The Dynamites, essentially a rhythm section, found themselves augmented by a horns on Fire Corner. The result of this pairing is a set of energetic and danceable rocksteady featuring playful horn lines, smooth grooves, and at least a few delightful quirks. Fans of producer Clancy Eccles should find much to enjoy here as the Dynamites were the Clandisc house band at the time. It should come as no surprise, then, that all but two of the compositions on this recording are credited to Eccles' pen. Especially prominent and impressive is the syrupy organ of Winston Wright. Fortunately, he is afforded ample room to solo in this set and does so with gritty soul and tuneful grace. Guitarist Hux Brown is equally impressive. Three of the 12 tracks are DJ cuts featuring King Stitt, whose crazed toasting on "Soul Language" surely raised an eyebrow or two in 1969. The hollers and yelps heard in his delivery give the tune a loopy, psychedelic vibe, one that may or may not have won over the dancefloors of the day. Add to this a horn section as playful and vibrant as it was clumsy and off-key and you get something resembling the infamous Sun Ra sessions with Yochannan (The Space Age Vocalist). In this case, though, the aesthetic comes across as sounding "accidentally avant-garde," a notion further evidenced by the sloppy saxophone solos on side one. These are not meant to be harsh criticisms, however. This is a fun record whose flaws are more charming than distracting. Recommended if you can find it.
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