Various – Money In My Pocket: The Joe Gibbs Singles Collection 1972-1973

This 2CD collection contains 48 tracks out of Joe Gibbs studio in Kingston, Jamaica, from the 1970s. It features a diverse set of artists and music styles. Jamaican hits and almost forgotten rarities make up this collection with 33 of the tracks new to CD. We take a look at a selection of the tracks on this collection.

DISC ONE

Track 1: MONEY IN MY POCKET – Dennis Brown. This will be familiar to most Reggae fans and should have been a top ten UK hit. Its chug-along rhythm combined with Dennis’s cool vocal adds up to a top rate number and title track for the collection. Track 3: RATION – Bongo Herman & Bunny. This is a talk-over version using the ‘Money In My Pocket’ rhythm track. The vocal is by Bingy Bunny with Bongo on percussion above the rhythm track. Track 6: BABY I NEED YOUR LOVING – Delroy Wilson. This track comes as a smooth Reggae sound and is a version of a song covered by many other artists. In a pop vein, you may remember the Four Tops recording. Delroy Wilson’s class vocal helps to make this a top track. Track 10: IN HEAVEN THERE IS NO BEER – The Happs. This outfit will be new to many review readers on a catchy fun number. The rhythm track is simple and the vocals are combined with some sporadic talk-over. Track 12: MAKE LOVE NOT WAR – U Roy. In the current climate, this has a very apt title and comes with a rhythm track made up from Nicky Thomas’ ‘God Bless The Children’. The Heptones are heard on the backing and we end up with nothing more than the usual talk-over from this artist. Track 15: VIRGINIA SKANK – Johnny Lover. Superb 1972 DJ cut with the ‘Beat Down Babylon’ riddim. It also has a powerful organ shuffle on the rhythm track. Track 21: BAM BAM FESTIVAL – Jackie Brown. This was a festival song and must have been popular as it was released at speed. This comes with a fast rhythm track on which we hear combined vocals and Jackie coming in with short talk-over sections. Jackie’s real name was Linton Brown. Track 24: QUADRILLE SKANK – Prince Francis. The artist was a DJ and on this he is doing a talk-over. The rhythm track is fast and has a slight Calypso feel. As with most talk-over’s the vocal is hard to pick up.

DISC TWO

Track 1: PRETEND – Dennis Brown. As with the previous disc, Dennis Brown starts this and here we have the vocalist on a slowed down version of a well-recorded number in the pop genre. Dennis gives this an overall refreshing sound. Track 4: FOREMAN vs. FRAZIER – Big Youth. This appeared on a Trojan CD titled ‘Sucker Punch – Jamaican boxing Tributes’, released in 2004. This begins with a spoken intro before moving into a mid-tempo talk-over expertly put over by the legendary Big Youth. Again hard to pick up the talk-over vocal but all-in-all a catchy recording. Track 6: YOU WRONG FE TROUBLE JOSHUA – Eddie Ford. Slow number on which the not so well-known Eddie Ford is helped out on vocals by a backing group. The rhythm track is straight Reggae and this recording was originally released in Jamaica on the Pressure Beat label in 1973. Track 7: LOVE AND AFFECTION aka CALL ON ME – Jackie Brown. This comes as a mid-tempo number with Jackie at full steam ahead on the vocal. Nice lilting rhythm track and a pleasing track. Released in Jamaica, again on the blue and yellow Pressure Beat label. Track 9: BY 7 – Delroy (Crutches) Jones. This comes with an odd title and is a rare recording from this artist. It has a bass orientated rhythm track behind the usual talk-over style of vocal. The vocalist is responsible for the written credits. Track 11: BE THE ONE – The Heptones. Moving back to more of a classic Reggae sound we have The Heptones who recorded many top-rated tunes over the years. We hear the main vocal that has a soulful feel above a mid-tempo rhythm along with a combined backing vocal. Track 13: MUSICAL CHASTISEMENT – Cat Campbell. This slower number comes as a talk-over and is written, if you can call it that, by Mr. Campbell. The rhythm track is laid-back and comes with some fine organ. Track 15: FEMI FILE – Bongo Herman & Bunny. Comes with a mid-tempo rhythm track on which we naturally hear the bongos of Bongo Herman. The main talk-over vocal comes from Bunny Ruggs and is as one would expect from this style of music. Track 18: WATERHOUSE ROCK – Big Youth. One of the greats from the talk-over/DJ era on a classic sound that came out of Gibbs studio at Burns Avenue, Kingston before a new studio was built. Track 20: DREADLOCK ROCK – Dillinger. This was the vocalist’s only recording for Gibbs and he uses the rhythm track from the Nicky Thomas ‘Don’t Touch Me’ release. It comes with a catch overall sound and has Dillinger at his finest. The vocalist moved onto recording at Channel One. Track 22: ROCKING DOWN OLD YORK WAY – Prince Francis. This is a nice piece built around Leroy Sibbles’ ‘Love Me Girl’ out of Studio One. Another track written by the vocalist and again in talk-over style. Track 24: TAPE WHITE WASH aka IMPEACHMENT TAPE – Big Joe. Using an original Derrick Morgan produced Rock Steady rhythm from Lloyd & Devons’ 1968 ‘Red Bum Ball’ and has a profane lyric about the Watergate scandal and a Richard Nixon impersonator. This track finishes off this 2 CD collection in fine style.

In summing up it is always amazing how much product came out of the Jamaican recording studios and how much individual producers recorded/produced. Without a doubt that was the case with Joe Gibbs, and Cherry Red Records have done him proud with several CD collections over the past few months. The recordings on this collection have been carefully selected to give another insight into the producer’s recordings/productions and the many artists he worked with over the years. At £11 99p this has to be great value and well worth considering for your Jamaican music collection.

Joe Gibbs & The Professionals – The Road Is Rough