Latest CD releases reviewed

VARIOUS
The Big Gundown Trojan
****

Hot on the heels of Trojan's Bob Dylan tribute (Is It Rolling Bob?) and the labels's boxing compilation (Sucker Punch) comes Chris Lane's rummage through the archives to uncover reggae tunes inspired by spaghetti westerns. While it may initially seem to be a far-fetched notion, the gritty action in the Italian westerns of Sergio Leone, Duccio Tessari and Sergio Corbucci was a huge draw for Jamaican rude-boys in the late 1960s. This lust for the rough and tumble of what they saw on the big screen naturally made its way into the local music via sampled speeches and titles (The Upsetters' Return of Django and Roy Richards's Death Rides A Horse). There may be no Morricone here but there is plenty of production dons Lee "Scratch" Perry and Derrick Harriott jamming at the height of their powers.  www.trojanrecords.com Jim Carroll