Although they are generally regarded as lightweight purveyors of orchestrated
reggae-pop, Britain's
Greyhound had moments of being something more, particularly on the
Stax-meets-Jamaica instrumentals
"Floating," "Funky Jamaica," and
"Judgement Rock," all of which are included in this collection from
Trojan, which is essentially their lone album, plus a few extra tracks. That
Southern soul edge surfaces from time to time in these cuts, indicating what this band might have been, but
Greyhound's bread and butter was in mainstreaming
pop covers with big doses of heavy strings, and their big hits, like their version of
Earl Robinson's
"Black and White" (recorded a year before
Three Dog Night tackled it) and the what-were-they-thinking rendition of
Henry Mancini's
"Moon River," are really nothing to write home about when all is said and done. Still,
Greyhound had its moments, and all of them are here. ~ Steve Leggett
