Spliff Relief: Reggae From the Yard (Mesa, 1994)

Although the title (and cover art) makes this sound like a semi-gimmicky compilation of ganja songs -- a la Smoke the Herb or Big Blunts -- the subtitle Reggae From the Yard is more accurate, since only one of the songs centers around marijuana. That said, Spliff Relief is a superb collection that accomplishes the increasingly rare feat of grouping together quality mostly non-dancehall reggae that is not readily available on other compilations. Mesa Records uncovers some fairly obscure cuts from artists like Sugar Black and Emperor. The latter contributes the atmospheric "Equal Rights," while the former adds "Who Says" and possibly the best song on the album, the bouncy yet serious-themed "Mr. Babylon." Of course, I can't overlook the Israel Vibration neo-classic "Red Eyes" (the aforementioned ganja song) and Mystic Revealers' snappy "World War III."  Rock-solid tunes permeate this album, with songs such as The Mighty Diamonds' dancehall-tinged "Respect Due," Sugar Minott's "Rub a Dub," Aswad's dancey "Fever," and Black Uhuru's "How Can I Lie" and drum-infested dub of "Big Bad Bully."  It's easy to overlook this ostensibly unspectacular collection, but if you do, you'll be missing out.