Bunny Lee

V/A - Once Upon A Time At King Tubbys - Pressure Sounds

One of the greatest DJ clashes of all time is the clash between Prince Jazzbo and I Roy!!! Forget about any of the nonsense that goes on today. Rolling around on stage is not entertainment - they should join a fight club. No the serious business is verbal. And no one got hurt. What Prince Jazzbo and I Roy was provide enjoyment to such an extent that everyone wanted to be involved. So gathering up all the many cuts from the various producers was never going to be easy - but now its been done. And with detailed notes from Noel Hawks so you can follow this musicl madness its just about as good as it gets. The I Roy cuts are some of the wildest tunes ever made. He uses his ability to mimic to the most. Jazzbo is the heavy hitter and scores some big points. In between there is Prince Far I, Derrick Morgan, Johnny Clarke and so many more. Musical History that is no longer a mystery!!!

Various Artists - Heavy Stereo Inna Kingston Town Vol 2- Kingston Sounds

Another revival label - featuring more Bunny Lee productions from the sixites and seventies. And yes there are some well known favourites Delroy's 'Rain From The Sky' , Pat Kelly's 'How Long', Johnny Clarke's 'Death In The Arena' - that have been on many many compilations. However what sets this one apart, are tracks like Ken Boothe's ' 'I'm Not For Sale' this was originally on some showcase set produced by Bunny in the late seventies.

'Kiss Me Girl' from Ernest Wilson it seems was first released on Pama in the late sixties, and is probably the first time its been on a album. An amazing tune. John Holt's 'My Number One' is also not something I have heard a lot of, if at all. While the only time I have heard Jackie Edwards 'Im In The Mood For Love' featuring the Now Generation band on the rhythm - was when Freddy Big Foot played it on his radio show - it sounded great then, and it sounds even better on CD!!!

The bulk of Bunny Lee's album releases have always been Artist based. With a just a few Various Artists sets spaced over a very long career. Compare that with some producers for instance Lee Perry who's career is now dominated by various artists set. And you can see how and why Bunny Lee got his name 'Striker Lee' he's got a knack for finding the net. If you want an hit you go to Bunny. And all the big names are here. Including Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Cornell Campbell, I.Roy and Dennis Alcapone. Yet strangely on this 20 track there are also tracks with artists like Gregory Isaacs and the Mighty Diamonds, plus Lee Perry!!! I suppose these kind of one off tunes are ideal for a Various Artist set. Also on this CD is a CD Rom interview with Bunny which is excellent. What a shame its not a 4 hour job. If its good enough for Coxsone - its good enough for Bunny. Someone make it happen!

(Bunny Lee) V/A - Jumping With Mr Lee - 1967-68 - Trojan. Producer Bunny Lee's influence over reggae music as been considerable, and it started with some of the excellent records found on this album. Vocal groups like the Uniques and The Sensations, singers like Derrick Morgan, Pat Kelly, Ken Parker and Slim Smith, and musicians like Lester Sterling and Vin Gordan all enjoyed great success with Striker Lee. And one or two of the really big hits are here, but the real purpose of this album is to show the foundation of where those hits came from.