An Outsanding Pair Of Reggae Anthologies Honor Legends Sugar Minott and Gregory Isaacs

Sugar Minott may be less well-known than some of his reggae contemporaries from 1970s Jamaica, but his influence as the “Godfather of Dancehall” can not be overstated. The tunes on Hard Time Pressure, a new 2CD+DVD anthology out this week honoring Minott, bear little resemblance to the dancehall style of today, but the influence is clear. Influence is also at the forefront of The Ruler 1972-1990, a similar 2CD+DVD anthology honoring Gregory Isaacs, known as “the most exquisite vocalist in reggae.” These two releases, packaged with expertly detailed liner notes giving context about these important artists, are a must-have for reggae fans.

Both of these men should be in the Vocalist Hall of Fame, if there were such a thing, as they represent two of the finest voices ever to be put on wax. Showcasing very different styles, Minott and Isaacs can each be considered a master of his craft. Both men passed on in 2010, leaving remarkable musical legacies and a wide sphere of influence that stretches over the decades to today’s reggae and pop artists.

Sugar Minott released over 60 albums during his long career, which stretched from the very early days at Studio One, through the “lover’s rock” era of the 1970s and into the digital dancehall era. Hard Time Pressure is a veritable time capsule of Minott’s work, spanning 36 tracks and offering a bonus DVD with footage from his performance at the JapanSplash concert in 1986. Highlights include anthems like “Herbman Hustling,” “Buy Off The Bar” and “Never Gonna Give Up Jah.”

Here’s a look at the full track listing for Hard Time Pressure:

TRACK LISTING DISC 1
1. My Love Is True
2. Hard Time Pressure
3. River Jordan
4. Never Gonna Give Jah Up
5. Good Thing Going
6. Never Too Young
7. In The Residence
8. Babylon
9. No Vacancy
10. Ghetto-ology
11. Jah Jah Children
12. Man Hungry
13. Rome
14. The People Got To Know
15. Ghetto Youths
16. Loving Jah
17. Simple As That
18. Christmas Time

TRACK LISTING DISC 2
1. Lover’s Rock
2. Sandy
3. Show Me That You Love Me Girl
4. You’ve Lost It
5. Penny For My Song
6. Now We Know
7. African Girl
8. All Kinda People
9. Easy Squeeze
10. Slice Of The Cake
11. Informer
12. Feel The Rhythm
13. Old King Cole
14. Buy Off The Bar
15. International Herb
16. Herbman Hustling
17. Devil’s Pickney
18. Rub A Dub Sound

DISC 3 – DVD
1. Live in Concert filmed in Japan 1986

Here’s a look at the full track listing for the Isaacs anthology:

TRACK LISTING DISC 1
1. My Only Lover
2. Do You Ever
3. All I Have Is Love
4. Lonely Soldier
5. Love Is Overdue
6. Never Be Ungrateful
7. Ba Da
8. The Sun Shines For Me
9. Set The Captives Free
10. My Religion
11. Philistines
12. My Number One
13. Tumbling Tears6
14. Special Guest
15. Border
16. Storm
17. Mr. Cop (Extended Mix)
18. Sister Love (Extra Special)
19. My Time
20. Slave Master (Live)

TRACK LISTING DISC 2
1. Let’s Dance
2. John Public
3. Soon Forward
4. Tune In
5. Top Ten
6. Permanent Lover
7. Front Door
8. If I Don’t Have You
9. Night Nurse
10. Private Secretary
11. Let Off Sup’m
12. Private Beach Party
13. Victim
14. One Man Against The World
15. Rumors
16. Red Rose For Gregory
17. Big All Around featuring Dennis Brown
18. Jealousy featuring Jimmy Cliff
19. My Native Woman
20. Too Good To Be True

DISC 3 DVD
1. Live performance – Brixton Academy 1984