Albums: L.P / C.D
Title
: DJ EXPLOSION (feat; Uroy, Iroy, Jazzbo, Dillinger,Trinity & Dennis Alcapone)
Artist
: VARIOUS
Label
: THREE KINGS
Format
: CD/
LP
Here are six of the best - a half dozen, of the greatest DJs ( or toasters
as they were known back in the day ) at the peak of their powers. Offering
unique insights & singular perspectives on their chosen subjects & all
riding classic riddims such sa 'Satta massagana' & 'Gorgon' too name
but two of the killer riddims employed here as the backbone to these
rocking versions.
Dillinger
opens the set with 'Love Is All I Bring' the original DJ toast that
Althea & Donna employed to deliver their Joe Gibbs hit Uptown Top Ranking.
Here Dillinger shows how to really ride that riddim. Elsewhere Dillinger
provides the hilarious 'Sugar & Spice', Trinity tells the tale of the
'Kendal Crash' & delivers the deep dread messages of 'Earth Rightful
Ruler' over the Satta Massagana riddim. While I Roy features on the
most tracks here including wonderful 'Help Us Jah Jah', the rocking
'Come Down Deh & a particular favourite 'Musical Explosion' which closes
the album inna fine style.
With
20 tracks on the vinyl edition & 24 on the C.D.
THIS IS SERIOUS DJ BIZZNESS
Put
simply 'This One Is A Must, Ya Hear'
Bimble
Title
: MURDER TONE
Artist
: DUB SYNDICATE
Label
: ON U SOUND
Format
: CD/ DOUBLE LP
'Murder
Tone' is the long overdue selection of rare DUB SYNDICATE recordings - most
of the tracks have been produced in between the release dates of the two milestone
albums 'Stoned Immaculate' (EFA CD 18656) and 'Echomania' (EFA CD 18664).
It sees
The return to the racks of popular dubmeister Adrian Sherwood and his Dub
Syndicate cohort Style Scott continuing with a timely re-release and repackaging
of Dub Syndicate rarities from the prime time 90's. The stalwart axis of Sherwood
ad Style Scott chose to plough the reggae route long after the dip in the
marketability stakes, Scotty rustling up the riddims back in Jamaica with
Sherwood applying his high tech gloss alongside a mass of talents Errol 'Flabba'
Holt, Skip McDonald, Dwight Pickney, Dalton Browne, Bingy Bunny, Carlton 'Bubblers'
Ogilvie, Talvin Singh, Bim Sherman, Lee Perry & Talvin Singh, to name a few.
The tracks
emanate from the triptych that was the Classic selection series1-3, the bonus
being that none of the three releases ever saw light of day as vinyl so here
see their vinyl release for the first time.
We here
at Free Radical Sounds can affirm the pressing at sound-system strength. The
press release is slightly misleading three of the tracks have previously appeared
in limited vinyl format Reggae Ragga, Precinct of Sound and Lack of Education.
Pick
of the tracks for me are the glorious 'African Landing', the version of the
version of the classic Karen Kalphat number and the Red Sea version, a long
time Bim Sherman fave. Smart
Monkey
Title
: AUGUSTUS CLARKE AT KING TUBBYS; BLACK FOUNDATION DUB. L.P9
Artist
:
AUGUSTUS CLARKE
Label
:
Sublime & authentic 1970's dub with Augustus Clarke at the helm & King
Tubby on the mix. Augustus Clarke is not the first name you think of when
it comes to important figures within J.A's musical history. That's because
Mr Clarke has prefered to keep himself as a man very much 'behind the
scenes'. This excellant 12 track L.P features bass heavy dubs of tracks
such as Delroy Wilsons 'Is It Because I'm Black' & K.C Whites 'No No No'.
There's also stripped down cuts of Horace Andy's 'Skylarking', Dennis
Browns ' Funny Feeling' , Augustus Pablo's ' No Entry' & a whole heap
more.
