The impact of Freddie McGregor's debut album Mr.
McGregor would be lessened just months after its release thanks to the appearance of his classic sophomore effort Bobby Bobylon.
Thirty years later, VP's expanded reissue -- by way of their 17 North Parade imprint -- makes a great argument that these sides cut for Niney's Observer label deserve better.
Offering a solid opening argument is "We Got Love" featuring a Tower of Power influenced horn section underneath McGregor's tale of love conquering all.
The classic "Rastaman Camp" combines muted horn and an earthy, Nyahbinghi-like chorus for one of producer Niney's deeper constructions, but the lightweight fare is equally welcome as the easy strolling and not too sugary version of "Brandy" displays.
Taking a cue from the Heartbeat label's 2006 reissue of Bobylon, VP's Mr.
McGregor is greatly expanded with remixes and versions.
The difference here is that the bonus tracks are basically the 1981 album Showcase, an Observer release which collected all the loose ends, although with massive tracks like "The Overseer" included, it was no stale set of leftovers.
Its inclusion enhances this reissue, making this a great overview of McGregor's early days in Niney's workshop.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | We Got LoveBarry Llewellyn, E. Morgan, L. Sibbles | Freddie McGregor | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Walls of JerichoWinston "Niney" Holness, Freddie McGregor | Freddie McGregor | Play | 03:30 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Jah Can Count on IE. Lowe | Freddie McGregor | Play | 03:00 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Oh No, Not My BabyGerry Goffin, Carole King | Freddie McGregor | Play | 02:38 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Why Did You Do ItG. Gregory | Freddie McGregor | Play | 03:16 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Zion ChantWinston "Niney" Holness, Freddie McGregor | Freddie McGregor | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Rastaman CampFreddie McGregor | Freddie McGregor | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Do GoodFreddie McGregor | Freddie McGregor | Play | 07:20 | 16 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | BrandyJ. Jefferson, C. Simmons | Freddie McGregor | Play | 03:01 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Jah Will Bless YouT. Collins, B. Eli, Winston "Niney" Holness, Freddie McGregor | Freddie McGregor | Play | 03:43 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Roman SoldiersWinston "Niney" Holness, Freddie McGregor | Freddie McGregor | Play | 02:51 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Rasta Have Faith [Extended] | Freddie McGregor | Play | 06:46 | 15 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Lovers Rock J.A. Style [Extended] | Freddie McGregor | Play | 06:15 | 14 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | The Overseer [Extended] | Freddie McGregor | Play | 06:27 | 14 MB | 0 MB |
| 15 | Chant It Down [Extended] | Freddie McGregor | Play | 05:10 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 16 | Sitting In The Park [Extended] | Freddie McGregor | Play | 07:03 | 16 MB | 0 MB |
| 70 mins | 160 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bloucksy | Percussion |
| 2 | Arnold Brackenridge | Horn |
| 3 | Arnold Breckenridge | Horn |
| 4 | Crucial Bunny | Audio Engineer, Engineer, Mixing |
| 5 | Olivier Chastan | Label Manager |
| 6 | Christopher Chin | Executive Producer |
| 7 | Tony Chin | Guitar |
| 8 | T. Collins | Composer |
| 9 | Donald Clive Davidson | Reissue Coordination, Reissue Producer |
| 10 | Max Edwards | Drums |
| 11 | B. Eli | Composer |
| 12 | George Fullwood | Bass, Bass Instrument |
| 13 | Gerry Goffin | Composer |
| 14 | Chris Goins | Project Manager |
| 15 | Enroy Grant | Horn |
| 16 | G. Gregory | Composer |
| 17 | Bongo Herman | Percussion |
| 18 | Winston "Niney" Holness | Composer |
| 19 | J. Jefferson | Composer |
| 20 | Jamaka Johnson | Keyboards |
| 21 | Carole King | Composer |
| 22 | Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont | Guitar |
| 23 | Barry Llewellyn | Composer |
| 24 | E. Lowe | Composer |
| 25 | Fidel "Twice" Luna | A&R |
| 26 | Maxie | Audio Engineer, Mixing |
| 27 | Freddie McGregor | Composer, Primary Artist |
| 28 | E. Morgan | Composer |
| 29 | Niney the Observer | Audio Production, Executive Producer, Producer |
| 30 | Paul Shields | Mastering |
| 31 | L. Sibbles | Composer |
| 32 | C. Simmons | Composer |
| 33 | Earl "Chinna" Smith | Guitar |
| 34 | Keith Sterling | Keyboards |
| 35 | W. Stewart | Composer |
| 36 | Sticky | Percussion |
| 37 | Steve "Serpiente" Stromberg | Liner Notes |
| 38 | Donald Vidan-Greves | Horn |
| 39 | Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace | Drums |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |