AMG Review of Linval Thompson Anthology: Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks

Wade Kergan
All Music Guide

Linval Thompson gets a massive retrospective courtesy of Trojan with Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks, collecting 47 tracks from his strongest years as a writer and vocalist, 1975 to 1981. It also gives a window into Linval's early production work that started in 1978 and would eclipse his singing in the '80s, making him one of the most successful producers of the dawning dancehall era. In fact, all but 11 of the tracks here bear Thompson's mark as both producer and singer, with the cuts prior to 1978 being helmed by his mentor, Bunny Lee. While on the subject of just how involved he was in the music process, with the exception of a few covers, including a touristy version of Barbara Lynn's "You'll Lose a Good Thing," everything on Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks was written by Thompson. None of this really registers the "wow" or "amazing" that it should until hearing Thompson's honeyed voice attack "Ride On (Natty Dreadlocks)," "Money, Money," "Children of the Ghetto," and dozens of other passionate, militant, and fully realized tracks that this singer graced with an auteur touch. A little of Thompson's Rasta militancy goes a long way, and it can be a little tiring listening to track after track outside of the single format that many of these numbers were made for. Ten dub tracks are included as well, and while they are sequenced after their vocal counterparts (in the tradition of discomixes and showcase albums), track separation makes them less than seamless. Thankfully, landmark King Tubby dubs like "Jamaican Colley Version" retain all of their power. Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks isn't the place to start with Linval Thompson -- that honor falls to Blood & Fire's immaculate Ride On Dreadlocks, which helped bring attention to his overlooked roots material in the first place -- but its thoroughness makes it nearly an equal.