Christmas Reggae Music: part 2 of 2

This time around we'll take a look at three Christmas albums that I own on vinyl. As far as I know, only one of them is available on disc, and that one is somewhat hard to track down.

Various Artists: Christmas Vibes (Studio One)

Coxsonne Dodd had several Christmas albums on his Studio One label, but the one that holds a special place in my heart is Christmas Vibes. Though it features quite a few names that have drifted into the realm of the forgotten, like Charley Fresh, Owen Gray, and Tyrone Evans, it does feature a few names that became hard to forget.

First up is Half Pint's "Christmas Vibes." I didn't even realize this track existed until I picked up this LP, and as far as I know, this is the only place it ever appeared (except for, perhaps, as a single). It's a classic tune -- Pint's voice is perfectly suited for Dodd's production, making this a wonderful seasonal tune from the island. Unlike a lot of reggae Christmas songs, Pint's track doesn't sound like an every day reggae song that happens to have the word "Christmas" sprinkled throughout the verses.

Another well known artist here is the ever-wicked Johnny Osbourne with "Groovy Kind of Christmas." Though it's no "No Ice Cream Sound," it's still pretty memorable. Also here are Bunny and Skully with a rocksteadylicious version of "White Christmas."

The handful of relatively unknown artists are a mixed bag. Doreen Schaffer's "Wishing You a Merry Christmas" isn't bad followed by Venus' bubbly-but-forgettable "Gee Whiz." Charley Fresh provides a trio of good songs ("Sunshine on Christmas Day," "Happy Christmas Rude Boy," and "Jam Down Christmas"), though none are particularly Christmasy. Tyrone Evans has a decent medley followed by the unexplainable non-Christmas cover of Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Owen Gray.

All around, this one's a good listen. If you can find the vinyl, pick it up. I don't believe it's been re-released on disc.

The Joe Gibbs Family of Artists: Reggae Christmas (JGM) This one definitely wins the prize for best cover for a Christmas album. Though a lot of reggae Christmas albums have some sort of marijuana theme to them, this one actually has herbstalks decorated with Christmas balls and lights.

This 1982 has poorly creditted tunes, but all are quite well recorded. The artists included are Dennis Brown, Mighty Diamonds, Culture, Jacob Miller, George Nooks, Cornell Campbell, and several others. The first side is a decent medley of about 15 Christmas songs ranging from the predictable change-around of "White Christmas" to "Black Christmas" to absurd lyricism like "Adam and Eve went up my sleeve, / Them never come down until they feel the breeze." The second side has five traditional songs that are well done, but pretty unremarkable.

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