Dub / Reggae: An Idiot's Guide

lee perry - arkology

the congos - heart of the congos

augustus pablo - king tubby meets rockers uptown

king tubby - dub gone crazy, foundation of dub

big youth - natty universal dread

junior murvin - police and theives

jimmy cliff - the harder they come

bunny wailer - black heart man

burning spear - marcus garvey/garvey's ghost

v/a - tougher than tough: the story of jamaican music

v/a - the 100% (200%, etc.) dynamite series

dub is a process. reggae is a music. (dub reggae = process music?) at least that's my take.

Beyond that, a personal semi-obscuro favorite of mine is Junior Byles' retrospective _Curlylocks_, on Heartbeat.

And finally: a few months back I put together tracklists for Even Tougher Than Tough: Jamaican Classics 1962-95, my own self-styled sequel to the Island box mentioned above. (Tracklists are available here.) If anyone's got suggestions for improvement, let's have 'em.

However, this being said, I think that you could say that everyone who likes dub likes reggae, and everyone who likes reggae would probably like dub, if they knew what it was.

Want some good stuff?

I agree with everything that has been said, but I'd also recommend:

If Deejay was your trade - Various (Blood and Fire) Mad Professor vs. Massive Attack - No Protection Horace Andy - In the Light and In the Light Dub Prince Alla - Only Love Can Conquer Sizzla - Reggae Max

Some of my favourites, not not exactly a comprehensive selection.

Pick up the Rough Guide 100 Essential Reggae CDS. It makes for great reading and is a lovely conversation starter.

U

SOUND

There's lots of great earlier reggae too: I'm particularly fond of Clancy Eccles's productions, Amalgamated-era Joe Gibbs, a lot of Bunny Lee stuff and Winston 'Niney' Holness, probably the heaviest of the early reggae fellows.

A step back a little further to rocksteady can't do any harm, either: the golden age of Treasure Isle.

The other thing I think should be mentioned in this thread is Studio 1. The greatest body of work in Jamaican music bar none. You can never go wrong with the series of "Best of Studio 1" compilations which Heartbeat put out which span early reggae to roots stuff. LPs? I's start with "Bob Andy's Songbook", Cedric 'IM' Brooks's "Flash Forward", "The Wailing Souls" and "Bobby Bobylon" by Freddie Macgregor. But there's loads more to be found.

My other *real* thing at the moment is 70s Gregory Isaacs. More Gregory. Gregory, Horace Andy and Junior Byles are three of my top 10 voices ever.

The first version I had of that LP (which was a taped version of a Jamaican pressing on Joe Gibbs with the primarily yellow sleeve and a colour version of the photo) had a little reprise / dub of the last track on the second side. Just about 45 seconds of wild dubbing on "Under Heavy Manners". I've heard vinyl and CD reissues on Gibbs and never found another version with that little coda, and it upsets me a little. Anyone have any versions which do have the little end bit? (BTW, it's not the same as the various dub versions I have of the rhythm).

mj, do you have "Prophecy Reveal" by Bo Jangles? I know it was re- pressed a while back but I've never found it. Is it on the "Money In My Pocket" rhythm?

I work for a publishing company and we will be reissuing Beth Lesser's "King Jammy" - it is the definitive book on 80s dancehall. Beth is also a photographer--her work has appeared in the Rough Guide, among other publications.

Just for interest sake, is anyone on this thread (or any dub/reggae fans) intrigued?

Bim Sherman's 'Miracle', while not exactly Reggae, is still utterly wonderful.

The first dub album? I forget, but one of them. One of the craziest too. Mad loping grooves, everything and the kitchen sink samples before there were samples.

Lee Scratch Perry--Super Ape

Primo mid-70s Scratch. Smooth, rootsical, deep, hypnotic...

But never mind me and my minor griping. Have I thanked you all for your recommendations yet? I haven't gone out and bought anything, mind you, but when I do, you'll be the 10th or 11th to know.

You just can't get it loud enough at home. It's gotta be so heavy that you can feel the bass from your fingers through to your toes. I'd pay $25 for that--then again, I'm Canadian. Don't know whether I'd pay $25 US.

Bring on the Scratch, Jammy, and Tubby...and forward the bass.

Soon Forward and Mr. Isaacs are incredible. Smooooth mofo.

A step back a little further to rocksteady can't do any harm

Love love love rocksteady. Anybody who likes American soul music should check into it. Some favorites: John Holt (and the Paragons), Slim Smith (and the Techniques/Uniques), Pat Kelly, Ken Boothe, The Heptones.

The Pressure Sounds comps are great too.

The Royals singles compilation on Pressure Sounds, 'Pick Up the Pieces', has been kicking my ass recently. Classic from beginning to end. Dubwise, the Joe Gibbs comp. 'No Bones for the Dogs' is quality throughout as well.

Other shit that I've been hooked on and can usu be found at a good price: Delroy Wilson 'Good All Over' (rocksteady at the cusp of reggae), Dub Over Dub (27 tracks of Errol Thompson's mixing, with solid tracks as a base), the Wailing Souls self-titled debut (superb, utterly beautiful singing and catchy yet rough tunes), Scientist vs Space Invaders (um, it's early 80s Scientist. nuff said), Gladiators 'Proverbial Reggae' (you know reggae is the shit when an album this good hardly gets discussed)

Born Fi Dead by Laurie Gunst is also essential to get that time, tho less about music than politics.

Ian, check Jammyland in the East Village. Might be more $8-$12 but the selection is all essential. Everything above and more. In JA fashion, will play you 45s and LPs if you ask. If you can make it out to Moodies in the north Bronx, it's also amazing. More stuff straight from JA distributors. VP, of course, too in Queens.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00008LKHZ/ref=sr_aps_music_1_1/202-0254809-4916649

if you stick to Blood and Fire, Pressure Sounds, On-U, Trojan etc at first you should avoid the real stinkers, although all these labels have been guilty of barrel-scraping with certain releases.

On what discs is Blood & Fire ''barrel-scraping''? I mean, I've only got about 25 of their discs (RIP to B&F, BTW), but I haven't heard any ''barrel-scraping.''

Forget Heart of the Congo's, overrated.

-- Omar, Wednesday, October 31, 2001 8:00 PM (6 years ago)

huh

i just ordered that jammys book mentioned upthread

5 dolla

'Nother good dub/reggae book is supposed to be Michael E. Veal's Dub: Soundscapes & Shattered Songs in Jamaican Reggae (2007).

Also 5 dolla, perhaps?

I just randomly found Lee Perry's Ape-ology, BTW. Will be spinning it this evening. Should I prepare myself to be disappointed or is this a "change your life"-type experience (or does it fall somewhere in between, perhaps)?

judy mowatt.
gregory isaacs.

I just randomly found Lee Perry's Ape-ology, BTW. Will be spinning it this evening. Should I prepare myself to be disappointed or is this a "change your life"-type experience (or does it fall somewhere in between, perhaps)?

-- Daniel, Esq.

I like Ape-ology but prefer the Arkology boxset which is full of great vocalists (Max Romeo et al.) and is therefore a bit more accessible. Ape-ology is a much heavier / claustrophobic proposition.

Ape-ology is just Super Ape (super awesome) + Return of the Super Ape (not as awesome) + Roast Fish, Collie, & Cornbread (awesome, but Perry vocals get a little wearying after a while), right? Yeah Arkology is better.

i agree with the poster that said heart of the congo is overrated. there are a couple of very nice trax on it, but....
why come nobody has mentioned Black Uhuru on this thread? i can't think of a better reggae group from the eighties - Anthem and Red are both pretty stellar

Anyway the answer to the original B&F question is that Congos and Burning Spear and Tubby stuff that were among their original releases were so strong that for a while everything else kind of paled in comparison and so a lot of reggae trainspotters got down on the label. Specifically I recall the Morwells, U-Brown, Impact All Stars getting a lot of flack (needlessly frankly.)

re: congos being overrated

this is truly an idiot's guide

Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Cornbread is classic Perry. Also a big fan of "Kung Fu Man" on The Mighty Upsetter.

Hell, I haven't heard any Perry I didn't like. Double Seven and Blackboard Jungle Dub also get a lot of play around here.

Yeah Arkology is better.

No option for yesterday, as Ape-ology is all this place had. However, some time earlier I did find The Upsetter Selection at the same place. Not bad for a Border's Bookstore music section.

been on a bit of a dub binge lately - Scientist, Prince Far-I, Culture (almost all at the recommendation of some other ILM dub thread - thx ILM!)

I'm really enjoying Ape-ology. I vaguely remember somebody upthread saying it's heavy, dark-ish dub/reggae, but I think the psychadelic touches (n.1) give it a lighter-touch than a lot of other (great in its own way) dub/reggae I've heard, e.g., Blood & Fire's stuff.

___________________________
(n.1) I also want to say the guitars give it a lighter sound, at least I think it's guitars I'm hearing on at least the early cuts on Super-Ape.

A lot of people would argue that Super Ape is exactly the opposite of light. Rather than being dub reduced to drum/bass/echo, it's MAXIMALIST dub with every track featuring more more more production touches, effects, instruments and even vocals. Either way it's great.

Either way it's great.

Agreed, from what I've heard so far. "Maximalist Dub" is a good term for it (unlike the more hollowed-out, minimal sound of, say, Tubby or Hudson).

"i can't think of a better reggae group from the eighties"

There's not much competition here ya know. Steel Pulse? Misty in the Roots? Reggae groups are pretty much the minority anyway.

Guess Whose Coming To Dinner, by Black Uhuru, is good (the song, I mean; I haven't had enough time to consider the whole disc).

It's a good album too. Probably their best.

Shine Eye Dub is my Uhuru of choice.

steel pulse is pretty awes. i really want to hear 'rally round' now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqYT1HWEcF8

what no love for ASWAD

"i can't think of a better reggae group from the eighties."

There's not much competition here ya know.

Fairly or not, I've felt like Jamaican music went downhill fast in the 80s, once it went digital and morphed into dancehall and its progeny. I must need an "Idiot's Guide to Jamaican Music from the 80s to Present." (Actually I probably need an "Idiot's Guide" to everything).(n.1)

_____________________________
(n.1) As I said elsewhere on these threads, I've got that Greensleeves compilation -- From Dubplate to Download -- but I just can't warm to it (not yet, at least).

