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Various Artists
Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller
(Trojan/Sanctuary)
First Appeared in The Music Box, March 2007, Volume 14, #3
Written by Douglas Heselgrave
It’s been a great year for reggae reissues, and the new Trojan release
Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller is no exception. Originally owned by
Island Records, Trojan has specialized in reggae music since it began pressing
vinyl in 1967. Most of Jamaica’s top recording artists — including Bob Marley,
Dennis Brown, Toots and the Maytals, and Lee "Scratch" Perry — have recorded for
the label, and the catalogue the company has accrued over the last 40 years has
made its collected body of work as important to reggae as Sun Records is to rock
’n‘ roll and as both Stax and Motown are to R&B. The historical and artistic
value of Trojan’s catalogue cannot be overestimated. Yet, since the mid-’80s,
Trojan has languished, having been bought and sold countless times before it
finally was purchased by the Sanctuary Records Group in 2001. Subsequently, a
steady stream of reissues and new releases have come out of the revitalized
label, but these largely have escaped under the radar of all but the most ardent
of reggae fans. Realizing the constrictions of being in such a niche market, the
new directors of Trojan recently initiated some very creative ways of exposing
new fans to past works by releasing carefully conceived compilations that have
been programmed by recognizable music business figures.
The first discs of this series were Chapter Oneub and Chapter Twoub
Massive. Respectively released in 2005 and 2006, each was selected and
remixed by ambient dub pioneer and bassist Bill Laswell. In arranging these
discs, Laswell wove together a string of vintage Trojan hits in order to present
them as a seamless musical experience, much like they would have been showcased
in a Jamaican dance hall environment. Employing some subtle dub effects and
touches, Laswell captured the feel of the original Trojan hits while managing
simultaneously to sound thoroughly contemporary.
On Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller, Radiohead guitarist Jonny
Greenwood took a completely different approach than Laswell did to the Trojan
vault. Resisting any urges to remix or recast the material, Greenwood preferred
to act as a tour guide through reggae’s backwaters, and he has managed to
assemble one of the best classic reggae compilations ever released. Greenwood’s
taste is impeccable, and he has succeeded brilliantly in pulling off the
difficult feat of compiling a song selection that is, at once, challenging and
familiar without being alienating. Avoiding any obvious hits from artists such
as Bob Marley and Toots and the Maytals, Greenwood covered a lot of stylistic
ground with classic tracks from Jamaican stalwarts such as Gregory Isaacs and
Lee "Scratch" Perry.
Greenwood’s love of the music is evident in the enthusiastic and informative
liner notes that he composed to outline his reason for choosing each of the
songs on Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller. While fans may argue the
relative worth of some of his selections, the fact remains that most of these
tracks have been under-represented in the digital age, having not seen
publication on CD until now. Indeed, the fact that classic dub hits from the
’70s — such as the truly weird Flash Gordon Meets Luke Skywalker by Jammy
and The Roots Radics — have been made available, at long last, in a format other
than 45- RPM vinyl is reason in itself to buy this disc. It’s hard to remember,
given the dearth of great contemporary reggae releases, that the genre once was
one of the most experimental and creative styles in modern, popular music. Every
outing of this kind goes a long way toward making these tunes available to the
general record buying public, thus giving new fans an opportunity to hear these
crucial cuts for the first time.
For music lovers wanting to expand their reggae collections beyond Bob Marley
or the soundtrack to The Harder They Come, it’s hard to think of a better
place to start than Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller. With new
selections of classic Trojan hits due later this year from Fatboy Slim and Super
Furry Animals, as part of the label’s 40th anniversary celebration,
there appears to be no end in sight to the continued excavation of reggae
treasures from the golden age of Jamaican music.  ½
Jonny Greenwood Is the Controller is available from
Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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