Various
Barry Myers was one of the leading concert DJs in the 70s punk scene in London, joining The Clash on the road as their tour DJ… As expected for a Trojan compilation, the packaging is a beaut – extensive liner notes from the man himself reveals the passion behind this reliable labour of love. The two CDs play host to plenty of priceless gems and rarer classics… an inspired selection from someone you couldn’t expect anything less than brilliant.
Clash magazine
Barry Myers aka DJ Scratchy, was the Clash’s tour DJ and his selection of rocksteady, ska and dub sounds as good now as it did a quarter of a century ago. It will turn the coldest, darkest day into a beach bar.
Men’s Health
Man, DJ Scratchy’s comp on Trojan is amazing. It’s one of the best comps of Jamaican music I have ever had the pleasure of owning. Amazing…
Just goes to prove that the Clash knew the good stuff.
Needless to say, but I’ll be playing that sucker in constant rotation here in Richmond
Again, this comp is a must have. Hands down, the re-issue of the year.
BOPST – wclm radio
If you caught the Clash during the action-packed ‘London Callin’ era, you heard a potentially life-changing preshow mix by tour DJ Barry ‘Scratchy’ Myers, a radio and club spinner with a finely-tuned ear for ska, dub, roots and rocksteady reggae nuggets. In this thrilling two-disc comp from the mighty Trojan Records archives, Myers selects from his vast collection of Jamaican singles for a dynamic 43-track set taking in top-notch rarities…Time for another Scratchy
Fred Shuster, Los Angeles Daily News
There’s a lot of good Trojan ska / dub /reggae compilations, but Scratchy Sounds is (so far) undeniably the best.
Compiled by DJ Barry “Scratchy” Myers, most notably the touring DJ for The Clash (and a significant influence on their music), this two-disc set is packed with a canon of ska, dub, reggae and roots, perfectly restored and crystal clear. The mix is thoughtful and witty too – even thematic.
If you’re a fan of this music then some of these songs are critical must-gets for your collection. That said, I’ve even played this for non-fans of reggae and they’ve absolutely loved it.
As a bonus, the liner notes are written by Barry Myers himself and chronicle his lifetime with this music and all the politics, fads, struggles, victories, and humor that came in-between. The only problem was that I wanted to read more! When does the book come out, Barry?
Brett O’Connor – negatendo.net
Few musical stones are left unturned as Myers picks ska, skinhead tunes, dub, toasting tracks, roots and sweet reggae. At first sight, the track listing looks like he’s hurled the titles into the air and listed them in the order in which they fell, but in fact the running order does work… That’s Barry Myers putting his years of experience at the decks into practice.
Echoes
Barry “DJ Scratchy” Myers is a name better known to punk club crawlers in the U.K. than to your average music fan. In the late ’70s he was one of the premier punk DJs, supporting the Ramones and the Cramps and eventually serving two years as the tour DJ for the Clash. He was still at it 20 years later, serving the same part for Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros’ U.S. tour. How he was able to get such choice gigs boils down to his eclectic ear as a selector, cherry-picking the best tunes, be it rock, soul, or reggae, and revealing them all to be of the same burning (and danceable) spirit. Jamaican music, specifically ska, reggae, and dub, make up a large part of his sets and Scratchy Sounds is a double-CD selection (43 tracks!) with some of Myers favorites. With so many collections sticking strictly to one style or producer, it’s a fantastic thing to wander through Scratchy Sounds as it roams from ska innovations like C. Hyman’s “Ska Rhythm” and Derrick Morgan’s “Moon Hop” to a rarely heard extended version of Niney the Observer’s reggae classic “Blood and Fire.” … Scratchy Sounds has the feel of a long-labored mixtape made for an old friend, and hopefully will lead to other collections helmed by Myers. Recommended.
Wade Kergan, All Music Guide
Selected by the London Punk scene’s disc jockey of choice… if you only pick up one reggae set this year, this is the one.
Southern Daily Echo
Barry ‘Scratchy’ Myers helped open up white British youth to the wealth of great Jamaican music, beside Bob Marley’s then-massive Exodus. A quarter-century later, this comp offers a rockin’ 2-CD reconstruction of a Scratchy set… in a righteous mix-up
Mojo
While Dingwalls is a now legendary name on the groove scene, few of us outside of London have had the fortune to hear their resident DJs like Barry Scratchy Myers. Scratchy delivers the hardcore roots rockers and deep deep reggae on this awesome 2 disc collection from Trojan
Dusty Groove
Barry ‘Scratchy’ Myers club/concert DJ and tour DJ with the Clash introduced many punks to the equally rebellious sounds of reggae and the more broader fare that jamaican music styles offer.
Here he brings together a collection of 12inch cuts, rarities and classics that never appear on the plethora of inferior reggae collections that swamp the market. This is my album of the year.
thisisyork.co.uk
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