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JIMMY RILEY (b. 1947 - † 2016)

LIVE IT TO KNOW IT (Self Productions, Protest Songs & Dub Plates 1975 - 1985)

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1975- 1985 - Pressure Sounds - studio - discs: 1

Jimmy Riley was born Martin Norman Riley in 1947. Around the time when Ska was shifting to Rock Steady, Jimmy joyned the Sensations, a group produced by the late Duke Reid. The other members of the group were Cornell Campbell and Buster Riley. Soon after the original Techniques broke up, in 1967 he joyned the Uniques. The origins of this Rocksteady super-group was formed in 1966 when Keith "Slim" Smith and Franklyn White left Winston Riley's Techniques and joined Roy Shirley. This was the first incarnation of the group. For a brief moment Roy and "Slim" recorded separately from the group. In 1967 the Uniques was formed by Jimmy, Lloyd "Charmers" Tyrell and Slim Smith. Here begun their collaboration with the producer Bunny "Striker" Lee. The Uniques broke up and Jimmy started to a series of singles for Bunny. Later in the 80s Jimmy worked with Sly & Robbie cutting several sigles for their Taxi label. By the same period he also started producing his own material, recorder in some of the major Studios in Jamaica, such as Channel One, Dynamics, Harry J's and King Tubby. The present set delivers some of his own produced music. Focused on social themes along with a Rastaman attention to such topics, his music is some cases here deep and intended to uplift the poor, the underprivileged and the sufferers. The are a lot of tracks here that testify this. My highlights are: the mesmerizing "Gunman Of JA", "Jackit" (just think how this would have sounded if cut at Perry's Black Ark), "From the Ghett" (that reminds me the five star "Is It Because I'm Black" by Ken Boothe), the pulsing and touching "Give Thanks And Praise", "Bridge The Gap", "Everyone Needs Money" and last but not least the stellar "Poor Immigrant". A great artist sadly passed away recently in 2016. RIP Jimmy.

1. Gunman Of JA

2. Guman Of JA (King Tubbys Dub Plate Mix)

3. Jackit

4. Westcoat (Skin Flesh and Bones)

5. Nyah-Bingi (Extended Mix)

6. From the Ghetto

7. From the Ghetto (Version)

8. Feeling Is Believing

9. Feeling Is Believing (Version)

10. Give Thanks And Praise (Extended Mix)

11. Tell The Youths The Truth (Extended Mix)

12. Majority Rule

13. Majority Rule (Version)

14. Bridge The Gap (Extended Mix)

15. Everyone Needs Money

16. Everyone Needs Money (Version)

17. Poor Immigrant