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John Holt Story (Graylan, 1996?)

John Holt deserves a comprehensive box set of his work as much as any reggae artist out there, and I had high hopes that John Holt Story would fit the bill.  However, while this 2-CD set provides some great examples of Holt's genius, it is far from the whole "story."  I mean, how could you claim to tell John Holt's story and not include hits with The Paragons like "The Tide Is High," "Only a Smile," "Wear You to the Ball," and "My Best Girl," and popular solo work like "Help Me Make It Through the Night," "Danger in Your Eyes," "My Satisfaction," "Police in Helicopter," and "Fat She Fat?"  Oh well; even with these glaring omissions, Holt was so prolific, there is plenty here to appease.  You certainly can't go wrong with classics like the bouncy "A Love I Can Feel" and "OK Fred" (later made into a smash by Errol Dunkley), the eerie "Strange Things," the oft-covered "Ali Baba," "Riding for a Fall," "Tonight," and the '70s roots hit "Up Park Camp."  Additionally, romantic cuts like "Stranger in Love," "My Heart Is Gone," and "You'll Never Find," and the powerful hymn "Holly Holy" round out John Holt Story nicely, though, again, it's an abbreviated life story.  Note: I believe there is a second John Holt Story set available, which may provide, in the words of Paul Harvey, the rest of the story.

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Archive Series (Rialto, 1997)

The Barry White of reggae, John Holt may have been responsible for as many pregnancies as White during the '70s (not to insinuate that he was the father, of course).   Though not as overtly funky or as sexual as White, Holt's music had a similarly schmaltzy, lounge singer feel, as his covers of tunes like "Baby I'm a Want You" and "Help Me Make It Through the Night" attest.  Most of the songs here feature a nice, crisp '70s lovers rock style -- as in "Everybody's Talkin'" or his remakes of Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly With Her Song" and Brook Benton's "Rainy Night in Georgia" -- with a few of Holt's earlier rock steady hits -- "My Desire," "My Satisfaction," and "The Tide Is High" (actually a more modern recording than the original Paragons' version) -- thrown in.  Holt's smooth, likeable voice has echoes of other legends, like Alton Ellis and Jackie Edwards, while foreshadowing future greats like Sanchez and Wayne Wonder.

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I Can't Get You Off My Mind: 18 Greatest Hits at Studio One (Heartbeat, 2006)

I don't know if one CD is enough to encompass the breadth of the legendary John Holt's career, but since I Can't Get You Off My Mind focuses on his early Studio One days, it has to cover only the late '60s to the early '70s. And since The Paragons recorded most of their famous tunes for the Treasure Isle label, only two of the group's songs ("Have You Ever Been in Love," "My Satisfaction") take up space. Holt's supreme songwriting ability, which emerged at a time when a glut of Jamaican R&B and doo-wop covers threatened to stifle home-grown creativity, takes center stage. Timeless rock steady and early reggae classics pepper the album: the breezy "OK Fred," which Errol Dunkley later made into a smash hit, the ominous "Strange Things," "My Satisfaction," "Stranger in Love," "I'll Be Lonely," "Tonight," and "My Heart Is Gone" (the latter threesome, plus "Strange Things," a showcase of Holt's darker side). Other less famous tunes, like the lively "Have You Ever Been in Love," the gorgeous George Harrison cover "My Sweet Lord," plus "Anywhere" and "Fancy Make Up," help make the rest of the album a joyous listening experience. There is a mild sense of incompletion on I Can't Get You Off My Mind, however, with the glaring omission of "A Love I Can Feel," one of Holt's signature tunes, as well as lesser Studio One hits "Why Can't I Touch You" and "I Don't Want to See You Cry."