I love reggae and I love dancehall, but don't like a lot of 80s stuff. Or at least the sound used to really put me off, and I haven't gone back to re-evaluate.

wow I don't think there's any dancehall I've listened to that's POST-80s - all my favorites (Shabba, Barrington Levy, Tenor Saw, etc.) are all 80s dudes.

Much as I love all the other periods, I think 80s dancehall and ragga is probably my fave reggae era.

And this is my hero

I gave up on dancehall around the time of Shaggy's first hits

Early-80s pre-digital dancehall is great (although yeah kind of overshadowed a bit by what preceded it and what came after.) For Barrington Levy, Yellowman and Eek-A-Mouse alone a classic period, but there is plenty of other greatness out there.

Y'all need to hear this one too

This is sooooooo fantastic:

http://www.discogs.com/release/223248

Oh yeah, "Rocking of the 5000" is a stone classic.

Immediately post-Shaggy was when dancehall got GREAT again!

80s dancehall and it's progeny always come off as too cold and lyrically hard-edged to me. And I can't explain why that's been off-putting for me; I mean, I like plenty of other types of lyrically hard-edged music (from old murder ballads like Pretty Polly to to new rap acts like Ghostface and unapologetic celebrations of violence, like Drive-By Trucker's Sinkhole). Something different about 80s dancehall-type stuff that I can't warm to but for reasons I can't articulate well. I definitely don't like the homophobia and misogyny in it.

Sorry for the rambling post.

Admit that last year or two I've been too busy to keep up much with new dancehall or really new anything. It's a lot of work.

There is shitloads of 80s stuff that's not homophobic or misogynist. If anything I feel like homophobic lyrics were a lot bigger from the 90s on. Check out something like this:

http://www.discogs.com/release/1026208

and see if you don't change your mind.

I can get that on eMusic! Thanks, NV, I'll try it.

If you just try 1 track, get the JC Lodge and Tiger song. Sweet vocal interplay, total badass bassline.

as far as dancehall goes for me, harder & more syncopated = better, so the stuff that really gets me excited is post-'00s.

Jordan have you heard any soca?

no!

Hah well I would give it a shot. It is the harder more syncopated side of dancehall in a lot of ways.

And this is my hero

-- Noodle Vague, Monday, 3 March 2008 22:55

NO WANGA GUT NO WANGA BELLY

looking up some random stuff on youtube...is it all this uptempo (and happy)?

That Tiger video is funny. Reminds me of the "homemade"-type videos I liked so much in the early days of MTV, when things happened for no reason in a video except that the artist and/or director thought it would be entertaining (to themselves, at least).

"looking up some random stuff on youtube...is it all this uptempo (and happy)?"

Haha yeah mostly.

re: congos being overrated

this is truly an idiot's guide

well, elan, ni gistubus non disputandum and all that. and i feel olde saying i've listened to lots of reggae over the last 25+ years and that record did not hold up for me

haha, maybe not for me then.

De gustibus non est disputandum = GREAT PHRASE and certainly true. Except here, since Heart Of The Congos, is indisputably fantastic.

(j/k)

This is sooooooo fantastic:

http://www.discogs.com/release/223248

i heard this a long time ago and wasn't into it. i'll have to give it another chance

Do you no like Scientist, am0n?

re: congos being overrated

this is truly an idiot's guide

well, elan, ni gistubus non disputandum and all that. and i feel olde saying i've listened to lots of reggae over the last 25+ years and that record did not hold up for me

-- outdoor_miner,

I'll probably be shot down for this as well but I'm not a huge fan of that record either. There's only so much falsetto I can take in one sitting. I still love Perry's production on it of course.

Real question for non-Congos fans. Do you generally like Jamaican harmony groups (Mighty Diamonds, Gladiators, Abyssinians, Meditations, Royals, Wailers, etc) or are you mostly a fan of solo singers and deejays?

I'd have to say the latter, but mainly because I've heard very little from those groups unfortunately.

@Alex: nah i like scientist, i probably heard that before i was into that kind of 80s/junjo period stuff

on separate note - i really can't hang with those uk reggae bands, steel pulse, uhuru, etc. rock guitar solos? - no thanks

Uhuru are def. not UK.

Also don't remember too many solos on Love Crisis, Showcase, Sinsemilla, Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. Seriously great Sly & Robbie stuff though (actually the first is Jammy, I think, but still.)

ahah i'm confusing them with Aswad

see that steel pulse youtube upthread re: guitar solo

I'm not a huge UK reggae band fan actually. I much prefer the lover's stuff from the same period.

Aswad's Live and Direct is a total jam, probably the only Aswad you need to own. Misty in Roots are my favourite British reggae act, pretty much all of their stuff is worthwhile.

you're right, outdoor miner, i was just going for the cheap shot over one of my favorite collection of songs.

see that steel pulse youtube upthread re: guitar solo

i agree on that, but the studio shit is better.

BTW for some prime slices of pre-digital dancehall try these currently cheap comps of Uptempo label stuff (featuring classics like "Golden Hen" and "Lazer Beam" and plenty of other rarer goodness.)

Ernie B's! That place is the shit, I've bought a bunch there lately.

It's the best webshop around (by a huge margin.) Everything is cheapest prices around, ships quick and everything they say they have they actually have (with one exception like two years ago.)

king jammy book arrived, looks really nice. kind of short but they added excerpts from some old reggae mag to pad it out. more than worth the little i paid in any case.

anyone seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPz6lAa4y-I
looks excellent judging from the trailer but the list of names featured at the end leads me to believe it might be full of crap electronica acts bigging up lee perry

also this blog has a sick linval thompson dub album that i've never heard of for download here

http://agonyshorthand.blogspot.com/uploaded_images/original_rockers_fr-768759.jpg

I dunno, Am0n, it seems that in addition to the 'crap electronica acts' the most important figures (that are still alive) are featured: http://www.dubechoes.com/?page_id=5

I wonder if this will ever make the UK. Film distribution in this country is notoriously crap.

Thanks for the tip, anyway. And Original Rockers is a truly fantastic record!

http://members.shaw.ca/dublp3/scientistandjammystrikebackA.JPG

ahhhhh so many copyright violations

Currently listening to Scientist & Prince Jammy's awesome Dub Landing (which I got for $6 from Ernie B's.) Seriously stellar stuff.

hmmm I don't have that one. god there's so much of this stuff.

Seriously nothing but good on Auralux. Everything that was out on the label at the time was at last year's big sale for $5-6 a piece.

i think i have dub landing vol. 2?

this one is really good too http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=26101 its actually a scientist album even though it says coxsone etc. on the cover

Actually the CD is Dub Landing 1 & 2. There is another Scientist/Jammy disc on Auralux too called DC Dub Connection, I think. That came out last couple of months.

http://www.timbuktunes.com/covers/cover-5060130070972.jpg

one of the better things i've heard recently. lazer beam dub hell yeah

dood Ernie B's is selling that Jammy and Scientist Strike Back LP for $150.

someone recommend where to start with the following:
U-Roy
I-Roy
Roots Radics Band
Sly and the Revolutionaries
Gregory Isaacs
solo Wailers stuff (besides Legalize It!)

U-Roy = I like the Right Time Rockers album. . . some people swear by the Treasure Isle stuff, but I tend to prefer the stuff he's versioning
I-Roy = that Blood Fire collection is pure fire
Roots Radics = virtually everything released between 80-84 seriously you can't buy a record from this period where they weren't the backing band
The Revolutionaries = for 74-79 kind of the equivalent of the Roots Radics (although they changed names a bit and there are some other great backing groups although often these included Revolutionaries members).
Gregory Isaacs = everything up to and including Night Nurse (there are a few things post this esp. some Gussie Clarke and Tubby productions)
Bunny Wailer = Blackheart Man

Roots Radics and the Revolutionaries are basically impossible to recommend just one record, but if I had to I guess I'd say the Barrington Levy's Shaolin Temple and the Mighty Diamonds Right Time respectively.

Gregory Isaacs I guess I would start with Extra Classic (which Trojan released with some great if scratchy dubs), I guess, but really you can't go wrong with anything pre-83.

tttthx man!

actually I think I have that Barrington Levy - I am really bad at keeping who's on what record straight

Yeah it has about three different names too.

Roots Radics: http://www.roots-archives.com/artist/159

i love the Hugh Mundell - Mundell LP (http://www.roots-archives.com/release/459)
King Tubby - Dangerous Dub - http://www.roots-archives.com/release/1698
Linvall Thompson - Phoenix Dub - http://www.roots-archives.com/release/574
Rod Taylor - Where Is Your Love Mankind - http://www.roots-archives.com/release/351
Rod Taylor - Garden of Eden - http://www.roots-archives.com/release/4733
Scientist - Dub Landing 1+2
Scientist - Scientist Meets The Space Invaders [1981]
Scientist - Scientist Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires [1981]
Scientist - Scientist Wins The World Cup [1982]
Scientist & Jammy - Scientist & Jammy Strike Back [1983]
Scientist v. Prince Jammy - Big Showdown [1980]

Big Showdown is great.

-------------------
U-Roy

Dread Inna Babylon w/ Skin, Flesh + Bones, Soul Syndicate
http://www.roots-archives.com/release/914

I Roy, i don't know too much about but the WhapNBapN LP is an undiscovered gem of Disco/Dread proportions. if Morgan Geist ever caught wind of this LP, it would suddenly be the ultimate lost gem. it's a bit cheesy (0k, a lot cheesy) but it's also fascinating in parts.

i'd say just get the Blood and Fire reissues/compilations for U Roy/I Roy or If Deejay Was Your Trade comp.

------------------------------------------
Sly & Revolutionaries check the Roots Archives pages for Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespear seperately for a complete list of their contributions to jamaican music
http://www.roots-archives.com/artist/29

Barry Brown is one of my favs. but there are really too many great albums they've appeared on to list.

http://www.roots-archives.com/release/454

that barry brown is the shit

this one too http://www.roots-archives.com/release/843

I think I've said it on a half-a-dozen threads but I can't recommend Dub Landing 1 & 2 enough.

