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King Jammys Dancehall 2, 3 & 4

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King Jammys Dancehall 2, 3 & 4

King Jammys Dancehall 2, 3 & 4

By Erik Magni on Wednesday, July 5, 2017 - Comment

Digital niceness on new King Jammy compilations.

Sampler

King Jammys Dancehall 2, 3 & 4 In 2011 premier Japanese reissue label Dub Store released the excellent compilation King Jammy’s Dancehall 1: Digital Revolution 1985-1989. At the time it was only released on CD and now six years later it was put out on LP. But that’s not all. Dub Store has also issued part 2, 3 and 4. Together these collects a whopping 80 tracks – 20 on each volume. If you also count the dub versions that comes with part 1 it adds up to a hefty 95 cuts of digital niceness.

King Jammy was with his Sleng Teng riddim almost solely responsible for the digital revolution in Jamaican music and he and his Jammys label dominated the dancehall scene between 1985 and 1989. During this period he released a vast number of singles, many of which included on these excellent compilations.

All four compilations have a similar digital sound, but lyrically they differ for each volume. Part 2 is more rootsy with killers cuts like Cornell Campbell’s Nothing Don't Come Easy, Dennis Brown’s History and Wailing Souls’ Move on.

Part 3 offers soundboy burials with lethal tracks such as Robert Lee’s Come Now, Tonto Irie’s Ram Up Every Corner and Johnny Osbourne’s Chain Robbery.

Part 4 is focused around closed curtains, satin sheets and affairs of the hearts with bouncy cuts like Home T’s If the Rockers Don’t Groove You, Super Black’s One Time Girlfriend and, of course, Gregory Isaacs’ Steal a Little Love.

These compilations showcase dancehall history and is a sound addition to any record collection.

Tags: King Jammy