Equally
awesome either on the home hi fi or on the big rigs. Bimble
Title
: POOR HOUSE ROCKERS
Artist
: CLIVE
FIELD MARSHALL;
Label
: WACKIES
Format
: CD/ LP
A
wonderful re-issue from NYC's ground breaking Wackies label. Originally
released back in 1981, back then this album sold out so quickly that Wackies
was only unable to supply copies outside of New York. It has been a sought
after item ever since. Putting the thing on you straight away relise why,
with CFM's witty & often compelling delivery in the early dancehall
style originally pioneered by Lone Ranger. The rhythms nod to The Heptones
at Studio One, and Bob Marley among others. Whilst the subject matter
covered includes JA tourism, landlordism, politrics, banks ( ! ) bulldogs
( !! ), beaver hats ( !!! ) and a sheepskin coat ( !!! ). A wonderful
toaster style album. Bimble
Title
:READY WHEN YOU READY VOL 2 ) 
Artist
: VARIOUS
feat Anthony Johnson, Ranking Joe, Barry Brown & more
Label
: Smugg
Records
Format
: DOUBLE CD
Two C.D's worth of prime roots, reggae from the mostly untapped pre bashment
80's period. All conscious material & rocking riddims featuring a whole
heap of sizzlers & singing high anthems, none more so than the opening
'Golden Hen' - Tenor Saw. Other highlights include Little John's dance
floor blazer 'Bubbling Style', Carton Livingston's deep & meditative 'Itch
it Up Operator' Horace Andy's tuffest cut of the Bill Withers classic
'Ain't No Sunshine', Anthony Johnson's rocking 'Too Much Sufferation',
African Brothers 'Righteous Kingdom' etc etc. There's simply too many
highlights to mention in this small space. A killer collection, a floor
rocker & a must have collection. Bimble
Title
: READY WHEN YOU DUB VOL 2
Artist
: VARIOUS feat
the Roots Radics, African Brothers, Black Roots & more
Label
: SMUGG
RECORDS
Format
: CD
Following on from the storming volume 1 in the series & a partner disc
to the 'Ready When You Ready' vocal collection. Compiled by Simon Smugg,
Stephan ' Uptempo' King & Bunny Striker Lee. Things here naturally turn
towards the more stripped & laid back elements of the riddims with dubs
provided by King Tubby's, Chemist, Bunny Lee & the Uptempo Studio's. Highlights
include a rocking percussion driven dub of 'Armageddon Time'.
Elsewhere
we have Bunny Lee's ' No Dub No Cry' a beautiful horns cut of the Marley classic.
Also we are treated to three magnificent dub cuts of African Brothers material,
a wicked dub of Johnnie Clarks 'Nice Time' & four dub cuts from Sugar Minott
derived riddims, including 'Lonely', 'Sista' & 'Money' A top selection, high
quality dub recordings, Highly recommended.
Bimble
Title
: UNIVERSAL LOVE
Artist
: NUCLEUS
ROOTS;
Format
: CD
Nucleus
Roots complete the traditionally difficult third album. The best part
of two years in the making & it's been well worth the wait.
Here N.R provide us
with a more honed down & well crafted 18 song set of vocal led upful digital
meets live roots vibes. Personal favourites include 'Life' which features
some sweet phased guitar & horn lines over a mid tempo digital drums / live
Bass riddim. Whilst regular N.R guest vocalist Moses delivers a standout &
poignant vocal. Other highlights include the Sleng Teng driven 'Babylon Show'
featuring the ragga stylings of singer 'Kuntri Ranks'. Also the dread full
'Fuss & Fight'. A powerful one drop vocal led affair, that pulls up half way
through for the full version galore.
'Universal Love' finds
the Nucleus Roots crew in fine form & in fact heading ever onward & upwards.
