Jamaican reggae reissues are steeped in folklore. Every second artist was the ‘Godfather’ of something and ushered in a new sub genre of sound or created at least one single that was an undisputed classic of the genre. For the uninitiated the hyperbole can be a little overwhelming. But ultimately despite the extensive liner notes and retroactive hype only one thing matters. Are the tunes any good?
Released between 1969 and 1971, golden years not just for reggae but music in general, this lazy collection of 61 tracks on a two-disc set is low key and charming. On the first disc Osbourne offers a warm sounding soulful reggae, highlighting his distinctive vocal style and a smooth unhurried groove. Whilst there are a few instrumental cuts, the focus is very much on Osbourne’s vocals and song writing. It begins with the title track, Come Back Darling, the highlight of this set, and with it’s simple repetitive lyrics and sweet sentiment it’s incredibly infectious and not surprisingly was a big hit when it was released in 1969 and has since been covered by UB40 – not that this really means anything. The album was originally a split disc, arranged and featuring tunes by Boris Gardner and The Love People and this is faithfully reproduced here. It’s difficult to convey the warmth of this release, it collects all of the tunes that Osbourne recorded with Winston Riley on the newly formed Techniques label in 1969 as well as 48 other tracks from the label. So we’ve got bands like The Sensations, the curiously named The Coons, The Mad Lads, and some bigger names like Alton Ellis and Tommy McCook. All the tunes operate within the same world as Johnny Osbourne’s with that incredibly infectious classic reggae sound.
Bob Baker Fish
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