I-Roy = that Blood Fire collection is pure fire

The Don't Get Weary Joe Frazier song on this disc is fantastic and sly.

absolutely. Barry Brown is fantastic. the Johnny Clarke combo LP is great. i've recently spent a couple weeks tweaking my Reggae/Dub collection. editing ID3 tags to note backing band, mixer, label, year, artwork and dub album/vocal album counterpart if they weren't named similarly. it's been a wonderful way to appreciate the music. reggae in particular benefits from extended tagging since the backing band wasn't credited and lots of albums that say King Tubbys weren't actually mixed by Tubby.

AS I WOULD SAY!

http://www.soundstagedirect.com/media/linval_thompson_ride_on_dreadlocks.jpg

^underrated

It might be, but it is the least impressive of the Blood & Fire Bunny Lee comps (which makes it still great, but no where near of the class of the Tubby dubs or the Johnny Clarke and Cornell Campbell sets.)

holds it own with the rest of those imo. i listen to it way more than the clarke and campbell

Haha well I guess I am underating it then. ;)

anyone know what VP vinyl pressings are like? was going to get the channel one story 3-disc vinyl set but thought it might be a crap overtly loud or digital type of pressing as it came out in 2004 so might just get the cd instead.

it varies from release to release but they're not all great pressings. i'd ask on either the Blood and Fire board or the Roots Archive board. those guys are nice and knowledgeable. whether or not it's a bunch of white kids typing in patois is up for debate.

Agree those are def. the forums for that sort of thing.

i really slept on that baf prince alla/junior ross

That one is awesome (it took me forever to find a cheap copy.) Have you ever heard any of Alla's Jah Warrior stuff, am0n? His track leading off the second label comp is awesome and I've been contemplating picking up the albums.

http://cover6.cduniverse.com/MuzeAudioArt/Large/84/982684.jpg

Gussie Presenting I-Roy! 47 tracks! Fantastic!!!!!!!!!

that cover is so great

@Alex - this is the only alla i've heard. that acid rock guitar on "gold diver"!.. and some of the junior ross tracks kill me

Oh then you should def. get the other Alla B&F collection. Great stuff (a lot of the tracks make up the dubs on Freedom Sounds in Dub as well.) Also the Tappa Zukie in Dub features dubs of a lot of the Alla/Ross stuff.

Barry Brown "Youthman" and Gregory Isaacs Extra Classic expanded reissue from Get Back! arrived today (thx Ernie B's!)... will report back.

I think I listened to "Black A Kill Black" and "Mr. Cop" about a million times when I first got that disc.

wait is that barry brown on cd??

man I love how shit I order from Ernie B's arrives within 24 hours of me ordering it... just got the Hugh Mundell recommended above and Mighty Diamonds "Right Time"

I love the Barry Brown ref'd above, probably a bit more than the Gregory Isaacs double-album, although the Extra Classic material is fantastic. The earlier stuff is a bit more generic.

I bought like 10 CDs for like $18 earlier in the week. Their warehouse clearing sales are always so nice.

Just got a dozen cds from there in the mail myself, including a Barry Brown discomix thingee mixed by Scientist. It's good, but nothing stands out much as of yet. Sadly I think I've reached the point of diminishing returns w/r/t reggae.

!! say it ain't so! My reggae/dub collection is still pretty small compared to what all is available tho...

Haha well I bought 3 Capleton CDs for $2 each and I will say that by the end of the third that there might have been some diminishing returns. But then the collections of Fatis and Tony Kelly productions perked me up again.

to me this genre is like a bottomless pit of riches (similar to Brazilian music) - I know that if I'm bored and want to hear something new but nothing is quite hitting the spot, I can always return to this buried treasure trove and get something worthwhile that I've never heard before.

Yup that's pretty much how I feel about Jamaica (I feel less so about Brazil because I don't like newer Brazilian stuff as much as I like dancehall.)

I'm still playin catch-up with Brazil - I don't think I have anything that's later than like 1985

Yeah honestly I have no idea what happened in Brazil between the weird post-punk comps (which end in approx. 85 and prob aren't representative of what most folks were actually listening to) I have and the funk comps (which start in approx. 01 and are mostly Rio specific).

It is a bottomless pot of riches for me, too, but lately there's nothing that's really blown me away, you know? Nothing that's unique enough relative to everything else I've heard to really grab my attention and make me go "whoa, what is THIS?" It's like I've heard the best (or some % of the best) of each subgenre/style, and everything I get lately is good & sometimes great, but it's very rare that I hear something new (to me) that I'd file amongst my favorites. It's the same way with funk: now something has to be pretty eccentric for me to really dig it.
Unfortunately I'm not too keen on newer Jamaican OR Brazillian stuff :(

Alex what is that Fatis and TK collection called?

"Fat Eyes Dancehall Attack + Dee-Lite" ($2!) and "Triple Spin 2" ($1.50!) respectively.

this thread gonna cost me a lot of money

it sipple out deh

i have scientists Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires - anyone know what his best albums are to get? and also, any dub thats from this same sort of period? i like the sound/heaviness of it. any super heavy dub would also be cool.

That's one of his best ones. vs Space Invaders is Linval Thompson productions as is the amazing Dub Landing 1 & 2 (2 features King Jammy) (the other Auralux disc World At War is a slightly less amazing.) King Tubby's Dangerous Dub is from the same period and it's great as well.

http://roots-archives.com/artist/86

Scientist was unbeatable at the beginning of the 80s.

I love Meets Space Invaders, Heavyweight Dub Champion, Big Showdown V. Prince Jammy, Scientist and Jammy Strike Back, Sugar Minott's Meet The People In A Lovers Dubbers Style is also a great showcase for Scientists' work. Dub Landing 1 and 2 (cd reissue has both). Dub In The Roots Tradition, In Dub Volume 1, Heavy Metal Dub, King Tubbys meets Scientist In A Midnight Rock Dub Vol. 1, King Tubby Meets Scientist at Dub Station, Prince Far I - In the Vocal House of Dub (w/ Tubby), Albums by Barrington Levy, Eek A Mouse and Johnny Osbourne from the early 80s with Roots Radics and Scientist at the controls are pretty spectacular. Toyan - How The West Was Won is also great, produced by Scientist w/ Roots Radics at King Tubby's studio.

That's a start but there are others...just go down the line in that Roots Archives page and listen to them all until about 83/84.

Scientist and Jammy Strike Back

this is one of the best

this is good too http://roots-archives.com/release/4142

i've got it but i haven't given it much time other than Babylon Don't Touch My Sensy...guess i'll put that on today.

you'd probably like anything featuring the Roots Radics, dub or not. But for dub, in addition to the ones already mentioned, I like Roots Radics Meet Scientist in a Dub Explosion.

"Roots Radics"

need to check them out.

thanks for the other tips btw.

"you'd probably like anything featuring the Roots Radics"

Which is basically anything produced in Jamaica between 1979 and 1985 haha.

http://www.roots-archives.com/release/702

^I remember this being great, but I somehow forgot to put it on my ipod so I can't confirm.

xp haha pretty much yeah

their guitarist played a machine gun

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q202/payakaa/bingy_bunny.jpg

all i know about RR really is that they did a lot of sessions for eekamouse (whose newish greensleeves best of i want to get... badly... but is a bit pricey).

oh shit, that Most Wanted from Eeek A Mouse is fantastic!

this is awesome: http://www.roots-archives.com/release/598

^^^ it is!

i hate how every greensleeves cd has their company design on the cover....

Hate it, but love the records. Every album they've reissued lately has been awesome.

true, they're on a streak right now and the discs sound great.

http://www.unionsquaremusic.co.uk/covers/large/SESHDCD211.jpg

As with all the recent Sessions/Union Square Music 2CDs, the cover art is way too much like Atari 2600 cartridge art, but less awesome. And there are tendencies to overlap certain tracks between 2-3 comps in this series..

but the comps themselves are really good for budget priced genre comps. Dub Sessions is no exception.

The website has tons of spelling errors. :( The comps far less so, even though they exist.

1 Tubby’s Vengeance – Yabby U & King Tubby

2 Emmanuel Version – Dennis Brown

3 Fugitive Dub – Skatalites Meet King Tubby

4 Love Thy Neighbour Version – Yabby U & King Tubby

5 Rockers Rock (version) – Augustus Pablo & King Tubby

6 I’m All Right – Keith Hudson, Family Man & Horace Andy

7 Congo Man Chant – The Upsetters

8 Wicked Tumbling Version – Glen Brown & King Tubby

9 A Heavy Dub – King Tubbys

10 No, No, No – Gussie Clarke & King Tubby

11 Superfly – I Roy

12 House Is Not A Home – Augustus Pablo

13 Ital Ites Dubwise – Horace Andy

14 Time Is Cold – Roots Radics & Tubbys

15 Dancing Roots – Cornel Campbell & King Tubby

16 Burial Dub – Augustus Pablo

17 Too Bad Cow – Upsetters

CD2

1 Riverside Rock – Upsetters

2 Kutchi Dub – Niney

3 Lightning & Thunder – Morwell Unlimited Meet King Tubbys

4 A Little Version -- The Love Grocer featuring Cheshire Cat

5 Herb Vendor – Horse Mouth

6 The Long Way – Junior Byles

7 Tenament Yard Dub – Niney

8 Dub Investigation – Bunny Lee & Prince Jammy

9 Satta 3 – Augustus Pablo

10 Dub-Ology – A Class Crew

11 No Apology – Glen Brown & A-Class Crew

12 Brothers Of The Blade – Prince Jammy

13 Takes A Magic Dub – Dean Fraser

14 Corn Man – King Tubby & The Observers

15 More Warning – King Tubby & The Aggrovators

16 Goldmaster Allstars – Push Harder

17 Sunshine Dub – Hydrophonics

18 A Friend In Need – Roots Radicals & King Tubby

Never mind. Dub Sessions (as well as others in the series) are now COLLECTORS ITEMS. WTFuckingF?

really ! the mind boggles. thought these were/are bargina basement filler compilations.

bargina!

