Double Barrel

"Double Barrel" is a popular reggae single by Dave and Ansell Collins, peppered with the repeated declaration "I am the magnificent W-O-O-O !" or variants thereof.

Written and produced by Winston Riley,^[1] former vocalist of The Techniques,^[2] 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. Released in 1971, "Double Barrel" became one of the early breakthrough reggae hits internationally.

The record reached #1 on the UK singles chart^[2] for the first two weeks in May 1971 (where it was credited to Dave and Ansil Collins) and reached the top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #22.

In a number of ways, "Double Barrel" was like revisiting Desmond Dekker's "Israelites" from two years earlier. Both are reggae hits from Jamaica. Both are in B-flat major. Both have lyrics difficult for English language listeners to comprehend. Both reached #1 on the UK singles chart in mid spring. Both reached #4 on WLS on the last chart in June, with their runs on that chart nearly identical to each other. The recording times of the two are very close to each other.

The song has been covered by later Ska acts such as The Selecter and The Specials.

References