When dancehall DJ
General Echo decided singing sexually overloaded tunes was the way to pay the bills, he damaged his career significantly. Until the release of the Equalizer label's
Echo collection,
Teacher Fe di Class, you were much more likely to stumble across a copy of his supremely naughty album
12" of Pleasure -- featuring titles like "Lorna She Love Young Boy Banana" and the great "That's How You Get Your Love Bump" -- or come upon the true to its title Slackest LP which he recorded under the name
Ranking Slackness. You also might have also discovered the "Tribute to General Echo" single from
Clint Eastwood &
General Saint and wonder how the late (
Echo was shot dead by the police in Kingston Town) sleaze master could be so revered.
Teacher Fe di Class is not without sensuality, but it also re-introduces
General Echo the seriously gifted and socially motivated toaster that influenced everyone from
Yellowman to
Beenie Man. It does so by blowing up his 1979 album Rocking and Swing and making it wonderfully deluxe with versions and dubs added to the program plus wonderful liner notes to top it all off. From the easy and innocent "Titanic" to the cautionary tale of "Self Praise" and on to the feel good shuffle of "Hot Reggae Music,"
Echo never fails, delivering his lines with the bounce and bravado that would later define the dancehall DJ. Sound quality is better than expected and the pictures of rare labels and album artwork that fill the booklet are the kind of stuff reggae fanatics drool over. Kudos to the Equalizer label for making
Echo's greatest moment readily available and in such a fine package.