LINVAL THOMPSON'S 12" RULER!

This Blood and Fire set captures the best of Linval's time at the microphone. Trojan put out even bigger set.

Love a tune but it seems to end right after ya press play? That is the beauty of these producer collections; they include the extended mixes if they are known to exist. With this disc you get twelve 12" disco mixes. Sweet.



Now Linval was a heavy weight roots singer of thanks and praises. Just like his good friends, Johnny Clarke and Cornell Campbell. And like them the radio found room for one more. So Linval charted one hit after another but something was missing. You can eat off of respect. You cant pay the bills with a pat on the back, so the voice and face behind such Rasta anthems like “Don’t cut of your Dread Locks” and " Jah Jah the Conqueror" figured change had to happen. The real cha-ching landed in the bank accounts of the producer and label bosses and that is the change he knew had to happen.



So he put down the microphone and got behind the scene. He fronted the session money and scored an international deal with the then fledgling Greensleeves Record Co. Oh yeah, the smooth singer turned out his fair share of chart toppers working from behind the console. Proof is right here in these grooves.
Of the three different producers highlighted by the 12 inch Ruler series Linval was the most Roots traditional. His style was still a heavy vibed deep bass and drum driven riddim affair. I don’t think he was ready to throw out his arms and embrace the new sound. Soon enough though, that new sound was gonna kill everything that came before it. This disc collects some of last artifacts of Reggae's first golden age. (the second golden age is still going on!)


For instance…take the Eek-A-Mouse track “Do you remember”. This cut sounds so radically different than the Junjo Lawes produced Roots Radic backed Wa-Do-Dem album. Sure nobody could cop Eek’s unique SingJay rub-a-dub, now or then, but the grove guided by Linval’s hand almost tones down the “holy shit do hear this guy flow’” factor. Recorded after the Junjo production but somehow less modern. Know what I am trying to say? Do not get me wrong though… I have never met a Thompson sung tune or a production I didn’t like. In fact this Easy Star Records set continues documenting the Thompson
touch.


Golden. Check the big talent that came looking for Linval's guidence.



During the year 2009 Linval dropped this disc of new roots anthems out of nowhere. Listening to this is like the last twenty never happened. Okay with me...cause that would make me 25 years old again. And yes I would live it completely different given a second time around!



Makasound and Tad's share the responsibilities of putting out this release. I guess Tad's has the North American rights and Makasound the European dibs. Either way, very sweet hearing Linval voice a fresh batch of tunes.