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| The Best of Delroy Wilson: Original Eighteen Deluxe Edition (Heartbeat, 2006 [orig. released 1991]) The late Delroy Wilson was one of the great crooners in reggae history and one of the key figures in the formation of rock steady in the late '60s, featuring a slower, cooler sound than the frenetic ska pace. Beginning his recording career at the age of 14, he recorded with Studio One for six years, and Original Eighteen represents the fruit of his labor for studio head Coxsone Dodd. This release takes the 1969 album The Best of Delroy Wilson (AKA Original Twelve), released by Heartbeat on CD in 1991, and adds a whopping six new tracks, plus new liner notes and better sound. Songs like "Riding for a Fall," "Run Run," "True Believer in Love," and "Conquer Me" have now become standards that have been remade and versioned dozens of times, but Wilson is the incomparable originator with the raspy, ever-soulful vocals. Beyond these anthems, the quality on the original 12 tracks diminishes somewhat, although the quirky "Run for Your Life," "It's Impossible," and "Someone's Gonna Cry" stand out. However, the bonus songs added to this re-release more than make up for the original's shortcomings. The early lovers rock ballad "I Love You Madly" kicks things off in sultry style, followed by the oft-covered (by Slim Smith, Dennis Brown, Horace Andy, et al.) Burt Bacharach-penned classic "Rain from the Skies." The equally timeless "I Don't Know Why" is perhaps the true highlight (available for the first time as an extended mix), though, while what's labeled on the CD as an additional mix of "Run Run" provides the most pleasant surprise, since it's in fact the cool-as-ice roots jam "One One." I would've preferred "I'm Not a King" -- which has been redone by Cocoa Tea, The Ethiopians, and Linval Thompson -- to the rare ska tune "One Last Kiss," but hey, ya can't win 'em all. Of course, since The Best of Delroy Wilson addresses only his Studio One years, hits recorded later than 1968 -- most notably "Better Must Come" -- are not included, but that said, the bulk of Wilson's most enduring work came from Studio One. Definitely recommended for reggae fans interested in the origins of the music. |
| Track Listing 1. Riding for a Fall 2. Run Run [Extended Mix] 3. Feel the Spirit 4. Get Ready 5. Troubled Man 6. True Believer in Love 7. Ungrateful Baby 8. Run for Your Life 9. Gonna Make It 10. Conquer Me 11. Someone's Gonna Cry 12. It's Impossible 13. I Love You Madly 14. Rain from the Skies 15. I Don't Know Why 16. One One 17. Easy Snappin' 18. One Last Kiss |
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