Originals, The

構成数 : 1枚
合計収録時間 : 00:48:55
Personnel: Ken Lazarus, Rupert Bent, Jr. (guitar); Sammy Ismay (saxophone); Frank Anderson , Baba Brooks (trumpet); Vernon Muller (trombone); Leslie Butler (organ); Byron Lee (bass guitar); Barry Lloyd (drums); Junior Gray, Victor Chung (percussion). Liner Note Author: Bill McAllister. With their gospel fervor and fiery lead vocals from Frederick "Toots" Hibbert, the Maytals (who also include singers Jerry Matthias and Raleigh Gordon) have managed to connect the compass points of hard gospel, African blues, Memphis soul, driving ska, and conscious roots reggae for more than 40 years now. This collection of ska stompers takes you back to the very beginning of that career. Most of these sides were recorded in 1965 for producer Byron Lee shortly before Toots was arrested and tossed in prison for ganja possession. The ska-era Maytals were even more rough-hewed than the later roots reggae version, if that's possible, and there is a delightful feel of gospel-fueled chaos to these tracks, most of which are punctuated by blasts of saxophone and trumpet. While cuts like "Never You Change," "Daddy," and "Fever" hint at the magic this group would produce a couple years down the road, truthfully this set is for Maytals fanatics only. Yes, Toots is a ball of fervent energy here, and the rest of the Maytals match him burst for burst, but Toots' songwriting hadn't quite matured, and the group was still learning how to bring all that energy into focus, giving these tracks all the stage dynamics of an explosion -- but then where do you go for the second verse? The bonus tracks offered here, which include the fine "Sweet and Dandy" and "Pomps and Pride," both produced by Leslie Kong, show that Toots & the Maytals figured out what to do with all that energy in short order. ~ Steve Leggett