Shine On
Bimble
Title
: WOLF & LEOPARDS 
Artist
: DENNIS
BROWN;
Label
:
Format
: CD
Killer
1977 set from the crown prince of reggae (R.I.P) Here's what 'The Rough
Guide To Reggae' has to say about this classic set from the man called
Dennis. "This 1977 set - brought together Niney ( The Observer ) productions
& those of the singer & Castro Brown - was totally made up of singles,
and made clear his (Dennis Browns) commitment to Rastafari including
gems such as the title track, 'Here I Come', Created By The Father,
Party Time, Right Time, & 'Children Of Israel'. This was something of
a benchmark album of the roots era". Now extended to 20 tracks for this
CD only issue. A must have for all fans of original 1970's Roots Reggae.
Bimble
Title
: THE
ESSENTIAL COLLECTION 2003
Artist
: TWILIGHT CIRCUS;
Label
: M RECORDS
Format
: CD
'Greatest
Hits / Dubs' type compilation with all tracks re-mastered from the original
master tapes using some of the finest Analogue equipment ever made. 11
heavy duty dubwise floorshakers recorded at the revamped Twilight studios
using various legendary analogue n' tube devices for a FAT sound. Mastered
for speaker punishing Bass & Drums. For new fans of Twlight Circus this
is the place to start your collection. Bimble
Title
: LOVE, FAITH & BELIEF
Artist
:
WAYNE
McATHUR & THE DISCIPLES;
Label
: MOONWAVE MUSIC
Format
: CD/ LP
18 tracks of top quality U.K roots & dub with one of our foremost U.K
based jamaican stars to the fore. Presented in the vocal then dub style
with Wayne's uplifting messages sowing the seeds of consciousness while
the Disciples Russ D delivers the tuff riddims, like only he can.
Highlights
here include 'Poormans Prayer', 'Revealation 2000', 'Artical Sound', 'Dancing
On A Rainbow' & 'Peace On Earth'. Also includes great sleeve notes from
'Echoes' John Masouri & Wayne McArthur himself.
Bimble
Title
:ONE LOVE
Artist
:
WILLIE WILLIAMS;
Label
: SMUGG RECORDS
Format
: CD
This
release finds Willy Williams ( most famed for his Studio One classic 'Armageddon
Time', which was famously covered by The Clash ) in fine voice. These
tracks are quite obviously pulled together from different periods in the
mans career but the one thing that holds them together is the timeless
quality of WW's vocal delivery. On most of the tracks here the restrained
& subtle arrangements allow the rich timbre of the mans voice to shine
through, free from SFX & desk pyrotechnics WW's always conscious messages
shine thru itally.
Standout
tracks include the opening title track, a stripped to the bone b-line driven
call for unity. Also the nyabinghi enhanced 'Natty Natty' ( which can also
be found on Smuggs excellent 'Ready When Your Ready' comp, available in our
Roots - Various Artists section ). Also the truly outstanding & wonderful
'Solid' a Nyabinghi & acoustic guitar driven thang, backed by a subtle riddim
section & some lovely Rhodes style keys. A fine track which is worth the price
of entry alone.
All in
all the best words to sum up this release would be hypnotic, vibrant & quality
roots from one of reggaes most sought after, ever conscious singers.Bimble
Title
:WARNING 
Artist
:GREGORY
ISAACS (produced
by King Tubby )
Label
: Smugg
Records
Format
:CD
Produced by King Tubby in the late Eighties, this may well have been the
last recorded meeting between these two giants of J.A music, ( Tubby was
murdered very soon afterwards )
Mr
Isaacs has always been adept at dealing with both the reality & lovers
lyric. Due to his charmingly simple, down to earth lyrics & vulnerable
voicing even his lovers tracks have continued to appeal to a broad audience.
Most of his class albums take the form of mixing these two strands of
Mr Isaacs work & that tradition is continued in fine style here.
Sound
system operators & fans of bass heavy rootical music should stop here
for refreshment. Highlights include the opening title track, with it's
trodding on riddim, uplifting horns, skanking keys & anti crack smoker
lyric from one who's allegedly had first hand experience of the ravages
of this evil drug. There's also calls to the J.A gunmen to put down their
arms on track such as 'Rudi' & Badness. Elsewhere Gregory expertly turns
his attention to the ladies with the bass pounding 'Once A Man', 'Greedy
Girl' & the wonderful deep sub driven 'Welcome Home'.
