Retrospective

As a founding member of the Paragons, Bob Andy began his musical career at Studio One, and it was from there that he launched himself as a solo singer. Coxsone Dodd bundled up the best of these early cuts for Andy's Song Book album, and thus Retrospective looks mostly beyond his work at Studio One. However, two songs are drawn from the Dodd era — 1968's bubbly sufferer's song "Let Them Stay" and the 1970 romantic masterpiece "Desperate Lover," later covered by Taj Mahal. By the time that latter 45 hit the shops, Andy had already linked with Marcia Griffiths, with the duo storming across the Jamaican charts and up the U.K. listings with a stream of pop and reggae-lite singles. Simultaneously, Andy was penning more hits for a solo Griffiths, as well as for himself. Although the more pop-flecked John Holt was responsible for the bulk of the Paragons' hits, Andy was arguably the better songwriter. One of his best was "You Don't Know," an extraordinarily poignant, cultural number, that elegantly presented both believers' and outsiders' views of Rastafarians. Andy revisited this on the infectious "Nyah," but then strictly from the believer's viewpoint. An eloquent discourse on getting the most out of "Life" is just as strong, as is "Fire Burning," one of the most unusual apocalyptic numbers ever recorded, a sublime pop piece that gives a gentle musical but vivid lyrical warning of the coming Armageddon. "Life" was produced by Harry Johnson and "Fire" by Lloyd Charmers, while Andy himself oversaw "You Don't Know." All three come from the first half of the '70s, the period from which virtually this entire set was drawn. From stunning cultural numbers — "Hell a Go Broke Loose" is also worth noting — to emotive romantic pieces, and across uplifting messages, like the show-stopping "Too Proud to Beg" to sound system rousers, Retrospective proudly showcases Andy at his most magnificent. With his unforgettable lyrics and his superb performances, Andy was an absolute phenomenon during this era, and this set is the ultimate proof of that.