Ragga Sessions and uh another one I have is great.

haha i always avoided those. i think it was the font :/

I avoided the dub version cuz I had 90% of it and I suspected the other 10% I might have with a slightly different name. THANKS A LOT TROJAN.

the 'chilled out' part of the title doesnt make me want to run to amazon lol.

Yes, the packaging and marketing of these Sessions comps are extremely embarrassing, but they are mostly great comps. Dub Sessions is good.

A quick sprint to Amazon shows a copy selling used for $11.

Considering these were going $10-12US *new*, that's still crazy (although not as crazy as 14 pounds used on amazon UK)

just wanted to say thanks for the ernie b's tip upthread, i got a bunch of cool stuff as a christmas present for my wife. really cheap too, it was something like 6 discs for $22 and one of those discs was $11 on its own (the radiodread - ok computer dub thing)

lol how is that radiodread

i should disclaimer my comment about the sessions comps by saying that this comp.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/518VXW4FTTL._SL500_AA240_.jpg

is really good despite awful cover, awful title and that its label is Music Club

Ernie B's is god.

eman, i was about to post about the Chill Out comment above and mention that same compilation which is fantastic straight through. highly recommended.

not all of the radiodread works for me, but the version of'airbag' is pretty rad

Seeing this thread pop back up on New Answers inspired me to listen to Tougher Than Tough again. Pretty amazing stuff. If I tell you guys what tracks I really love, can you give further listening tips?

i haven't listened to it thoroughly, but the Radiodread thing is very well put together.

"If I tell you guys what tracks I really love, can you give further listening tips?"

Unless you want mento recommendations, probably (hell someone here can most likely even provide those, just not me.)

Has anyone heard Cornell Cambell's disc, The Gorgon? It just appeared on eMusic. I can't find more than a single review of it anywhere (tho there's been a lot written about the title track and I Shall Not Remove, both of which were on the Blood & Fire Cornell Campbell compilation). Anyway, all the samples sound intriguing.

According to the entry at Roots Archives it was produced in 76 by Bunny Lee and mixed by King Tubby. I'd get it based on that. Haven't heard this full album but his other albums during this era are split ~50/50 on lovers tunes and rasta lyrics/rockers style.

i've heard a few of those tracks on comps, i'm sure its decent. pretty much any of these are going to be good

1973

* Cornell Campbell

1975

* Dance In A Greenwich Farm
* Natty Dread In A Greenwich Farm

1976

* Stalowatt
* The Gorgon

Calling all dub experts!!!

What is the dub that appears at 15:40 into Don Letts' The Punk Rock Movie? The movie is here:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4101813390428941237#

You can skip to 11:35 underneath the image. That "eeeefah eeeefah eeeefah eeeefah" has been haunting me for decades.

15.40 is Joe Gibbs and the Professionals -Jubilation Dub - from African Dub Almighty Chapter 3 & 4

Bob Six, thank you FOREVER!!!! xoxoxoxoox

in response to the original question - ok you know bob marley, but do you have his original albums or just that damn legend compilation? don't get me wrong, it's a good comp - almost *too* good, leading to it being played to death - but not everyone actually goes out and buys his albums, which are generally pretty awesome (concrete jungle leaps to mind for instance) and full of tracks you've probably never heard before...

seconding the congos, augustus pablo , king tubby and jimmy cliff, i'm gonna hunt down the rest on jess' list myself.

Having never heard him before, somehow, I'm blown away by Cedric IM Brooks & Light of Saba right now.

Awesome awesome stuff on this label:

http://digikillerrecords.blogspot.com/

never heard of these labels; digging the soundscans. thanks, alex.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cg5Iv-VZeLI/Sv8zpCj7VtI/AAAAAAAAB8I/-FroRxfGWac/s400/5818.jpg

New Jonny5 mix:

The Upsetter – Foundation Dub
Baba Brooks – Distant Drums
Augustus Pablo – Vibrate On
Keith Hudson – Jean You Change Everything
Keith Hudson – Jonah Version
The Techniques – Traveling Man
Winston Sax – Victory At Adawa
U-Roy & Ken Parker – True True True Version
Count Ossie & The Wareikas – One Bright Morning
Winston Wright & The Supersonics – Black Power
Dennis Alcapone – Funky Tang
Nora Dean – Angie La La
Bob Marley – Keep On Skanking
U-Roy – Tom Drunk
Phyllis Dillon – Woman Of The Ghetto
Johnny Moore – Red Is Danger
Keith Hudson & The Mafia All Stars – Melody Maker
Chuckles – Melody Maker Version 2
Jah Woosh – I’m Alright
The Abbyssinians – Mabrak
Trinity – Psalms
Jah Woosh – Sattaland
The Upsetter – Disco Devil
The Black Notes – African Style
The Upsetters – African Dub
Little Clive – African Bread
Ken Boothe – The Train Is Coming
The Ethiopians – This Train
Johnny Moore – South China Sea
Johnny Clarke – Golden Snake
Myrna Townsend All Stars – Golden Skank
Dillinger – Flat Foot Hustling
Niney The Observer – Lotion Here I Come Again
Junior Delgado – Famine / Version
Big Youth – Honesty / Version
Freddie McGregor – Rasta Man Camp
Bob Marley – Soul Rebel / Version
Earl Flute & Keith Hudson – True True To My Heart
John Holt – Ali Baba
Toots & The Maytals – 54-46

Thanks for the link. It's helping me get through a particularly annoying working day.

Recently rediscovered The Revolutionaries - Earthquake Dub. For some reason this doesn't particularly wow me when I first heard it 4 years ago, but I've completely fallen in love with it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ2lOBMrcGw

loving this

has that 1981 Junjo/Radics/Scientist vibe.

wah-wah voicebox flown in from Sly & the Family Stone or something

just got:

The Boris Gardiner Experience "Sledgehammer" (1975)
Joe Gibbs "Majestic Dub" (1979)<----this is amazing

er Boris Gardiner HAPPENING I mean

A few more roots classics: The Wailing Souls 'Wild Suspense'

Yeah, this is a v. good album

Gibbs dub albums from the late 70s are really incredible (even though I guess they are Gibbs in name only or something and other people mixed them, but whatevs.)

yeah am thinking I want the rest of the series now

at the store I had to choose between Majestic Dub and Linval Thompson Meets King Tubby's "Ina Reggae Dub Style" "Dis A Yard Dub"

I've not heard that particular Linval/Tubby record, but it's hard to imagine that record being bad (although it is on Clocktower which is pretty hit or miss as reggae labels go.)

the Boris Gariner is pretty good too, altho the last track on side 1 of the copy I got is fucked up due to a poor pressing. Gardiner's an odd one, looks like he also did some straight up disco and funk cuts too...?

I mostly think of Gardiner as a bassist, but yeah he was kind of all over the place.

Do you have the Linval 'Negrea Love Dub' album? Essential, imo.

only Linval stuff I have is on comps. yes I know I need to rectify this.

Start with Rocking Vibration and Negrea Love Dub.

Thanks for recommending "Majestic Dub". Think this might be my favourite dub album since "Super Ape". "Edward the Eight" is particularly stellar.

yeah the synths on it are kind of bonkers, right? I put it on yesterday and my wife thought the first song was Moroder for a second

For such a minimal sound as dub, it's incredibly complex - constantly shifting and changing with loads of synths and other instruments fading in and out, but never sounding messy.

Being me, I was also intrigued by Bionic Dub, which is essentially a disco track. Did he do much disco stuff?

Gibbs? not that I know of, but I'll defer to others on that point

yeah there's some disco-y stuff on the Joe Gibbs Reggae Discomix 12" series

I'm listening to a lovely Gibbs production of 'I want your love'. Things like this are what I live for, basically.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvumrVgjlTw

Just such a good tune

picked this up over the weekend. it is awesome.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_gLqj3VhA77M/S9MFSwv16KI/AAAAAAAAEmk/h1Ro4siIRg8/s400/Cool+Down+Your+Temper.jpg

Is that the correct spelling, never seen it that way before. Just yesterday I got his Greensleeves "12" Rulers" comp in the mail. Also awesome, though so far the pick of that litter (I ordered like 6 cds) is Michael Prophet's Gunman album. Don't have the cd in front of me but I'm assuming Scientist mixed it? The bass sound on it (as in bass guitar, not bass as in frequency) is so sick.

yeah I've never seen it spelled that way before either

my wife asked me what kind of name "lindval" was anyway and I had to admit I had no idea, obviously it must be some colonialized Jamaican name but I don't think I've ever heard of any non-Jamaicans named Lindval. Is it British?

was gonna put this out in the store the other day and made the mistake of playing it. now its going home with me. so good.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6yRL9bqrgC8/TxSLdQJ0oRI/AAAAAAAADQc/RsR3T90v4js/s320/Linval+Thompson%252C+front.jpg

lol misspelled artists' names on reggae albums are pretty common. all of those 12" Rulers comps are great. if you don't already have it, the Junjo one has a great extended version of Prophet's "Gunman" on it.

xp haha, see, they spelled it two ways on the same cover!

haha, see, they spelled it two ways on the same cover!

lol yeah classic

hahaha wtf
before i cleaned it up i had like 5 different artist entries in my itunes for cornell campbell (cornell, there's another great jamaican name, also british right?). cornel campbel, cornell campbell, cornell campbel, etc

i highly recommend this album. played it so many times over the last couple of months:

http://rasdans.rootsware.de/wp-content/uploads/derrick-lara.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR_fTXE7oIQ&feature=related

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-84XR6XhU4&feature=related

Linval Thompson is so rad

xp
have felt genuinely torn trying to decide between Yabby You and Yabby U

never heard of that scott, but I see on discogs that he's in the Tamlins, very interested...

this album was killing me the other day. every song on it is great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bHk6RjvCXU

yabby you! i mean his record label is yabby you too. so that's good enough for me. probably just easier to call him vivian jackson.

oh Junior Byles is great too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NjUbPUsPzo

vivian jackson is a great name. maybe I'll file him under Jesus Dread.

file under fuck yeah

XD

okay, one killer early 80's album before i go. roots radics band. scientist mix. junjo lawes production. very very cool.

