This is not the first reissue that the English label Pressure Sounds has devoted to the producer Leonard Chin and his Santic label. In 1995, Pete Holdsworth launched his collection with "An even harder shade of black", drawn from the Santic sessions. This new reissue lifts the veil a little further on this little-known avant-gardist of the 1970s. Despite two major hits with Horace Andy's tracks Problems and Children of Israel, Leonard Chin's work in this period remained little known. That is no longer the case with this second instalment, gathering rarities recorded between 1973 and 1975, which perfectly convey the seething atmosphere of the sessions. Along the way we meet Leonard Chin's most loyal collaborators: Augustus Pablo, King Tubby, Horace Andy and Gregory Isaacs… Historic.
The tour begins with Horace Andy's Problems version, taken up by Augustus Pablo on a metallophone (a sort of xylophone with metal bars). We are immediately plunged into the magical atmosphere of these sounds. The regular dub version, which kept the name of the original track, follows. Then comes the very "bluesy" Freddie McKay who, after a few notes on the melodica played by Augustus Pablo, declaims with real emotion: “I was born in this world with life / And I’ve got to live the life that is right”. This I’m a free man is simply sublime. The version is spread over two further tracks, with the instrumental version and Augustus Pablo's rendition on organ. We then leave the minor modes for a more cheerful but no less serious toast by Jah Lloyd with Tom shooter. Here too the track is followed by a very good dub by King Tubby, in which we again get to hear Augustus Pablo on organ.
A journey through time
It is he again who rides the Columbo version on organ, which can also be enjoyed in a dub version. The session that follows is devoted to an instrumental better known as Zion gate, where we find Gregory Isaacs (credited as William Shakespeare) on Late at night, which covers John Holt's Satisfaction. The version is spread across a superb I-roy cut and finally the instrumental.
Another toaster, Jah Mojo, is represented by two isolated but equally interesting tracks. The last instrumental treated on this album is the famous Children of Israel. Horace Andy's original, widely available on CD, is not included here. All the more reason to appreciate the version toasted by Big Joe, the dub and the instrumental. Closing this precious reissue, a rare and magnificent track by Paul Whiteman, I don’t want to lose you (on Jacob Miller's Who say Jah no dread version), seems to be the cherry on the cake.
A true journey through time, this disc must be regarded as a musical document. Let us once again salute Pressure Sounds' work for its contribution to the history of reggae. With this reissue, Santic's so typical sound is now valued at its true worth, the bulk of Leonard Chin's work now being reissued on CD. But the story does not end there; in 1975 Leonard Chin left Jamaica for London, where with his Santic label he would contribute to the emergence of a new style of reggae: the very English “Lovers rock”.