A
great sound system friendly set of tuff riddims & the sweetest of voicings.
Bimble
Title
: JAMAICA SUPER DUB SESSION - EXTRA SPECIAL
Artist
: ITOPIA, LEROY SIBBLES, JACKIE MITTOO
Label
: WACKIES
Format
: CD
A classic
slice of Wackies dub. The musicians here were Wackies sessioners 'Itopia'
who for this recording were joined by the He[tones Leroy Sibbles and the legendary
Jackie Mittoo. Also with Annette Brissette on drums – her solo album provides
three outstanding cuts here, featuring Menelik in fine style on percussion.
Also tracks from both Barrington Spence and Lloyd Hemmings get the deep dub
treatment from the Wackies mixing desk. ElsewhereSugar Minott & Leroy
Sibbles' redemptive version of Lionel Richie's Truly is dubbed to the max.
More resplendent dub from Bullwackies. A recommended release.
Bimble
Title
: ROOTS & DUB 
Artist
: VARIOUS
(
feat; Bim Sherman, Horace Andy etc )
Label
: SMUGG
RECORDS
Format
: CD
A
few seconds under 70 minutes of killer Roots & dub is what we have here.
Presented in the sound system style of vocal then dub version, this is
the business.
So we
get Bim Sherman's 'Happiness' followed by Yabby U 's singjay styled 'Happiness
Dub'. Elsewhere Sugar Minott's 'Be Careful' is followed by Sly & Robbie's
'Careful Dub' & so on. Highlights include the vocal & versions already mentioned,
Horace Andy's uplifting & rocking on 'Thanks & Praise', Ashanti Waugh's 'Jah
Love' & Slave Ship & the sadly departed Nitty Gritty's 'Used To Be My Lover/
Dubber' built on a rocking riddim also used by ( among others ) Sugar Minott
for his 'Identify Yourself' tune. Here the dub really comes into its own with
deep & throbbing b-line brought to the fore & everything else punched in &
out the mix in fine style.
A great
collection of Roots & Dub. A must have release for anyone interested in what
was happening on the cutting edge of J.A music after the golden age of the
1970's & before the digital dancehall boom took over.Bimble
Title
: BUNNY 'STRIKER' LEE; COOL OPERATOR
Artist
: VARIOUS
Label
: SMUGG
Format
: CD
Just take a look at the track listing below, here we have 20 tracks from the
vaults of Bunny Lee. Containing hit upon hit & works from some the biggest
and also finest names in 1970's reggae. Not just a collection of some the
biggest & most important names in the history of reggae but also some of the
most sought after &hard to find tunes as well. Including Cornell Campbell's
'The Gorgon' & U-Roy's 'Gorgonwise' flipside. Also the battling 'STRAIGHT
TO PRINCE JAZZBO HEAD' form I-Roy & later on Jazzbo's good humoured response
'STRAIGHT TO I ROYS HEAD'. Another highlight has to be the wonderful 'Mr Chatterbox'
from The Wailers complete with a DJ intro from the man called Bunny Lee.
Those
with computers will also be able to access this discs hidden extra's including
a great video interview with the man himself. Just check through the track
listing below & you'll see that this is quite simply a must have release.
