Description

1LP Vinyl – VPRL2556

Regarded as one of reggae's most distinctive voices, vocalist Horace Andy had wild success early on with his career-defining single "Skylarking" as well as a host of other hits. As far as full-length statements are concerned, Andy's 1977 album In the Light may be his strongest. The album's ten tracks found Andy's quivering vocals floating in a dreamlike tension above tightly wound rocksteady rhythms, looming darkly on pensive tracks like "Problems" (a tune that revisits the burning bassline from one of Andy's earlier hits, "Mr. Bassie"), exploding on fun jaunts like "Do You Love My Music," and lingering meditatively on the lighthearted anthem of self-awareness and cultural pride that is the title track. Understated synthesizers and a simmering rock & roll-minded production denote the evolution roots reggae was undergoing year to year by the late '70s, showing up on the especially swaggering "Collie Herb." As razor sharp as the record is on its own, the King Jammy-mixed dub album In the Light Dub offers even thicker versions of the tunes, swimming in psychedelic reverb and splintered echo effects, bringing instrumental contributors like Augustus Pablo more into the spotlight. About as nuanced and motion-heavy as dub albums get, In the Light Dub transcends mere companion-piece status and stands beside the original mix as an equally interesting (and on some tracks even superior) artistic statement. Compiled and reissued by first-class reggae label VP Records, the collection delivered Andy's finest hour from the obscurity that poor distribution and shoddy manufacturing had hoisted upon the record in its time. Skillfully remastered and even stronger with both originals and dubs occupying the same space, In the Light/In the Light Dub is a triumph of roots reggae and a necessary chapter for anyone even remotely enthusiastic about Jamaican music and culture, especially at this critical point of reggae's evolution in the late '70s.