Excellent and aggravating all at once,
In a Dis Ya Time
has a definite purpose -- collecting
the Itals
' recordings with producer
Lloyd Campbell
-- but the bland, greeting card cover art and the lack of any hand-holding liner notes inside are disappointing. Named after the trio's signature song -- the one
Keith Richards
described as "the perfect reggae track" -- the set duplicates much of the
Nighthawks
label's
Early Recordings
collection from 1984, but by going deeper into the
Campbell
recordings from this time the set has some desirable alternatives. Most attractive is the extended version of
"In a Dis Ya Time"
which tacks on the instrumental version from trombonist
Vin Gordon
and rightfully stretches the classic groove out for a near six-and-a-half minutes.
"Rougher Yet "
and the trio's take on the
Curtis Mayfield
-penned
"You Don't Care"
get the same special treatment, but from where these long takes are sourced isn't mentioned. All these late-'70s tunes cross classic roots reggae harmonies with the Stepping Razor style of
' old housemate,
Peter Tosh
, but the last quarter of the set jumps all the way to the digital age and jarringly adds cuts from
Mi Livity
, the
Itals
' 2003 reunion with
. One last curveball comes with the closing
"Won't You Come Home,"
a bounce back to 1975 but still a red hot tune, now with DJs
Trinity
and
Dillinger
toasting on the tacked-on version. Reggae fanatics will love the
-through-the-years concept and you can't fault the track list, but this is preaching to the converted. The underappreciated
deserve some advocating and with most other releases on the
17 North Parade
imprint showing proper respect and care, this missed opportunity is a head scratcher. ~ David Jeffries