Bimble
FULL TRACK
LISTING 01 - JONNY CLARKE - MOVE OUT OF BABYLON - 02 - MAX ROMEO - NATTY DREAD
TAKE OVER 03 - PAT KELLY - HOW LONG 04 - LEE SCRATCH PERRY - RUN FOR COVER
05 - JACKIE EDWARDS - IM STILL WAITING - 06 - HORACE ANDY - ANGEL 07 - GREGORY
ISAACS - DON'T BELIEVE IN HIM 08 - DELROY WILSON - COOL OPERATOR - 09 - THE
MIGHTY DIAMONDS - SHOULD BE GRATEFUL 10 - CORNELL CAMPBELL - THE GORGON 11
- UROY - GORGON WISE 12 - JONNIE CLARKE - NO WOMAN NO CRY 13 - DERRICK MORGAN
- SOME WOMEN MUST CRY 14 - I ROY - STRAIGHT TO PRINCE JAZZBO HEAD - 15 - SLIM
SMITH - LET ME GO GIRL - 16 - TAPPA ZUKIE - NATTY DREAD NO CRY 17 - DILLENGER
- DUB SCRUB THEM 18 - PRINCE JAZZBO - STRAIGHT TO I ROYS HEAD 19 - BOB MARLEY
& THE WAILERS FEATURING BUNNY LEE - MR CHATTERBOX 20 - DENNIS ALCAPONE - I
WONT TELL YOU GOODBYE
Title
: DUB SIDE OF THE MOON
Artist
: EASY
STAR ALL STARS ( With top notch guest vocalists )
Label
: EASY
STAR RECORDS
Format
: CD
Yes
that's right it's a dub / reggae version of the Pink Floyd classic album
'Dark Side Of The Moon'. You'd be forgiven for thinking as I did that
this really shouldn't work at all. The fact that for the most part it
not only works but easily excels any reasonable expectations you may have
had for thing is good testament to both the hard work & expertise that
the Easy Star production team & their guest vocalists, have put in to
this project. Here they have achieved the near impossible by successfully
translating classics such as 'Us & Them', 'Money' & 'Breathe' into new
roots classics. Musically the Easy Star All-Stars produce wonderful one
drop versions of these pomp rock classics. Perhaps even more surprising
is the realisation that Floyds original lyrics mirror so closely, themes
explored throughout reggae's history.
'Dub Side Of The Moon' opens with Floyds original heart beat intro being replaced
by (the heartbeat of Africa) Nyabinghi drumming. Then exactly on cue Breathe
( In The Air ) kicks in. This so expertly pulled off that it has you grinning
in anticipation of what is to come. Elsewhere 'On The Runs' appegator madness
is skilfully updated with a drum / junglist version. Other highlights include
Corey Harris & Ranking Joe's 'Time', Dr Israels 'Brain Damage' & Gary Nesta
Pine & Dollarman's 'Money'.
A personal favourite has to be Frankie Paul's spot on interpretation of 'Us
& Them' which is such a blissful version that it'll have you praising Jah
that the Easy Star crew had the crazy idea in the first place & then took
the project seriously enough to produce modern reggae classic to rival the
original album.
I can't help but wonder what the super ego's of the original opus will make
of all this & find myself further musing the prospect of the label sending
a copy to estranged composers & what their reaction would have been (answers
on a postcard please).
This album will be treasured by all those that have ears to hear it ! Thanks
Easy Star, shine on you crazy diamonds.
Bimble
Title
: LIVE @ THE FESTIVAL DE JAZZ DE MONTREAL
Artist
: SYSTEMWIDE
Label
: B.S.I RECORDINGS
Format
: CD
'Live'
finds Portland Oregon's Systemwide in their most natural setting of the Summer
Festival stage. The show opens with 'The Congo' which uses 'The Congo's' classic
Row Fisherman Row' as it's starting point. On Systemwides version, this classic
riddim is given a funkier edge & full on live dub mix. After a full 6 minutes
'The Congo' drops into the familiar tones of 'Osmani Stepper' ( from the bands
popular 12" of the same & name ). Other highlights include storming versions
of several tracks from their latest studio album 'Pure & Applied' (reviewed
elsewhere in these pages), including Snipers, 'Dub Plate' & the excellent
'Reclame' . Also included here is 'Burning Dub' which is a great Melodica
driven stripped down version of The Wailers classic 'Burning & Looting'. The
C.D closes with the wonderful 'Gigamesh' which settles the listener back down
to earth with it's one drop melody & piano led melody. A fitting close to
both the live show & this fine C.D
Bimble
Singles
- 7"s, 10"s & 12"s
DIGIDUB
feat RICO RODRIGUEZ- DAY ONE/ ONE DUB/ POUND HORN/ POUND DUB.
