Various Artists - Niney The Observer Presents Jah Fire / Various (CD) - CD

Details: Two CDs. Features some of the biggest reggae stars of the era. Includes many of the finest roots reggae tracks of the 1970s. By 1976, Niney The Observer was widely acknowledged by journalists and record buyers alike as one of the most accomplished and inventive record producers on the Jamaican music scene. Over the previous six years he had recorded a succession of major hits featuring an assortment of major stars, including Dennis Brown, Ken Boothe, Delroy Wilson, Junior Byles, Big Youth and Max Romeo, while also championing local up-and- coming performers, notably Michael Rose, Junior Delgado and Glasford Manning, all of which recorded seminal works under his direction. This desire to work with established stars and relative unknowns continued over the years that immediately followed, so further solidifying his reputation as not just a producer of considerable talent and invention, but also as a man of the people. This 2CD set collects his finest works from the golden age of classic roots music, with highlights ranging from classics from the likes of Gregory Isaacs, Cornel Campbell, Junior Byles and Horace Andy to long forgotten rarities, a number of which are made widely for the first time in almost 50 years. This is roots reggae at it's very best, performed by many of Jamaica's most accomplished artists and produced by a legendary music-maker whose inventiveness and skill in the recording studio was arguably only matched by that of his good friend and rival, Lee 'Scratch' Perry.