''Best Dressed Chicken in Town'' is the debut album by

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

deejay A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...

Dr. Alimantado Dr Alimantado (born Winston James Thompson; 1952 in Kingston, Jamaica), also known as ''The Ital Surgeon'', is a Jamaican reggae singer, DJ, and producer.Moskowitz, David V. (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, ...

. It was first released in 1978, and collects many of his self-produced singles from 1972 to 1978 , employing the engineering talents of

Lee "Scratch" Perry Lee "Scratch" Perry (born Rainford Hugh Perry; 20 March 1936 – 29 August 2021) was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development o ...

King Tubby Osbourne Ruddock (28 January 1941 – 6 February 1989), better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who greatly influenced the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s. Tubby's innovative studio work, which saw him elevate the ...

, and

Scientist A scientist is a person who conducts Scientific method, scientific research to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, ...

.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (1999) "Reggae: 100 Essential CDs", Rough Guides, Cook, Stephen " ''Best Dressed Chicken in Town'' Review, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'', Macrovision Corporation It was the first album released by

Greensleeves Records Greensleeves Records & Publishing, shortened to ''Greensleeves Records'', is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records star ...

, and found favour with followers of both reggae and punk rock in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

. The album employed several major hits as the basis for the tracks, including

Horace Andy Horace Andy (born Horace Hinds, 19 February 1951) is a Jamaican roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", as well as "Angel", "Spying Glass" and "Five Man Army" with English tri ...

's versions of "Ain't No Sunshine" (on the title track) and "A Quiet Place" ("Poison Flour" and "I Shall Fear No Evil"), John Holt's "Ali Baba" ("I Killed the Barber"), and

Gregory Isaacs Gregory Anthony Isaacs OD (15 July 1951 – 25 October 2010)Thompson, p. 127. was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in ''The New York Times'', described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae".Miles, Milo (1992),RECORDI ...

' "Thief a Man" (on "Gimmie Mi Gun") and "My Religion" ("Unitone Skank"). The album was described by ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' as "one of the finest albums from reggae's golden age".Birrell, Ian (2005)
CULT CLASSICS: 4: 'Best Dressed Chicken in Town'
, ''

, May 6, 2005, retrieved 2 November 2008 The front cover photography is credited to D.K. James and the back cover artwork and photography to David Hendley.

Release history

The album was originally issued in 1978 on Greensleeves and on the Barclay label.''Best Dressed Chicken in Town''
, ''Roots Archives'' The album was reissued on Alimantado's own ''Keyman'' label on vinyl and CD in 1987, with extra tracks from that era, and reissued in 2001 by Greensleeves as part of their reissue programme of classic albums. In 2007 the album was reissued again to mark Greensleeves' 30th anniversary.

Track listing

All tracks composed and arranged by Winston Thompson

Original album release

# "Best Dressed Chicken in Town" engineer - Upsetter at Black Ark, 1974 # "Just The Other Day" vocals - Droopy; engineer -

at King Tubby's, 1973 # "Poison Flour" vocals -

; engineer - Philip Smart at King Tubby's, 1975 # "Gimmie Mi Gun" vocals -

; engineer - Lancelot "Maxie" McKenzie at Channel One, 1976 # "I Killed The Barber" vocals - Jackie Edwards; engineer - Philip Smart at King Tubby's, 1975 # "Unitone Skank" vocals - Gregory Isaacs; engineer - Pat Kelly at Randy's, 1976 # "Can't Conquer Natty Dreadlocks" engineer - Upsetter at Black Ark, 1974 # "Ride On" vocals -

Jah Woosh Neville Beckford (1952 – 21 February 2011), better known as Jah Woosh, was a Jamaican reggae deejay and record producer, primarily known for his work in the 1970s. Biography Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Beckford served an apprenticeship as a m ...

and Jimmy Radwell; engineer - Upsetter at Black Ark, 1973 # "Plead I Cause" engineer - King Tubby at King Tubby's, 1973 # "I Shall Fear No Evil" engineer - Philip Smart at King Tubby's, 1975

1987 Keyman/2001 Greensleeves releases

# "Best Dressed Chicken in Town" # "Just The Other Day" # "Poison Flour" # "Gimmie Mi Gun" # "I Killed The Barber" # "Ital Galore" engineer - King Tubby # "I am the Greatest Says

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

" engineer - Upsetter # "Johnny Was a Baker" engineer -

Augustus "Gussie" Clarke Augustus "Gussie" Clarke (born 1954) is a reggae producer who worked with some of the top Jamaican reggae artists in the 1970s and later set up his own Music Works studio. Career Clarke started working in the music industry by cutting dub plat ...

# "Tribute to the Duke" # "Unitone Skank" # "Can't Conquer Natty Dreadlocks" # "Ride On" # "Plead I Cause" # "I Shall Fear No Evil"

2007 Greensleeves 30th anniversary release

# "Best Dressed Chicken in Town" # "Just The Other Day" # "Poison Flour" # "Gimmie Mi Gun" # "I Killed The Barber" # "Unitone Skank" # "Can't Conquer Natty Dreadlocks" # "Ride On" # "Plead I Cause" # "I Shall Fear No Evil" # "Ital Galore" # "I am the Greatest Says Muhammad Ali" # "Johnny Was a Baker" # "Tribute to the Duke"

References

{{Authority control 1978 compilation albums Dr Alimantado albums Reggae compilation albums Greensleeves Records albums