Toots and the Maytals - Funky Kingston / In the Dark (2003)

The title track, “Funky Kingston,” appears in the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game soundtrack, on the fictitious radio station K-Jah West. It also features as the opening theme for the reality show Miami Ink. It was the basis for the “Funky Vodka” track, which in turn fueled “Don’t Stop The Party.” The song can be heard in the film Notes on a Scandal where the Hart family can be seen dancing to it. The song “Time Tough” was featured on the soundtrack for Tony Hawk’s Project 8.

Funky Kingston is the name of two albums by reggae singing group Toots and the Maytals. The first was issued in Jamaica and the United Kingdom in 1972 on Dragon Records, DRLS 5002, a subsidiary label of Island Records, owned by Chris Blackwell. A different album, with the same cover and title, was issued in the United States in 1975 on Mango Records, MLPS 9330. That album peaked at #164 on the Billboard 200 and was voted the 11th best album of 1975 in the annual Pazz & Jop poll. In 2003, the American version was placed at number 378 on Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Funky Kingston acknowledged American rhythm and blues with covers of songs by Ike Turner and Shep and the Limelites, along with a reggae take on Richard Berry’s composition, “Louie Louie.” The track “Funky Kingston” came from a suggestion by producer Chris Blackwell, who noted the success of The Beginning of the End’s 1971 semi-crossover hit “Funky Nassau.”
In 1975, a revised version of the album was released in the United States. It kept only three tracks from the Jamaican album, substituting six taken from the follow-up In the Dark, adding in the 1969 “Pressure Drop” single, which had been previously issued on album with The Harder They Come.
When the music for this album was recorded at Dynamic Sound Studios in Kingston, reggae music was little known outside of its native Jamaica, other than in musical circles. The first international release by The Wailers, Catch a Fire, would not be until 1973. Awareness of reggae began to change in 1972, with the release of the seminal film The Harder They Come (1972), which became a cult hit that year in the UK, with its soundtrack featuring two numbers by the Maytals. The Maytals had been consistent hit-makers in Jamaica during the 1960s, and had even given the genre its name with their single “Do the Reggay.” As he would with the Wailers the following year, producer Chris Blackwell tailored the Maytals for the international market on this album.
Given the significant differences between the two versions of this album, critical reception varies depending on which version is being reviewed. (The AllMusic rating is based on the original Jamaican release while the review is of the US release “arguably their best album.”) The reception of the US release invariably regards it as a classic given its inclusion in several “best-of” lists. The original Rolling Stone review states that “this is the cream of their crop, with a couple of exceptions.” Funky Kingston, Toots and the Maytals’ first release to be distributed by Chris Blackwell’s Island Records label proved to be a critical triumph. Rock critic Lester Bangs, writing in Stereo Review, described the album as “perfection, the most exciting and diversified set of reggae tunes by a single artist yet released.” (from Wikipedia)
In the Dark is a ska/reggae classic that captures the Maytals in their prime, brimming with energy. In the group’s music, the positive vibrations of reggae and the deep soul of singer Frederick “Toots” Hibbert are united and elevated by a pervasive spirituality. Exuding warmth and goodwill, Toots & the Maytals seek to excise their sorrows through joyful celebration and praise. “Got to Be There” sets the mood perfectly with its jubilant roll call into heaven. Hibbert’s religious concerns are equally strong on “In the Dark,” a song directed at those lacking belief. But he continually succeeds in reaching across lines of strict faith. The emotions in the Maytals’ music always defy such boundaries. Similarly, this soulful reggae blend has the power to communicate to diverse musical tastes, reggae converts and unbelievers alike. “I’m from Jamaica / I want to do my Jamaican stuff,” sings Toots, inviting everyone to watch and listen. Backing him is a formidable rhythmic force, capable of luring anyone out onto the dancefloor. At times, the grooves are so dense with reggae’s characteristic syncopation that rhythms seem to spring forth from multiple directions. “Time Tough” layers organ stabs, chopping reggae rhythms, and tight, coiled guitar lines along with call-and-response vocals. In the Dark’s classic status may be assured from three songs alone: signature numbers “54-46 Was My Number,” “Time Tough,” and the Maytals’ rendition of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” (which sounds as if it were written for Hibbert to sing). But the Maytals hit the mark with every song on this collection. Like the best of the blues, gospel, and soul, they turn struggle into strength. When Hibbert sings “I’m so lonely / I’m so blue” on “In the Dark,” he makes the emotions seem truly addictive; if the blues felt as good as they sound here, people would have been lining up to get their dose. (Nathan Bush, AllMusic)
On March 25, 2003, Funky Kingston was released on compact disc by Universal complete in its original format, along with the Jamaican In the Dark album and the “Pressure Drop” single. “This is some of the finest music of the rocksteady era, and with improved sound over the individual album releases, a great place to start for Toots & the Maytals or the rocksteady movement in general” (Sean Westergaard, AllMusic).