Wailing Souls - Fire House Rock

Talk about a triple threat: first you have the (by this point well-established and effortlessly professional) Wailing Souls, one of the greatest of the cultural harmony groups; then you have the Roots Radics, the studio band that almost single-handedly defined the new dancehall reggae sound in the early '80s; and to make everything perfect, you have the unassailable team of producer Henry "Junjo" Lawes (who can claim equal status with the Roots Radics as a dancehall pioneer) and engineer Hopeton "Scientist" Brown. The result is 1991's Firehouse Rock, one of the finest reggae albums of all time; one which combines the Wailing Souls top-notch songwriting and harmony singing with the absolute best in studio accompaniment -- there may never be another reggae band with a sound as rock-ribbed as that of the Roots Radics. Each track is a highlight in its own way, but pay particular attention to the title track, the gently rolling "Who Lives It," and the smoky, apocalyptic "Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall."

1. Fire House Rock

2. Run Dem Down

3. Oh What A Feeling

4. Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall

5. Act Of Affection

6. Busnah

7. A Fool Will Fall

8. Bandits Taking Over

9. Who Lives It

10. See Baba Jore