http://download.feiyr.com/cover/65/26/8180029705_1000.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIWrWpxVRUo

damn that's huge sorry...

you know I'm thinking "Ungreatful" is probably inentional. hard to tell with patois sometimes, so much of it is founded on a mix of literalism and a love of puns (downpressor, for example)

<3 Wayne Jarrett! especially his Showcase on Wackies. there's a sax skronk on there that's one of my favorite moments in all music

btw, that's "intentional" not some obscure patois term like i-nentional

spelled Wayne Jarret on my ipod

okay, i can't resist, two tracks that knocked me on my butt this week. so much so that i don't know if i can part with the 12 inches despite the fact that i am supposedly a record dealer. but they are both so epic. guitar at the end of the earl zero track kills me every time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nEi1vOSD1Y

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqbzrvWFWIc

er, does anybody have that jonny5 mix upthread sitting around? the download link has passed on.

this guy on youtube put up some really nice old stuff recently. sounds good too. for youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQxZb5ulqD8&feature=endscreen&NR=1

hey scott, you might enjoy this blogpost: http://wayneandwax.com/?page_id=20

this too: http://wayneandwax.com/?p=137

i like wayne! he's nice. simon r. introduced me to him in seattle at one of the emp conferences. although he and simon were saying mean things about 3rd bass and i almost got into a fist fight with them.

i've had to physically stop myself from playing boneman connection lately. i will check out some of that other stuff.

i'm so stunned by this album. i can't get over how beautiful it is. seriously, one of the greatest albums i've heard in a very long time. of any genre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mb6VAZSMHNc

So true.

yes

Dadawah is an alter ego of Ras Michael:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENBxJ7DYO5U

yeah I've never seen it spelled that way before either
― max buzzword (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, February 3, 2012 1:17 PM

i've seen that on something else by him, also "lival". its rampant in this genre, see also "cornel / cornell campbell" or "agrovators"

http://www.bigbankhank.com/media/images/aggrovators-meets-the-revolutioners-2.jpg

"revolutioners"

Been getting back into Junior Delahaye's Wackies tunes lately. Dadawah is untouchable.
http://youtu.be/ie4cf0hYRYc

"revolutioners"

classic

revolutionaires! that's my favorite spelling.

"denise brown"

j/k haven't seen that one... yet

some 45s i have to put up online this week:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAdv_hMzELc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaUogagVebE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aN1QiqTzEPo

this has been up for a year but hadn't seen it til now, some good pix
http://www.bethlesser.com/photos/index.htm

some more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWoD3liUQYo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_racyGJhwc

(love these two so much. i have clean copies of my own.)

these aren't on youtube. i might just keep them...

http://78.46.76.238/pix/20100417/270564185332.jpg

http://rootsvinylguide.com/images/pictures/271010_0.jpg

http://rootsvinylguide.com/images/pictures/319626_0.jpg

http://images.cloud.worthpoint.com/wpimages/images/images1/1/1110/02/1_d1a1a830e9f73cfcf5971da2e0db32a2.jpg

mix of music produced by uk dubmeister adrian sherwood -

http://soundcloud.com/twitch/optimo-podcast-12-adrian

i just got the mintiest copy of My Life in a Hole in the Ground! like, never played. took it home. sorry, record store patrons.

you're a very lucky man to get to immerse yourself in so much reggae with the original records.

you should blast it at Sound System levels and make it the unoffical sdtrk to Main St thie summer.

i think i just might...

put some speakers outside the door...

i find it to be a humbling experience. i learn something new every day. and i'm kinda old. so its nice to know that i still have a love of learning. and a love for good music. its just so endless. wish i had 3 or 4 lifetimes. its weird that my love for what people create is boundless. and yet my feelings for humanity itself...well, i have my good days and my bad days. on my bad days, i pray for a cylon attack. on my good days i just KNOW that the average person has the strength and fortitude of kara thrace inside of them somewhere...

i made a tape yesterday from 45s. i included the dubs too:

heptones - love without feeling/jungle feeling

donavan adams - them a mack jah/mack version

roberta sweed - something burning

dr. alimantado - president nyerere/irie version

winston dale - you'll never know/version

heptones - revolution/baba leslie - revolution

glen brown - you love me i love you/version

babby shakie - give my heart for sure/version

silvertones - african dub/version

u. black - stepping out a distress/progress dub

john earl - i need someone to love/version

gregory isaacs - i am alright/version

itals - ba-da-doo-ba-dey/version

carl dawkins - dreadful situation/dub

pablo moses - give i fe i name/dub

taped on a TDK SA90 High Bias IECII/Type II cassette. sounds good. no noise reduction. i can live with VG quality pressings if the drums and bass are loud enough. and for the most part, by oh boy are they. people who don't listen to 45s have no idea...

for that matter people who don't listen to 12 inches have no idea...

listening to some british heptones studio one comp on vinyl a while back and man the difference between that comp - and i imagine the cd version of it - and the 12 inch pressings of some of that stuff...so vast. some enterprising member of Blur should really make 45 rpm heavy vinyl reissues of old reggae stuff. (the more recent the comps the worse they sound. 70's trojan comps and greensleeves comps usually sound really nice. closer to the source i suppose. 70's trojan and greensleeves vinyl in general really nice.)

i find it to be a humbling experience. i learn something new every day. and i'm kinda old. so its nice to know that i still have a love of learning. and a love for good music. its just so endless. wish i had 3 or 4 lifetimes. its weird that my love for what people create is boundless. and yet my feelings for humanity itself...well, i have my good days and my bad days. on my bad days, i pray for a cylon attack. on my good days i just KNOW that the average person has the strength and fortitude of kara thrace inside of them somewhere...

― scott seward, Monday, May 7, 2012 4:42 PM (20 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

beautiful post imo

heptones - revolution

that is a damn good song. I am completely swayed by your pro-vinyl stance scott, but I've always worried that getting into collecting reggae vinyl, especially 7"s and 12"s, would be a bit like "getting into" heroin. I'd probably sell my grandmother's television for that Glen Brown 12"

yeah, you got a point there. it can get expensive. i'm just always worried that people won't get the full effect if they don't here how things can really sound. on the other hand, there is tons of great 70's and 80's reggae on vinyl that doesn't cost a fortune.

^^^

Ernie B's yo

Oh, I love Ernie's. It's actually his email updates with all the new 7"s in stock that makes nervous--it's so easy to just add things to the cart.

culling my mp3 collection and came across this sweet lil tune

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7FXwuz7NKM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6tL1zSy0s0

hey idiots u all need to own this

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aV61W09RVdc/TqrKMiRZe2I/AAAAAAAACSs/GBwAHDYN6NA/s400/Front.jpg

music 4 blunted summer

lol his pose in that cover shot took me a second

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMz0wm6iuDA

"Fancy Make Up" is one of my favorite all-time songs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXVy-nGefNo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-r6ORp7CkU

I'm desperately looking for Sylford Walker + Welton Irie - Lambsbread International - Blood & Fire and Darker than Blue comp also on Blood & Fire without having to pay ridiculous internet prices. If anyone sees a copy in their local used racks, i'd gladly pay $10/disc + shipping.

Sorta amazed those discs are rare at this point. Where is Ernie's getting the "new" B&F CDs they have from?

I love this one. Harry Mudie feat. Lloyd Jones - Rome. There's a Roman Dub version which is wicked as well. Don't know if it's dub/reggae per se but would love to listen to more of this sort of thing if you can recommend any. The one I've got sounds lusher than this youtube... probably a remaster.

Guitar lick is pretty similar to Clarence Carter's Slip Away.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXMJODn8gzs

if you haven't already got it, the album this is from is essential:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESasEHZjbDw

thank you, scott. i am now haunted by the phrase "lice in a dread".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22bs6jyXHn0

the 3 Harry Mudie meets King Tubby dub albums are awesome

influenced by scott, i made my 1st vinyl order from ernie b's recently and am eagerly awaiting its arrival. the only reggae I have on vinyl is a Greensleeves thing w/Yellowman, Purpleman, and Sister Nancy I inherited from my uncle.

I bought the Keith Hudson 7" for Turn The Heater On off eBay this week. Can't wait for it to show up.

Bloody Eyes 12" is in my order, is Turn the Heater On a non-album track? Wanted to get some Wackies but it's all too pricey. Def am wary of falling into the vinyl heroin trap.

I really want to get into dubby Reggae but I find it hard to find an inroad. A lot of dubs are so noodly and recapitulated, and it's hard to find something to anchor it all together.

There are a few cuts on Trinity's 'Shanty Town Termination' that I really like. 'Congoman' by The Congos is one of the earliest examples I've found of a drum machine in reggae. This is a great track. Jackie Mittoo's got some pleasant stuff on 'Macka Fat'.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBmgKmIFqiU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnIe1hEviBs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UeKghD6exeY

And right now I'm getting into Linton Qwesi Johnson, a 'dub poet'. I think it's more interesting to listen to than a lot of 'toasting' deejay records because there's more of a point to what he's saying. Then at the end of a lot of his record everything goes all dubby --- so it's the best of both worlds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykU4T7lPna4

I wish I was as discerning as you

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRpxMmSm0Ek

this is really good

Isn't King Spinna, Barrow's new label?

Since there isn't a Pressure Sounds thread this'll have to do. Anyone heard the last couple of Lee Perry Pressure Sounds releases? The Sound Doctor looks especially good. Also news of a Yabby You collection of rare 45s and whatnot. Odd.

"King Spinna is a brand new label founded by Bob Harding and Dom Sotgiu, formerly of Blood and Fire."

would assume they'd mention Barrow if he was involved. Yabby You could be great. I haven't heard any of those Scratch collections--last thing I got on PS was the Clancy Eccles/Tubby dub set.

yeah its by other b+f dudes. barrow's thing was 'hot pot'

Hot Pot is dead too. Even the supposed last B&F thing (the General Echo one) came out on Equalizer or something.

Barrow is doing an album cover book for Soul Jazz.

The Dancehall comp he did for Soul Jazz was great. I wish that had turned into a proper series--they might have even eventually gotten to the 90s

Alex you mean the Sound System Scratch and Return of..., right? They're not essential and the sound quality of a couple of the source tracks is awful but I'd still recommend them to any Black Ark lovers.

