Tuesday, February 19, 2019
VA - (2015) Empathy CS
Akashita Corp – 003
A1 –Wet Petals III 1:29
A2 –People's Temple Project Untitled 0:13
A3 –Secret Smoker Every Moment (Live) 1:52
B1 –Coma Regalia Yes I Am Familiar With That Metaphor 1:08
B2 –Мятеж Power Humvee vs Cave Dweller 0:43
B3 –Waller DC Mini 1:45
VA - (2017) Innovations In Sound and Communication CS
Akashita Corp – 009
A1 –Under a Sky so Blue Rhizome 1:18
A2 –Majorel Ivory Tower
A3 –Aspine Kevin Kosner 2:04
A4 –The Ultimate Screamo Band En Consequence 1:16
A5 –Heritage Unit A Black Wind 3:07
A6 –Apostles Of Eris Inner Dialogue 1:35
Alpha & Omega - (2001) Dub Philosophy
BSI Records – 023
Well it's finally here, the long awaited Alpha & Omega release. First of all I'm always hungry for remixes, but lately I find that Alpha & Omega has a bit too much remixes of the same material. I thought this CD would have been all brand new material, instead it's 95% remixes, however I must admit that these are some of the most serious Bass Heavy, Earth Shattering Mixes that I've ever heard in a dub recording. The tracks are totally disguised in such a way that they sound rightiously fresh. My favorite track is Dub of Purpose which was remixed by "Another Sound System Experience" who totally reconstruct the rhythm to tear down the walls. It's only because I recognized Nishka's vocals I knew it was the remix of the song show me a purpose. I wish I could be there in England to hear the Mighty Jah Shaka lick these sound system burners in the dance. This CD is also much better than their last BSI offering "Mystical Things" If you are an Alpha & Omega fan or just love Dub, pick this up, play loud and feel the vibes of some of the finest british Dub N'Roots. Nuff Respect!
African Head Charge - (1991) Pride & Joy - Live
On-U Sound – 014
Originally released in 1991, Pride and Joy compiles collection of live recordings from African Head Charge shows between 1987 - 1991.
Alton Ellis - (1967) Sings Rock and Soul
Studio One – 8008
Alton Ellis was one of the true originals and innovators of the Jamaican ska and reggae sound. Right up there with Bob Marley, Prince Buster and Desmond Dekker. He originated the rocksteady beat that would become the staple of the British two tone movement. He was a fine recording artist who knocked out a whole range of classic tracks in his own unique style.
Recorded in 1967 for the Studio One label, this is a fine collection of tracks. Ellis takes well known material and gives it the rocksteady treatment (the best ever version of whiter shade of pale is to be found here) or delivers some fine originals.
It's laid back, grooving and just a whole load of fun to listen to. It's music designed to help you have a good time, and listening to it is really uplifting.
Includes the 12 original tracks which appeared on the 1967 CSL 8008 vinyl release together with two "bonus" tracks not listed on the cover -"oppression" and "mother and father" A classic album by one of the greatest singers ever.
Alton Ellis - (1970) Sunday Coming
Coxsone Records – 8023
Alton Ellis - (2004) Be True to Yourself Anthology 1965-1973 2xCD
Trojan Records – 205
Alton Ellis created a template in the 1960s that subsequent Jamaican singers like Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs would follow to a T, combining soulful vocal phrasing, derived in part from American R&B, with hard island rhythms and a bent for romantic material into a surefire way to keep a presence on the charts. Although he is often celebrated for his subtle Jamaican interpretations of American pop hits (which often improved on the originals, as is the case here with Ellis' version of Chuck Jackson's "Willow Tree"), it is startling to realize how many of the best songs on this two-disc, 56-track compilation of Ellis' early years were actually written by the singer. "Dance Crasher," "Cry Tough," "The Preacher," "Black Man's World," "Harder and Harder," and "Better Get Your Heads Together" were all penned by Ellis, and his soaring tenor renders them both poignant and irresistible. It's also interesting how many of the tracks deal squarely with social issues, and while there are plenty of romantic ballads included here, Ellis clearly had a wider range of concerns than his public persona as a crooner would afford. Songs like "Cry Tough" (with its classic "how can a man be tougher than the world" interjection by Lloyd Charmers) are immortal, in part because of Ellis' emotive and nuanced vocals, but also because the writing is so smart, wise, and assured, not to mention timely and political. As an introduction to Ellis' classic early years (and in particular, his work with Treasure Isle producer Duke Reid), Be True to Yourself is hard to beat.
