Record of 1986, selected by Peter Dalton

PUSH COME TO SHOVE - FREDDIE MCGREGOR

None of the major vocal stylists who established themselves in the early/mid 1970s have weathered the subsequent two decades better than Freddie McGregor. Indeed in terms of the sheer number of exceptional tunes he had released then, a strong argument can be made for the 1980s being his golden period. Not only had his voice retained all the power and expressiveness displayed on the Studio One tunes that initially brought him to notice, but he had obviously made good use of his time at Brentford Road to learn studio techniques, at first releasing impressive self-productions on a number of different labels, and in 1984 launching his own Big Ship imprint. His songwriting also continued to be very consistent - as it has to this day. And when not inspired to write thoughtful numbers, he possessed the nous to revive the most appropriate songs from the reggae canon: the well-received digital cut of Little Roy's "Prophecy" for Steely & Clevie in 1987, foreshadowed.his popular series of Sings Jamaican Classics albums in the 1990s.

But to return to the year in question, 1986 was a time when many of his contemporaries were floundering - unsure of how to respond to the upset caused by King Jammy's "Under Me Sleng Teng" rhythm. The following year's "Don't Hurt My Feelings" for George Phang would show that Freddie could effortlessly adapt to the new computerised rhythms, but for now he chose to register with this more traditional self-production. A full complement of musicians - his stage band - was employed for the original rhythm, which was the sort of crisp easy-rocking affair that was guaranteed to keep any dance moving. A tasteful spray of horns and a chorus harmonising sweetly behind the singer's heartfelt declarations added to the impression of a class record. The title and the finely-crafted lyrics - about catching a plane to see a woman who has hasn't written to him - made it sound like a do-over of an American soft-soul hit, though the label gives song-writing credits to Freddie himself. Surely this is one of his most accomplished compositions.

"Push Come To Shove" entered the Jamaican charts during the closing weeks of 1986. and was an even bigger hit the following year. Over a decade later it's still a blues-party favourite in the UK - as any number of selectors can testify.