“1000 Volts Of Holt” by JOHN HOLT. A 26 January 2009 2CD DELUXE EDITION Reissue Of The 1973 UK Classic LP On Trojan Records.

“Take The Ribbon From Your Hair…Shake It Loose…And Let It Fall…”

If you already own the 2002 46-track “Expanded Version” of this iconic UK reggae album - then you’ll want to know if this January 2009 2CD DELUXE EDITION with its meagre 39 tracks is worth buying – yet again! And yes and no is the typically infuriating answer…

There’s a lot on here, do let’s break it down first…

Disc 1 is entitled 1000 VOLTS…PLUS! (67:31 minutes):
1. Never, Never, Never [Shirley Bassey cover]
2. Morning of My Life [Bee Gees cover]
3. Stoned Out Of My Mind [Chi-Lites cover]
4. Baby I’m-A-Want You [Bread cover]
5. Help Me Make It Through The Night [Kris Kristofferson cover]
6. Mr. Bojangles [Jerry Jeff Walker/Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cover]
7. I’d Love You To Want Me [Lobo cover] (End Of Side 1)
8. Killing Me Softly With Her Song [Roberta Flack cover]
9. You Baby [Ronettes cover]
10. Too Much Love [Bread cover]
11. Girl From Ipanema [Astrid Gilberto cover]
12. Which Way You Going Baby [Susan & Terry Jacks of The Poppy Family cover] (End of Side 2)
Tracks 1 to 12 are the November 1973 UK LP “1000 Volts Of Holt” on Trojan Records TRLS 75 (it finally charted in early 1975)

13. Morning Of My Life
14. Stoned Out Of My Mind
15. Baby I’m-A-Want You
16. Help Me Make It Through The Night
17. Mr. Bojangles
18. Too Much Love
19. Girl From Ipanema
20. Which Way You Going Baby
Tracks 13 to 20 are Bonus Tracks (Jamaican Mixes). Only 2 of the Jamaican Mixes are previously unreleased - “Morning of My Life” and “Too Much Love”. The version of “Too Much Love” on the 2002 set is an extended mix at 4:21 minutes while this DELUXE EDITION cut is an edit at 2:40 minutes. Although the other 6 tracks were on the 2002 set, it should be noted that like the album, they’re all in VASTLY IMPROVED SOUND on this DELUXE EDITION.

Disc 2 is entitled 4000 VOLTS OF HOLT - RARE & UNRELEASED MASTERS
(60:30 minutes)
1. I Don’t Want To Be Lonely
2. It’s Just Because
3. My Eyes
4. Love And Affection (aka Sweet Vibrations)
5. Here Today (Gone Tomorrow)
6. If I Could Hear Her (aka Blue Dawn)
7. I Could Dance All Night
8. Maybe Some Day
9. I Played The Fool [writer unknown]
10. Got My Head On Straight
11. Come Dance With Me
12. Good Morning Sun
13. Room Full Of Tears
14. Only You
15. Lonely Times
16. Sweet Malinda
17. Love So Right [Mac Davis cover]
18. Baby Don’t Get Hooked On Me [Mac Davis cover]
19. Just The Way You Are [Billy Joel cover]
All songs on Disc 2 are written by John Holt - except where noted.
Tracks 16 and 19 are from 1979 - while 17 and 18 are from 1980.
The other 15 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (most from an aborted album in 1975).

The 20-page booklet has photos, singles pictured, trade adverts and a detailed track-by-track breakdown of the album by LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT (he co-wrote the superb book “Young, Gifted & Black; The Story Of Trojan Records” - see separate review).
The 4-way digipak is the same as the “Tighten Up” DELUXE EDITION of 2008, the flaps have photos from the period, the see-through trays that hold the CDs have the album details underneath - and the orange and white coloured CD labels mimic the original UK 1973 Trojan vinyl LP. All of it very nicely laid out.

