Title
Artist
Label
Format
Date

 Monkey Spanner
Dave Barker
Trojan Records
CD
26-06-1997

Track list
  1. Lucky boy
  2. Lock jaw
  3. Funky reggae
  4. Sweeter she is
  5. I've got to get a message to you
  6. Follow your heart
  7. Just my imagination
  8. Wet version
  9. I got to get away
  10. The girl in my dreams
  11. Sex machine
  12. Don't turn your back on me (Blessed are the meek)
  13. I feel alive
  14. Double barrel
  15. Lonely man
  16. The heart of a man
  17. Love love love
  18. You ain't got a heart at all
  19. Your love's a game
  20. Baby I need your love
  21. Monkey spanner
  22. It's summer
  23. Travelling man
  24. Love is what I bring (I'm the one love forgot)
  25. Only the strong survive
  26. What a confusion
Rating : from 5 (excellent) to 1 (poor)
Vocals : 4 Backing : 4 Production : 4 Sound quality : 3/4 Sleeve : 4
This 26 track compilation collects some of the best of Dave Barker's work from the late sixties and early seventies, in which comes forward both sides of this gifted, sometimes underrated artist. Without doubt Dave Barker has the toasting skills of a DJ as well as the vocal talents of a singer and this album contains cuts in which he unmistakable proves it. Included here are also his greatest commercial success so far "Double Barrel" and its follow-up "Monkey Spanner" (both together with keyboard player Ansel Collins). However these tunes are not quite representative for the rest of the material on this album as most of the tracks feature Dave Barker as a soulful singer. With this retrospective of his early work he hopefully gets the awareness and appreciation of his true talents - long time not noticed due to the afore-mentioned commercial success - not only from the connoisseurs but also from a wider audience.