1964-1981 Sweat

The sound is incredibly ropy in places, and the recording information is minimal -- producers and engineers are credited, but not a single label or date is mentioned, nor is there any acknowledgement of lineup shifts or the various monikers the Royals paraded under. But Royals fans won't mind a bit, because 1964-1981 Sweat fills a massive gap in the band's back catalog. The group's '70s material has been well anthologized via Pick Up the Pieces, Ten Years After, and the now sadly unavailable Trojan compilation Royals Collection, but their earlier work has been universally neglected. Not entirely, of course -- a number of their songs can be found splattered across various-artists collections, but this is the first time they've been gathered onto one set. A handful of vocal tracks within were recorded in the '70s, all self-produced by bandmember Roy Cousins, and are paired with their DJ versions or instrumentals, including the recut "Pick Up the Pieces." The Royals recorded the original for Studio One during the rocksteady age, and both versions are featured herein, along with "Quarter Pound of Ishen," which utilized the "Pick Up the Pieces" riddim. "Out de Fire" and "Save Mama" are even older, dating from the ska era, but the bulk of the songs are drawn from the reggae age, as the group made the studio rounds, working with the likes of Winston Edwards, Joe Gibbs, and Lloyd Daley. The collection is missing sleeve notes to help put the music and band in perspective, and chronological sequencing also would have been helpful at the very least -- but that's nitpicking, for the Royals' music from any period speaks for itself. ~ Jo-Ann Greene