Label; David. Format;
10" Single
Digidub
return with this wonderful slow burning 4 track e.p, eaturing Rico Rodriguez
the man who inspired a thousand horn players with credits from Georgie Fame,
The Skatalites, the Specials & more. 'Day One' is a mesmerising & hypnotic
slow burning riddim in the mould of the Mystic Red Corporation with Rico blissfully
free styling over the riddim to great affect. 'One Dub' is more of an electro
dub affair that Digidub have come to specialise in. At times the whole thing
is stripped right down to just the solitary sub b-line, before bringing back
into the mix other unsettling elements such as some deeply effected guitar,
Ukulele. On the flipside we have 'Pound Horn' which is perhaps a little more
orthodox & perhaps even dance floor friendly in a chilled out way. A wonderfully
horizontal dub affair, ideal for those all nite blues. The last cut 'Horn
Dub' interweaves Rico's trombone with some wicked controlled feedback style
guitar & Jembe type drumming. If you love 'The Mighty Quark', 'Mystic Red
Corporation' & past works from Digidub, then you'll love this.
PRINCE
MALACHI/ CHRISTINE MILLER/ DISCIPLES RIDDIM SECTION;JAH
LOVE/ FOREVER RIDDIM/ WARMONGER/ STOP DEM RIDDIM.
Label Backyard Movements. Format;
10" Single
With
favourable comparisons to the great Garnett Silk & Luciano, Prince Malachi
returns to the Disciples 'Backyard Movements' studio to voice the truely uplifting
'Jah Love'. Russ D's yard style 'Forever Riddim' opens with some nice, minor
key, horns work from the Crispy Horns before Malachi declares "The Whole Wide
World Needs Jah Love" & the sub b-line led digital one drop riddim kicks in.
The flipside features the first fruits of The Disciples works with Christine
Miller, a lady who first came to their notice whilst doing backing vocals
for other Disciples works. Here in fine voice & backed by a great rodding
on riddim, Christine adds her voice to the growing number anti war related
sides. " Seems It's Easier To Go To War Than To Try To Live In Peace". A vocal
that says something that needs to be said & says it well. Already popular
on all the best U.K soundsystems, lift your dance with these fine cuts.
DISCIPLES;
SUBURBAN ROOTS/ BLOOD FYAH/ VERSION
Label Boom Shacka Lacka. 10 INCH E.P
The
second 10 inch single this year from The Disciples newly revitalised Boom
Shacka Lacka imprint. Surburban Roots is a superbly blissful jazz guitar led
piece under pinned by Russ D's solid but equally laid back riddim & masterful
production. Presented in the disco 45 fashion, the latter half of the tune
takes tings towards the dubwise with different elements nicely dropping in
& out of the mix. An essiental tune for all fans of laid back dub grooves.
On the flipside 'Blood
Fyah's first mix is a strong melodica led affair with a fullsome Disciples
stylee riddim & will be loved by fans of any of the previous output on the
B.S.L label. If you're after a contemporary riddim with loads of Pabloesque
melodica vibes then this is the tune for you. 'pon the version the melodica
is stripped out completly & is replaced by a tuff rootical drum & bass cut.
This cut truely rocks & will delight all fans of the club meets dub vibe.
