Wild Suspense cover

Wild Suspense

Released

Released in 1979, Wild Suspense is the sound of the Wailing Souls coming fully into their own. It features deathless tracks like “Row Fisherman” (on which Sly Dunbar plies the four-on-the-floor sound that had become his drum signature) and “Very Well” are still classics, and lead singer Winston “Pipe” Matthews has never sounded better. This was a self-produced album, and it’s mixed impressively well. The 1997 reissue appends dub mixes for most of the songs on the original program.

Rick Anderson

Recommended by

Suggestions
Volume cover

Volume

Skindred
Pure Badness cover

Pure Badness

Gappy Ranks
Tuffer Than Stone cover

Tuffer Than Stone

The Ethiopians
Timeless cover

Timeless

Marcia Griffiths
Rumble in the Jungle, Vol. 2 cover

Rumble in the Jungle, Vol. 2

Poison Chang, Cutty Ranks
Cumbolo cover

Cumbolo

Culture
Commando Fada cover

Commando Fada

Massilia Sound System
Monty Meets Sly & Robbie cover

Monty Meets Sly & Robbie

Sly & Robbie, Robbie Shakespeare, Monty Alexander, Sly Dunbar
Helio Parallax cover

Helio Parallax

Helio Parallax
Ska 'N' B cover

Ska 'N' B

Bad Manners
Wandering Stranger cover

Wandering Stranger

Glen Washington