The Wailing Souls

Like so many vocal groups, solo artists, and instrumentalists, the Wailing Souls made some of their finest (and in this case, earliest) recordings as a part of Coxsone Dodd's Studio One stable at the tail end of the 1960s. Working initially as the Renegades, Winston "Pipe" Matthews and a duo and, later, a trio of harmony singers laid the groundwork for subsequent self-productions and sessions for Henry "Junjo" Lawes, among others. It has often been noted that Matthews and the young Wailers shared the same vocal coach (the great Joe Higgs). This tutelage seems to have merely enhanced the singer's natural gift for both melody and lyric, as showcased on this self-titled debut. These recordings add to this significant strength by way of the sublime harmonies of Lloyd "Bread" McDonald (the other mainstay of the group), George Haye, Oswald Downer, and Norman Davis and a solid batch of rhythm tracks cooked up by the top session players at Studio One. The album kicks off with the one-two punch of "Back Out With It" and "Fire Coal Man," two classics the group would revisit years later at Channel One. Both "Row Fisherman" and "Things and Time" (appended to the original album for the CD issue, along with "Without You") would also be recut at the studio on Maxfield Avenue. Though the results were excellent, it would always be difficult to improve on the performances of spirituality, conviction, and joy found here.