Innocent Youths

In the late 1970s a serious reggae scene was developing among Toronto's growing population of Jamaican immigrants. Producer Jerry Brown's Summer Records imprint was one of the city's first homegrown reggae labels, and its first release was this one by the fledgling band Earth, Roots & Water. The Summer Records sound was heavily influenced by the production styles of such dub masters as King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry, and the studio had a dark, splashy ambience somewhat similar to that of the Black Ark. Innocent Youths is a startlingly fine album, one that features several different singers, most of them excellent, as well as one or two somewhat puzzling tracks. The title song is an instrumental melodica showcase, presented here in an extended version with an appended dub mix; "Tribulations" is a sufferer's anthem also in showcase style, and "Jah Les' Lament" is another fine dubwise instrumental track. On the curious side are "Lou Sent Me," which starts off with a strange spoken word interlude that sounds like a non-sexy Barry White outtake, and "Love the Same Old Way," a very nice song that suffers a bit from both a very strange mix and a rather tentative vocalist. But overall, this album is a very enjoyable listen as well as a valuable piece of reggae history. Highly recommended.