''Right Time'' is the 1976

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

debut of influential

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

band the

Mighty Diamonds The Mighty Diamonds were a Jamaican harmony trio, recording roots reggae with a strong Rastafarian influence. The group was formed in 1969 and were best known for their 1976 debut album, ''Right Time'', produced by Joseph Hoo Kim, and the 1979 ...

. The album, released by

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

after they signed the Mighty Diamonds following a search for talent in Jamaica, is critically regarded as a reggae classic, a landmark in the

roots reggae Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of Africans and those in the African Diaspora, including the spiritual side of Rastafari, black liberation, revolution and the honoring of God, called Jah ...

subgenre. Several of the album's socially conscious songs were hits in the band's native

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 ...

, with a few becoming successful in the UK underground. Influential and sometimes unconventional, the album helped secure the success of recording studio

Channel One Studios Channel One is a recording studio in Maxfield Avenue, West Kingston, Jamaica.Campbell, Howard (2014)Making magic at Channel One, ''Jamaica Observer'', 17 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014 The studio was built by the Hoo Kim brothers in 1972, and ...

, and rhythm team Sly Dunbar and

Robbie Shakespeare Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare (27 September 1953 – 8 December 2021) was a Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer, best known as half of the reggae rhythm section and production duo Sly and Robbie, with drummer Sly Dunbar. Regarded as ...

Background

The Mighty Diamonds were among the first artists signed to the Virgin record label after it entered the reggae music market. The Mighty Diamonds had been discovered by Jamaica's Channel One Studios, and when Virgin followed

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

into the Jamaican marketplace, they, too, discovered The Mighty Diamonds.Bradley, 455
Virgin's representatives set up a table at a

Sheraton Hotel Sheraton Hotels and Resorts is an international semi-luxury hotel chain owned by Marriott International. As of June 30, 2020, Sheraton operates 446 hotels with 155,617 rooms globally, including locations in North America, Africa, Asia Pacific, Cen ...

with $100,000 and, after police intervention calmed the resultant excitement, left with such artists as the Mighty Diamonds,

Prince Far I Prince Far I (23 March 1945 – 15 September 1983) was a Jamaican reggae deejay and producer, and a Rastafarian. He was known for his gruff voice and critical assessment of the Jamaican government. His track "Heavy Manners" used lyrics about ...

Johnny Clarke Johnny Clarke (born 12 January 1955) is a Jamaican reggae musician, best known for his recordings with producer Bunny Lee in the 1970s. Biography Clarke grew up in the Kingston ghetto of Whitfield Town and attended Jamaica College.Big Youth on their roster. The album, the Mighty Diamonds' record debut, was recorded at Channel One Studios in

Kingston, Jamaica Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley Inter ...

, with production by Chinese Jamaican

Joseph Hoo Kim Joseph "Jo Jo" Hoo Kim (10 December 1942 – 20 September 2018) was a Jamaican reggae record producer best known for his productions in the 1970s at his Channel One Studios. Career Born to parents of Chinese heritage, Joseph Hoo Kim grew up in ...

, whose family owned the studio. 2006's ''Caribbean Popular Music'' notes that " th the release of ...''Right Time'' in 1976, the studio came into its own."

Critical reception

The album has been critically well received. In 1976 ''Rolling Stone'' described the album as "simply one of the finest reggae LPs ever released. In 1977, it called it "the finest stateside reggae release of last year." It has come to be regarded as a reggae classic,Moskowitz, 111
a landmark in the roots reggae subgenre. The album is listed by

Pop Matters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fil ...

among the "Five Reggae Albums You Cannot Live Without", with reviewer Sean Murphy commenting that "''Right Time'' manages to combine several styles and merge them in a seamless, practically flawless whole. This, to be certain, is roots reggae, yet at times it sounds like the most accessible soul music, closer to Motown than Trenchtown."

Popular reception

At the time of the album's release, violence within the music industry in Jamaica had led to the banning of official

record charts A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

there, but according to ''Rolling Stone'', the Mighty Diamonds were the second-most popular band in the country after

Burning Spear Winston Rodney OD (born 1 March 1945), better known by the stage name Burning Spear, is a Jamaican roots reggae singer-songwriter, vocalist and musician. Burning Spear is a Rastafarian and one of the most influential and long-standing roots ...

. A number of the songs on the album were hits in Jamaica, and several of them were big in the UK underground. The title track, a "roots masterpiece" according to

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 ...

, hit big in both places, although Virgin Records lacked the foresight to release the number as a single. "Shame and Pride" was also successful in both Jamaica and the UK. Other Jamaican hits on the album include "I Need a Roof" and "Africa" ''Rolling Stone'' suggested that if charts had been permitted, "the Diamonds' brilliant singles, like 'Right Time' and 'Have Mercy,' would have been on top all last winter."

Songs

The music is succinctly described in 2000's ''World Music: The Rough Guide'' as " fine selection of sweetly harmonised vocals, militant 'rockers' rhythms and Garveyite lyrics." Although the music is sometimes unconventional, the themes are typical of reggae, focusing on what critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

encapsulates as "broken bodies" and "the exultation of oppression defied." The album has a strong spiritual base, with multiple references to Jah and repeated exhortations to proper behavior. Though several of the songs draw on ancient texts or historical events, they remain essentially oriented on the future. The song "Africa" is a relatively jaunty if wistful dream of

repatriation Repatriation is the process of returning a thing or a person to its country of origin or citizenship. The term may refer to non-human entities, such as converting a foreign currency into the currency of one's own country, as well as to the pro ...

that is more optimistic about the future return to Africa than mournful about the brutal separation from it. The "right time" referenced in the title track, the first song penned by the band itself, is the upcoming

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

, with the band envisioning public response with lyrics that reference the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

and the writings of

Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey Sr. (17 August 188710 June 1940) was a Jamaican political activist, publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator. He was the founder and first President-General of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African ...

