It's hard not to think that Hip-O's The Reggae Box will be the definitive word on the genre, not just because it spans four discs, but because Hip-O has open access to the Island vaults, and Island is to reggae as Sun is to rockabilly, meaning it's the defining force and leading light. With that as a base and with cross-licensing as a secret weapon, this could have been a stunner, but instead it just is a very good history that tends to lean toward the contemporary instead of the classic. At first, this doesn't seem to be a problem, particularly because the first disc runs through pre-reggae and early-reggae classics at an engaging clip, something that continues through the second disc. Then, things begin to bog down with good, but not classic songs, and it becomes easy to notice that some big, big songs by the likes of Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Lee "Scratch" Perry, and Peter Tosh are missing, among many others. What here is hardly bad -- and as a rough history, it's pretty terrific -- but it's hard not to be slightly disappointed that it isn't definitive, given its ambitions and possibilities, especially when compared to the tremendous 1992 set The Story of Jamaican Music: Tougher Than Tough. Still, this is a good, even educational listen, and few sets come as close as this to being truly comprehensive. Still, it's not as comprehensive as it could have been, and it's hard not to wish that it was more sweeping than it is.
Various Artists
The Reggae Box
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AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Track Listing - Disc 1
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Derrick Morgan | 02:51 | |||||
2 | Millie Small | 02:01 | Amazon | ||||
3 | Baba Brooks | 02:07 | |||||
4 |
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Count Ossie | 02:43 | ||||
5 | The Maytals | 02:49 | Amazon | ||||
6 | Justin Hinds | 02:50 | Amazon | ||||
7 | Don Drummond | 03:13 | |||||
8 | Prince Buster | 03:22 | |||||
9 | The Skatalites | 02:54 | |||||
10 | The Paragons | 02:44 | |||||
11 | Hopeton Lewis | 02:49 | |||||
12 | The Jamaicans | 03:19 | |||||
13 | Derrick Morgan | 02:26 | |||||
14 | The Techniques | 03:31 | |||||
15 | The Pioneers | 02:45 | |||||
16 | Desmond Dekker & the Aces | 02:35 | |||||
17 | Toots & the Maytals | 03:12 | Amazon | ||||
18 | The Ethiopians | 02:24 | |||||
19 | The Uniques | 02:38 | |||||
20 | The Melodians | 04:16 | Amazon | ||||
21 | Dave & Ansel Collins | 02:50 | |||||
22 | Ken Boothe | 03:44 | |||||
23 | Jimmy Cliff | 03:07 | Amazon | ||||
24 | Techniques All Stars | 02:58 | |||||
25 | The Abyssinians | 03:39 |
Track Listing - Disc 2
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Wailers | 03:27 | Amazon | ||||
2 | Niney the Observer | 03:06 | |||||
3 | Eric Donaldson | 03:01 | |||||
4 | Delroy Wilson | 02:44 | |||||
5 | The Heptones | 03:27 | Amazon | ||||
6 | Dennis Brown | 03:01 | |||||
7 | Jacob Miller | 02:30 | Amazon | ||||
8 | U-Roy | 02:40 | |||||
9 | Augustus Pablo | 02:31 | |||||
10 | Big Youth | 02:52 | |||||
11 | Burning Spear | 03:25 | |||||
12 | Johnny Clarke | 03:43 | |||||
13 | I-Roy | 03:21 | |||||
14 | Leroy Smart | 03:08 | |||||
15 | Max Romeo | 04:50 | Amazon | ||||
16 | Bob Marley & the Wailers | 03:38 | |||||
17 | Third World | 04:06 | |||||
18 | The Congos | 03:40 | |||||
19 | Gregory Isaacs | 03:44 | |||||
20 | Junior Murvin | 04:12 | Amazon | ||||
21 |
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Sugar Minott | 02:31 | ||||
22 | Black Uhuru | 06:01 |
Track Listing - Disc 3
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Papa Michigan | 04:00 | |||||
2 | Triston Palmer | 03:26 | |||||
3 | Dennis Brown | 03:18 | |||||
4 |
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Eek-A-Mouse | 03:51 | ||||
5 | The Mighty Diamonds | 03:34 | |||||
6 | Gregory Isaacs | 04:02 | |||||
7 | Yellowman | 04:09 | |||||
8 | Johnny Osbourne | 03:07 | |||||
9 | Frankie Paul | 03:30 | |||||
10 | Barrington Levy | 03:46 | |||||
11 | Wayne Smith | 04:09 | |||||
12 | Tenor Saw | 03:13 | |||||
13 | Anthony Red Rose | 03:30 | |||||
14 | Half Pint | 03:35 | |||||
15 | Super Cat | 03:59 | |||||
16 | Admiral Bailey | 03:23 | |||||
17 | Red Dragon | 03:54 | |||||
18 | Gregory Isaacs | 03:20 | |||||
19 | J.C. Lodge | 03:28 | |||||
20 | Pinchers | 03:31 | |||||
21 |
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Shinehead | 04:13 |
Track Listing - Disc 4
Sample | Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Chaka Demus & Pliers | 04:04 | |||||
2 | Chevelle Franklin / Shabba Ranks | 05:40 | |||||
3 | Mad Cobra | 04:01 | |||||
4 | Chevelle Franklyn / Beenie Man | 04:34 | |||||
5 | Bounty Killer | 03:30 | |||||
6 | Capleton | 03:59 | |||||
7 | Luciano | 03:59 | Amazon | ||||
8 | Buju Banton | 04:34 | |||||
9 | Anthony B | 03:52 | |||||
10 |
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Starkey Banton | 04:10 | ||||
11 | Luciano / Cocoa Tea | 03:56 | |||||
12 | Dr. Israel | 04:04 | |||||
13 | Tony Rebel | 03:37 | |||||
14 | Morgan Heritage | 03:45 | |||||
15 | Everton Blender | 03:47 | |||||
16 | Buju Banton / Ky-Mani / Stone Love / Beenie Man / Mr. Vegas | 03:46 | |||||
17 | Bushman | 03:50 | |||||
18 | Flourgon / Beres Hammond | 03:47 | |||||
19 | Sizzla | 04:04 |