Studio One Disco Mix (2004) – Various Artists
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I want to talk to you about “Ain’t Gonna Change My Mind” by Doreen Schaeffer, featured on this excellent Soul Jazz compilation. I first heard this in a version of soul and disco queen Loleatta Holloway (in fact the track was originally recorded by Tyrone Davis in 1968.); in her version it’s called “Can I Change My Mind”. It is featured on the crappy sounding but nevertheless great comp Cry to Me: Golden Classics of the 70s, 14 tracks Loleatta Holloway cut for Georgia r&b and soul Aware Records [run by gangster Mike Thevis] between 1971 and 1975. It came out on the cheapo Collectables label in 1992.

There is a very intimate connection between soul music and reggae. In the sixties and seventies of the 20th century, reggae producers and record shop owners made regular trips to the south and east of the United States.

Two more compilation albums in a similar vein are Nice Up the Dance-Studio One Discomixes and Studio One Showcase, Vol. 1. And on the last one I mentioned is the same song again, the one I know by Loleatta Holloway and Doreen Schaeffer, now sung by Alton Ellie, and it’s called “Can I Change My Mind”.

And here are the lyrics:

Aww, she didn’t bat an eye
As I packed my bags to leave
I thought she would start to cry
Or sit around my room and grieve
But y’all, the girl, she fooled me this time
She acted like I was the last thing on her mind
I would like to start all over again

Baby, can I change my mind
I just wanna change my mind
Baby, let me change my mind
As I took those steps
Toward that open door
Knowing all the time
Oh, Lord, I just didn’t wanna go
But she didn’t give me no sign
Nothing that would make me change my mind
I would like to start all over again

Baby, can I change my mind
Please, please, please, baby
I just wanna change my mind

Oh, I played my games
Many times before
But peoples, let me tell y’all
Oh, I never reached the door
But ooh, the winds howl tonight
I keep lookin’ back but my baby’s nowhere in sight
I would like to start all over again

Baby, can I change my mind Please, please, please, baby Baby, let me change my mind [fade]

See also: Studio One

I Am the Upsetter: The Story of Lee “Scratch” Perry: Golden Years (2005) – Lee “Scratch” Perry
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This came out in 2005, it is the first important Perry compilation since the 1997 Arkology box set. It is chronologically ordered and features singles that were previously only available on very hard-to-find and expensive vinyl originals.

For the first time ever Lee Perry’s golden years – from his groundbreaking 1968 single “I Am The Upsetter” to the final tracks that emerged from his fabled Black Ark studio – are documented, in this lavishly illustrated four disc set. Three of the discs focus on productions from 1968 to 1971, from 1972 to 1974, and 1975 to 1978 with the fourth disc focusing on dub and instrumental recordings from 1974 to 1978. Each disc features the top tunes from that period and include little known gems that have previously been the preserve of the serious collector. 88 tracks in all from such artists as U Roy, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Max Romero, Augustus Pablo, Dillinger, The Mighty Diamonds, and many more. –from the publisher