It's not every day that a major label (what's left of 'em) reissues a classic ska record and gets it so right. Sony Music (in partnership with Reel Music, a label devoted to reissuing soul and reggae albums) has remastered (from the original analog tapes) Prince Buster's 1967 compilation Prince Buster Sings His Hit Song "Ten Commandments," which was first released by RCA Victor in the US. This album probably came about because earlier that year, Buster had appeared at the New York World's Fair representing Jamaica, along with Jimmy Cliff, Monty Morris, Millie Small and others, and then followed it up with a successful tour of the United States.
This is the first time this album has appeared on CD and they've done such a good job with the remastering that when you're listening to "Is Life Worth Living" you'll find the sound so crisp and natural that it seems like you're in Federal Studios with The Prince. Also, the CD booklet contains an extensive essay on Prince Buster by reggae/Bob Marley archivist Roger Steffens (nothing earth-shattering is revealed, but it is good nonetheless). Just so you know, The Duff Guide to Ska is no shill for the man-- I bought my copy of Prince Buster Sings His Hit Song "Ten Commandments" through Ernie B's Reggae (which, by the way, is an amazing source for ska and reggae LPs and CDs).
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About ten years ago, during the tail-end of the third wave skaboom, the majority of Prince Buster's back catalogue was out-of-print. As a result, I spent far too many blurry-eyed days scouring the internet, trying to track down the Holy Grail of Prince Buster comps: The Prophet (on Lagoon Records in France, which was forced to withdraw it from distribution, as there was some dispute over who had the authority to license the tracks to the label) and the Gaz Mayall-selected King of Ska (on Quattro Records in Japan--this was several years before it was released on Prince Buster Records and then Jet Star). So it just seems plain ironic to me all these years later, now that the US ska scene is once again firmly rooted underground and generally unrecognized and unheralded, that practically all of his original albums (even the formerly hard-to-find The Message Dubwise) have been re-issued on LP and/or CD and are readily available.
A few years ago, I was lucky enough to pick up Hush Up, a terrific Prince Buster comp put out on Islam Records (one of Prince Buster's many imprints) from Interpunk of all places. I assume that Buster put this out himself (the label's address is in Miami, Florida, where Buster lives), but I've never come across it anywhere else again. It's a shame, as it's a good mix of tracks found on Fabulous Greatest Hits and King of Ska, as well as some of his later work with Gaz Mayall and The Trojans. Snap this one up if you ever come across a copy.
Here's a plea from a fan: someone (Blood & Fire or Pressure Sounds listening?) should put together a box set of Prince Buster's recordings and productions, featuring rare releases, extensive liner notes, lovingly remastered sound, film clips from the New York World's Fair and Ready Steady Go!, the works--the audience for this is out there (there may not be tons of ska fans, but the world holds more reggae fans that we expect it does...).
And we need to enjoy ourselves, it's later than we think...
