One really doesn't know what to make of a scene whose greatest composers often had their biggest hits covering other peoples' songs. But that was the state of the
reggae
scene in the first half of the '70s. Island-fying
pop
hits has a long tradition in Jamaica, dating to the music industry's earliest days, but in the '70s Britain was, if anything, even keener than Jamaica itself on the concept.
John Holt
, for one, was happy to give the people what they wanted, and while his own compositions still hit, it was the covers that were the smashes. Which explains 1974's
Harry Mudie
produced
Time Is the Master
, an album dedicated entirely to covers. The set so impressed
Trojan
that the label immediately signed
Holt
and paired him with
producer
Tony Ashfield
, with the resultant
1000 Volts of Holt
hitting the shops before the year was out. This reissue further fluffs up the set by interspersing six bonus numbers among the original tracks, five of which are inexplicably drawn from
1000 Volts
' equally popular follow-up
2000 Volts of Holt
. The lavish backings for the album were all recorded at
Dynamic Studio
in Jamaica, the gentle
arrangements illuminated by elegant keyboards and exquisite guitar work, and it was in that unadulterated form that Islanders received the album.
Ashfield
worked his magic for British fans, lacing the numbers with lush, symphonic overdubs that add further refinement to an already sparkling set.
promptly spawned
's sole British hit,
"Help Me Make It Through the Night,"
which soared to number six in the U.K. charts that winter. It's a strong number, but the set contained even better ones, including a magnificent take on
"Mr. Bojangles,"
an inspired version of
"I'd Love You to Want Me,"
a glorious
"You Baby,"
and a superb
"Too Much Love."
The bonus tracks pull much of the best from
2000 Volts
as well, but rather than buy this reissue, one would do better to get both complete sets. The superior offerings are the ones that twin the original U.K. and Jamaican sets, allowing listeners to experience the preferred styles from both sides of the Atlantic. ~ Jo-Ann Greene