. The latter song features a particularly tricky drum beat, which drummer Sly Dunbar recalled in 2001's ''This is Reggae Music'' evoked both skepticism and imitation: "When that tune first come out, because of that double tap on the rim nobody believe it was me on the drums, they thought it was some sort of sound effect we was using. Then when it go to number 1 and stay there, everybody started trying for that style and it soon become established." According to ''the Independent'', the entire album was "revolutionary", the breakthrough album of "masters of groove and propulsion" Dunbar and

, with "Sly's radical drumming matching the singers' insurrectionary lyrics blow-for-blow." Garvey, Jamaica's first national hero and a recurrent referent in Rastafarian music, doesn't only feature on "Right Time", but appears on several other songs on the album, establishing what would become a persistent theme in the Mighty Diamond's work. His words are utilized in "I Need a Roof", which draws together musical themes from "Right Time" and the traditional song " Ol' Man River" in a "bouncy yet moody" prayer for basic shelter, a "sufferation" classic that was penned in response to the rampant inflation in Jamaica at the time. "Them Never Love Poor Marcus" speaks directly of Garvey, castigating those who betrayed him. Other songs focus heavily on proper modes of behavior. Track "Why Me Black Brother Why" explores black on black crime in Jamaica and warns that Jah will judge. The album's British single debut, "Have Mercy", is another religious appeal to Jah, described by 1998's ''Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music'' as "perhaps" the band's "best song." "Go Seek Your Rights" intermingles the expected message of requiring righteous treatment with an appeal to living righteously. On a similar theme, "Gnashing of Teeth" is another Apocalyptic song that warns that the only salvation is righteous behavior. Even the relationship song "Shame and Pride" focuses on righteous living as its narrator tries to keep his girlfriend from self-destruction.

Track listing

All songs written by Lloyd Ferguson, Fitzroy Simpson, Donald Shaw and Joseph Hoo Kim, unless otherwise noted. #"Right Time" – 3:17 #"Why Me Black Brother Why" (author unknown) – 3:10 #"Shame and Pride" – 3:21 #"Gnashing of Teeth" – 3:07 #"Them Never Love Poor Marcus" – 2:44 #"I Need a Roof" – 2:51 #"Go Seek Your Rights" – 3:30 #"Have Mercy" – 3:19 #"Natural Natty" – 2:49 #"Africa" (Ferguson) – 3:09

Personnel

Performance

*Radcliffe "Rad" Bryan –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

Tony Chin Albert Valentine "Tony" Chin is a Jamaican guitarist, who has collaborated with many reggae musician, artists including Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs, Freddie McGregor, Bunny Wailer, Big Youth, U-Roy, Max Romeo, Don Carlos, Mikey Drea ...

– guitar *

Ansel Collins Ansel Collins is a Jamaican musician, composer, singer, songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Dave Barker as Dave and Ansel Collins. Biography Born 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica,keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

*Anthony "Benbow" Creary –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Sly Dunbar – drums *Pat "Lloyd" Ferguson –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

Vin Gordon Vin Gordon (a.k.a. Trommie, Don D. Junior or Don Drummond Jr) (born 4 August 1949) is a Jamaican trombone player. Biography Gordon grew up in Jones Town, Kingston, Jamaica as one of eight children. He went to Kingston's Catholic Alpha Boys S ...

–

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

Ossie Hibbert Oswald "Ossie" Hibbert (16 January 1951 – 1 July 2012) was a Jamaican organist, keyboard player and record producer. Biography Hibbert began to be active in Jamaican music in the mid-1970s, working as a keyboard player as part of The Professi ...

– keyboards *

Herman Marquis Herman Marquis is a Jamaican saxophone musician who has played with many reggae artists including Burning Spear. He recorded for Arthur "Duke" Reid in the 1960s and was a member of The Revolutionaries and The Upsetters in the 1970s.Barrow, Steve ...

–

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

Tommy McCook Tommy McCook (3 March 1927 – 5 May 1998) was a Jamaican saxophonist. A founding member of The Skatalites, he also directed The Supersonics for Duke Reid, and backed many sessions for Bunny Lee or with The Revolutionaries at Channel One ...

–

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

Ranchie Bertram McLean (c.1948 – 14 November 2012), also known by his nickname "Ranchie", was a Jamaican musician active between the 1970s and the 1990s, who recorded with many of Jamaica's biggest stars. Biography McLean began working as a session m ...

– bass *

– bass *Donald Shaw (aka Tabby Diamond) – vocals *Fitzroy Simpson (aka Bunny Diamond) – harmony vocals *

Sticky Sticky may refer to: People *Sticky (musician), alias of UK garage producer Richard Forbes * Sticky Fingaz or Sticky (born 1973), nickname of the US rapper and actor Kirk Jones Adhesion *Adhesion Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar ...

–

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

*Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace – drums

Production

*Ossie Hibbert –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

* Ernest Hoo Kim – engineer *

–

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

* Dennis Morris – photography *Lancelot "Maxie" McKenzie - Engineer

References

Sources

* * {{Authority control Mighty Diamonds albums 1976 debut albums Virgin Records albums