Cool Ruler is a 1978 studio album by Gregory Isaacs, his first released on the Virgin Records subsidiary Front Line. The Jamaican release was on Isaacs' African Museum imprint. The album was produced by Isaacs and mixed by Lancelot "Maxie" McKenzie at Channel One Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. Of the tracks on the album, "Let's Dance" had previously been released as a single.[2] Some of the tracks on the album are considered among the best ever recorded by Isaacs, although the album failed to give him the international breakthrough that had been anticipated.[2][3] The album title did, however, endure as Isaacs' nickname.[4] "John Public" was also released as a single.[2] The album formed the basis of the dub album Slum in Dub, released the same year. Cool Ruler was reissued on compact disc by Virgin in 2000.

Cool Ruler
Studio album by
Released1978
Recorded1978
StudioChannel One Studios, Kingston, Jamaica
GenreReggae
LabelFront Line (UK)/African Museum (JA)
ProducerGregory Isaacs
Gregory Isaacs chronology
Mr. Isaacs
(1977)
Cool Ruler
(1978)
Soon Forward
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Track listing

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All tracks by Gregory Isaacs except where noted

  1. "Native Woman" – 3:02
  2. "John Public" – 3:06
  3. "Party in the Slum" – 3:26
  4. "Uncle Joe" – 3:50
  5. "World of the Farmer" – 4:08
  6. "One More Time" – 3:14
  7. "Let's Dance" (John Holt) – 2:56
  8. "Don't Pity Me" – 2:22
  9. "Created by the Father" (Dennis Brown) – 2:31
  10. "Raving Tonight" – 3:57

Personnel

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Technical
  • Lancelot "Maxie" McKenzie - engineer
  • Armet Francis - sleeve
  • Dave Hendley - photography

References

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  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ a b c Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p.130
  3. ^ Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) The Rough Guide to Reggae, 3rd edn., Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-329-4, p.198
  4. ^ Larkin, Colin (1998) The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, Virgin Books, ISBN 0-7535-0242-9, p.136