Released 1970 (1970) Length 2:44 Writer(s) Winston Riley | Genre Reggae Label Techniques, Big Tree | |
B-side "Double Barrel (Version 2)" (Techniques), "Double Barrel (Instrumental)" (Big Tree) | ||
"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 number 1 ska breakthrough hit "Israelites". The record, credited in both the UK and the U.S. to 'Dave and Ansil Collins', reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart 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 and number 4 on WLS on 28 June 1971, two years to the week after "Israelites" made a nearly identical climb to peak at the same position on the same chart.. It also reached #1 in Mexico on October 23, 1971.
Written and produced by Winston Riley, former vocalist of The Techniques, 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.