Hit Sounds From Channel One CD

HIT SOUNDS is a collection of singles produced by U Brown at Channel One studios in Kingston in 1979 and 1980

All tracks have been digitally remastered using HDCD technology.

19 rare murder cuts from reggae DJ godfather

Recorded at Channel One Studio, Kingston, Jamaica. Includes liner notes by Hugh Brown.

Personnel includes: Dougie, Ranchie, Willie Lindo, Bo Pee (guitar); Deadly Headly, Dean Fraser (saxophone); Ansel Collins (piano, organ); Gladstone Anderstone (piano); Winston Wright (organ); Robbie Shakespeare, Ranchie (bass); Sly Dunbar, Horsemouth, Santa (drums); Sticky, Skully (percussion).

Engineers: Anthony Bunny Tom Tom Graham, Peter Chemist, Soljie Hamilton.

Personnel: Bo Pee, Ranchie, Willie Lindo (guitar); Deadly Headley, Dean Fraser (saxophone); Bobby Ellis (trumpet); Nambo (trombone); Ansel Collins (piano, organ); Gladstone Anderson (piano); Winston Wright (organ); Sly, Santa, Horsemouth (drums).

Audio Mixer: Anthony Graham.

Liner Note Author: Hugh Brown.

Recording information: Channel 1.

Photographer: Quentin Esperse.

First things first: Hit Sounds from Channel One isn't a collection of U-Brown tracks. It's a compilation of tracks from his Hit Sounds label, cut at Channel One at the tail-end of the golden era of rockers reggae by the usual revolving cast suspects of JA-Team session players playing under the name of the Revolutionaries. But it's important to remember that even at the height of the militant message rockers era, reggae remained Jamaican pop music, too. Brown's label apparently specialized in sweet soul crooners -- mid-level names like Johnny Osbourne, Al Campbell, Delroy Wilson, and a young Sugar Minott the most prominent -- and U-Brown's old-school toasting isn't exactly hard-edged on the opening "Weather Balloon." His "Me Chat You Rock" has triumphal horn punctuations over a spare riddim but it's merely serviceable, nowhere near as wonderful as is title. So pleasantly grooving love songs in a pop/rockers reggae stylee designed for easy listening and skanking is the nature of the beast here. Carlton Livingston's "Don't Cuss Rasta" offers the hardest social commentary but it's more a cautionary plea for tolerance, and the criticism in Campbell's "Mr. Conman" is cut with sweet harmonies. The drums get more militant on Minott's "Steal Away Girl," and Osbourne's singing on the soul classic "Oh Girl" is too straightforward, lacking the heartbreak edge of Eddie Holman's original. "Weather Report" is an instrumental feature for hornmen Bobby Ellis and Deadly Headley but it doesn't stray far from the song form -- neither does the dub version, or any of the dubs by the Revolutionaries with the possible exception of the percussion and sonic bleeps on "Now I Know Dub." It's all Jamaican pop and truthfully it can easily slip right on by, but it's hard to argue with the craftsmanship and professionalism. If you're a sucker for this sound, it's a good collection, but trailblazing or really essential it's not. ~ Don Snowden