"SCRATCHY SOUNDS" - Ska, Dub, Roots & Reggae Nuggets (Compiled By DJ Barry "Scratchy" Myers

Barry "DJ Scratchy" Myers is a name better known to punk club crawlers in the U.K. than to your average music fan. In the late '70s he was one of the premier punk DJs, supporting the Ramones and the Cramps and eventually serving two years as the tour DJ for the Clash. He was still at it 20 years later, serving the same part for Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros' U.S. tour. How he was able to get such choice gigs boils down to his eclectic ear as a selector, cherry-picking the best tunes, be it rock, soul, or reggae, and revealing them all to be of the same burning (and danceable) spirit. Jamaican music, specifically ska, reggae, and dub, make up a large part of his sets and Scratchy Sounds is a double-CD selection (43 tracks!) with some of Myers favorites. With so many collections sticking strictly to one style or producer, it's a fantastic thing to wander through Scratchy Sounds as it roams from ska innovations like C. Hyman's "Ska Rhythm" and Derrick Morgan's "Moon Hop" to a rarely heard extended version of Niney the Observer's reggae classic "Blood and Fire." The mysterious C. Hyman is just one of a large number of obscure artists who recorded fantastic tracks appearing on Scratchy Sounds. There's the Yabby U-flavored nyahbinghi cut "Seventy Two Nations" from Dadawah (an early incarnation of Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus), righteous toasting from Mr. Bojangles on "Ten Dread Commandments," and a less serious microphone attack from the DJ double team of Dennis Alcapone and Lizzy, who bring a bit of carefree R&B to "Ba Ba Ri Ba." Peppering the spirited ska and solemn roots cuts are some little-heard dubs like crooner Jackie Edwards' "Invasion Version" and Tapper Zukie, in a dubbing guise as the Musical Intimidator, taking on Errol Dunkley for "Stop Your Gun Shooting." Scratchy Sounds has the feel of a long-labored mixtape made for an old friend, and hopefully will lead to other collections helmed by Myers. Recommended. (ALLMUSIC)

trax CD 1:
1. Johnny Reggae - Big Youth 2. Stop Your Gun Shooting - Errol Dunkley 3. Stop Your Gun Shooting - Musical Intimidator 4. Love Is A Treasure - Lizzy 5. Money Day - The Pioneers 6. Fever - Susan Cadogan 7. The Feeling Is Right (aka Your Love's Gotta Hold On Me) - Dennis Brown 8. The Ska Rhythm - C. Hyman 9. Moon Hop - Derrick Morgan 10. Blood & Fire - Niney 11. Copasetic - The Rulers 12. The Bitterness Of Life - Bruce Ruffin 13. On The Track - Winston Scotland 14. Leaving (Dub) - Gregory Isaacs & The Revolutionaries 15. Ride Your Donkey - The Tennors 16. Copy Me Donkey - The Tennors 17. Sister Big Stuff - John Holt 18. Public Enemy Number One - Max Romeo 19. Baffling Smoke Signal - Lee "Scratch" Perry 20. On Broadway - Dave Barker 21. Invasion - Jackie Edwards 22. Invasion Version - Jackie Edwards & The Aggrovators
trax CD 2:
1. Rawhide - The Survivors 2. Freedom Time (aka Freedom Day) - Ken Boothe 3. Freedom Time (Version) - Charmers Big Band 4. Love I Bring - U-Roy & Slim Smith 5. Book Of Rules - The Heptones 6. Ten Dread Commandments - Mr. Bojangles 7. It Was Written Down - Toots & The Maytals 8. Brothers Of The Blade - Prince Jammy & The Revolutionaries 9. Cool Operator - Delroy Wilson 10. Wreck A Buddy - The Soul Sisters 11. Ba Ba Ri Ba - Dennis Alcapone & Lizzy 12. Vampire - Black Art 13. Revolution - Tappa Zukie 14. Revolution (Version) - Musical Intimidator 15. Vibrate Onn - Augustus Pablo 16. The Whip - The Ethiopians 17. Machockies (aka The Spoke) - The Destroyers 18. Parade - Niney & King Tubby's 19. In Fine Style - Dennis Alcapone 20. Cool Collie - Hopeton Lewis 21. Seventy Two Nations - Dadawah
...served by Gyro1966...