Chant
Down Babylon / Chant Down Dub 7" Single
Chant Down Babylon / Chant In Dub / Deep in Focus / Test My Sound 10" E.P
A tad confusing this one as it's not actually the same riddim on 2 different
formats as you'd expect, but it is the same vocalist & vocal, confused ? thought
so let me explain. The story goes that after not being able to agree upon
which riddim build of 'Chant Down Babylon' to put out Dub wise Productions
decided to release both & let the reggae massive decide for themselves. In
my opinion vocally, the 7" mix is the more upfront & yard style with a wicked
rolling B-Line while the 10" vocal cut is the more heavily effected & bouncy
riddimwise. Leroy's full vocal remains intact on the 10" only this time is
mixed a little further back in the mix. On the dub cuts the 10" reveals a
thundering steppers riddim with tons of gated snares, mid sweep effects &
is sure to do the business on the sound. The dub cut on the 7" utilises more
of the vocal & on the whole feels the slower of the cuts. The bass is suitably
fat on all the cuts & there's more than enough here to keep the dance rocking.
Personally I'd probably drop the 7" vocal followed by the 10" Dub. If you
only wanna buy one of these platters it'd have to be the 10" due to the fact
that you get the added bonus of two more superb riddims on the AA side. Cut
1 is 'Deep Focus' voiced by Skango XXX & is a highly infectious piece. 'Deep
Focus' is deeply spiritual song complete with some highly effective acoustic
guitar lines, a rocking one drop riddim, topped off by catchy chorus to kill
for. I just can't get enough of this one. All I need now is the dub cut, so
how's about it guys? Cut 2 is Chris Jays awesome instrumental digi stepper
'Test My Sound' complete with it's 4/4 to the floor beat & rolling almost
acid B-line. This one never fails on the dance floor yet also manages to never
lose sight of its rootical origin.
All this makes
for a wonderfully rounded E.P. Dubwise Productions have produced some tuff
sides in the past but if this E.P is anything to go by they've never been
on better form. Whether it's in deep meditative or banging steppers mode 'Dubwise
Productions' have the talent , knowledge & power to deliver every time.
ERROL
BELLOT& THE OFFBEAT POSSE; IT'S WAR/ DON'T JUDGE 10" E.P.
Label; JAH TUBBY'S. Format; 10" Single
As
it always has done roots reggae music & it's associated releases continue
to act as the newspaper equivalent to both the sound system & general reggae
scene. So when 9/11 happened there was a flurry of releases from the peace
loving Roots Reggae community. Now, once more, in the wake of Bush & Blair
leading us into an unjustified war we see whole heaps of tuff sides dedicated
to peaceful messages & anti war sentiment. 'It's War' is a particularly fine
example of this.
For anyone whose not
heard of Jah Tubby's they have a distinctive sound, all there own & loved
by the sound system masses. Not only do they produced their own tuff dub plates
& vinyl but are also the mastering & Dubplate cutters of choice for most of
the other U.K sounds. For their own sides they produce a sound made up of
very, very deep sub bass, always conscious messages & quite sparse productions.
On 'It's War' Beliot pleads for peace & unity while the mesmerising, slow
one drop trods onward. The following version opens with solo sub b-lines before
the tuff riddim drops back in making ya bad speakers rattle ya windows shake
& ya rootical dance floor rock. This is Jah Tubby's. The flipside is more
of an upbeat affair with Beliot quoting Sellasse telling us 'Don't Judge by
the colour of the eyes, they're just eyes. Don't Judge by the colour of the
skin, it's skin. Again the bass is subsonic & the arrangement is sparse, which
comes into it's own upon the version. Sound system operators & heavy, heavy
dub fans, you need this platter.
ERROL
BELLOT/ DIXIE PEACH-THE WARNING/ VERSION
Label JAH TUBBY'S. Format;
10" Single
For anyone whose not heard of Jah Tubby's they have a distinctive sound, all
there own & loved by the sound system masses. Not only do they produced their
own tuff dub plates & vinyl but are also the mastering & Dubplate cutters
of choice for most of the other U.K sounds. For their own sides they produce
a sound made up of very, very deep sub bass, always conscious messages & quite
sparse productions.
