As ‘Prison Oval Rock’ turns 40, VP releases anniversary edition

One night back in the early 1980s, Isaiah Laing of Supreme Promotions, the promoters of Sting, kept a dance at Spanish Town Prison Oval, a stone’s throw from the Spanish Town Adult Correctional Centre.

It featured the now legendary Jamaican producer Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes’ sound system, Volcano Sound. In order to be recognised as one of the top sounds on the island, Junjo and his crew had to walk with some serious music, exclusive dubplates, ‘one-away’ specials, and an exceptional set of DJs.

Ahead of this dance, one of Jamaica’s biggest stars, Barrington Levy, had recorded something particularly special on acetate for the Volcano crew. The recording became known as Prison Oval Rock. It was famously done over by Chronixx as Spanish Town Rocking in 2016.

In a 2003 interview with The Gleaner, Laing recalled that night: “ The prisoners came out and started dancing on the roof; they were lighting newspapers, and Barrington Levy was just singing.”

Levy had fond memories of the night, too, “ Da dance deh was a huge dance over Prison Oval. Believe you me, my Lord, it shot!”

Due to popular demand, a single, and then an album of the same name, soon followed and in 1985, Prison Oval Rock was unleashed on Junjo’s Jah Guidance imprint.

To celebrate this incredible album, VP Records have dug deep in the archives to create this 40th anniversary edition, painstakingly compiling and remastering every single track plus alternative mixes, dubs and edits, totalling an epic 42 tracks. It will be released on January 25.

Produced by Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes, the album was recorded at Channel One, while Levy was backed by the Roots Radics.

Barrington Levy first burst onto the reggae scene in early 1979. Young and precocious, he was one of the first artistes to transfer the live excitement of the dancehall, both its joyous, upbeat celebrations and its sombre, brooding introspection, straight to record. Over the ensuing years, his music has continued to grow and mature, for there is no substitute for untrammelled talent, ambition and determination.

One of the few dancehall vocalists to have enjoyed real, lasting success, Barrington Levy’s long career echoes the achievements of the legendary Jamaican vocalists of the 60s and 70s, and he stands proud as a man whose popularity has always been rooted in talent and substance. His music continues to grow and mature, and the former ‘teen reggae star’ has more than earned his place in the roll call of Jamaica’s classic vocalists.