdrawn

for a while because there was a packaging problem. How many reggae

record companies have ever done that? The booklet that accompanies the

three CD's contains some great photos, and has the story of the man in

full detail. Hopefully this will now start a trend that will see all

the other great reggae foundation artists given the same treatment.

Disc 1 - 'Hot Stock' 1973 is a 16 track compilation of his 1973

singles. Included here are famous tunes like 'Chucky No Lucky', 'Hell

Is For Heroes', 'Sky Juice' and 'Streets Of Africa'. All the tracks

were big hits and have become classics over the years.

Disc 2 - 'Reggae Phenomenon' 1973-1975 gives us 14 tracks, and for

the first time allows us to hear Big Youth singing, or what is now

known as singjaying. This was a good five years ahead of the dancehall

style. 'Every Nigger Is A Star' is the tune concerned, and it was also

the title track of a film. Although it's not the best example of his

style, another track, 'My Time', comes closer to what it was all

about.

Disc 3 - Hotter Fire - 1975 - 1979 pulls all the various Jah Youth

elements together in fine style. It contains the big hit, and possibly

the best example of the Youth singjaying, titled 'Hit The Road Jack'.

It was always a great song - but in the hands of the Youth, using the

'Love Me Forever' rhythm, it takes on a new life.

"Big Youth – Hit The Road Jack – Trojan - 1976

Part Two good for you!!! What Big Youth did to 'Touch Me; was nothing to what he did too 'Hit The Road Jack' Ray Charles massive hit from the fifties. Over the 'Love Me Forever' rhythm – the Youth just rips into this great tune – turns it inside and backwards – and creates something brand new (good for you) in the process. 'Hit The Road Jack' was a decent hit for him as well. Its strange to think that if only he called it Dancehall – the whole course of Jamaican music may have been advance by at least four years. But as they say in Jamaica 'nothing ever happens before its time'. And its ironic that just like it took a few years before people realised that Ray Charles was the father of soul. It must be now accepted that Big Youth is the father of Dancehall with these two albums. Twins!!!"

"

Big Youth – Isiah First Prophet Of Old – Front Line - 1978

By 1978 Big Youth was on the Front Line along with a lot of other people – even then dancehall was still a year away – but Big Youth had moved on from that – and was now into a style that recalls Bunny Wailers/Burning Spear. The songs and they are songs are full and detailed with only a little chanting. And the rhythms are the same. Highly complex horn arrangements are on every song. Its not got the same kind of impact power of the two albums on Trojan – more wistful. Yet its still a very good album. Big Youth always had a message – and now its seems it was time for him to deliver that message. In five years from 'Screaming Target' he had come a long way

– and thankfully 30 years old from then he's still on the go."

"

Big Youth – Natty Cultural Dread – Trojan - 1976

One classic album would be enough for most artists – but with this set Jah Youth created a musical time bomb that did not go off until about 4 years later. For this is the first 'Dancehall Album' its just that no one really knew it at that time. What you got here are some really wild version of pop hits like Diana Ross's hit 'Touch Me In The Morning' over a typical Soul Syndicate raggamuffin style rhythm. The Youth dj and 'sings' while Dennis Brown supplies the real vocals. The whole album as got the kind of dancehall spirit – old rhythms, new rhythms dj chants and songs all mixed up all with a very raw kind of mix – that sounded like nothing else at the time – now of course it all makes sense!!!"

"Big Youth - Natty Universal Dread - Blood & Fire - 2000

After the first wave of deejays, U.Roy, Dennis Alcapone and I.Roy came The Youth - Big Youth. This latest box set from Blood & Fire rightly places the Youth at the forefront of deejay innovation over a seven-year period - starting from 1973, the roots era, and going up to the start of the dancehall era in1979. The packaging on this set is up to very high standards set by Blood & Fire. In fact it was withdrawn for a while because there was a packaging problem. How many reggae record companies have ever done that? The booklet that accompanies the three CD's contains some great photos, and has the story of the man in full detail. Hopefully this will now start a trend that will see all the other great reggae foundation artists given the same treatment.

Disc 1 - 'Hot Stock' 1973 is a 16 track compilation of his 1973 singles. Included here are famous tunes like 'Chucky No Lucky', 'Hell Is For Heroes', 'Sky Juice' and 'Streets Of Africa'. All the tracks were big hits and have become classics over the years.

Disc 2 - 'Reggae Phenomenon' 1973-1975 gives us 14 tracks, and for the first time allows us to hear Big Youth singing, or what is now known as singjaying. This was a good five years ahead of the dancehall style. 'Every Nigger Is A Star' is the tune concerned, and it was also the title track of a film. Although it's not the best example of his style, another track, 'My Time', comes closer to what it was all about.

Disc 3 - Hotter Fire - 1975 - 1979 pulls all the various Jah Youth elements together in fine style. It contains the big hit, and possibly the best example of the Youth singjaying, titled 'Hit The Road Jack'. It was always a great song - but in the hands of the Youth, using the 'Love Me Forever' rhythm, it takes on a new life."

"Big Youth - Musicology - Vizion Sounds - 2006

Here's another big test for Wally F. If working with superstar singers is hard, what about superstar DJ's!!! According to some a DJ should have a very short sell by date. Well if nothing else the likes of Capleton, Sizzla, Beenieman, and Buju have proved that to be nonsense. So what of Jah Youth. Well this set stands up very strongly alongside greats like 'Screaming Target' and 'Hit The Road Jack' its got all the Youth trademarks some great social comment - a little bit of singing and that razor sharp timing that all the deejays from the first era of deejaying have - Wally for his part give the Youth some great rhythms - and like all the other albums on Vizion the production is superb."

"Big Youth – Screaming Target – Trojan - 1973

Its hard to imagine now – just what it was like back in the early seventies for the foundation Deejays – the genre was not liked – the youth loved it – but it was not given a warm greeting by the followers of the music in general. U.Roy and Dennis Alcapone changed that. I Roy came with his yankee rap style.Yet could those who liked those three like take to the super heavy style of Big Youth? The answer was yes and the reason was that he was so different to the others. In the space of a just a few years – the destiny of the deejay style was mapped out. It was a solid foundation that did lasted well into the eighties. 'Screaming Target' is a true classic – Gussie Clarke's production is faultless. And Big Youth. Irie Ister Lion as I

would say!!