England’s Pressure Sounds continue to release mind-blowingly good reggae compilations. This one features the production work of Bunny Lee pairing up with such luminaries as Eric Donaldson (whose raw version of Cherry Oh Baby adds grit to the warmly produced original.
From the Bandcamp release website:
“In 1971, despite his run of hits, Bunny Lee was still having to support himself with freelance producing at Dynamic Sounds, but by 1974 he was fully independent and poised to dominate Jamaican music in the mid 70’s. The tracks on this compilation capture that moment of transition, when the smaller ghetto producers were taking over from the older musical establishment.
Listening to Bunny’s unreleased master tapes, what bursts out of the speakers is the energy and excitement of the whole production process, from the studio chatter of the musicians to the sonic experiments at the mixing desk. These pioneering steps in deejaying and dub were the launch pad for remix culture and the core production techniques of today, a creative explosion that altered the shape of our popular culture.In the words of I Roy, “Striker Lee, him have the key!”
