"Get off your pomps and pride,"
Derrick Morgan taunts his competitors, "I'm the Ruler," "always the ruler, right here on Orange Street. I'm going to take you down." And
Morgan was, and he did, swaggering his way straight across the ska, rocksteady and reggae eras, the "Conquering Ruler" of the Jamaican scene. There's no better proof of his power than
Red Bumb Ball: Rare and Unreleased Rocksteady, a phenomenal compilation dedicated not to the singing producer's own hits and chart-busting productions, but to his equally fabulous rarities and unreleased numbers dating from the rocksteady age. Some of the songs and artists are so rare they don't even rate a footnote in the reggae archives, like Pauline Morgan & the Consummates. This sweet, soulful duo offer up two stellar numbers on the same sumptuous riddim, as well as backing Pauline Morgan and an uncredited
Morgan on "Give Me a Chance." In contrast, most reggae fans have heard of
the Viceroys. Their Studio One recordings during the rocksteady age were rather lackluster, but check out the quartet they cut for
Morgan, and you discover a band chaffing at the bit. The Black Brothers, too, recorded for both Clement "Coxsone" Dodd and
Morgan during this period, another fine duo who subsequently disappeared leaving barely a trace. They at least left behind a handful of singles; Austin Faithfull apparently didn't even do that. Obviously still in his teens but already a powerful, emotive singer, he's yet another sad casualty of an island over-stuffed with talent.
Lloyd Robinson had better luck, both as a solo singer and one half of a variety of duos. The Tartans'
Devon Russell accompanies him on this set's title track, a song originally found on the flipside of
Morgan's own "Conquering Ruler" single.
Morgan himself provides half-a-dozen of his own songs, and although a number have featured on other compilations, the rest really are rarities, including his stellar remake of "I Wish I Were an Apple," a song the singer originally cut for
Duke Reid in 1961. Backing
Morgan and the other vocalists on this compilation is Lyn Taitt & the Jets, and their sensational riddims are reason enough to buy this set. Taitt's phenomenal guitar work, Glady Gladstone's glorious piano, Bryan Atkinson's stellar, strutting basslines, and Joe Isaacs' indeed steady-as-a-rock drumming helped define the rocksteady sound, and this set is an equal tribute to their sensational work. Neglected and unheard for far too long, this
Red Bumb Ball is bouncing back again. ~ Jo-Ann Greene