Wackies Sampler Volume 1 (Wackies, 2002)

You may have noticed over the past year or so a series of re-issues of early '80s releases on the Wackies label.  If you're like me, you were intrigued by these moderately budgeted pieces -- often featuring black and white photos or crudely drawn artwork -- but you were wary of little-known artists like Junior Delahaye and the Love Joys, particularly in light of the fact that most of the releases were barely longer than EPs, often with only 6 or 8 tracks each, although costing as much as a full-length album.  The good people at Wackies -- a New York-based label formed by Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes that was at the forefront of the American reggae scene in the late '70s and early '80s -- perhaps sensing such apprehension, have thankfully released this sampler jam-packed with 18 tracks from 18 different releases that provides a superb overview of the vintage Wackies sound. (This strategy worked well for Blood & Fire when it first started out, releasing Heavyweight Sound, 2 Heavyweight, and Dubwise & Otherwise early in its history.)  The Wackies sound is low on frills and high on simple, old-fashioned roots, dub, and lovers rock, often with a potent, muscular pre-digital dancehall edge.  The production and sound quality is somewhat raw and cloudy, but that more often than not lends to the music's appeal, similar to Lee "Scratch" Perry's classic '70s productions.  Drum and bass fans should rejoice as bass lines feel like they're gonna explode through the speakers, and the drums and cymbals crash upon each other like an 18-car pile-up (in a good way, of course).  The music, however, never overpowers the singers, allowing sweet vocal performances by the Love Joys, Junior Delahaye, Wayne Jarrett, Naggo Morris, and several other, more well-known artists.  The more obscure acts, though, actually carry much of this sampler, particularly the female duo Love Joys, whose harmonic three tracks make you wonder where they are today.  Several tunes sound like outright classics -- the Love Joy's funky "All I Can Say," Delahaye's soulful lovers romp "Movie Show," Morris' admirably Dennis Brown-like "You Rest on My Mind," Jarrett's admirably Horace Andy-like "You and I," and "Musical Episode" by Horace Andy himself, an overlooked tune that could easily be considered one of the best in his illustrious career.  The 6 dubs included on this compilation don't shine quite as brightly as the vocal tracks -- "Stay On Dub" and "Jah Natton Dub" are a bit stale -- but they hold their own with the energetic "African Roots Act 2 Dub" (couldn't they come up with a better title?) and Augustus Pablo's "Youth Man," which has been adapted in more modern times by artists such as Coco Tea on the Grafton 4x4 album.  All in all, there's no better way to introduce yourself to the powerful, classic Wackies output from the formative years of American-based reggae.