Best Dressed Chicken in Town is the debut album by Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

n deejay

Deejay

A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...

 Dr. Alimantado. It was first released in 1978 , and collects many of his self-produced singles from 1972 to 1977, employing the engineering talents of Lee "Scratch" Perry, King Tubby

King Tubby

King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...

, and Scientist

Scientist (musician)

Scientist, born Hopeton Brown in Kingston, Jamaica, 1960 , was a protégé of King Tubby , one of the originators of dub music.-Biography:...

. It was the first album released by Greensleeves Records

Greensleeves Records

Greensleeves Records & Publishing is a record label specialising in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick and started as a small record store in West Ealing, London, in November 1975 and is based in Britain....

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

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...

 in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

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

Horace Andy

Horace Andy is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "Angel", "Five Man Army" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine"....

'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

John Holt (singer)

John Holt is a reggae singer and songwriter.-Biography:Holt was born in Kingston in 1947. By the age of 12, he was a regular entrant in talent contests run at Jamaican theatres by Vere Johns...

's "Ali Baba" ("I Killed the Barber"), and Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Isaacs

Gregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....

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

The Independent

The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...

as "one of the finest albums from reggae's golden age".

Release history

The album was originally issued in 1978 on Greensleeves and on the Barclay label. 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.

Original album release

1. "Best Dressed Chicken in Town" engineer - Upsetter
2. "Just The Other Day" vocals - Droopy; engineer - King Tubby
   King Tubby
   King Tubby was a Jamaican electronics and sound engineer, known primarily for his influence on the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s...
   
   
3. "Poison Flour" vocals - Horace Andy
   Horace Andy
   Horace Andy is a roots reggae songwriter and singer, known for his distinctive vocals and hit songs such as "Government Land", "Angel", "Five Man Army" and a cover version of "Ain't No Sunshine"....
   
   ; engineer - Philip Smart
4. "Gimmie Mi Gun" vocals - Gregory Isaacs
   Gregory Isaacs
   Gregory Anthony Isaacs was a Jamaican reggae musician. Milo Miles, writing in the New York Times, described Isaacs as "the most exquisite vocalist in reggae". His nicknames include Cool Ruler and Lonely Lover....
   
   ; engineer - Lancelot "Maxie" McKenzie
5. "I Killed The Barber" vocals - Jackie Edwards; engineer - Philip Smart
6. "Unitone Skank" vocals - Gregory Isaacs; engineer - Pat Kelly
7. "Can't Conquer Natty Dreadlocks" engineer - Upsetter
8. "Ride On" vocals - Jah Woosh
   Jah Woosh
   Neville Beckford , better known as Jah Woosh was a Jamaican reggae deejay and record producer, primarily known for his work in the 1970s.-Biography:...
   
   , Jimmy Radwell; engineer - Upsetter
9. "Plead I Cause" engineer - King Tubby
10. "I Shall Fear No Evil" engineer - Philip Smart

1987 Keyman/2001 Greensleeves releases

1. "Best Dressed Chicken in Town"
2. "Just The Other Day"
3. "Poison Flour"
4. "Gimmie Mi Gun"
5. "I Killed The Barber"
6. "Ital Galore" engineer - King Tubby
7. "I am the Greatest Says Muhammad Ali
   Muhammad Ali
   Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
   
   " engineer - Upsetter
8. "Johnny Was a Baker" engineer - Augustus "Gussie" Clarke
9. "Tribute to the Duke
   Duke Reid
   Treasure Isle re-directs here. For the game, see Treasure Isle .Arthur "Duke" Reid, CD was a Jamaican record producer, DJ and label owner....
   
   "
10. "Unitone Skank"
11. "Can't Conquer Natty Dreadlocks"
12. "Ride On"
13. "Plead I Cause"
14. "I Shall Fear No Evil"

2007 Greensleeves 30th anniversary release

1. "Best Dressed Chicken in Town"
2. "Just The Other Day"
3. "Poison Flour"
4. "Gimmie Mi Gun"
5. "I Killed The Barber"
6. "Unitone Skank"
7. "Can't Conquer Natty Dreadlocks"
8. "Ride On"
9. "Plead I Cause"
10. "I Shall Fear No Evil"
11. "Ital Galore"
12. "I am the Greatest Says Muhammad Ali"
13. "Johnny Was a Baker"
14. "Tribute to the Duke"