Linval Thompson - I Love Marijuana (Expanded Version) (1978)

By 1978, Linval Thompson was at the height of his vocal powers. His raspy tone and confident swagger -- not unlike his partner, Ken Boothe -- made him every bit as engaging as the American soul singers who inspired them and a host of other young, Jamaican vocalists in the '60s and '70s. Where Boothe was perhaps the Jamaican Otis Redding (seemingly on his knees and begging by the end of every song), Thompson was maybe more along the lines of a rustier and less clean-cut Brenton Wood. Following the success of his smash single, "I Love Marijuana," was the LP of the same name, and with it came some of the most solid material of his career. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, Thompson went into the studio with some very strong tunes. Second, he had one of the nation's best bands, The Revolutionaries, backing him up. The end result is an LP of late-seventies reggae which finds itself nestled that wonderful place where the warmth and romanticism of rock steady meets the toughness of the then-emerging natty roots scene. Many of these tracks are what much of King Tubby's jams sound like before he takes them apart and holds them at the mercy of the wicked echo chamber. In fact, the last tune, "Jamaican Colley (Version)," is nothing but a dub version of the title track. While the mix is uncredited, all signs point to either Tubby, Philip Smart, or Prince Jammy. Besides the title track, highlights include the funky "Dread are the Controller" and Boothe's puzzlingly contradictory "Just Another Girl." Also of note from this period of his career, and highly prevalent on this LP, was Thompson's habit of inserting the vocal sound "eh-ow" at the end of nearly every fourth measure. The melodic and percussive result is to be treasured.


Tracklist:
1.01 - Linval Thompson - I Love Marijuana (3:26)
1.02 - Linval Thompson - Dread Are the Controller (2:43)
1.03 - Linval Thompson - Children of the Ghetto (2:20)
1.04 - Linval Thompson - Don't Push Your Brother (3:40)
1.05 - Linval Thompson - Begging for an Apology (3:40)
1.06 - Linval Thompson - Not Follow Fashion (A.k.A. No Follow Fashion) (2:49)
1.07 - Linval Thompson - Roots Lady (3:11)
1.08 - Linval Thompson - Big Big Girl (3:14)
1.09 - Linval Thompson - Just Another Girl (4:07)
1.10 - Linval Thompson - Starlight (3:09)
1.11 - Linval Thompson - Jamaican Colley (3:48)
1.12 - Linval Thompson - Here With Me (5:18)
1.13 - Linval Thompson - Come On Baby (5:17)
1.14 - Linval Thompson - Pop No Style (7:01)
1.15 - Linval Thompson - Second Hand Girl (7:22)