The past will never die, as long as companies like Heartbeat continue to issue compilations such as this. Eighteen choice cuts produced by
Niney the Observer (Winston Holness) at a variety of studios; various formations of
the Soul Syndicate band provide backup. Amongst the artists are
Junior Byles,
Delroy Wilson,
Niney,
Michael Rose (with an early version of "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"),
Ken Boothe,
I-Roy,
Gregory Isaacs and
Dennis Brown. To keep you hopping, a couple of the cuts are drawn from 12-inch extended releases. The music has a stripped-down sound to it, hewing to a bass/drums/guitar/organ format, focusing more on rhythm than frills -- this makes for some strikingly minimalist moments, such as the bare bones version of
the Soul Syndicate's "Cassandra," a cut that will not be to everyone's taste thanks to long riddim stretches without anything else happening. Overall, however, excellent -- and it sounds terrific.