Horace ‘Sleepy’ Andy was born Horace Keith Hinds on 19 February 1951 in Kingston. His first recording was “Black Man’s Country” in 1966 for George ‘Phil’ Pratt but it was not considered a success. It was four years later his star really began to shine when he joined the stable of Clement ‘Coxsone’ Dodd’s Studio One.

It was Sir Coxsone who renamed Andy after another of his leading artists, Bob Andy. Such was his belief in Horace’s writing talent and singing prowess. Still only twenty years of age, Horace used his honeyed falsetto talent to cut some of the most impressive tracks at 13 Brentford Road, Studio One Headquarters. These include “Skylarking”, “Just Say Who”, “Money Money”, “Love of a Woman” and “Something On My Mind” to name but a few.

The early 1970’s saw Horace move studios due to political reasons. He then went on to work with Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee, a move that suited his talents and Rastafarian beliefs. Horace flourished with Bunny and his recordings have a real rootsy feel.

For this album, Horace worked with Striker and recorded at Channel One and Randy’s. King Tubby finalised and dubbed the tapes. The power of these recordings gave Horace’s earlier classics new life and opened the way for more, fresh, chart busting material.

The album is the culmination of several extraordinary factors. Having possibly the sweetest voice in reggae, the cream of the crop, top tier musicians, the best engineering and dubbing you could ask for and the prime mid-1970’s vibe timing of it all. Perfection!

Every track is exceptional, which is quite rare for an LP. There’s false starts, tape rewinds, wicked effects and it all adds to the album’s shine. Here are my picks:

“Why Oh Why Dub”- a once lost dub of Horace coming down on Charlie Ace’s “George Foreman” riddim. “Trouble..Why my people..Why” with a super heavy backline.

“Dub Angel”- a wicked track, originally cut at Harry J’s. The haunting vocals will stun you. A masterpiece of reverb and delay on a phat riddim track.

“Use This Dub”- Horace’s “Don’t Try and Use Me” in dub. Killer dub horns out the gate, big tape rewind and back into it. Superb, heavy mid 1970’s drum and bass. An honorable mention to Jah Stitch’s “Greedy Girl”, a 1977 remake of this classic.

My copy is on Jamaican Recordings, JRLP007. I highly recommend the quality of this heavyweight press, it’s loud and clear with very little hiss and pop. It’s a must have for any reggae collector.

Al Rankin

Whakatū / Waimea based dub reggae dancehall selector. Original badman, blat blat.