Arise Rootsman: Jamaican Roots 1965-1983 (Trojan, 2003)

The title alone may draw you into listening to this album, but it shouldn't be viewed as a definitive overview of Jamacian roots reggae for the nearly 20-year span indicated -- even though it encompasses two discs.  Certainly, to be fairly comprehensive, you'd need an entire box set of 8 or more CDs (Island's 4-part Tougher Than Tough perhaps coming closest to accomplishing this, although it strives to cover all sub-genres of reggae).  Instead, Arise Rootsman uses select tunes to trace the history of righteous Jamaican music for 3 decades.  This consists of mostly roots reggae, but begins with a few ska/rock steady tracks from the '60s/early '70s -- highlighted by Bob Andy's classic "Weep" and Nora Dean's soulful "Peace Begins Within" -- and ends with some pre-digital dancehall-edged tunes from the early '80s/late '70s like Wayne Jarrett's funky treatment of the Abyssinians' "Satta Massagana," "Satta Dread," with a few dubs and DJ toasts in the mix.  The song choice is solid throughout, with a blend of tunes that may be familiar to roots fans -- e.g. songs that Trojan has featured in other releases -- such as the Silvertones' "Rejoice Jah Jah Children," the Heptones' "Hypocrite," Keith Hudson's rollicking "Satan Side," Gregory Isaacs' "Bad Da," Soul Syndicate's mellow (despite its title) instrumental "Riot," Lee "Scratch" Perry's "Justice to the People," and Glen Brown's "2 Wedden Skank," and tunes that may not be as familiar but that sparkle nonetheless: in particular, Dean's aforementioned "Peace Begins Within," Jimmy Riley's "Give Thanks and Praise," Ras Michael's "Where Is Your Goldmine," Greyhound's "The Pressure Is Coming On," Busty Brown's "Throw Away Your Gun," Rocking Horse's "Hard TIme," and the Viceroys' "We Must Unite."  Fans of toasting, meanwhile, should be pleased by selections from the likes of Big Youth, I-Roy, and Dennis Alcapone, although this is not really my cup o' tea.  While the Trojan Roots Box Set has a bit more to offer hungry roots fans, Arise Rootsman is certainly worthwhile, with numerous gems culled from Trojan's endless vault that even the most experienced listener may not know or may have forgotten.