Earl 16

Rum Shack, Glasgow 27 November 2015

Massive and crew, between you, me and the gatepost, I like to think of myself as something of a reggae fan. So naturally, when I heard that reggae royalty, Earl 16, was coming to town, I and I got myself a ticket (actually just the one) without any hesitation. But then on closer inspection of my record collection, I was shocked to find a scandalous... under-representation of this venerable veteran soldier of Jah Army, who has recorded for everyone from Studio One, Channel One, Lee Perry's Black Ark, Mad Professor to Glasgow's own Mungo's HiFi. Just a few tracks on compilations, a cover of 'Holding Back The Years' of which I am sure Mick would approve, and a solitary single from the eighties, 'If We Get Together' (I recall the review in Echoes by real reggae writer John Masouri; whenever Earl 16 opens his mouth a rare and beautiful sound comes out, and this Afro-funk style Parisian flavoured lovers rock tune is a perfect backing for his talents). I felt so ashamed of my neglect of this under-rated unsung hero of a singer that I nearly had to return my reggae fan club hat and badge. I mean, writing a couple of novels (Black King, roots rocking comedy; To Jamaica With Love, ska-faced spy thriller; available in all good...see me, but who wants to read a book about reggae? Ask Marlon James!) is all very well, but would my time have been better spent acquainting myself with Earl 16's back catalogue? Like a reliable midfielder who has played for all the top clubs but not known for scoring spectacular goals, Earl has been ever-present, setting things up for others, working hard in the engine room of roots, sort of like the Claude Makelele of reggae. Fortunately, it did not matter on the night, as anything touched by Earl's magical voice is instantly sprinkled with gold dust. As anyone knows, on a cold, wet night in Glasgow, if you want to warm the place up, you call on the Italian reggae crew out of London, Fenomeno Show, for some classic tunes and a female deejay version of Tanya Stephens' 'It's A Pity' in Italian. The regular Friday Reggae Shack has been creating a buzz, but maybe the southsiders have been spoilt with so many great free nights, they were a bit slow to move into the back room, but as soon as the reggae ambassador took over and the vibes started flowing, they coughed up and the room filled up nicely. Mr Daley took the mike, sounding like the 16 year old who started making records in the seventies, and still going strong four decades later. His Studio One selection was instantly familiar, musical memories falling into place, getting the shy feet in the crowd moving with his infectious enthusiasm and warm, soulful tones. He paid tribute to some of his inspirations who became his contemporaries and were also influenced by him, the likes of Dennis Brown, John Holt and Max Romeo. As well as a few surprises to me, with a souped-up version of 'Message To You Rudy' and a dubwise of 'The Joker' which actually lends itself perfectly to reggae. More tunes like 'The Fittest' made me realise I had better start discovering his wealth of albums, although I have got another novel to write (Love Fire, more of a lovers rock rom-com this one, Brixton 10 April 1981, nice night for a first date?). One love!