"JAH JAH
IS COMING, SO YOU BETTER HOLD THIS WARNING" So sings Errol Beliot & Dixie
Peach on this rocking JahTubbys 10" platter. After the main vocal mix we get
the mostly instrumental, laid back, late nite, head nodding, deep in dub style,
one drop killer version., which is worth the price of entry alone. On the
flipside we get another version on the riddim which has a slightly tuffer
mix, a little more in the way of vocal snatches. A wicked reverbed out b-line
& some nice synth fx & melodys. In short, a good vocal with two deep dub cuts
from the dubplate master cutters.
DISCIPLES;
PROWLING LION/ FORTH CUT/ RETURN TO ADDIS ABABA/ NEXT CUT 10" E.P
Label Topatop. 10 INCH E.P
Two
classic Disciples tunes originally released on the Disciples own Boom Shacka
Lacka imprint are now given a long overdue repressing by Topatop a new U.K
based label specialising in reissue classic hard to find roots & dub. So ten
years have passed since these ground breaking U.K steppers tunes were first
issued. The first cut on each side of this new 10" are the original sought
after main12" mixes. We also get an additional previously unissued tuff sound
system style cut of each tune. On 'Prowling Lion's 'New Cut' mix the tunes
original signature analogue keyboard lines are almost entirely stripped away
in favour of a stripped back & strident riddim cut with wacky SFX aplenty
in the mix. 'Return To Addis Ababa's next cut mix is again a very stripped
thang with most of it's melodies pulled out. The mix here is again a tuff
sound system affair ideal for all you aspiring Shaka & Shanti ites.
ANTHONY
JOHNSON; TOO MUCH SUFFERATION/ DANNY DREAD; RUN COME
Label;
SMUGG RECORDS. 7 INCH
Prime roots from our good friend Anthony Johnson. Originally famed for his
pounding - Roots Radics driven anti gun anthem 'Gunshot' & also for his past
work with King Jammy's, Channel One & Sturgav ( to name but three ). 'Too
Much Sufferation' once again finds AJ backed by the Roots Radics & is a another
classic Anthony Johnson delivery, voicing his concerns for the harshness of
ghetto living. Meanwhile on the same riddim Danny Dread hits with a singsjay
style conscious calling. A double AA classic side for sure.
MONEY
IN YOUR POCKET / VERSION; DENNIS BROWN
Label; Joe Gibbs SEVEN INCH
Originally only issued
in J.A this the original J.A sound system version rather than the later chart
bound cut. Here the riddim is a much more rootsical affair complete with nyabinghi
flavoured percussion. Not many of these around, so grab one while you can.
PARTY
TIME / VERSION ; DENNIS BROWN
Label;
Joe Gibbs SEVEN INCH
Set your dance alight
with this original 1970's cut of this very popular tune from the crown prince
of reggae. On the flipside we have nice steppers version ( probably mixed
the Mighty Two )complete with some wicked percussion led breakdowns.
CREATED
BY THE FATHER / VERSION; DENNIS BROWN
Label;
Joe Gibbs SEVEN INCH
Another
killer conscious cut from the original crown prince of reggae recorded when
he was in his singing prime.. This time The Professional provide a driving
riddim whilst Dennis gives thanks & praises to the father for all of nature.
Also has a awesome deep in dub version the flipside.
INFORMER / PEEPING TOM; LADY ANN
Label;
Joe Gibbs SEVEN INCH
You'll instantly recognise
this vintage riddim that Lady Ann rides to great effect in the style of a
younger Lady Saw. Ann tells of "An Informer In The Area". Wicked On the version
The Professionals pump the riddim to the max inna floor shaking stylee. Whilst
E.T brings the awesome horns to the fore. Murderer !!
WATCH
THIS SPACE
MORE
SOON COME
Wanna
Review !!
Anyone wishing to have
their releases included in our next update should send their promo's to the
address below ( bribes will be accepted ). Vinyl is always prefered as then
we can also play the things out, but most formats are exceptable.
Thanks for
listening. Bimble
F.R.S
PO BOX 2869
BRIGHTON
EAST SUSSEX
BN2 5DP
U.K