Yeah and there is a new one The Sound Doctor that just came out.

Just ordered it

Kinda weird that all these odds and scraps Perry things come out and no one can figure out how to re-ish To Be A Lover as an example.

Trojan repackaging Open The Gate as Disco Devil (pretty awesome tracklist though):

Norman – Max Romeo & the Upsetters
Bad Weed – Junior Murvin
I Forgot to Be Your Lover (aka To Be a Lover) – George Faith
Know Love – Twin Roots
Rainy Night in Portland – Watty Burnett
Disco Devil – Lee Perry & Full Experience
City Too Hot – Lee Perry
Words – Sangie Davis & Lee Perry
Roots Train - Junior Murvin & Dillinger
Open the Gate – Watty Burnett
Neckodememus – The Congos
Rasta Train – Raphael Green & Doctor Alimantado
Ketch Vampire – Devon Irons & Doctor Alimantado
History (Of Civilisation) – Carlton Jackson
Sons of Slaves – Junior Delgado
Party Time – The Heptones
Free Up the Prisoners – Lee 'Scratch' Perry
Garden Of Life – Leroy Sibbles

I apparently missed that TROJAN did re-ish the original Jamaican version of To Be A Lover as:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Eight-George-Faith/dp/B007EN9KUC/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1352174904&sr=1-1&keywords=george+faith+super+eight

So there you go.

It's not the "original Jamaican version," but rather the Island version in the original sleeve. I'm sad to say . . .

Is there a difference? I haven't heard of one (though I've never looked, I always thought "TBAL" the weakest of Perry's run of late 7s Island LPs.)

(Still v v good though, obv.)

Yeah I think it's basically the same mix slightly reordered and with an add'l track.

No additional track, the Trojan page just makes it look like there are nine songs instead of eight. It's the same mix, I have the JA version, which is pretty different, so this is just deceptive marketing on Teojan's part.

That said, I think this album is underrated. Not as good as the Congos' work with Perry, but more solid than Junior Murvin's "Police And Thieves" as an album, and to my ears about as cool as "Super Ape" - the primary difference being that this album pays homage to American soul of the period rather than dub and insanity.

Yeah Upsetter.net was what indicated the add'l song.

I love the George Faith album.
Has anyone heard "Lee Scratch Perry Presents Candy Mckenzie"?

I love Yabby U (You) and have just ordered the new collection on Pressure Sounds. Clips sound terrific. Figured some people reading this thread would be interested. The ltd ed. 2xLP is only 67 copies (>65 now :)

http://www.pressure.co.uk/store/PS77/yabby-you-deeper-roots/

i put this on the youtube. so cool.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIqnV037bec

put this up too. great instrumental and awesome proto-rap staple singers sample at the beginning. from 1972.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VqMnzxANEg

whoah wtf how did they do that

oh man total ear candy

http://www.johnnyspencer.info/imagetexts16/tubbysinfullswingLK.htm

http://boomkat.com/cds/620423-keith-hudson-torch-of-freedom

With the Basic Replay imprint now dormant, I was worried that this crucial piece of the Keith Hudson puzzle might never get reissued. But there is now a CD version of Torch of Freedom out and it's a doozy. Wish they'd do vinyl on it but still...

That's funny, my copy of Torch of Freedom just arrived in the mail today, and I was driving around enjoying it deeply. The relative hit "Turn The Heater On" holds up especially well. The sound's great and the packaging is true to the original, with excellent liner notes.

It's tough to recommend Keith Hudson to the reggae novice, since he has a strange (some would say awful) voice and (as the liner notes say, "Keith Hudson's dubs often took the form of meandering instrumentals that would lose all shape after a spliff or two. Impressionistic in feel, it was as if they had no beginning or end." In other words, it's not foe everyone! But I like his odd voice, and there's some sort of zen beauty in his "formless" dubs that's consistent enough that it comes across as a well-defined style, and if you like one or two, you'll probably end up liking most of them. The album is kind of a "showcase" album - meaning the dubs follow the vocal versions.

i love full-length LPs where the dub follows the vocal mix. kinda my favorite thing. i have two john holt records like this and they are real faves of mine.

Got my copy of Torch of Freedom recently as well. It's really great and a perfect compliment to the Basic Replay reissues. Other than those 3 reissues, the 2 CD collection of Hudson productions, Brand and Pick A Dub are all essentials.

So I guess Hot Milk is new. Neat.

THREE releases on Basic Replay? What am I missing on CD - I've got the following:

Brand (Pressure Sounds)
Entering The Dragon (Trojan)
Flesh Of My Skin (Basic Replay)
Greatest Hits, Volume 1 (Sky High & Mau Mau)
Pick A Dub (Pressure Sounds)
Rasta Communication - Expanded Edition (Greensleeves)
Too Expensive (Virgin)
Torch Of Freedom (Hot Milk)
Studio Kinda Cloudy (Trojan)

I don't have "Playing It Cool." What else is there?

nuh skin up
from one extreme to another

Sorry, i'm replying on my phone so was too brief in my last comment. There are only 2 Basic Replay reissues but I included the Torch of Freedom in my '3 reissues' comment since they're similar in quality and vibe. In addition to what you have, I highly recommend The Hudson Affair 2CD set and you absolutely should get Playing it Cool immediately. I believe most of Nuh Skin Up is on the reissue of Rasta Communication but you should get that if you're missing any of the tracks on there. From One Extreme to Another is a bit spotty in my opinion.

What is the greatest hits vol1 disc you have?

Cool, thanks for the advice. I actually have The Hudson Affair and Nuh Skin Up - just forgot to list them. I don't recall ever having heard about One Extreme To Another, but it looks like it's vinyl only (?)

The Greatest Hits, Volume 1 CD is on a label called Sky High & Mau Mau - I think it was a one-off label, and was put out by his family. Here's the tracklist:

Rasta Country 2:56 (different mix than the one on Rasta Communication)
Rasta Side 2:52
Bloody Eyes 3:02 (different mix / version from the one on Rasta Communication)
Rasta Communication 2:22 (different version from the one on Rasta Communication)
Instant Skank 2:02
Melody Maker (dub) 2:10
Goliat 3:09 (with vocals from U Roy)
Riot (dub) 3:00 (seems the same as Soul Syndicate's "Riot," but vaguely different mix)
Bouts Up 1:40
True To My Heart 2:09
Though You Knew 2:11
Write Me 2:35
Write (dub) 2:10
Flesh Of My Skin 2:23 (about a minute shorter than the album version, different mix?)
Skin (dub) 2:01 (dub version of the song above)
In The West Indies 2:24
Fight A Revolution 2:02 (same as Fight For Revolution?)
Torch Of Freedom 2:23 (very spooky instrumental / dub version, different than the LP version)
We Can Work It Out 2:45 (1:48 shorter than the Too Expensive version, but same mix)
Too Expensive 2:40 (2:17 shorter than the Too Expensive version, but same mix)
Darkest Night 2:50 (same as the version on Flesh Of My Skin)

Some versions are *completely* different, some songs aren't on any of the albums I have, but I don't have "Flesh Of My Skin" handy . . . although the only song that could be the same is the last, I just can't compare it right now. Possibly these are single versions or something. It's a pretty cool collection, though, and worth it for the radically different takes on familiar songs. Holds together well, but long out of print.

I'll trade a CD-R copy (AIFF files direct from CD), especially if anyone could do the same for CD-sourced copies of these way out-of-print titles:

JUNIOR BYLES jordan
CLANCY ECCLES & THE DYNAMITES nyah reggae rock

THE EQUALS black skin blue eyed boys (double CD version)
FLYING LIZARDS top ten 

CHARLES HAYWARD live in japan: near & far
SCIENTIST V PRINCE JAMMY big showdown at king tubby's

. . . but if you don't have those and are desperate, I'll hook you up anyway! Just e-mail.

O/T because DJ not dub but on the subject of Keith Hudson productions it's really worth keeping your eyes peeled for the Militant Barry LP, "Green Valley".

This cut, "Pistol Boy", which concerns Sid Vicious, was legendary to me for years because Ranking Roger out of The Beat namechecked it in Smash Hits in 1980 or something. Took me a long time ot track it down. I'm often surprised it's not cited more often by punk rock historians looking for material evidence of reggae-punk connections and getting a bit stuck after "Punky Reggae Party".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6TOIib14O8

got some pretty silkscreened dub that will probably end up in france. for now i can gaze lovingly at them. and play them.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/554515_10152032647472137_1465086686_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/528837_10152032647387137_1176983129_n.jpg

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/184763_10152032647372137_311400935_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/408481_10152032647597137_246477131_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/76347_10152032647712137_1362439568_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/73386_10152032647817137_1833919250_n.jpg

!!! Bloody hell. Have only ever seen one of these, and even that one not in that cover. Guess these are really very rare, huh? What label design, Scott?

so pretty.

sick, i bet those go for lots of $$$

forgot how good this guy is

http://static.rateyourmusic.com/album_images/01a37a732db45d9c51582adcee9a25f1/611699.jpg

Granny Scratch Scratch is 100%

no idea re the sounds but i love the cover art on these ..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFDzv7_84SU

put another dub up that i like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJwT-RVtrR0

the sibley is v nice, ty - some of the same gospelised feel as george faith stuff like 'to be a lover' tho' considerably rawer

one more fave i put up today. digi madness!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hi98GLePE

picked this up yesterday

http://s.pixogs.com/image/R-3548153-1334814657.jpeg

ordered this today
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_W7GgQI-3cEw/S61jLQ1DYFI/AAAAAAAAAIk/dd7cJj-8Z28/s1600/horace+andy+-+dub+box+(rare+dubs+73-76)+front.jpg

my collection severely lacking in the Horace Andy dept for some reason

Oh, that looks good.

watched "Rockers" over the weekend, weird that I had never even heard of this movie until like a year ago

can't go wrong with this (if u don't have it yet)

http://www.ebreggae.com/reggae-images/front/CD/147631/USED-ITEM-Horace-Andy-Feel-Good-All-Over-Anthology-2-CD.jpg

argh have spent the whole day trying to find this goddamn horn break that I KNOW I have and can't remember the song arrrrghhh. It's an ascending line, 3 sets of 4 sixteenth notes followed by two quarter notes gah where the fuck is this thing

Can you hum it to me? What type of rhythm? Vocal or dub? What era?

dub, mid-70s
it goes

da da da da (root note)
da da da da (third)
da da da da (fifth)
dah dah (root one octave up)

I think

Rocking this:
http://assets.boomkat.com/images/264259/333.jpg

Haunting Dub sounds like something from the 90s (or even the present), weird how out-of-time some of this stuff can seem

http://assets.boomkat.com/images/264259/333.jpg

Niney is nearly always a win. Gonna get that as soon as I see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y651C7aNXRc&feature=youtu.be

this album is killin me right now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42Ia9yan5mA

v tempted by this recent reissue of Keith Hudson's Torch of Freedom, anyone heard it?

