[.ca] Rasta Ambassador

From Amazon.co.uk:
Deservedly known as "The Originator", dance-hall DJ U-Roy first came to prominence in 1969 spinning discs at dances for the legendary King Tubby sound system. His ground-breaking and innovative style, interspersing the lyrics of the tunes he played with his own distinctive dialogues, earned him an immediate following and spawned scores of imitators. By 1970, he had reached the attention of prolific rock-steady producer Duke Reid who persuaded him to come into the studio and toast over some of the rock steady and roots classics of the day. These early works are collected here and have lost none of their freshness. U-Roy's powerful vocals swoop, dive and creak through massive tunes such as the Wailers' roots classic, "Small Axe", but it's the Paragons, fronted by John Holt, who give U-Roy the best material to work with in the huge hit "Wear You to the Ball". All the tracks on the album are gems thanks not only to the Originator himself, but also to Reid's superior production, and brought together they represent a superb collection of U-Roy's early work and a milestone in reggae history.--Duncan Thomson

The King of Dub:
U Roy was the first and greatest DJ/dub-artist of the roots-dub-reggae era. Under the general umbrella of Jamaican reggae he was truly the King, second only to Bob Marley. "Rasta Ambassador" is probably his best-mixed and tightest work I have yet discovered. U Roy's dub cadences are hypnotic and when paired with the steady-yet-trippy, bass-heavy reggae riddms it becomes almost its own genre. I might call it "Space-reggae." U Roy presented a rhythmic style of dub that others who mimicked didn't seem to fully understand. When his howls and chants seem odd and out-of-place he then drops into a pocket of clever, mellow vocal percussion that plays masterfully against the tapestry of reggae power behind him. "Rasta Ambassador" is full of jewels, my personal favorite being "The Tide Is High." Get hooked on U Roy. It's well worth the ride.

• Control Tower
• Wear You to the Ball
• Evil Doers
• Mr. Slave Driver
• Small Axe
• Come Home Little Girl
• Say You
• No More War
• Tide Is High
• Jah Jah
• Small Axe \oVersion\c