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DENNIS ALCAPONE

FOREVER VERSION

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1971-1972 - Heartbeat - studio - discs:1

Dennis Smith was one of the first deejays to follow the great innovations brought by U Roy after Count Machuki. His style was oriented to a singing approach and therefore he can be considered a sing-jay. In 1968 Alcapone started working with the El Paso Hi-Fi Sound System. This Sound was a favourite of the gang leader Jack Massop (father of Claude Massop, the head of the unofficially armed gang supporting the JLP in the 70's). He started his career releaseing some singles for Duke Reid and Keith Hudson in 1969, but his style was actually developed at Studio One under the keen eye of the engineer Sylvan Morris and his assistant Larry Marshall. Some of these recordings are presented here (this release was intended as an LP) and were cut between 1971 - 1972. The main approach was that of singing and commenting back and forth over the original versions. These originals are mainly Rock Steady songs from The Cables, Carlton & The Shoes, Delroy Wilson, The Heptones and The Wailers, mong the others. Denni Alcapone was for sure an innovator and one of the preminent singjays between 1971 - 1973. In those years the deejays (singjays and toasters) became as powerful as the conventional singers. The seminal role of the formers was that of staying on the front row: in the streets, between the people of the Dances; where things happened. Alcapone, even if for a short amount of time, was one of them. This reissue from Heartbeat presents the twelve original songs, plus six bonus tracks."Forever Version" was produced by the late Clement Dood and recorded at the 13 Brentford Road premises. Sylvan Morris engineered. Musicians include the Soul Vendors and Sound Dimension.