"The Trojan Albums Collection" by THE CHOSEN FEW – Including Three Albums "Hit After Hit" (1973), "Everybody Plays The Fool" (February 1975) and "The Chosen Few In Miami" (August 1976) Plus Eleven Bonus Tracks – Group Featuring Franklyn Spence and three brothers – Noel, Busty and Errol Brown with Producers Derrick Harriott and King Sporty. Music Contributions from Lloyd Charmers and KC and The Sunshine Band (August 2020 UK Cherry Red/Doctor Bird 2CD Anthology – Andy Pearce Remasters) - A Review to Mark Barry...

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"...Melting Pot..."

What you get here are three albums by Jamaica's much-loved crossover crew THE CHOSEN FEW issued on England's mighty Trojan Records between 1973, 1975 and 1976. The first two were DERRICK HARRIOTT Productions with the legendary DJ and Producer KING SPORTY taking them to the next Miami Sound level for platter No. 3. 

Coming on like a sort of dandily dressed Detroit Spinners - musically the band were not your Traditional Reggae or Ska outfit but more a sophisticated Chi-Lites meets The Stylistics by way of Jamaica. This is high falsetto-vocals mainstream Reggae with a dollop of drama-driven Soul thrown in from one of the island's most popular Vocal Groups. 

Their British debut LP "Hit After Hit" from 1973 is new to digital, the other two are mid-Seventies rarities seldom seen on CD - whilst the 11 Bonus Tracks include rare Bunny Brown and Lloyd Charmers 45s on Song Bird and Duke Records, pumping up proceedings to a whopping 44-tracks in total. The group included Franklyn Spence and three brothers – Noel, Busty and Errol Brown. Given the lung-prowess of the four especially with Noel Brown on Lead – the effeminate vocals often featured two or even all of the boys - and by the time they were into 1976 – American Miami Funk had entered into the equation too. Let's get to the musical melting pot...

UK released 7 August 2020 - "The Trojan Albums Collection" by THE CHOSEN FEW on Cherry Red/Doctor Bird DBCDD-066 (Barcode 5013929276130) is a 2CD Anthology offering the following:

CD1 (71:19 minutes):
1. You're A Big Girl Now (Version 1) [Side 1]
2. You're A Big Girl Now (Version 3)
3. Shaft 
4. Stranger On The Shore
5. I'm Sorry 
6. Mexican Divorce
7. People Make The World Go Round [Side 2]
8. Everybody Plays The Fool 
9. I Wanna Go Back Home (aka Going back Home)
10. Melting pot 
11. Ebony Eyes 
12. Do Your Thing 
Tracks 1 to 12 are the album "Hit After Hit" - released March 1973 in the UK on Trojan Records TRLS 56. 

NOTES: Five tracks on the LP were previously issued as UK 45s – they are:
Track 1 in 1972 on Grape GR 3033, A-side
Also 1972 as the B-side to "Everybody Plays The Fool" on Trojan TR 7882
Track 3 in October 1971 on Song Bird SB 1061, A-side
Track 7 in October 1972 on Song Bird SB 1082, A-side by ERROL BROWN and THE CHOSEN FEW
Track 8 in 1972 on Trojan TR 7882, A-side (B-side was Track 1 "You're A Big Girl Now")
Track 8 also January 1974 as the A-side to Trojan TR 7940 
Track 11 in 1972 on Trojan TR 7864, A-side 
The other seven tracks are exclusive to the LP 

BONUS TRACKS: 
13. Why Can't I Touch You (1970 UK 45-single on Song Bird SB 1046, A-side)
14. Um-Ba-Ya (We Need Love) (Not Originally Released In The UK - 1971 Jamaican 45 on Move & Groove)
15. Time Is Hard (1970 UK 45-single on Song Bird SB 1031, A-side)
16. Everybody Just A Stall (1971 UK 45-single on Song Bird SB 1067, A-side)
17. Am I Black Enough? (July 1973 UK 45-single on Trojan TS 7984, A-side - features Noel Brown)
18. Fat Boy by BUNNY BROWN (1973 UK 45-single on Song Bird SB 1073 - features Chosen Few)

LLOYD CHALMERS Section (Producer):
19. Children Of The Night by THE CHOSEN FEW (October 1973 UK 45-single on Duke DU 162, A-side) 
20. Stoned In Love by CHOSEN FEW (October 1973 UK 45-single on Duke DU 163, A-side)
21. It's Too Late by CHOSEN FEW (October 1973 UK 45-single on Duke DU 164, A-side)
22. You Are Everything by THE CHOSEN FEW (from the 1974 UK Compilation LP "Hit Me With Music" on Trojan Records TRLS 82)

