![]() ![]() Some superlative reggae musicians - guitarist Ernest Ranglin, keyboardist/arranger Jackie Mittoo, bassist Leroy Sibbles, horn player Roland Alphonso - have no small hand in the quality and impact of the material. And making that sound was arguably the greatest studio band in reggae history - the Sound Dimension. Although he would record with many others, the Studio One sound worked wonders for Holt. But Dodd’s version of just a year later thumps the Pratt version handily. One of the strongest songs here, the foreboding, moody “Strange Things”, was first recorded for Phil Pratt. The pair of Neil Diamond covers, “Holly Holy” and “Soolaiman”, have a hauntingly melodic quality that is perfect for Holt’s voice, not to mention Dodd’s thick, reverb-heavy production.Īs for that production, it’s really the not-so-secret weapon behind Can’t Get You. George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord”, recorded almost contemporaneously with Harrison’s hit, is rendered pretty straightforwardly. The three covers, though, reveal a lot about what else made Holt tick. Like many reggae stars, Holt was a big fan of American soul music, as evidenced by “Depth of Love”. ![]() Here, though, all but a few writing credits are Holt/Dodd, proof that the man was more than just a nice voice. On albums like 1,000 Volts, Holt gained fame mostly by singing others’ songs. Holt’s gift is in making even trite love songs like “I’ll Be Lonely” more than just listenable. Now add some gorgeous harmony and you can understand why tracks like the beguiling “Happy Go Lucky Girl”, uncharacteristically rudeboy “Change Your Style”, and yearning “My Satisfaction” are some of the highlights of this collection. Just listen to the laconic, mesmerizing cadences of “Fancy Make Up” - Holt sings like Snoop Dogg raps. The effortlessness of his delivery can make any line seem not like a come on so much as a dare to turn him down his confidence is in the way he’s so softspoken. His voice isn’t the most powerful, but that’s the point - it’s buttery with the right amount of sandpapery edge. He’s rightly regarded as reggae’s greatest love crooner. Now that you know what’s not here, what does I Can’t Get You have to offer, anyway? Some damn good reggae. Most of the aforementioned hits were recorded during the same time period but for Dodd’s rival Duke Reid, hence not issued on Studio One “Help Me Make It” is from the hit 1,000 Volts of Holt album, which came out in 1974. “Well, then,” you might ask, “Where’s ‘The Tide Is High’? Where’s ‘Wear You To The Ball’? ‘Ali Baba’? ‘Help Me Make It Through the Night’?” To answer: I Can’t Get You… includes only songs Holt/the Paragons cut for Clement Dodd’s Studio One label between 19. Instead, you get collections that focus on a particular time period, or a particular label or producer - collections like I Can’t Get You Off My Mind, which is subtitled 18 Greatest Hits!, and includes songs Holt cut with the vocal group the Paragons. And if you can’t find a definitive single-disc Marley greatest hits, you sure won’t find one for John Holt, another Jamaican star who had his share of crossover success. This axiom holds true even for classic reggae’s figurehead, Bob Marley, whose massively popular Legend album collects his work that is most familiar to Americans, but neglects a huge chunk of his greatest moments. From the ’60s through the ’80s especially, artists recorded so many records for so many producers for so many labels, that it’s nearly impossible to corral a definitive selection of anyone’s work on a single disc. I've got a pocket full of money And a pocket full of keys that have no bounds Oh yeah But when it comes down to lovin' I just can't get you off of my mind, yeah I just can't get you off of my mind, yeah.In the world of classic Jamaican reggae, there is no such thing as a greatest hits album. I've got a pocket full of money oh yes I do And a pocket full of keys that have no bounds But when it comes to lovin' I just can't get you off of my mind, yeaaahĪm I a fool to think that there's a little hope Yeah yeahhhhhheee yeah Tell me baby, yeah What are the rules the reasons and the do's and don'ts Yeah yeahhhhhheee yeah Tell me baby tell me baby, yeah What do you feel inside? I've got a pocket full of money And pocket full of keys that have no bounds But then I think of lovin' And I just can't get you off of my mindīabe can't you see That this is killing me I don't want to push you baby And I don't want you to be told It's just that I can't breathe without you Feel like I'm gonna lose control Life is just a lonely highway I'm out here on the open road I'm old enough to see behind me But young enough to feel my soul I don't wanna lose you baby And I don't wanna be alone Don't wanna live my days without you But for now I've got to be without you ![]()
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