Eddy Grant - I Don't Wanna Dance

Eddy Grant is one of them living music legends. A Reggae superstar, fine fine songwriter, producer, owner of his own label and political activist, the man's like a beast. Grant was the frontman for early Reggae/pop group The Equals in the sixties, and despite a solo career throughout the seventies, it wouldn't be until 1982, where he would get his big smash hit, I Don't Wanna Dance.

It opens up with the chorus over a really chilled and sweet reggae beat embeleshed by some eighties synthy. It follows this standard rhythm throughout, keeping it subtle and not building up for the chorus, letting you just stay with the groove. There's a pretty cool short fuzz guitar solo, reminding me of those in Kevin Ayers' albums. The track trails off with a repeating of the song's title. All in all, it's a short sweet song over a nice chill beat.

For the B side, we get an accapella rendition of I Don't Wanna Dance, which is a bit misleading, as it includes percussion, echoed production. It's more kinda like a dub-lite version to be honest, and it still stands strong as a good track, aided by the shortness of the song, it does work.

Basically, I love Reggae, and I love Eddy Grant, so I also love this. Even if I didn't, I'd still like this, it's just one of those songs that you can't fault. Simplistic yet utterly enjoyable.

COMPILATION SPECIAL!

Ok, this one is different. Compilation albums don't really require the depth of a real review, since they are literally just a collection of songs, and unless specially mixed/edited to form a new album (such as Hawkwind's Roadhawks or Bowie's All Saints) treat each component as an individual. So here's three compilation albums to enjoy!

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Legend

More people know of this album than any of Marley's albums proper. We get all the classic tracks here, No Woman no Cry(this live version is outstanding), Buffalo Soldier, I Shot The Sheriff etc, etc. As you can expect, these are all great songs, and this is a perfect introduction into the world of Tuff Gong. Chilled reggae grooves by a man who has something to say, a true icon and a true legend. The disc's title says it all. A total MUST HAVE!

Lee Perry - Reggae Genius 20 Upsetter Classics

It'd always be hard to come up with a good compilation for this man, producing so many reggae classics and introducing the world to dub, Lee 'Scratch' Perry is a true genius. Highlights include The Return Of Django and I Chase The Devil, this album focuses far more on his straight reggae side. We get some lovely phased effects on the tracks but nothing as bizzare as his dub work, there's no Super Ape Inna Jungle, here, which to be honest is a shame, but Disco Devil is still great. The fail to include Perry's dub works make this a difficult compilation to recommend. The music here is all outstanding, but it's just an incomplete compilation.

Madness - It's... Madness Too

As a previous single review may have hinted at, I am a massive Madness fan, always have been and always will be. This disk here in my hand is one I have owned since I was about seven years old! Thankfully it is not the standard 'greatest hits' style of compilation, missing out on tracks like Baggy Trousers and House Of Fun, instead we get some solid singles, and their great B-Sides. Stand out tracks are... man, these are all stand out tracks! Cardiac Arrest deserves special recognition though, a chart topping hit about a guy having a heart attack. Awesome. Anyways, this is a good collection of great songs, it doesn't contain all of Madness' best, but would still be a good introduction to the nutty boys.

Three compilation albums reviewed for the price of one!
This is also proof that I can write an album review in under 2,000 words.