Forever Version

by Stephen CookA straight reissue of the original Studio One album from 1971, Forever Version includes material from Alcapone's prime early output and ably demonstrates why the young musical outlaw was on equal footing with the revered DJ innovator of the day, U-Roy. In addition to having his peer's toasting dexterity and lyrical wit, Alcapone found his own niche with a singing-talking combination and liberal doses of distinct whoops and high-pitched caws. The basic tracks Alcapone versions are vintage early reggae from Clement Dodd's vaults, including cuts by Alton Ellis, John Holt, the Heptones, Carlton & His Shoes, and Delroy Wilson. The stellar Sound Dimension band figures nicely into the mix, too, with contributions from organist Jackie Mittoo, tenor saxophonist Roland Alphonso, bassist Leroy Sibbles, and guitarist Ernest Ranglin, among others. Along with Trojan's equally impressive Alcapone disc, My Voice Is Insured for Half a Million Dollars, Forever Version counts as one of the best albums to emerge from the early days of Jamaican toasting.