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Just in time for the roots addict who has everything, Blood & Fire steps up with a three-CD box dedicated to the conscious deejay with the diamond teeth, Big Youth.
The U Roy successor — who could sing like an angel but frequently disrupted his songs with errant squeals, shouts and cackles of laughter — gets the royal Blood & Fire treatment on Natty Universal Dread. Spanning the classic years of 73 through 79, the set brings together album cuts, impossibly rare sevens and extended tracks as well as alternate mixes, with Youth shouting defiantly over classic Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs and Ken Boothe tracks, plus a burning version of Hit The Road Jack. Context is provided by Steve Barrow’s hefty 36-page booklet that’s worth the price of admission alone.
