VINTAGE REGGAE LOVERS - July 2, 2007
Vintage vibes
Published on: 5/1/07.
by EZRA STUART
VINTAGE REGGAE LOVERS had an enjoyable night at the Plantation Garden Theatre last Saturday, even though Jamaican reggae icon Ken Boothe did not quite give them the desired climax they might have wanted.
From as early as 9 p.m., there were long lines of fans eagerly waiting to get inside the venue on St Lawrence Main Road, Christ Church, to be taken on a trip down memory lane at the Digicel-sponsored Vintage Reggae And Boogie Night show.
The Plantation Garden Band, led by the versatile John King, got proceedings under way with a varied selection of hits from yesteryear.
Then Li'l Rick kept the mood going during his stint of deejaying with a repertoire of ska, rock-steady and reggae numbers from his vast collection.
The evergreen Jamaican band Fabulous Five, which has the distinction of backing Johnny Nash on his classic multi-million-dollar seller I Can See Clearly Now, then proceeded to thrill the capacity crowd. Drummer Bob Cooper, who also doubled as lead singer, was in especially fine voice.
After the band started off with Greetings I Bring From Jah, followed by Long Time, the fans got a chance to sing along as Cooper rolled back the years with Love Me For A Reason, made popular by their former outstanding lead singer, Peter Scarlett, who died from a heart attack in 1990.
Cooper followed that selection with the saucy Shaving Cream in which he told his sad story of how "my baby fell through the window, but the good Lord was with her that morning as she fell into a bottle of . . . ssshaving cream".
He also performed Jamaican Woman, including a few lines on the Bajan woman and ending it by acclaiming that Caribbean women were No.1, to loud applause from the appreciative audience. This was then followed by Show What The Police Can Do.
But the one which had the dance floor rocking was when he dished out the late legendary Jackie Opel's 1960s hit Cry Me a River and followed with Rita Marley's One Draw which he arranged and produced, before ending the 30-minute set with the religious On My Knees.
Then it was the turn of Dobby Dobson to serenade the audience with hits such as It's Been So Long, Wonderful Time, Sweet Music To My Ears and Sweet Dreams About You which he said he wrote when he was a little boy. He charmed the crowd with several other vintage Dobson standards.
Another love-man of reggae, Boris Gardner, then continued the excursion into nostalgia with numbers such as So Nice To Be With You, The First Time I Saw You, Let's Keep It That Way, I Want To Wake Up With You, Red Wine, Someone Loves You Honey, When I Get Back Home, Commanding Wife and a host of other selections which he has made popular over the last three decades.
Then came the low-point of the show, when another Jamaican reggae pioneer Boothe stirred up the audience with his masterpiece Freedom Street. He spent too much time on historical matters rather than singing and keeping the flow, considering he was the last act and it was approaching 3 a.m.
Even when the 59-year-old rock-steady legend sang The Train Is Coming, My Heart Is Gone and the chart-topping Everything I Own, originally done by Bread, sections of the crowd were already making their way through the exit.
But when all is said and done, the show was definitely worth attending and patrons got their money's worth even if they felt short-changed at the end.
ezrastuart@nationnews.com
Published on: 5/1/07.
by EZRA STUART
VINTAGE REGGAE LOVERS had an enjoyable night at the Plantation Garden Theatre last Saturday, even though Jamaican reggae icon Ken Boothe did not quite give them the desired climax they might have wanted.
From as early as 9 p.m., there were long lines of fans eagerly waiting to get inside the venue on St Lawrence Main Road, Christ Church, to be taken on a trip down memory lane at the Digicel-sponsored Vintage Reggae And Boogie Night show.
The Plantation Garden Band, led by the versatile John King, got proceedings under way with a varied selection of hits from yesteryear.
Then Li'l Rick kept the mood going during his stint of deejaying with a repertoire of ska, rock-steady and reggae numbers from his vast collection.
The evergreen Jamaican band Fabulous Five, which has the distinction of backing Johnny Nash on his classic multi-million-dollar seller I Can See Clearly Now, then proceeded to thrill the capacity crowd. Drummer Bob Cooper, who also doubled as lead singer, was in especially fine voice.
After the band started off with Greetings I Bring From Jah, followed by Long Time, the fans got a chance to sing along as Cooper rolled back the years with Love Me For A Reason, made popular by their former outstanding lead singer, Peter Scarlett, who died from a heart attack in 1990.
Cooper followed that selection with the saucy Shaving Cream in which he told his sad story of how "my baby fell through the window, but the good Lord was with her that morning as she fell into a bottle of . . . ssshaving cream".
He also performed Jamaican Woman, including a few lines on the Bajan woman and ending it by acclaiming that Caribbean women were No.1, to loud applause from the appreciative audience. This was then followed by Show What The Police Can Do.
But the one which had the dance floor rocking was when he dished out the late legendary Jackie Opel's 1960s hit Cry Me a River and followed with Rita Marley's One Draw which he arranged and produced, before ending the 30-minute set with the religious On My Knees.
Then it was the turn of Dobby Dobson to serenade the audience with hits such as It's Been So Long, Wonderful Time, Sweet Music To My Ears and Sweet Dreams About You which he said he wrote when he was a little boy. He charmed the crowd with several other vintage Dobson standards.
Another love-man of reggae, Boris Gardner, then continued the excursion into nostalgia with numbers such as So Nice To Be With You, The First Time I Saw You, Let's Keep It That Way, I Want To Wake Up With You, Red Wine, Someone Loves You Honey, When I Get Back Home, Commanding Wife and a host of other selections which he has made popular over the last three decades.
Then came the low-point of the show, when another Jamaican reggae pioneer Boothe stirred up the audience with his masterpiece Freedom Street. He spent too much time on historical matters rather than singing and keeping the flow, considering he was the last act and it was approaching 3 a.m.
Even when the 59-year-old rock-steady legend sang The Train Is Coming, My Heart Is Gone and the chart-topping Everything I Own, originally done by Bread, sections of the crowd were already making their way through the exit.
But when all is said and done, the show was definitely worth attending and patrons got their money's worth even if they felt short-changed at the end.
ezrastuart@nationnews.com