"Versions galore, you can hear them by the score, I could give you some more for sure,"
U-Roy
shouts out on the title track of
Version Galore
, and indeed he could and did, recording scores and scores of versions of classic Jamaican hits. This album gathers up a dozen of some of his earliest, all cut for
Duke Reid
at
Treasure Isle
studio between 1969 and 1970. Included is one of his chartbusters, a version of
the Paragons
'
"Wear You to the Ball."
Paragon
vocalist
John Holt
was responsible for bringing the DJ to
, and
repaid the singer by versioning a clutch of classic
Paragons
' songs, five of which appear here. The DJ was obviously a fan, and chatted along to the songs as one would to an old friend, most noticeably on
"The Tide Is High"
(
Blondie
would later have a hit with a cover of the original) and
"Happy Go Lucky Girl."
There again, on
"Flashing My Whip,"
a version of the group's
"Only a Smile,"
demands that the trio put a smile on their face, a bit difficult considering the song's intrinsic heartbreak. The DJ's ease with these golden oldies allowed him to adeptly sing along, call out for the vocalists to sing on cue, wander off in other lyrical directions, and still find the perfect spot for his catch phrases. But this talent didn't end with
and
rocksteady
,
"True Confessions,"
for example, was a
ska
-fired,
doo wop
-inspired hit for
the Silvertones
motors away on this with equal ease. Interestingly enough, though, it's evident that without the vocals as a lyrical launch pad, the DJ is rather at a loss. Thus the two instrumentals here are actually the weakest tracks. But it was early days, and
's verbal gymnastics would fill in the gaps soon enough. ~ Jo-Ann Greene