Shook, Shimmy & Shake: The Anthology

• Artist: Owen Gray
• Rating:
• Release Date: August 10, 2004
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Reggae

Review

A prolific reggae vocalist who began recording singles in the late '50s and continued doing so for decades, Owen Gray finally got a thorough anthologization in 2004 when Trojan/Sanctuary released the long-overdue Shook, Shimmy & Shake. The double-disc, 50-song anthology is a wide-ranging reflection of the singer's best output. Gray began as a Bluebeat singer and later drifted toward traditional reggae à la Jimmy Cliff, passing through ska, rocksteady, and roots reggae phases along the way. This evolution slowly takes shape across the 20-year span documented here, with some insightful and invaluable liner notes by Michael de Koningh to shed light on that multifaceted evolution. While most every song here is of high quality, there are a few particularly novel inclusions, perhaps the most curious one being Gray's Chris Blackwell-produced cover of the Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice" (imagine that -- Exile on Main St. à la rocksteady!). Granted, this isn't the entire encapsulation of the high points of Gray's long, fruitful career. He did continue recording into the '80s and '90s (this anthology spans 1959-1978), most notably recording a cover of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" for Pama in 1982, but it's questionable whether those especially latter-day recordings are high points per se. And yes, there some real gems missing here, given the bottomless well of songs Gray recorded over the decades for various labels. In any event, however, Shook, Shimmy & Shake is a treasure trove, not only of Gray's mostly out of print recording career but also of excellent Bluebeat, rocksteady, and roots reggae music. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

Tracks

CD 1

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Please Don't Let Me Go	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:49)
Jenny Lee	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:24)
I Feel Good	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:39)
Cutest Little Woman	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:18)
Darling Patricia	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:54)
Midnight Track	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:27)
She's Gone to Napoli		Owen Gray	(2:34)
Girl I Want You	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:52)
Gonna Work Out Fine	James Lee, Joe Seneca	Owen Gray	(2:37)
Shook Shimmy and Shake	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:55)
You Don't Know Like I Know	Isaac Hayes, David Porter	Owen Gray, The Sound System	(2:21)
Help Me	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:56)
Incense		Owen Gray	(2:22)
I'm So Lonely		Owen Gray	(2:45)
Always		Owen Gray, Clancy Collins	(2:47)
Sitting in the Park	Billy Stewart	Owen Gray	(5:23)
Answer Me, My Love	Carl Sigman, Gerhard Winkler	Owen Gray	(2:53)
I Can't Stop Loving You	Don Gibson	Owen Gray	(4:44)
Reggae Dance	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:44)
Seven Lonely Days		Owen Gray	(3:10)
(Too) Experienced		Owen Gray	(3:28)
I Really Love You Baby		Owen Gray	(2:18)
It's You I Love		Owen Gray	(2:22)
No More	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:50)
Please Don't Take Your Love Away		Owen Gray	(2:33)

CD 2

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Tumbling Dice	Mick Jagger, Keith Richards	Owen Gray	(3:08)
You Poured Sugar On Me	Bob Marley	Owen Gray	(3:11)
Guava Jelly	Bob Marley	Owen Gray	(3:00)
Bongo Natty	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(3:44)
Let Jah Arise	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:23)
Free Up Jah Jah Children	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:39)
(Stop) Fussing and Fighting	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:32)
Give a Helping Hand	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(3:35)
I Think of You		Owen Gray	(3:46)
Ribdedim Bam	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:56)
(What A) Blazing Fire	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:31)
Lonely People	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:11)
I Say Super Jaws	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(3:44)
(Hear) The Children a Cry	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(3:01)
(I Love You For) Sentimental Reasons		Owen Gray	(3:08)
I Man Nuh Run	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:38)
Natty Children (aka Rasta Children)	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:43)
Candida	Irwin Levine	Owen Gray	(3:04)
(Gimme Gimme) Some Helping Up	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(3:41)
Ain't Got No Money	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:59)
Fire in a Trenchtown	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:49)
Turning Point	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(3:28)
When I Need You	Carole Bayer Sager	Owen Gray	(3:58)
Give the Children Food	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(2:57)
The Greatest Love of All	Owen Gray	Owen Gray	(3:23)

Credits

John Reed (Executive Coordinator), Robert "Dandy" Thompson (Producer), Charlie Moo (Producer), Nick Bourne (Coordination), Dave Bloxham (Producer), Denny Cordell (Producer), Eddie Airey (Producer), Clancy Collins (Producer), Simeon L. Smith (Producer), Michael DeKoningh (Liner Notes), Alton Ellis (Producer), Denny Cordell (Audio Production), Laurence Cane-Honeysett (Compilation), Guy Stevens (Producer), Robert Thompson (Audio Production), Junior Lincoln (Producer), David Heath Hadfield (Producer), Owen Gray (Producer), Owen Gray (Audio Production), Leslie Kong (Audio Production), Chris Blackwell (Producer), Laurel Aitken (Producer), Chris Blackwell (Audio Production), Bunny Lee (Producer), Laurence Cane-Honeysett (Compilation Producer), Laurence Cane-Honeysett (Creative Coordinator), Clement Bushay (Producer), Leslie Kong (Producer)