ReviewThis collection consists of rather risqué Jamaican Reggae and Rocksteady tunes recorded between 1966 and 1974, Many of these became firm favourites in British dancehalls where the double entendres and blatantly obvious sexual themes found particular favour among those not short of testosterone.
The best known track on here must be Disc 1, Track 2, "Wet Dream" by Max Romeo, which when given a UK release on the Unity label managed to gain such a reputation that it crept its way up into the UK Top 10 in 1969 without receiving any radio play .. indeed the BBC refused to even mention its title on their chart rundown shows!!
Mr Romeo claimed that his unlikely hit wasn't about sex at all but was a song about him attempting to fix a leaking roof in the middle of the night while standing on his bed. Maybe Mr Romeo was correct, sometimes the Jamaican dialect can be difficult for other English speakers to understand!
Maybe Disc 2, Track 5 (Phyllis Dillon's "Don't Touch Me Tomato") is a lament about the difficulties of operating a vegetable stall when careless shoppers insist on handling the goods, possibly Disc 2, Track 9 ("Pussy Catch A Fire" by The Soulmates) relates the sad tale of a cat who got too close to a hastily constructed fire on a particularly cold night up in The Blue Mountains.
It could be that Disc 3, Track 7 (George Anthony's "Cock Stiff and Hard") mourns the passing of a particularly beloved chicken ... no doubt hugely upsetting if you don't have the spare cash to buy a decent alarm clock.
Or it could be that I'm writing a whole lot of ssssshaving cream!!!!