Big Audio Dynamite: Tighten Up Vol. 88

Big Audio Dynamite: Tighten Up Vol. 88

1988

CBS Records

Format I Own it on: Compact Disc

Track Listing: 1. Rock Non Stop (All Night Long)  2. Other 99  3. Funny Names  4. Applecart  5. Esquerita  6. Champagne  7. Mr. Walker Said  8. The Battle of All Saints Road"  9. Hip, Neck & Thigh  10. 2000 Shoes  11. Tighten Up, Vol. 88  12.  Just Play Music!


Big Audio Dynamite's 3rd album. Released in 1988, and named after a series of legendary reggae compilations released by Trojan in the 70's, that usually featured scantily clad (or unclad, I should say) girls....

The cover of B.A.D's "Tighten Up" doesn't have a naked chick on it, but it does have a cool painting of a blues party, done by Paul Simonon of the Clash...



 I've always kind of seen this album as a bit of a step down from the previous two albums...They go for more of a straightforward pop sound, but they sacrifice some of their depth in the process...So we get a few good to great pop songs, a couple of outright forgettable ones, and a few songs that are absolutely brilliant...

Things start off promising enough with the fine party starter  "Rock Non Stop (All Night Long)" and the "Other 99" is another great pop single that I'm kind of surprised we haven't seen pop again as some sort of "Occupy" anthem or something... but the third track  "Funny Names" is one of the first truly weak Big Audio Dynamite songs in their catalog...I like Mick's guitar line during the chorus, and the message is good,  but  ultimately it's too unremarkable and the lyrics too simple...Contrast this with "A Party" from "This Is Big Audio Dynamite" and you'll see what I mean...and "Champagne" really gets on my nerves...

The disco single "Just Play Music" even seems to reference the album's lightlight quality:

"You don't need to be profound,
In fact don't speak,
just play that soiund,
just play music..." 

On the other hand, there's the epic "Battle of All Saint's Road." This is really one of their most ambitious and greatest tracks...They recast the Battle of New Orleans with rockers and rastas, with both sides eventually taking on the police, and then covers the aftermath of the battle, where the landscape has inevitably been taken over by McDonald's and hotels...It all ends with a showdown between a toasting  Don Letts  and a dueling banjo...Holy shit,  I love this song...

All in all, a pretty enjoyable party record, It's not as great as the first two, but what can you do? Just Play Music, I guess ...

So let's grab some Red Stripe...Although the guy on the cover doesn't look like he's drinking a Red Stripe...It  appears to be a clear bottle with yellow liquid in it...Maybe it's a Miller Highlife...

..or a tall, refreshing Ginger Ale...

But in "The Battle of All Saint's Road" they clearly namedrop Red Stripe, so I'm going to go with that... So yea, let's grab a Red Stripe, put on "Tighten up Vol. 88"  and party to "The Battle of All Saint's Road" by Big Audio Dynamite...Cheers....