Double Barrel
"Double Barrel" | ||||
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Single by Dave and Ansell Collins | ||||
from the album Double Barrel | ||||
B-side | "Double Barrell (Version 2)" | |||
Released | 1970 | |||
Genre | Reggae | |||
Length | 2:44 | |||
Label | Techniques, Big Tree | |||
Writer(s) | Winston Riley[1] | |||
Producer(s) | Winston Riley[1] | |||
Dave and Ansell Collins singles chronology | ||||
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"Double Barrel" is a 1970 reggae single by Dave and Ansil Collins, the second reggae tune to top the charts in the UK, two years after Desmond Dekker's No. 1 ska breakthrough hit "Israelites".[2] The record, credited in both the UK and the U.S. to 'Dave and Ansil Collins', reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart[3] for the first two weeks in May 1971. In the U.S., "Double Barrel" peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 7 August 1971[4] and number 4 on WLS on 28 June 1971,[5] two years to the week after "Israelites" made a nearly identical climb to peak at the same position on the same chart.[6]
Written and produced by Winston Riley,[1] former vocalist of The Techniques,[3] the single featured the vocals of Dave Barker, who had been recording in Jamaica for around five years, principally for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd and Lee Perry. From the very beginning of the cold intro, the lyrics are punctuated throughout by the unusual claim "I am the magnificent W-O-O-O" (and variants thereof), but the title never appears. The song has been covered by later ska acts such as The Selecter and The Specials. In 1972, a sample of the song was included in the top ten hit "Convention '72" by The Delegates.[7]
References
- 1 2 3 "Dave And Ansil Collins – Double Barrel". Discogs. Retrieved 2014-01-10.
- ↑ Davis, Sharon (2012). Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Seventies. Random House. p. 1949. ISBN 9781780574103.
- 1 2 Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN 0-87930-655-6, p.317
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 138.
- ↑ "WLS 890 Hit Parade". 1971-06-28. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ↑ "WLS 890 Hit Parade". 1969-06-30. Retrieved 2015-11-16.
- ↑ "Early '70s Radio".
Preceded by "Hot Love" by T.Rex |
UK number one single May 1, 1971 for two weeks |
Succeeded by "Knock Three Times" by Dawn |