Pick Up the Pieces is the debut album from Jamaican roots reggae

Roots reggae

Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...

 group The Royals

The Royals (group)

The Royals were a Jamaican roots reggae vocal group formed in 1964 by Roy Cousins. They continued to record, with a varying line-up until the mid-1980s.-History:...

, collecting recordings made between 1973 and 1977, and produced by Royals lead vocalist and only constant member Roy Cousins

Roy Cousins

Roy Cousins is a reggae singer, producer, and record label owner, known for his work as leader of The Royals, his productions of artists such as Charlie Chaplin, Prince Far I, and Cornell Campbell, and his record labels such as Tamoki Wambesi.-Biography:Cousins worked for the Jamaican Post Office...

. Musicians on the album include members of The Wailers, Soul Syndicate

Soul Syndicate

Soul Syndicate, originally called the Rhythm Raiders, were one of the top reggae session bands in Jamaica from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s.-History:...

, The In Crowd

The In Crowd (reggae band)

The In Crowd were a popular Jamaican reggae showband of the late 1970s. Led by Fil Callender , the band also included Errol Walker , Clevie Browne , Tony Lewis , Freddie Butler , and Wigmore Francis . The band also featured a horn section of Egbert Evans and Barry Bailey...

, and the Now Generation. The album was later licenced to United Artists

United Artists

United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....

 subsidiary Ballistic Records, and was reissued in an expanded form in 2002 by Pressure Sounds

Pressure Sounds

Pressure Sounds is a British record label, specializing in releasing reggae music. It is run by Pete Holdsworth although Adrian Sherwood was involved at the inception of the imprint...

. The songs on the album have been described as "some of the most musically sublime expressions of Rastafarian faith and the hardships of ghetto living Jamaica has produced".

Original Magnum (1977) and Ballistic (1978) releases

1. "Pick Up The Pieces"
2. "Ghetto Man"
3. "Jah Jah Knows"
4. "Sufferer Of The Ghetto"
5. "If I Were You"
6. "If You Want Good"
7. "When You Are Wrong"
8. "Promised Land"
9. "Only For A Time"
10. "Blacker Black"
11. "Peace And Love"

1980s Tamoki Wambesi release

1. "Pick Up The Pieces"
2. "Ghetto Man"
3. "Jah Jah Knows"
4. "Sufferer Of The Ghetto"
5. "If I Were You"
6. "If You Want Good"
7. "When You Are Wrong"
8. "Promised Land"
9. "Only For A Time"
10. "Blacker Black"
11. "Peace And Love"
12. "Facts Of Life"

2002 Pressure Sounds CD release

1. "Pick Up The Pieces"
2. "Ghetto Man"
3. "Heart In Pain"
4. "Only Jah Knows"
5. "Sufferer Of The Ghetto"
6. "If I Were You"
7. "When You Are Wrong (Version 1)"
8. "When You Are Wrong (Version 2)"
9. "Promised Land"
10. "Message"
11. "Only For A Time"
12. "Genuine Way"
13. "Blacker Black"
14. "Peace And Love"
15. "Facts Of Life"
16. "If You Want Good"
17. "Make Believe (Version 1)"
18. "Make Believe (Version 2)"
19. "Leave Out Of Babylon"
20. "Down Comes The Rain"

Personnel

• Engineer: Sid Bucknor, 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...
  
  , Errol Thompson, Ernest Hoo Kim, Dennis Thompson, Karl Pitterson
  Karl Pitterson
  Karl Pitterson is a Jamaican record producer and sound engineer.Pitterson began his career in the early 1970s as house engineer with such legendary Jamaican studios as Dynamics, Federal, Randy's, Studio One, Treasure Isle and Aquarius...
  
  , Carlton Lee

• Vocals: Roy Cousins, Errol Wilson, Keith Smith, Berthram Johnson
• Drums: Anthony "Ben Bow" Creary, Phil Callendar, Carlton "Santa" Davis, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace
• Bass: Earl "Bagga" Walker, Robbie Shakespeare, Bertram Johnson, Aston Barrett
  Aston Barrett
  Aston Barrett , often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a Jamaican bass player and Rastafarian.-Biography:...
  
  , George "Fully" Fullwood
• Guitar: Geoffrey Chung
  Geoffrey Chung
  Geoffrey Chung was a Jamaican musician, recording engineer, and record producer.-Biography:Chung was born in 1950 in Kingston, Jamaica...
  
  , Noel "Sewell" Bailey, Lynford "Hux" Brown, Ernest Ranglin
  Ernest Ranglin
  Ernest Ranglin O.D. is a Jamaican guitarist and composer. Best known for his session work at the famed Studio One, Ranglin helped give birth to the ska genre in the late 1950s...
  
  , Ranchie McLean, Albert Griffiths
  Albert Griffiths
  Albert Griffiths may refer to:*Albert Griffiths, Australian boxer, better known as Young Griffo*Albert Griffiths , ASLEF General Secretary 1964–70*Alberth Griffiths , Jamaican singer, founder of The Gladiators...
  
  , Gits, Earl "Chinna" Smith
• Piano: Robert Lynn
  Robert Lynn
  Sir Robert John Lynn was an Ulster Unionist Party politician.He was elected at the Member of Parliament for Belfast Woodvale from 1918 general election to 1922, and when that constituency was abolished for the 1922 general election he was returned for Belfast West, holding the seat until he stood...
  
  , Lloyd Charmers
  Lloyd Charmers
  Lloyd Charmers is a ska and reggae singer, keyboard player and record producer.-Career:...
  
  , Pablove Black
  Pablove Black
  Pablove Black is a Jamaican reggae musician , arranger, composer, bandleader, vocalist and producer.-Biography:...
  
  , Bobby Kalphat, Gladstone Anderson
  Gladstone Anderson
  Gladstone Anderson , also known by his nickname "Gladdy", is a Jamaican pianist, keyboard player, and singer, who has played a major part in the island's musical history, playing a key role in defining the ska sound and the rocksteady beat, and playing on hundreds of recordings as a session...
  
  , Bernard "Touter" Harvey
• Organ: Ossie Hibbert
  Ossie Hibbert
  Oswald "Ossie" Hibbert is 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 Professionals, The Aggrovators and The Revolutionaries, and playing on dozens of albums by...
  
  , Ansel Collins, Earl "Wire" Lindo
  Earl Lindo
  Earl "Wire" Lindo, b. 7 January 1953 is a Jamaican reggae musician. He is a member of The Wailers and has collaborated with numerous reggae artists including Burning Spear.-Biography:...
  
  , Winston Wright
• Horns: Vin Gordon
  Vin Gordon
  Vin Gordon 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 School where he learned to play trombone and string bass. One of his tutors was Lennie Hibbert...
  
  , Tommy McCook
  Tommy McCook
  Tommy McCook 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 Studios in the 1970s.-Biography:McCook was born in Havana, Cuba, and moved to Jamaica in...
  
  , Bobby Ellis
  Bobby Ellis
  Bobby Ellis born 2 July 1932, is a Jamaican trumpet player. He has worked with many reggae artists including Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, and The Revolutionaries.-Biography:...
  
  , Richard "Dirty Harry" Hall, Herman Marquis
  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...
  
  

External links

• Pressure Sounds page on the 2002 reissue
• Review from Reggae-reviews.com