JohnG wrote:
Is there a
Best Of Eddie Grant?
I was never much of a fan (though I sort of liked "Electric Avenue"), but throughout the world, he actually had a large number of hits, both solo and as a member of the Equals. The Equals had a pretty big American hit ("Baby Come Back") and of course, the Clash covered their "Police On My Back."
He must have had around a dozen Top 50 UK singles, plus loads more in places like Japan and Germany - that's not including his four Top 10 UK hits with the Equals. On many of his records, he sang, produced and played all the instruments. He recorded what's regarded by many as the first soca record, "Hello Africa" and is today a legendary name in soca circles. He owns the biggest and most important catalog in calypso music - most of the important recordings by the biggest stars of the genre - the Mighty Sparrow, Lord Kitchner and others. He's run one of the few internationally-distributed indie labels to exist as long as it has (nearly 30 years.) His recording studio has been used by the Police, Elvis Costello, the Rolling Stones and many other big acts. He's put his money where his mouth is by establishing many of his multiple operations in Barbados and eschewing the London / Kingston focus of many of his competitors, to better pursue his musical passions.
Given the fact that his first hit was about 40 years ago - and that he's had hits every few years since then, and in a wildly diverse number of genres - reggae, soul, pop, rock, soca, calypso and something akin a new wave / punk approach . . . and given his stature in a number of different genres, his success as a label owner and producer, he should be much more highly regarded by presumably knowledgeable US music lovers.
The biggest complaints about his "greatest hits" releases tend to be that they actually don't come close to compiling ALL of his legitimate (that is to say, chart) hits. Nothing sad about that at all!
