In on the ground floor,
Robert "Dandy" Livingstone Thompson was instrumental to the spectacular growth and popularity of Trojan Records. Brought onboard as a stopgap, Dandy feverishly provided releases while the label heads busily head-hunted Jamaican producers. The singing producer was an astute choice by Trojan but the decision to sink money into full-priced, full-length albums was not; the reggae scene was singles-driven, and it wasn't until the second half of the '70s that a market for 33s came in. Thus, 1968's Follow That Donkey was a flop, as was its follow-up, Dandy Returns (in later years both were highly sought after by collectors). Trojan learned the lesson, and when Dandy's third 33, Let's Catch the Beat (credited to
the Brother Dan All-Stars) was released in 1969, it was priced at a much more enticing 99p (less than the cost of two 45s), and swiftly turned into one of the label's biggest-selling records. The two-CD Let's Catch the Beat reissues all three albums in their entirety, while also rounding up all of Dandy's non-album A- and B-side 45s, including his productions, from 1968. Closely following the Jamaican scene, the artist immediately picked up on all the latest fashions emanating from the island, be it the rage for donkeys, ribaldry, or the new reggae rhythm. But even though all of Dandy's productions and arrangements were highly indebted to his homeland, he brought a distinctive British flavor to his records that set them apart from the originators. Dandy's first two albums may have remained in the shops, but the records themselves were a revelation, while his singles were sweeping through the British sound systems like blazing fire. Dandy would finally break out into the U.K. chart in the following decade, but long before that he was a superstar in the reggae community, Britain's own answer to
Prince Buster, and just as influential. Kudos to Trojan for making these crucial records available to modern fans. ~ Jo-Ann Greene