The Comedy of Errors: Frankie Paul - Tell Them Fi Cool (8 May 1992)

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When Peel played reggae music, it could be easy to become depressed at the human condition, especially given that so many of the records glorified criminality, gun violence and national prejudices.  The artists and the producers had him (and us) over a barrel though given the skill and intelligence that went into what they did.  Thank God for Frankie Paul though, who follows the previous year’s excellent piece of relationship advice for unhappy women with a note of temperance in the hair-trigger world of Carribean music.  For all that I’m unsure whether Frankie is asking the Rude Boys to hold their piece before unleashing their fury at a later stage or whether he just wants them to stay cool throughout and put violence aside, where Tell Them Fe Cool really scores is with the section at 2:36 which gives an appreciation of just how much dancehall music has changed Frankie’s life.  If life in the Carribean meant you went either into crime, sport or music, then this track makes an excellent case for committing oneself to the latter option.

Video courtesy of Exe-Dubz Sounds - the video has been mistimed, the track is 3:29 long.