I used to be a reallllllll pain in the ass music snob, and I didn’t like Jimmy’s sweet voice or the fact that he’s not Rasta because I had real strict guidelines for Jamaican masculinity in my record collection. I also did not care for this album opening with a song about the wickedness of womanly charms (“You came along with temptation and made me do wrong, I left my home and my good family, now you bring shame and disgrace on me, I was attracted to your vanity so I strayed in the wrong direction, now my life is full of misery,” etc. etc., aww somebody needs a nap and a bottle.)

Years later, I relaxed, grew and developed as a person, became slightly less of a pain in the ass, and came to love Jimmy’s vocal purity and grace. “I’ve Been Dead 400 Years,” I learned when I revisited this record, is my CUT. I also decided Jimmy’s spiritual beliefs are fine by me since Rastas consider oral sex unnatural so they are a people who cannot be liked or trusted.