Pure Ranking

At the tail end of the '70s, Horace Andy coproduced an album entitled Pure Ranking with King Tubby and Brad Osbourne. The album’s loose, midtempo rhythms are markedly different from Andy’s definitive mid-'70s recordings with Bunny Lee, which were extremely precise. The loose, almost weary playing not only reflects Andy’s state of mind at the end of '70s (an era in which turmoil in Kingston reached a boiling point) but also gives him free reign in conducting his vocal. In a way, Pure Ranking is Andy’s modal album. Tracks that at first appear monotonous are actually designed to let Andy find total freedom in his singing. The album didn’t produce any lasting hits on par with “Skylarking,” because the melodies aren’t as well-defined. Instead, we get the almost-improvisatory chants and proclamations of “What Eyes Don’t See,” “Modern Babylon," and “Strictly Ranking.” The songs feature some of the finest vocals of Andy’s career, as he utilizes the entire range of his voice to impart messages straight from his internal self, without the strictures of predetermined lyrics and fixed song structures.