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Lloyd Daley's Matador Productions 1968-1972: Reggae Classics From the Originator (Heartbeat, 1992) Though not as renowned as either Studio One or Treasure Island, Lloyd Daley's Matador Records released a slew of hits between the late '60s and mid '70s, proving itself to be a genuine and formidable rival to "the Big Two." What set the Matador label apart from the rest and helped it to secure a position as one of the top labels was its commitment to original music with an uncorrupted home-grown Jamaican flair. While late '60s rock steady and early reggae was marked by the heavy influence of American R&B, Daley prided himself on only recording two cover songs in his career (according to the liner notes). Indeed, none of the tunes on this collection are remakes, and all have distinctly Jamaican religious and/or socio-political leanings. These tracks honor the plight of the common folk, the Rastaman, the oppressed, the sufferer. As such, their message, their music, their sound is gritty and not necessarily for everyone. Although Matador's biggest hit was "Bongo Nyah," I found it fairly run-of-the-mill, certainly not as striking as Little Roy's later classics "Tribal War" and "Prophecy." Frankly, most of the songs here are not exactly spectacular (They weren't intended to be, I suppose.), the best being the Abyssinians hymn "Y Mas Gan" and Audley Rollens' evocative "Repatriation." Though not great, many of the remaining tracks provide a sturdy and venerable foundation, headed by Alton Ellis' "Back to Africa," The Caribbeans' "Let Me Walk By," Lloyd Robinson's "Death a Come," The Jesters' vivid portrayal of sufferer life "Cholera," and the instrumental "Zylon" by Lloyd Charmers (the album officially reaching the 3-Lloyd limit). Unfortunately, Daley became frustrated with the recording industry (in Jamacia and England) and simply packed up shop, leaving songs like those on Lloyd Daley's Matador Productions as his legacy. |
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