Various Artists - Soul Revivers in the Vaults of Hit Sound, Vol. 1 Various Artists

Huford Brown, under his performing name U Brown, was one of a new generation of reggae MCs who emerged in the late 1970s, building on the success of the pioneers of the game, most notably Daddy U Roy. He was a well-known figure, who was early on signed to Richard Branson’s Virgin Frontline label, recording at both Channel One and King Tubby’s with many of the island’s top musicians. At the same time, he set up his own Hit Sound label, where he recorded soulful roots recordings that built on a young man’s deep love of reggae’s at-the-time short history, while also moving into the emerging sounds of dancehall.

David Hill from Soul Revivers has put together this fantastic compilation, showcasing the very best of U Brown’s production output, which appeared on a number of labels, including Hit Sound and Tanker. This is the first compilation of Browns work to appear on vinyl and includes previously-unknown dubplate mixes of cuts by Al Campbell, including his classic ‘Give The People’. The album also features under-recorded vocalist Vincent Taylor, the legendary vocalist Delroy Wilson, with two rare 12-inch cuts, the lilting instrumental sound of Bobby Ellis & Deadly Headly, and the dancehall classic by Carlton Livingstone ‘Hey Mr DJ’.

This is the sound of a young producer hustling to get heard in the over-crowded Jamaican record scene. Many of these records sunk from trace at the time, but listened to today, stand up with the very best.