The Essential (CD)

Before Bob Marley was a household name, Byron Lee was the only name in reggae circa 1956. His soca-like compositions driven by horns, such as "Soul Limbo" and "Hot Reggae", with his 14-man outfit the Dragonaires found ample popularity from the international audience, thanks in part to an appearance in and on the soundtrack of the 1962 James Bond film, DR. NO. As much a businessman as an entertainer, Lee created Dynamic Sounds in 1968, becoming one of the first to distribute foreign records for the major North American and European labels, including albums from the Rolling Stones, Roberta Flack, and the Wailers.

• Category:  Music  »  Reggae  »  General/Reggae
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: December 11, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: VP Records
• UPC: 054645412025
• WAPI (Tower ID): 111640390
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Most of Byron Lee's output with his Dragonaires is smoothed out MOR-styled instrumental versions of various soca, reggae. and ska classics, the kind of thing tourists to Jamaica are likely to hear just off the boat, but as this carefully selected anthology shows, he could rise to the occasion when necessary and put aside his usual generic approach as a bandleader. Included here are some fine outings with Eric "Monty" Morris ("Oil in My Lamp," "Sammy Dead"), Mighty Sparrow ("Only a Fool," "Dragon Dance"), Toots & the Maytals (yet another version of "54 46 That's My Number"), and Keith Lyn ("Empty Chair"), as well as a moving and elegant bit of Jamaican ska doo wop from Stranger & Patsy called "Come Back" and a lovely, gentle take on Bob Marley's "Redemption Song." A bonus DVD featuring Lee & the Dragonaires in performance at the 2006 Air Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival is also included in the package, making this probably the best possible introduction to the high points of Lee's music. ~ Steve Leggett

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