Customer Reviews

DUKE REIDS TREASURE CHEST - By: NICK OSMOND, 27 Jun 2004
DUKE REID COMPILATIONS SEEM TO MULTIPLY AT AN ALARMING RATE, OFTEN WITH AN EXCESSIVE DEGREE OF DUPLICATION.THIS COLLECTION BREAKS THE MOULD TO SOME EXTENT, CONTAINING A NUMBER OF TRACKS THAT YOU WILL STRUGGLE TO FIND ELSEWHERE, ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF ALTERNATE TAKES AND OUT - TAKES. PERSONALLY, I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED AT THE UNDER - REPRESENTATION OF THE JAZZ - BASED INSTRUMENTALS WHICH FORMED A LARGE PART OF THE DUKE'S OUTPUT. THE TWO REPRESENTED HERE, 'SOUL STYLE' BY THE DUKE REID GROUP AND 'RANGLIN ON BOND STREET' BY ERNEST AND TOMMY ARE GOOD BUT NOT GREAT AND I WOULD GUESS THE INTENTION WAS TO INTRODUCE LESSER - KNOWN TUNES TO A WIDER AUDIENCE.THAT CRITICISM ASIDE, THE BULK OF THIS FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL (41 TRACKS) COLLECTION IS TAKEN UP WITH VOCAL TRACKS, MIXING THE RELATIVELY WELL - KNOWN (THE PARAGONS ORIGINAL VERSION OF 'THE TIDE IS HIGH') WITH MORE OBSCURE CONTENDERS SUCH AS VIC TAYLOR AND THE FRANKLY BIZARRE GIRL SATCHMO, A YOUNG FEMALE VOCALIST WHOSE STRANGE DESIRE IT WAS TO SING REGGAE SONGS IN THE STYLE OF LOUIS ARMSTRONG!DJ FANS ARE CATERED TO WITH TWO TRACKS FROM THE EXCELLENT U - ROY.SOME WOULD SAY THATB THE DESIRE TO MAKE A DISTINCTIVE COMPILATION HAS LEAD HEARTBEAT TO INCLUDE ITEMS WHICH OTHER COMPILERS WOULD HAVE REJECTED. I CAN'T AGREE WITH THIS WHEN SO MANY COMPANIES TAKE THE TRIED AND TESTED ROUTE OF PUTTING OUT COLLECTIONS OF CLASSICS EASILY AVAILABLE ELSEWHERE WITH A COUPLE OF RARITIES THROWN IN TO ATTRACT THE COLLECTOR. HEARTBEAT HAVE CHOSEN NOT TO TAKE THE EASY OPTION AND I RESPECT THEM FOR IT. OVERALL, NOT GREAT AS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE DUKE REID SOUND BUT EXCELLENT FOR ANYONE WIHING TO TAKE AN EXISTING INTEREST A LITTLE FURTHER.