Augustus Pablo - (2011) Ital Dub
Get On Down – 50759
Navigating Pablo’s back catalogue is a difficult task, since he got his start as an un-credited session player in the late 1960s, mostly working as a keyboardist. Several early singles credited to Augustus Pablo actually featured the work of other players, as the name was randomly assigned by producer Herman Chin-Loy, who first recorded Pablo’s melodica tracks. There are also albums bearing his name that feature less-talented imposters. But have no fear when you pick up Ital Dub, a 1974 album produced by Tommy Cowan; it is the real deal, featuring Pablo’s cool melodica over some of the best works Cowan ever issued, and even if it does not quite scale the heights of later sets like King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown or East of the River Nile, it is definitely worth having in your collection.
The album starts off strong with The Big Rip Off, a killer melodica take of Jacob Miller’s Forward Jah Jah Children (featuring a great King Tubby dub mix), followed by an echoing take on Marley’s Road Block (as re-cut for Cowan by Inner Circle). Though the wobbly cut of Curly Locks that follows sounds a little raw, Well Red is a sterling melodica take of Jacob Miller’s Moses. Gun Trade is a great re-working of Bob Andy’s Fire Burning. And Shake Up is a killer dubwise cut on the Please Be True rhythm.
On the original album’s second side, Hillside Airstrip is a wacky riff on the oft-versioned Skanga, the eerie Barbwire Disaster has Pablo’s melodica nicely offset by warbling harmonica riffs, and Mr Big is a great cut of Jacob Miller’s version of Natty Dread. Similarly, Eli’s Move is a spongy melodica number riding a dub-heavy rhythm, while House Raid is a throbbing dub cut to Inner Circle’s re-working of Peter Tosh’s Burial. Finally, closing number Shake Down is an alternate melodica instrumental of Shake Up/Please Be True, proving that there is always another way of looking at any given rhythm track.
Nicely straddling the divide between straight instrumental and manipulated dub, Ital Dub is ultimately a snapshot of Augustus Pablo finding his way, on the cusp of greater glory as a bonafide producer of his own works.
Augustus Pablo - (1999) Dubbing In a Africa
Jet Star Records – 1002
This is a classic dub reissue from the legendary Augustus Pablo. Originally released in 1981, Dubbing in a Africa features arrangements from Charles Reid, while Pablo, playing organ, leads a strong cast of musicians including Sly Dunbar (drums), Robbie Shakespeare (bass guitar) and Melodice Gladdy (piano) on another journey into African-themed dub sound. Tracks include "Everlasting Dub", "Nigerian Love Dub" and "Dub in Ethiopia." Dubbing in a Africa is an essential addition to any dub fan's music library.
Augustus Pablo - (1994) King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown
Shanachie – 44019
Bad Brains - (1990) I Against I
SST – 065
It was three years since the release of Rock For Light, and a lot of things had changed. Most notably the band's music. Gone are the days of their hardcore punk. Instead, we are left with a handful of midtempo songs that give the band room to strut their stuff. It's slower yes, but the power they wielded in their debut is still there. It starts off with "Intro," just a little jam. After that comes the title track and "House Of Suffering," arguably the band's best two songs. As great of songs they are, they seem a bit dry, no reverb. This sucks some intensity out of them. Also, on "I Against I," HR pulls a Rock For Light and overdoes his "singing." After hearing the version on the Omega Sessions EP, I'm not very happy with the version on th om prison. Interesting if not enjoyable.
HR isn't the only thing going on here, the rest of the band is where most of my interest is. They're tearing up the place with tight and funky playing. Guitarist Dr Know is all over the place on his solos, and the rhythm section of Darryl Jenifer and Earl Hudson lock into a seamless, powerful groove. One could argue that this album is the precursor to funk metal. There isn't too much else you could call this stuff.
For once the production is damn near perfect, give thanks to Ric Ocasek not being present. The bass is loud and proud, as are the drums. Hell, everything is mixed in wonderfully. The only thing that bothers me is that the first two songs, not counting "Intro," are too dry.
This is Bad Brains' masterpiece. As much as their hardcore stuff kicked ass, this album shows them in full form. It's diverse, powerful, and damn good. The minor shortcomings on this album, mainly HR bad delivery on "I Against I," don't hurt the album overall. In retrospect, this dull review shouldn't lead you to believe this is a dull album, because it's not. It's the opposite, it's a classic and is easily in the ranks of other legendary rock albums, such as Back In Black and Are You Experienced?
