Duke Reid

Duke Reid

"Duke Reid - V/A - Classic Hits From Treasure Isle - Trojan

I suppose it depends on what you mean by this – ‘Recorded at Treasure Isle’ or ‘Produced by Duke Reid’. For instance - The Maytals’s ‘John James’. Still the bulk of the music here was produced by Duke Reid. Big hits from Alton Ellis - ‘Dance Crasher’ -, Justin Hinds - ’Cornerstone’ - and Ken Parker - ‘True True True’. Also nice to see tracks from The Paragons like ‘Island In The Sun’ and ‘Land Of Sea And Sun’. Once again the sound quality is not that good, which is a shame."

"Duke Reid/Treasure Isle V/A - Hottest Hits Vol 3 - Treasure Isle

Any compilation of Duke Reid productions is virtually guaranteed a good reception and good sales. If you place a ‘Hottest Hits’ title to it, then the LP has to be of a very high standard indeed. And ‘Hottest Hits Vol 3’ is a worthy successor to Vols 1&2. It contains music from Alton Ellis (‘Remember That Sunday’), Joya Landis (‘Moonlight Love’), The Paragons (‘Wear You To The Ball’), The Techniques (‘Love Is Not A Gamble’), John Holt (‘Stealing Stealing’) and Hopeton Lewis (‘Boom Shacka Lacka’). This music is classic material taking in the Rock Steady year and the early Reggae era. It’s also fundamental to an understanding of today’s music coming from Jamaica. An inspirational history lesson."

"Duke Reid - V/A - More Hottest Hits - Heartbeat

Unlike some of the music produced by Duke Reid out now, this stuff sounds like it comes from tape. And it makes a big, big difference. So many great tunes and artists are featured here. Freddy McKay - what a shame he never made an album at Treasure Isle. Leroy Sibbles and Junior Byles’s ‘Break Up To Make Up’, an incredible tune featuring the Now Gen Band on the rhythm. What a shame that they didn’t work more for Duke. The Gladiators’s ‘Live Wire’ is classic Rock Steady - while some tracks like Phyllis Dillion’s ‘You’re Like Heaven’ defy description!!! Superb selection."

Pleasure Dub - Pressure Sounds

Everyone seems to know about Treasure Dub Vols 1 & 2. Great works of

dub - mixed by Errol Brown at Treasure Isle. They are as different

from the works of King Tubby as King Tubby is to works of Errol T, or

even man's works are to that of Lee Perry. Interest in the dub works

of these engineers as never waned. LPs and singles are still sort

after today of there mixes. Oddly Errol Brown - despite two great

albums at Treasure Isle is not thought of in the same way. And this

might explain why this next masterpiece from him 'Pleasure Dub' was

released back in the mid-seventies and as not been reissued since!! Of

course the other thing about dub is that so many great works were

released in very small quantities it would need a dub boom for them

all to be rereleased. Dub is not exactly booming, but its never gone

away either - and hopefully when people here albums like this - they

will want to hear more of these classics from the past.