SOUND:
Remastered by TIM DEBNEY at Fluid Mastering, the sound quality is really fantastic and a vast improvement on the now dull-sounding 2002 issue – I’d say the tracks are now twice as loud – and not loud for the sake of it - but clear – the bass and percussion in particular, so sweet now. The improvement of sound thankfully also extends to tracks 13 to 20 (the Bonus Jamaican Mixes), which are so much more ‘reggae’ than the released soft soul versions – more edgy and genuinely excellent bonus tracks. Considering how rough most Reggae can sound - a really great job done has been done here.

While you could say that Disc 1 is a triumph (especially soundwise), I’m not so sure about the rather weedy poppy tracks on Disc 2 – they’re the sorts of lightweight pop-soul-reggae tunes that many fans and purists hate. The sound quality is excellent though. Highlights for me include “Too Much Love”, “My Love” and “It’s Just Because”. Lyrics from the huge international hit "Help Me Make It Through The Night" are the title of this review.

I saw this in a certain Megastore on Oxford Street the week of release for two coins above a twenty spot, which is a ridiculous rip off. If you can lay your hands on it at a good price - between £12 and £14 - then I’d say the DELUXE EDITION is a good buy.

Four out of five stars then.

PS: see also reviews for the DELUXE EDITIONS of the Various Artists compilation “Tighten Up” and Symarip's “Skinhead Moonstomp” (pictured below).

PPS: Dear compiler boffins at Universal - now please do "Tighten Up Vol.2" and 3 and 4 and 5 and...

"Skinhead Moonstomp: Deluxe Edition" by SYMARIP (2008 Universal/Trojan 2CD DELUXE EDITION Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Let's Start Getting Happy Now…Yeah Yeah Yeah…"

Sporting artwork you'd hide from your ailing Auntie Flo and her dodgy ticker, "Skinhead Moonstomp" has always been something of a misunderstood beast. Many people thought the reprobates depicted on the front alleyway cover were Symarip and maybe for that reason, the album never received the attention its deserved outside of the white British working class skinheads who embraced this hugely influential 1970 reggae album with near religious fervour. The group (pictured on the rear) is actually the Jamaican 7-piece THE PYRAMIDS under their nickname. They were also known as SEVEN LETTERS, THE BEES and for touring purposes - SYMARIP and THE SKINHEADS. Hopefully this fabulous and bravely chosen 2008 Deluxe Edition 2CD reissue will change all that...

There's a lot on here - so let's gets to the braces. UK released 29 September 2008 – “Skinhead Moonstomp: Deluxe Edition” by SYMARIP on Trojan 1776718 (Barcode 602517767188) is a 2CD DELUXE EDITION Reissue/Remaster and breaks down as follows:

DISC 1 (63:10 minutes):

1. Skinhead Moonstomp

2. Phoenix City

3. Skinhead Girl

4. Try My Best

5. Skinhead Jamboree

6. Chicken Merry

7. These Boots Are Made For Walking [Side 2]

8. Must Catch A Train

9. Skin Flint

10. Stay With Him

11. Fung Shu

12. You're Mine

Tracks 1 to 12 are the album "Skinhead Moonstomp" by SYMARIP issued April 1970 in the UK on Trojan Records TBL-102

Track 13 is "The Fit" [aka "Wish"], Doctor Bird DB-1208 [B]

Tracks 14 and 15 are "Please Stay" and "Special Beat", DB-1194 [A & B]

Tracks 16 and 17 are "Flour Dumpling" and "Equality", DB-1195 [A & B]

Tracks 18 and 19 are "Mama Me Want Girl" and "Sentry, DB-1206 [A & B]

Tracks 20 and 21 are "Soul Crash" and "Throw Me Things", DB-1207 [A & B]

Track 22 is "There Goes My Heart", DB-1208 [A]

Track 23 is "Bam Bam Baji", DB-1209 [A]

NOTES: Tracks 13 to 23 are BONUS 7" singles issued in 1969 on the Trojan affiliated "Doctor Bird" Label with the group credited as SEVEN LETTERS

DISC 2 (69:16 minutes):

