Proverbial Reggae (1978)

"The Gladiators were not only one of the few finest reggae harmony groups of the 1970s; they were also, somewhat unusually, an almost self-sufficient instrumental ensemble. Lead singer Albert Griffiths was an accomplished lead guitarist, and harmony singers Clinton Fearon and Gallimore Sutherland played bass and rhythm guitar. Although they seemed to operate somewhat in the shadow of the sweeter-voiced Mighty Diamonds and were not quite as prolific, The Gladiators nevertheless made about as many really fine records as their closest competition, and the ones they made for Virgin's Front Line are among their best. "Proverbial Reggae" finds them augmented instrumentally by members of the legendary Revolutionaries studio band, and includes such classic Griffiths compositions as "Best Things In Life," "Jah Works," and the strangely catchy "Stick A Bush," a song whose inscrutable chorus has been parsed nearly to death in worldwide reggae discussions. Highly recommended." (Rick Anderson, Allmusic; 4 uit 5 sterren)