Barrington Levy – Money Move

1984, Power House

One thing I love about listening to old reggae is how distinct each year sounds from the next. The styles and fashions moved at such breakneck speed that a seasoned listener can often pin down an unfamiliar record to the exact year. Some years are especially distinct – 1984, 1986 and 1987 are years that I can usually clock instantly. And “Money Move” by Barrington Levy is the definitive 1984 record. No other album shows the ’84 sound better. The defining feature of 1984 reggae is that it’s quiet. This was the last year where organic rubadub stood king pre-Sleng Teng, and evidently people were sick and tired of the ‘heavier-than-lead’ Roots Radics style that dominated 1981-1983. Records like “How The West Was Won” by Toyan, “Gunshot” by Anthony Johnson and “Willie Red” by Louie Lepkie gave way to records like “Que Dem” by Charlie Chaplin (produced by George Phang), “Lick Shot” by Michael Palmer (produced by George Phang), and of course, “Money Move” by Barrington Levy (produced by one George Phang). I think there is a pattern here that might help us uncover why certain years of reggae are so easily identifiable…!

A few dozen timeless dancehall records were added to George Phang’s list of achievements in the 80s, and this is one of the earlier products, full of his iconic style. Compared to the early 80s, riddims are played slightly faster, bass is mixed lower, plinky plonky guitar licks are mixed much higher, skanks come back in a loose kind of fashion, and more attention is paid to the little details and glistens and polishes that elevate a dry cut of a riddim into something more memorable, something with more character. It’s less ‘barebones’, less ‘hardcore’, less ‘raw’, but more ‘cozy’, more ‘intricate’, and more like your daughter’s dollhouse with pink ponies.

Money Move is the highlight for this record. Barrington Levy’s voice lends itself well to anthems, which is why nobody mentions anything else when talking about him – and this is an anthem tune. It’s instantly recognisable, 100% George Phang, and 200% Barrington Levy because his voice is dubbed over itself. When you hear Barrington Levy belt out “MONEY MOOOOOOVE” you also hear Barrington Levy belting out “MONEY MOOOOOVE”. Sometimes in unison, sometimes not. Sometimes it’s harmony, sometimes countermelody. Sometimes one of the Barringtons does a ‘zeen’, which is what I usually like to call ‘paying tax to Dennis Brown’, but if anyone can lay a secondary claim to the ‘zeen’ then it’s Barrington Levy. If that isn’t too much upon his claims to ‘ziddly bop’ and ‘woah-oh-oh’ down the minor arpeggio.

Fig. 1 – Every Barrington Levy song

I don’t have much else to say about the rest of this album. George Phang albums are among the most consistent from start to finish – if you like any of the cuts on this set then you will like all of them. As it happens, this is another trait of old reggae albums that makes me love this genre over any other. In any case, most of this album is just more of the same concept with different lyrics and riddims. Come In A Dance is the most ‘dancehall’ of the set, showing us the difference between ‘singing that could in theory be transplanted to roots reggae’ and ‘dancehall inna singing stylee’. Suffer The Little Children is a beautiful closer, and any musos in my webzone would be advised to pay attention to how the snare does this, and how much infinite drive it generates:

Reggae producers (and artists, I presume) always seem to have impeccable sense of what kind of riddims to build for the religious tunes in albums that otherwise lean secular. See also Chant by Joseph Cotton on “Talk Of The Town” and Humble Lion Prayer by Ranking Dread on “Lots Of Loving”.

My picks: Money Move, Come In A Dance, Suffer The Little Children
Bim count: 0