Heart Of The Congos

Of the dozen or so reggae and Jamaican lps that I would consider absolutely indespensible, this would be one of them.There are many reasons why this collection is a brilliant and no-brainer choice for your collection.1). Lee "Scratch" Perry's masterful use of the studio to help enhance the amazing talent that was already there. Perry's liberal use of studio technology that was at time quite radical but now all too commonplace, such as the Echoplex reverb, phasing (how I would love to have a Mutron phaser for my mixing board- audio engineers out there know what I mean), and his Soundcraft mixing board- so simple by today's standards, but boy, what he could do with what he had...jeez louise.2). The Congos themselves- I am in no way implying that Perry was more important than the group, but newcomers are more likely to pay attention to a name they are more likely to recognize... The Congos had such amazing harmonies- Cedric Myton's blatent use of falsetto blends so beautifully with Roy Johnson's tenor. Add to that the backing vocalists that Perry employed to help complete these songs- Gregory Isaacs, the Heptones, Meditations- and the voices are as God's would be.This collection has it all, folks. Amazing songs- listen to the exquisite "Children Crying," the vocally rich "Open the Gate," the praise of "Fisherman", and the beautiful "Solid Foundation," should tell you all you need to know. The grooves of many of Perry's Upsetters add to the overall reggae feel of the lp.I could go on for hours, but I'll stop. I don't tell people to go and get lps on the spot unless there is reason to do so. You need no reasons to get this one. Just get it.