Various - Front Line Presents Reggae Discomixes

  by Maarten Schiethart

published: 8 / 9 / 2015

Label: Spectrum Audio
Format: CD X2

intro

Fabulous two CD retrospective which compiles together mixes from 1975 to 1981 from the outstanding reggae label Front Line

Virgin's Front Line was a newspaper boy friendly label when I was about thirteen and had little money to spend. Rather economically, the two CD compilation enables me to catch up today on what I presumedly missed out on then, which is not much, if anything at all. That all goes in favour of the Virgin Front Line label, which sold coloured vinyl LPs at sixteen guilders which I used to buy when I was earning less than four an hour. After doing my rounds, I had the money to buy the likes of U-Roy and Gregory Isaacs amongst a host of others. I did the right thing. The Virgin Front Line label was a trademark of quality. Think of John Peel and Dave Rodigan radio shows you will probably never be able to hear again. The vaults are too steep to dig into, but this compilation deals with the icing on the cake only. Sly Dunbar's 'Cocaine Cocaine' though was a tedious little release back then. It still is. For reasons that are all too obvious, it's one of those tracks where the tape slips. At a time when music journalism was footloose and fancy free, LPs from U-Roy, Mighty Diamonds, Isaacs, I-Roy, Doctor Alimantado, Culture, Big Youth and those still twee Twinkle Brothers all made reggae music the cream of the crop in my assumption. Understood by Peel and Dave Rodigan, and let's not forget Andy Kershaw, reggae music thrived back in the 1970s. This two CD delves into a rich catalogue of carefree and conscious reggae music. They are, it seems, almost unfathomed. After listening to this series of late 1970s twelve inch discomixes, vocal and version on one side, instead of seven inch pre's with the vocal on the one side and the dub or version on the other, I would very much welcome the re-issues of those coloured vinyl Front Line LPs. One of my all-time favourites, Big Youth's 'Running Around Town With Tom, Dick And Harry' is included here. I never knew it had a twelve inch single release. Skanking as a happy bunny with this compilation.

Track Listing:-