Yes, I bought both the CD and the Vinyl. Sounds great. One of his best albums. Absolutely essential purchase. The vinyl is green and comes with the great liner notes that the CD has. Buy it now.

As far as song quality goes, I think it's better than both Ibidments and Enter the Dragon, two others that have recently been repressed.

cool yeah I ordered the vinyl (Ibidments is the other Hudson I have on LP)

Furnace is pretty great too! but Hudson is all-time for me.

he is! this new reissue's not available on itunes, unfortunately.

also ordered Jah Lloyd's "Herb Dub", about which I can find next to no reliable info. sleeve is awesome tho

the Ernie B's listing says it was recorded and mixed at Tubby's with a slew of good players (Chinna, Lloyd Parks, Carlton Barrett) in 1975. Sleeve looked great!

i know rite?

http://ak1.ostkcdn.com/images/products/7128064//bmmg/ent/JAH-LLOYD-HERB-DUB-L667209404628.JPG

lol hueg sorry

it's okay because it's amazing.

looks a bit like one of the Mudie's Dub Conferences though in color

What would people say is the most apocalyptic religio-political rasta album? Thinking of stuff like Linval Thompson's Blood Gonna Run or Jr. Murvin's Police and Thieves

War In A Babylon maybe.

Two Sevens Clash.

ohh. maybe marcus garvey? or maybe the one by sugar minott, ghetto-ology?

Maybe something by Prince Far I. That guy would sound apocalyptic reading "Goodnight Moon".

Oh yeah Burning Spear good choice. Also Yabby You or Dadawah.

Hm don't have marcus garvey or ghettoology. Dont have any proper sugar minnott lps actually

Wait you don't have Marcus Garvey?!?!?!

Plenty of good Sugar Minott but because he recorded for so many different labels the quality of the reissues has been variable.

Both Wackies albums I have and the Studio One stuff is very strong.

It's a compilation but Johnny Clarke - A Rougher Version fits the bill pretty well and you get some of King Tubby's best mixes. http://www.discogs.com/Johnny-Clarke-A-Ruffer-Version-Johnny-Clarke-At-King-Tubbys-1974-78/release/3334942

oooh .. i've got that, but not added it to the digital archive.
ta for the nudge.
picked up an unmarked jackie mitto recently.
no label detail, nothing.
clearly a vinyl rip, but still, its rather good.

http://www.discogs.com/Jackie-Mitto-Show-Case-Volume-3/release/4204078

other discoveries that no-one really mentions that i have enjoyed recently :
compilations by the gladiators, a band i had never heard of, zap pow.

some of its 70s radio reggae (zap pow were supposedly known for their horn section)
.. but there are some gorgeous deeper sounds.

I forget the name of the original album, but the blood & fire reissue of Max Romeo's "Open the Iron Gate" also has a blood running down the streets vibe.
Sugar Minott's/Wackie's "A Wicked Ago Feel It" was super cheap on Ernie B's the other day.

the Gladiators' Studio One Singles set on Heartbeat is a personal favorite. Zap Pow's Lee Perry-produced "River" would be on my shortlist of favorite reggae songs, though I've not heard much else by them.

xpost That was mostly "Revelation Time", and is a good choice.

"Madness" by the Maytones, probably my top choice for reggae LP which deserves a reissue is another.

ah right "Revelation Time" which makes it even more obviously of this genre.

AMG review of madness is intriguing.

Not to be confused with the 1963 Prince Buster hit of the same name, The Maytones's "Madness" dwelt on a very
different theme than the Prince's ironic Rastafarian classic. The duo's insanity refers to the state of the world, not how others viewed the religion. And 1976 Jamaica did indeed seem to be in the grip of madness, as election year violence blooded the land, times were tough, and the island was being drained of the best and brightest as they left in search of work abroad.

Writers Vern Buckley, Gladstone "Son" Grant and Alvin Ranglin try to make sense of the situation. Is the state of
affairs due to too much drink, too much collie, too much grudgefulness, or those with skills turning their backs on their own country? They're not sure, but they've no doubt that there's a madness upon the land, and reach out to Jah to lift its curse.

Buckley delivers up the lyrics from his heart, beautifully echoed by Grant's high harmonies. Behind their impassioned
confusion, the backing G.G. All Star's (aka the defunct Zap Pow Band offer a steadying hand, laying down a sturdy rhythm. Its crisp beats and taut riffs, are offset by the more flowery keyboard riffs and an evocative synth line that gives the piece a rootsier depth. Ranglin keeps the production clean and straight-forward, allowing the beats to drive the song, whilst highlighting the pair's vocals.

"Madness" was a huge hit at home, and proved to be their break-out in a Britain that was also in turmoil, where the song rampaged through the reggae underground and beyond. Appropriately, the song would title the Maytones's UK album that was released this same year.

grudgefulness? anyway, there's only one album by this band on itunes, called solid gold showcase, but the song titles on that album are totally different from the song titles on madness (doesn't mean they aren't the same, tho; lots of recycling in roots-reggae music). title track has intriguingly direct lyrics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeONYKfmKSY

intriguing/intriguing. i guess i found this album intriguing. mostly cuz i never heard of the band before.

Had a quick scooch through that LP on iTunes - it's a very different sound from "Madness". I found a copy not too long ago, having been looking for a decent copy for years. No idea why it has never been reissued, it's a pretty well-known and well-liked record, in the UK at least.

Some of those lyrics are a bit questionable, btw: I'm pretty sure he's saying "it dread inna earth" not "if dread enough hurt", for example.

It's not as apocalyptic-*sounding* as "Dreadlocks Dread" or something though. But he's singing with that country-style reggae voice (like him out of the Starlights) and I'm not really used to that kind of voice singing "Madness" style songs, so it adds to the sense of something being wrong.

the vocals sound so much deeper/more gruff on that itunes disc. they sound a lot older (if it's even the same group?)

Haha yeah a cursory google suggests that something like 32 years separates the two LPs.

always interesting to hear of an album that (a) may be worthwhile and (b) has been almost totally lost in the passage of time. makes me think there's still a treasure-trove of lost gems from the roots-reggae/dub heyday, and a continuing place for reissue labels like pressure sound (not the fly-by-night, sketchy labels that seem to dominate the market for reggae/dub reissues nowadays). also reminds me of how great a loss it was to have the blood & fire label cease operations a few years ago. has it been five years or more? time flies.

anyone dig garvey's ghost, the dub version of marcus garvey, almost as much as the album proper? i've been listening to it a little bit, and it's pretty mind-blowing at the moment.

I've never been able to fall for Burning Spear so Garveys Ghost is my fav BS album. Don't love his voice do the dubs are the best way in for me. His scene in Rockers was all-time classic though.

i soo need to get marveys ghost.

because its always available, i have never felt the urge ..

have to say for an easy sunday morning, the jackie mitto set is really hitting the spot.

apparently, the cd issue was licensed from jackie, so legit.

still, its clearly a vinyl rip.

i soo need to get marveys ghost.

because its always available, i have never felt the urge ..

― mark e, Sunday, February 23, 2014

funny you say this. for the past few years, especially since a label reissued marcus garvey and garvey's ghost as a double-set, it's been easy to get either or both. but not very long ago, at least in my experience, it was almost impossible to get your hands on either album. neither itunes, emusic, 7digital, nor any of the other big digital music stores carried it. i felt like i had stumbled on buried-treasure when it finally turned up on emusic (at least i think it was emusic).

Beyond that, a personal semi-obscuro favorite of mine is Junior Byles' retrospective _Curlylocks_, on Heartbeat.

― Douglas Wolk, Tuesday, October 30, 2001

there's also a trojan records' disc, from 1996, called beat down babylon. at least some common tracks, with a common purpose (a career retrospective). anyone know which is better? fwiw, the trojan disc is a couple of dollars more, but that's not the issue.

re marcus garvey :

but i have seen the 2 albums on one cd island edition in hmv every single time i have been there for years.

just assumed it was part of the never deleted catalogue

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Marcus-Garvey-Garveys-Ghost-Burning/dp/B00002635E/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1393167677&sr=1-1&keywords=burning+spear

ahh .. cd vs digital download ..

will probably order it after a glass of wine later on now that i am in the mood to hear !

really, marcus garvey is one of the best albums ever recorded. holy trinity of reggae albums is marcus garvey; heart of the congos; and the harder they come OST? maybe instead of holy trinity -- in honor of all the ruckus lebron james' answer caused about a week ago -- we can go with the mt. rushmore of reggae albums. that way you'd get one more selection.

