Half Pint
Greetings
Album · Reggae · 1986
Originally released on the Power label in 1985, Greetings solidified the commercial ascendance of Half Pint, the diminutive Jamaican DJ who had exploded onto the Kingston Dancehall scene the previous year with hits such as “One and A Million” and “Look Before You Walk.” Though these numbers had been sound system favorites their success would be dwarfed by the phenomenal “Greetings” which found Half Pint boldly announcing his impending superstardom over a beefed up re-working of the Skatalites’ “Heavenless” rhythm. “Heavenless’” cavernous drums and simple but energetic bassline made it an ideal foundation for Half Pint’s exuberant sing-jay style, which drew in equal measure from the staccato chatting of DJs like Lone Ranger and the keening melodies of accomplished singers like Sugar Minott. Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, easily Jamaica’s most formidable rhythm section, provided Greetings with its booming, lockstep rhythms and propulsive beat. VP Records’ superb reissue of this dancehall landmark includes the album’s original eight cuts, and generously appends a few of Half Pint’s most sought after singles from the period.
Greetings
Half Pint
Originally released on the Power label in 1985, Greetings solidified the commercial ascendance of Half Pint, the diminutive Jamaican DJ who had exploded onto the Kingston Dancehall scene the previous year with hits such as “One and A Million” and “Look Before You Walk.” Though these numbers had been sound system favorites their success would be dwarfed by the phenomenal “Greetings” which found Half Pint boldly announcing his impending superstardom over a beefed up re-working of the Skatalites’ “Heavenless” rhythm. “Heavenless’” cavernous drums and simple but energetic bassline made it an ideal foundation for Half Pint’s exuberant sing-jay style, which drew in equal measure from the staccato chatting of DJs like Lone Ranger and the keening melodies of accomplished singers like Sugar Minott. Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, easily Jamaica’s most formidable rhythm section, provided Greetings with its booming, lockstep rhythms and propulsive beat. VP Records’ superb reissue of this dancehall landmark includes the album’s original eight cuts, and generously appends a few of Half Pint’s most sought after singles from the period.
