Three Piece Suit (Special Edition)

A watershed moment in the history of Jamaican music, the 1977 release of Trinity’s Three Piece Suit and it’s subsequent commercial ascendancy marked a significant shift in DJing, pushing aside the more laid-back roots styles of foundation-era DJs like I Roy, Big Youth and others, and anticipating the rise of the fast- mouthed Dancehall king. The raucous title track, which finds Trinity boasting of his sartorial excellence over a juiced-up reworking of Alton Ellis’ classic “I’m Still In Love With You” is the breakthrough moment on this LP, and would itself be reworked countless times, most notably by Althea and Donna who wrote their epochal “Uptown Top Ranking” to its ebullient rhythm. Every track here is essential, from “Queen Majesty,” with its crystalline vocal hook courtesy of The Uniques, to the Lee Perry-like madness of “Mohammed Ali” which lays a deranged chorus of chipmunk voices over a boxy steppers’ rhythm. Three Piece Suit initiated a new era in DJing and paved the way for lightning-mouthed artists like Toyan, Yellowman, Eek-A-Mouse and countless others.