30 Massive Shots from Treasure Isle

What a sufferation! The Attack label's 30 Massive Shots from Treasure Isle collects some of the best versions deejay U-Roy recorded for any label, let alone the Trojan subsidiary Treasure Isle, but they've been tampered with. First off, there's some strange renaming of the songs. In the world of reggae collections and comps, this is nothing new, but when the commonly accepted "Wear You to the Ball" becomes "Chicka Bow Wow Wow," it's time to get skeptical. The second gaff, and the set's great downfall, is that most tracks fade in for some strange reason, as if they were edited out of 12" disco mixes when isolated versions are readily available on numerous releases. Compare the many titles that overlap between 30 Massive Shots and Trojan's superior U-Roy set Version Galore and you'll find the Attack release sounds thicker, more compressed, and overdriven. Maybe it's meant to appeal to MP3-era ears, but definition is sacrificed and in the case of the U-Roy-meets-the Paragons cut "The Tide is High," the rocksteady feel of the original recording is gone. Wake the town and tell the people, even though the source material is vital, post-production makes this is a sloppy introduction to the great U-Roy and a misrepresentation of the Treasure Isle sound.