CD2 (71:02 minutes):
1. I Love The Way You Love (Part 1) [Side 1]
2. I Second That Emotion 
3. Make Way For The Young Folks 
4. Hide & Seek 
5. Reggae Stuff
6. My Thing 
Everybody Plays The Fool [Side 2, see Track 8 on Disc 1]
7. Tears Of A Clown 
8. Hang On Sloopy 
9. Queen Majesty 
10. La La At The End 
11. I Love The Way You Love (Part 2) 
Tracks 1 to 11 and Track 8 on Disc 1 is their second album "Everybody Plays The Fool" - released February 1975 in the UK on Trojan Records TRLS 106. All tracks exclusive to the LP except, "Everybody Plays The Fool". Test pressings exist of the album with its title originally labelled as "I Love The Way You Love". 

BONUS TRACKS: 
12. (Can't Get Enough Of That) Collie Stuff (1975 Jamaican 45-single on Groovemaster, A-side, no catalogue no)

13. Night And Day [Side 1]
14. I Am A Man 
15. In The Rain
16. Wandering 
17. Funky Buttercup 
18. Candy I'm So Daggone Mixed Up [Side 2]
19. Why Can't We Live 
20. Drift Away 
21. Daniel 
22. Hit Me With The Music 
Tracks 13 to 22 are their third album "The Chosen Few In Miami" - released August 1976 in the UK on Trojan Records TRLS 131.

NOTES: Four tracks from the "...In Miami" LP were issued as UK 45s – they are:
Tracks 13 and 17 in July 1976 as the A&B-sides of Miami MIA 401
Tracks 17 (as Funky Butter) and 16 in January 1974 as the A&B-sides of Action ACT 4623 
The other six are exclusive to the LP 

The 16-page booklet is the usual jam-packed Doctor Bird affair – new and deeply in-depth liner notes from HARRY HACKS sided with pages of rare Jamaican and British 45s, trade adverts, reviews, gig showcases in the press and even full page shots of Trojan Master Tape Boxes. You get to see in colour all those Song Bird, Trojan and Duke 45 labels as well as the lesser spotted Move & Groove, Micron and Crystal designs from Jamaica. They have even found an advert for Wincarnis Tonic Wine that feature our heroes giving it some fluffy clobber dance poses circa the Hit After Hit album (1973).

The audio is courtesy of one of my fave rave Remaster Engineers – England’s ANDY PEARCE who along with MATT WORTHAM has transferred these. The albums were all well recorded – so the bass and drum whacks are impressive and powerful as they pour out of your speakers. It’s only when you get to the 1970 and 1971 single sides that the audio drops but again given their vintage – it’s still more than acceptable. By the time we are playing 1976 – you may as well be listening to quality recorded Soul and Funk meets Reggae. 

Alongside Errol and Bunny Brown originals - The Chosen Few touched on tunes made famous by many other contemporaries – especially Soul acts like Isaac Hayes on Stax ("Shaft" and "Do Your Thing"), Thom Bell and The Stylistics on Avco ("People Make The World Go Round", "You Are Everything" and "Stoned In Love"), The Main Ingredient on RCA Victor ("Everybody Plays The Fool"), Smokey Robinson and The Miracles on Motown ("I Second That Emotion" and "Tears Of A Clown"), Kool & The Gang on De-Lite ("Funky Stuff"), Curtis Mayfield on Curtom ("Queen Majesty") and Billy Paul on Philadelphia International ("Am I Black Enough For You?"). 

They went back to The Drifters on Atlantic for "Mexican Divorce", caught the beauty in Mentor Williams on Decca and his fabulous gimme de music so I can "Drift Away" tune too. Rock artists like Carole King and Elton John had covers of "It's Too Late" and "Daniel" whilst Blue Mink and their huge hit "Melting Pot" got thoroughly mashed-up. Even Acker Bilk is almost unrecognisable with fantastically fuzzed-up Funk guitars on his signature ballad "Stranger On The Shore" – a track that surely rates as one of the most inventive covers I've ever heard from the period. 
In fact by the time we get to 1975 and 1976 - Soul Music and American Funk was never far from The Chosen Few camp - KC & The Sunshine Band backing up recordings for the "I Love The Way You Love" LP sessions that eventually came out as "Everybody Plays The Fool". 

Producer and mentor King Sporty (married to Betty Wright of "Clean Up Woman" fame on Alston Records) kept them current with stuff like "Funky Buttercup" and sexy originals in the shape of "I Am A Man" and "Wandering". In fact reviews often referred to the "...In Miami" set from 1976 more as a 'funky' LP rather than Reggae - a hybrid of genres from a classy combo.

This is a superb little release from Doctor Bird – a reissue label that I look forward to. And with the upgraded audio, recommended to those who dig their Reggae with a slice of Soul...