1. Hold Him Joe (UK 7" single on Doctor Bird DB-1209, B)

2. Tomorrow At Sundown (UK 7" single on Doctor Bird DB-1306, B-side to the album track "Fung Shu" - Track 11, Disc 1)

3. Parson's Corner [aka Vindication] 

4. Redeem (Tracks 3 and 4 are the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single on Treasure Isle TI-7054)

5. La Bella Jig

6. Holiday By The Sea (Tracks 5 and 6 are the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single on Treasure Isle TI-7055)

7. I'm A Puppet (UK 7" single on Attack ATT-8013, A - Track 3 above as "Vindication" is its B-side)

8. Feel Alright

9. Telstar (Tracks 8 and 9 are the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single on Trojan TR-7755)

10. Geronimo (UK 7" single on Duke DU-80, A)

11. To Sir With Love

12. Reggae Shuffle (Tracks 11 and 12 are the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single on Trojan TR-7770)

13. All For You (UK 7" single on Trojan TR7803, A)

14. Stingo (UK 7" single on Trojan TR-7814, B)

15. Mosquito Bite

16. Mother's Bath (Tracks 15 and 16 are the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single on Creole CR-1003)

17. Can't Leave Now

18. Teardrops (Tracks 17 and 18 are the A&B-sides of a UK 7" single on Creole CR-1006)

19. Stop The Train

20. Black And White

21. Lasting Treasure

22. That's Nice

23. Funky Broadway

NOTES: 

Tracks 1 to 7 are SYMARIP - 8 to 18 credited as THE PYRAMIDS - 23 is credited to ROY ELLIS & RICO'S BAND 

Tracks 19 to 23 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

The 20-page detailed booklet has an essay on the band, the album's history and the scene surrounding it by LAURENCE CANE-HONEYSETT co-author of the superb book "Young, Gifted & Black - The Story Of Trojan Records" (see separate review).

Front and rear cover are reproduced on the front and back pages in colour, there's pictures of those lovely and rare UK 7" labels that get collectors weak at the knees, unique foreign picture sleeves, industry adverts, a complete singles and album discography from 1969 to 1971 - and even interviews with the band's principal songwriters MONTY NEYSMITH and ROY ELLIS. Both discs reflect the original Trojan label design and there's a collage of photos of the band reproduced beneath the two see-through trays - all of it very nicely done. (It's also not a BOX SET as Amazon says - it's a DELUXE EDITION 2CD set in the now familiar plastic wrap for the series with a four-way foldout digipak beneath.)

The tapes have been mastered by TIM DEBNEY at Fluid Mastering and the sound quality is similar to the "Tighten Up" DELUXE EDITION in August of 2008 - a mixed bag of the fantastic and the cruddy. This is not audiophile territory - it's reggae music - recorded on a shoestring and all the more gritty and wonderful for it. Having heard this LP on battered vinyl for years, I found most tracks a revelation.

Musically, this is party time. The chugging brass and Ska groove of "Phoenix City" is utterly irresistible and you can just `hear' the roots of THE SPECIALS in "Try My Best".

The extras are cleverly chosen too - not only are they very rare 7"s (many making their CD debut) - they're anthems of the time for that scene. Almost all of the singles have the same set up - a sung A-side with an instrumental on the B - both of which are killer. The cover version of the Joe Meek/Tornados 1962 classic "Telstar" on the back of "Feel Alright" is a typically cool example. At 46 tracks, I'll be dipping into this for years.
Summing up - coupled with the 2CD set of "Tighten Up Volume 1" from August of this year (see separate review), someone in Universal is making damn good choices! It's so good to see great Reggae and Ska get the DELUXE EDITION treatment it has always deserved. A highly recommended purchase and a voyage of musical discovery you'll not regret taking.

PS: the title of this review is the spoken intro to the classic floorfiller "Skinhead Moonstomp"

This review is part of my SOUNDS GOOD Music Book Series. One of those titles is 1960s and 1970s VOLUME 2 - ROCK and POP, FOLK ROCK and PUNK, NEW WAVE and REGGAE - an E-Book with over 200 entries and 2000 e-Pages - purchase on Amazon and search any artist or song (click the link below). Huge amounts of info taken directly from the discs (no cut and paste crap).