Freddie McGregor: Big Ship - 1980


This was a Linval Thompson-produced album, played by The Roots Radics and mixed by Scientist. In comparison to Lone Ranger's work, it is a much more accessible, lighter offering, with lots of Gregory Isaacs easy, slow skanking vibes to be found on the excellent title track. 

It is an album of mainly love songs (another Isaacs influence) as opposed to religious or militant ones, such as Sweet Lady, the sumptuously loved-up Stop Loving You (with its great line "you're my love, you're my light, you're my dinner tonight") and Let Me Be The One, although he couldn't resist a couple of Rasta ones at the end in Roots Man Skanking and Holy Mount Zion. 

Peaceful Man has a spiritual message too. I like this album a lot, there really isn't a bad cut on it and it plays out as it is - an early mid-eighties serving of cool, dancehall-ish lovers reggae but without the chanting, giving us regulation singing. 

Also impressive is the single Love At First Sight (or First Sight Loving as it is sung), which is unsurprisingly very Gregory Isaacs-influenced, once again, it its easy skank and loved-up feel. On this and many other songs, there is also a bit of a Jacob Miller (in his Inner Circle days) vibe to be heard. Check out songs like I Was Born A Winner and Come And Take It. 

Another favourite of mine is the sumptuous Hold Me, with its irresistible brass lines that UB40 would no doubt love. McGregor also recorded some rootsier (slightly, not full-on) material for Studio One in his early days, such as Bredda Labba Labba and Bobby Babylon. McGregor released lots of great songs, actually, probably the best way of listening to him is to stream his discography on random, something that I highly recommend.


★ I could have chosen Love At First Sight from 1982 - which included as its title track a song from Big Ship.


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