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A Little Bit More - Joe Gibbs 12'' Selection 1978 - 1983 by Dennis Brown

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A Little Bit More - Joe Gibbs 12'' Selection 1978 - 1983 by Dennis Brown

A Little Bit More - Joe Gibbs 12'' Selection 1978 - 1983 by Dennis Brown

By Tom Orr on Sunday, November 2, 2008 - Comment

A whole lot more of prime Dennis Brown plus dub and deejay embellishment.

Sampler

A Little Bit More- Joe Gibbs 12” Selection 1978-83 by Dennis Brown

I’m all for reggae songs getting the 12-inch treatment, and a vocalist as gifted as the late and ever-great Dennis Brown is particularly rife for that very thing. Brown’s duality as both a singer of socially conscious songs and a lover’s rock crooner was strikingly evident in his work for producer Joe Gibbs. Gibbs didn’t invent the 12-inch “discomix,” though once the practice became standard (by 1977) he was one of the first to really run with it. The extended mixes he put out exhibited, among other things, the prowess of the studio musicians he employed at the time. Referred to as The Professionals and living up to the name in every respect, they counted such players as Sly and Robbie, Bingy Bunny, Ansel Collins, Dean Fraser and Scully Sims among their ranks. Likewise, Gibbs understood the value (both artistically and commercially) of adding a deejay section where warranted.

A Little Bit More - Joe Gibbs 12” Selection 1978-83 offers up the best of both sides: a dozen landmark Dennis Brown selections, some dubbed out with just the players of instruments enhanced by Gibbs at the controls and others spiced with deejay commentary from Big Youth, Kojak & Liza, Trinity and U-Brown. While the very caliber of the songs here- “Ain’t That Loving You,” “Three Meals a Day,” “I Can’t Stand It,” etc. –ought to be enough to make this release worthy of a spot in your reggae collection, the sweetened treatment they get makes the disc absolutely essential. Dennis Brown, Joe Gibbs and Gibbs’ production partner Errol Thompson are all no longer with us, but thankfully the music lives on through top quality releases like this one.

Tags: Dennis Brown