Silver Bullets (Trojan, 1996 [orig. released 1973])

Fans of Lee "Scratch" Perry will undoubtedly know The Silvertones' funky, righteous, wailing "Rejoice Jah Jah Children," one of Scratch's all-time great productions.  These same fans will undoubtedly be disappointed by Silver Bullets.   Recorded between 1968 and 1973, no song here comes close to either the sound or the quality of "Rejoice," as the album is surprisingly dominated by mediocre covers of mediocre '50s and '50s do-wop songs like "Sugar Sugar," "I'll Take You Home," and "He'll Break Your Heart."  How much the opposite of "Rejoice" can you get?   Other than "Rejoice" and its dub, the only truly good song here is "I'll Take You Home," which comes closest to "Rejoice" in sound, with its rocking style and strong harmony.  This doesn't mean that the old-fashioned love songs on Silver Bullets are bad -- "Rock Me in Your Soul" and "Sweet and Loving Baby" are actually fairly enjoyable -- but most of the people who buy this album will be expecting a different sound.

Track Listing
1. I'll Take You Home
2. Early in the Morning
3. Sugar Sugar
4. Souvenir of Mexico
5. Rejoice Jah Jah Children
6. Rejoicing Skank
7. That's When It Hurts
8. Soul Sister
9. Rock Me in Your Soul
10. Sweet and Loving Baby
11. He'll Break Your Heart
12. Are You Sure?