I have the Trojan Byles collections. There is only a small overlap so I don't think there is any harm in getting both.

since we're on the subject, the AMG review of the marcus garvey/garvey's ghost reissue says that the band was very upset with the way the album was mixed for an international audience, and this problem continued on the reissue set. the AMG review said the way to experience this album, and it's "haunting atmospheres," is via the original album, from a jamaican label called "fox." i found what purports to be a soulseek download of the original album.

anyone know if soulseek is a dangerous source from which to download something? i've never used it before, and i'm worried about viruses and related problems. i've bought this album maybe three times, in various formats, but always the "international mix," i guess.

despite not having heard MG i always knew of it being on the true greats ..
it will be mine within a few days:-)
this thread has totally got me back on the reggae tip.
been struggling re a soundtrack for a while, so this thread revival has been well timed.
how damn good is 'screaming target' by big youth.
the trojan reissue has sooo much more on it ..
sanctuary + trojan vs universal + trojan ... hmmm
the remastering, the packaging, and the extras currently seems to indicate that sanctuary wins.
not picked up any of the universal compilations that sit in the racks, as i fear a lot of duplication with my sanctuary sets.
(also, the default packaging of the universal sets is very boring)

xpost : damn !
i always thought the island version to be to genuine article.
guess they did to this what they did to a lot of trojan material for the euro pop market.
and no, have never used soulseek. sorry

damn.

santuary comps hitting the 'wtf' level :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gazs-Rockin-Blues-Club-Classics/dp/B0009HL1AC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393176978&sr=8-2&keywords=gaz+rocking+blues

Seen the screaming target reissue everywhere lately. Havent been able to afford it yet tho

I've used Soulseek many times without issue. I doubt the difference in the mixes makes too much difference in this case though.

what struck me is the idea that the mix for int'l audiences sped-up the tempos, and emphasized the arguably brighter, sunnier elements of the music (e.g., the horns).

However supposedly the old Jamaican dubs of the various classic Spear albums are way way better than the Heartbeat dubs from the 90s.

Yeah but if you've heard the Spear albums before and after you won't find yourself listening to Marcus Garvey and thinking OMG TOTAL MERSH SELL OUT. It's maybe slightly brighter but not hugely so.

that's probably right. still, the band and producer apparently went berserk because of the alterations.

what struck me is the idea that the mix for int'l audiences sped-up the tempos, and emphasized the arguably brighter, sunnier elements of the music (e.g., the horns).

surely the most famous example of this (other than marly of course !) has to be john holts, 1000 volts of holt.

thankfully, sanctuary released a reissue that had both versions on, and a ton of extras as well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/1000-Volts-Holt-John/dp/B00006JJ3P/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1393183389&sr=1-3&keywords=john+holt+1000+volts

and yes, the difference = a lighter mood with radio friendly string sections and horns

of course, both are still wonderful.

Erin MacLeod ‏@touchofallright Feb 18 -- VP relaunching Blood and Fire. Interesting. Is Steve Barrow on twitter?

______________________________________________

Erik Magni ‏@Reggaemani Feb 17 -- Thanks to Steve Barrow and @VPRecords the mighty Blood & Fire Records rises again this spring. This is stated by Barrow on Linkedin.

????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

bet its digital only.

not sure why, unless VP is a digital-only service, but even that would be okay. blood & fire's magic wasn't only in remastering music in high-fidelity formats, but cherry-picking the best albums to reissue and songs to include on compilations. to me, this is highly welcome news, if it's true and if it all comes about (big "ifs").

Seen the screaming target reissue everywhere lately. Havent been able to afford it yet tho

ouch ! just checked.

these reissues are kinda the FAX of the reggae world ..

i am old school .. give me a shiny silver disc for a well compiled reissue any day.

(and yes, in the world of reggae i realise this makes me a heretic - but so be it .. )

understood, but beggars can't be choosers when it comes to something like this (i.e., i'd rather have a digital-only blood & fire label than none at all). steve barrow is, indeed, on linkedin, and his resume does suggest a blood & fire resurrection:

A&R Consultant
Blood & Fire
February 2014 – Present (1 month)Care of VP Records, NY & London

you are correct of course, i am being an arse.

steve barrow is man of deep knowledge and love of the genre.

its great to see him having a new outlet for reissues that he believes to be worthy of love.

fingers x'd it goes to plan

(i assume mick h is no longer funding the party !?)

not a digital-only revival.

Queens, New York-based reggae independent VP Records has relaunched UK reggae label Blood and Fire, known primarily for its quality reissues of Jamaican recordings from the 1970s and ’80s, many of which were overlooked upon their initial release.

Founded in Manchester, England in 1993 by Elliot Rashman, Andy Dodd, Bob Harding (management of the multi-platinum 1980s soul-pop group Simply Red), Mick Hucknall (Simply Red’s lead singer) and authoritative reggae collector Steve Barrow, the label’s A&R and co-author of “The Rough Guide to Reggae” (which has reportedly sold nearly 50,000 copies), Blood and Fire sought to highlight the reggae narrative beyond the genre’s crossover stars through promotion of beautifully packaged reissues that include extensive booklets detailing the featured artists’ career trajectories, annotated song listings, rare photographs and vivid graphics.

Blood and Fire commenced its release schedule in 1994 with “If Deejay Was Your Trade – The Dreads at King Tubby’s 1974-1977”, which compiled tracks produced by Bunny “Striker” Lee, featuring popular toasters of the mid-’70s including Dr. Alimantado, Dillinger and Tappa Zukie. The label reaped accolades for their re-release of ethereal vocal duo the Congos’ “Heart of the Congos,” produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry, introduced a new generation of fans to the pioneering Rastafarian deejay Big Youth with the three CD set “Natty Universal Dread 1973-1979” and restored the availability of iconic singer Horace Andy’s “In The Light/In The Light Dub” more than 10 years after those titles were out of print.

Blood and Fire also released two one-riddim albums: “Tree of Satta” (2003) utilizing the majestic “Satta Massagana” rhythm as featured on the hit song by vocal trio the Abyssians and “Fisherman Style: (2006) adapted from The Congos’ timeless “Fisherman” rhythm, both releases offering new material from a cross generational representation of singers and deejays.

The steep decline in CD sales, the bankruptcies of the label’s distributors in the US and France, and “a catastrophic decision by my co-director in Manchester to stop trading,” as Barrow declared in a 2013 interview on the Midnight Raver blog, forced Blood and Fire out of business in 2007. Thus, their relaunching through VP, with Barrow overseeing the mastering, packaging and compiling of a dozen Blood and Fire titles in various formats, with additional content and updated packaging, is welcome news to music fans.

The initial VP/Blood and Fire collaboration will be a (vinyl only) limited edition 12″ of Gregory Isaacs’ 1978 single “Mr. Know It All,” scheduled for release on Record Store Day (Apr. 19). In a company press release sent out on Feb. 18, VP Records CEO Chris Chin stated: “Blood and Fire presented reggae with premium quality and care as well as revived the careers of many unsung producers and performers. We respect and admire the Blood and Fire brand and are delighted to be working together.”

hopefully barrow (and maybe the original blood & fire team) gets complete control over the venture. my vague memory says that VP is an okay, but hardly-sublime, reissue label.

Thus, their relaunching through VP, with Barrow overseeing the mastering, packaging and compiling of a dozen Blood and Fire titles in various formats, with additional content and updated packaging, is welcome news to music fans.

a dozen new blood & fire titles forthcoming!

have to say that reads really well.

game on !

as even pressure sounds are all about limited press 7" that i cant be arsed with ..

well, now i'm not really sure if these are new blood & fire title, or just expanded versions of the existing titles, which fell out-of-circulation when the label shuttered seven years ago. either way, welcome news.

speaking of the love of the congos ..

this is not half bad you know :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dub-Feast-Congos/dp/B007633B8W/ref=sr_1_5?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1393186553&sr=1-5&keywords=the+congos

of course it does not come anywhere near the perfection of 'heart of .. ', but still, its a lovely sounding dub set..

hoping this means new blood & fire titles forthcoming:

He will be handling original B&F catalogue reissues with additional titles new to Blood and Fire.

"hopefully barrow (and maybe the original blood & fire team) gets complete control over the venture. my vague memory says that VP is an okay, but hardly-sublime, reissue label."

VP is a very mediocre reissue label, but they have the rights to a huge amount of great music (esp. since they also own Greensleeves).

you know, i have delved into the greensleeves groove.

is it not all 80s digital dancehall (something i have never really enjoyed) ?

i.e. tell me i am wrong and kick this narrow viewpoint into touch ..

i think greensleeves is pretty largely digital-dancehall, yeah. i don't like that genre, either.

VP is a very mediocre reissue label, but they have the rights to a huge amount of great music (esp. since they also own Greensleeves).

― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Sunday, February 23, 2014

yeah. is VP basically hands-off with/gives ample financial support to greensleeves, or does VP severely downgrade what would otherwise be the quality of greensleeves releases?

sorry ..

i have = i have not

"is it not all 80s digital dancehall (something i have never really enjoyed) ?"

There is some late seventies roots/deejay stuff that's incredible (BEST DRESSED CHICKEN IN TOWN is on Greensleeves!) but definitely they're peaking in the early 80s.

"yeah. is VP basically hands-off with/gives ample financial support to greensleeves, or does VP severely downgrade what would otherwise be the quality of greensleeves releases?"

To be honest I've not noticed much of a difference.

BEST DRESSED CHICKEN IN TOWN is on Greensleeves!

― One bad call from barely losing to (Alex in SF), Sunday, February 23, 2014

people whose opinions i trust on the subject (like yours) seem to love this record. i've never heard whatever gets people so excited about it. why so much love for this album?

I'm not a digi dancehall fan either, but there's lots of great stuff on Greensleeves from 1980-82, Roots Radics/Junjo era.

like this here awesome comp
http://www.dubvendor.co.uk/ekmps/shops/dubvendor/images/various-artist-the-biggest-dancehall-anthems-1979-82-greensleeves-2xcd-8970-p.jpg

"people whose opinions i trust on the subject (like yours) seem to love this record. i've never heard whatever gets people so excited about it. why so much love for this album?"

Prime Perry/Tubby productions of amazing songs with great and often hilarious singjaying/deejaying. I'm not sure what's not to love.

Alex OTM; also fwiw I think '88-91 and thereabouts is an undervalued period of Jamaican music and Greensleeves was in its pomp then.

But you don't wanna hear me go on about that. "Original Rockers" was on Greensleeves and stands up to just about anything else ever IMO.

There's a good Wackies compilation of digital dancehall / early 80s stuff called Basic Replay.

I've been making a bunch of money buying and selling Blood & Fire CDs and LPs. Bit torn on the news. Shops don't realize that catalog is collectible so it's easy to buy low and sell high right now.