Visions Of Dennis Brown

後に「レゲエ・キング」に上りつめるデニス・ブラウンが、若かりし頃にJOE GIBBS、そして実質的なプロデューサーであったエンジニアのERROL THOMPSONと作った大名作の再発！デニスのの数多く存在する作品の中でも特に重要で、圧倒的な評価を獲得している名盤。大名曲「MILK & HONEY」「STAY AT HOME」他収録。1977年作の70年代レゲエの金字塔的作品。今回の再発では、収録曲3、6、9、10曲目が、オリジナルの最後の部分からダブ/DJパートを追加した「ラバダブ・ヴァージョン/ディスコ・ミックス」のスタイルで収録で、コレは世界初！

Following a series of early single releases for various Jamaican engineers, singer Dennis Brown entered a particularly prolific partnership with producer Joe Gibbs. The two worked together from the mid-'70s to the early '80s. Visions (1977) presents Brown as a roots-based singer with major crossover potential. The smooth, reassuring quality of his voice and his comfortable range would seem to make him the obvious choice for an American label seeking an international success story. Brown's subject matter spans the spectrum of Rasta concerns, detailing economic suffering, African oppression, deep religious conviction, and a strong political consciousness. The potency of such themes is tempered only by the inevitable lovers rock of "Love Me Always" and a take on Ray Charles' "This Little Girl of Mine." Throughout, Brown delivers pleas to his people to follow the virtuous path. It's a sentiment that becomes particularly poignant with "Stay at Home," the tale of a young runaway. Carrying the musical weight is a typically seasoned set of session players including appearances by the dream horn team of Bobby Ellis (trumpet), Vin Gordon (trombone), Herman Marquis, and Tommy McCook (saxophones). Though the musicians rarely extend themselves (preferring to stay respectably anonymous), their effortless flexibility is well suited to Brown's polished delivery. They soak songs like "Oh Mother" and "Malcolm X" in the sadness of the blues and provide the lighter material with the appropriate lift. Two years down the road, Brown would score a hit with "Money in My Pocket." At the start of the 1980s, the singer's albums would find U.S. release through A&M. Like many of Jamaica's most promising stars, however, the singer's music was largely mishandled, suffering from poor promotion. Visions, however, finds him in his prime and on the verge of the international success he deserved. ~ Nathan Bush