Rod Taylor is back, or rather returns to us from the 70s thanks to a compilation of his songs, "Garden of Eden (1975-82)", released by Patate Records. The compilation "Ethiopian Kings", already released in 99 on Patate, or more recently the Bye Bye Bye Riddim (again Patate Records), had already allowed us to become familiar with this little-known artist. Now it is "Garden of Eden" that once again fills the gaps in our knowledge with 16 tracks tracing the singer's path alongside the greatest names of reggae's golden age. Rocky T, aka Rod Taylor, began his career at the dawn of the 70s.
First in the short-lived group The Aliens, with Barry Brown, then in the Blue Jeans with Horace Grossett. It was in 75 that his career took a real turn when he won a contest at the Bohemia Club with Phil Phillips's song "Sea of Love". There he met, among others, Michael Rose, Sugar Minott and Ossie Hibert, with whom a long collaboration would begin. Thanks to Hibert, he recorded his very first track Bad Man Comes and Goes at Channel one, which was signed to Pat 'Scabba' Sutherland's label, Hound Dog Records. Everything sped up and Rod recorded for the big producers of the moment (Linval Thompson, Mikey Dread…). Compiled here are no fewer than 16 tracks, all recorded between 75 and 82, mixed by King Tubby and Scientist at Channel One, on which Rod Taylor surrounded himself with the famous backing bands The Soul Syndicate, The Revolutionaries and The Roots Radics.
The undeniable common thread of this album, which runs through different styles of reggae, is that Rod Taylor's melodies settle naturally onto roots riddims, as on the vibrant Mr Money Man (produced by Henry "Junjo" Lawes) or the pure Stay With Me (co-produced by Tony Shabazz and Pat "Scabba" Sutherland), as well as on the early dance-hall I'll Be Gone (produced by Allan Hoyte), one of the flagship tracks of this compilation. Many agree in comparing Rod Taylor's timbre to Horace Andy's, but Rod Taylor has a way all his own of mastering the wrong note. We could not be more delighted by the idea of gathering these old hits lost in cupboards, had Patate Records not also served up three previously unreleased tracks. It seems there is still a cupboard full of songs that never reached our ears: let us hope the initiative does not stop so soon.
