Ska Non Stop: Top Deck, Vol. 8

• Artist: Various Artists
• Rating:
• Release Date: November 10, 1998
• Type: Collection (various artists)
• Genre: Reggae

Review

The last of the outtakes and unissued masters from Justin Yap's early-'60s productions are showcased on this mop-up volume in the Top Sounds from Top Deck series. Opening with Roland Alphonso and Joshua Rosen's "Step Down," we move on through an alternate mix of the Jetts' "Someone," and a second take of Alphonso's "Tough Talk" (one of the most familiar pieces here) and "Non-Stop." Both the Jetts' track and the Angelic Brothers' "My Sunshine" (in a lighter mix) are dubbed down from less-than-perfect vinyl sources (decidedly so in the case of the latter track); that fact, along with the sometimes subtle differences in what is here in contrast to the "official" versions, points up the inherent problem with this CD -- that this disc is really intended for the hardcore completist. That said, however, there is nothing here that the neophyte listener would lose by absorbing, and no reason why, alternate take or not, someone should hear Jackie Opel's "Tears from My Eyes" or Alphonso's "Live Desire" (or yet another alternate of "Tough Talk"). So this CD can be taken in any of several ways that make it useful, if not quite as important to most of us as its makers may have intended. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Step Down [High Riff]	Justin Yap	Roland Alphonso, Joshua Rosen	(2:25)
Someone		The Jetts	(2:26)
Tough Talk [Take 2]	Wayne Henderson, Joe Sample, Stix Hooper	Roland Alphonso	(2:34)
My Sunshine [Lighter Mix]	Justin Yap	Angelic Brothers	(3:01)
Non-Stop [Alternate Mix]	Justin Yap	Roland Alphonso	(2:58)
Hungary Man			(1:59)
Red Is Danger [Take 2]	Justin Yap	Johnny "Dizzy" Moore	(2:48)
I Love You [Take 1]		The Avalons	(2:23)
Determination [Take 5]	Justin Yap	Roland Alphonso	(2:46)
Tears from My Eyes [Take 2]		Jackie Opel	(2:54)
Live Desire [Bone Version]		Roland Alphonso, Joshua Rosen	(2:26)
Fresh out of Love [Take 1]	Justin Yap	The Jetts	(2:08)
Tough Talk [Take 3]	Wayne Henderson, Joe Sample, Stix Hooper	Roland Alphonso	(2:25)
Determination [Take 4]	Justin Yap	Roland Alphonso	(2:53)

Credits

Roland Alphonso (Performer), Johnny "Dizzy" Moore (Performer), Jackie Opel (Performer), Tony Rounce (Executive Producer), Tony Rounce (Reissue Producer), Tony Rounce (Compilation), Tony Rounce (Annotation), Jon Storey (Package Design), Jon Storey (Series Design), Nick Watson (Reissue Producer), Nick Watson (Remastering), Justin Yap (Photography), Bob Brooks (Executive Producer), Bob Brooks (Photography), Chris Child (Photography), Angelic Brothers (Performer), The Avalons (Performer), Joshua Rosen (Performer)