Bim Sherman - (1987) African Rubber Dub LP
RDL Records – 800
Singer/songwriter Bim Sherman, whose aliases include Jarrett Tomlinson, Jarrett Vincent, Lloyd Vincent, J.L. Vincent, Bim Shieman and Lloyd Tomlinson was born on the island of Jamaica in 1952. Bim Sherman belonged to a generation dreadlocked singers, who emerged in the mid-seventies to express the Rasta vision of Babylon's fall and corresponding redemption for the righteous through their roots reggae music. Almost from the very first start of his recording career Bim Sherman showcased his wilfulness, which turned out to be a strong force for this man's unique approach of the music and its business. Unlike many of his contemporaries, who mainly recorded for a certain producer or even a variety of producers, Bim Sherman scraped enough money together to record almost an entire oeuvre on self-financed labels like "Scorpio", "Red Sea" and "Sun Dew". Occasionally Bim Sherman also cut songs for local producers Dudley Swabey, Prince Far I, Jah Lloyd (aka Jah Lion) and Jah Woosh.
The singer with the amazingly ethereal and entrancing voice impressed most with his late-1970s titles, "Tribulation", "World Go Round" and "Danger" as well as "Mighty Ruler", the latter appearing on Dudley Swabey's "Ja-Man" imprint. Because of his restricted finances, Bim Sherman often used each riddim track for two different songs. However it were his writing skills and plaintive vocals which ensured that every piece sounded fresh. Some of those 7" sides became available in the UK on 12" pressings, compiling the A and B sides of two original JA releases on one 12". Often the same song would appear on different issues and releases with different titles (for example, "Fit To Survive" and "Tribulation", "World Of Dispensation" and "Revolution", and "Blacker Sound", "Black Jah Jah Sound" and "Ever Firm").
In 1978, eight of Bim Sherman's "Scorpio"/"Red Sea" singles, together with the tunes "Mighty Ruler" and "Ever Firm", were compiled for "Love Forever", an album that was released by UK based sound system operator Lloyd Coxsone on his own "Tribesman" label. This truly classic and unmissable late-1970 roots album was followed by the 1979 released "Lovers Leap". Another consistently strong collection, actually a showcase style album of vocals followed by the dub versions. A year later Bim Sherman was featured on one side of the album "Bim Sherman Meets Horace Andy And U Black", a minor but robust and enjoyable set. In the early eighties Bim Sherman settled in the UK where he teamed up with producer Adrian Sherwood. It marked the beginning of a fruitful association as Sherman started to record for Sherwood's "On-U-Sound" label. In 1982 Sherwood produced "Across The Red Sea", an enjoyable set but not the sensation for which followers of both had hoped.
Throughout the eighties and early nineties he was a featured vocalist on the highly acclaimed, Sherwood-produced "Singers And Players" series of albums for which he sometimes would record new versions of his old material. In 1984, Bim Sherman started "Century Records", originally through On-U Sound, and released two albums : "Bim Sherman And The Voluntary" and "Danger". "Century Records" then stopped releasing material, and Sherman's products started to appear on RDL, the "Revolver Distribution Label". Albums to appear on this label included "African Rubber Dub" (RDL/Revolver 1987), "Haunting Ground" (RDL/Revolver 1989) and "Exploitation" (RDL/Revolver 1989). Towards the nineties Century became operational again, with straight reissues of the RDL releases and with compilation CDs featuring tracks from the RDL albums. Subsequent Sherman releases were on Century, often featuring On-U-Sound musicians. Although Bim Sherman had a lot of devoted fans in the UK and Europe, it lasted two decades after he started his recording career before he finally made a commercial breakthrough in the UK charts. It was the release of Bim Sherman's acoustic masterpiece "Miracle" - released on Beggars Banquet Records' offshoot "Mantra" in 1996 - that made things happen for Sherman. The album brings together disparate elements - 'playback' strings orchestrated by Suraj Sathe, Talvin Singh's tabla's, former Sugarhill sessioneers (guitarist Skip McDonald and bassist Doug Wimbish) and Sherman's meditative lovers and cultural songs. The lack of a conventional drum kit is barely noticed, and yet this is still recognizably reggae, albeit of a uniquely mutated kind. Dance producer Steve Osbourne took the album track "Solid As A Rock" and made a remix. After it was released on single it scaled the UK charts and helped to re-energize Sherman's career. The next year saw the release of another strong Bim Sherman album entitled "It Must Be A Dream", a collection of remixes.
The singer with the amazingly ethereal and entrancing voice impressed most with his late-1970s titles, "Tribulation", "World Go Round" and "Danger" as well as "Mighty Ruler", the latter appearing on Dudley Swabey's "Ja-Man" imprint. Because of his restricted finances, Bim Sherman often used each riddim track for two different songs. However it were his writing skills and plaintive vocals which ensured that every piece sounded fresh. Some of those 7" sides became available in the UK on 12" pressings, compiling the A and B sides of two original JA releases on one 12". Often the same song would appear on different issues and releases with different titles (for example, "Fit To Survive" and "Tribulation", "World Of Dispensation" and "Revolution", and "Blacker Sound", "Black Jah Jah Sound" and "Ever Firm").
In 1978, eight of Bim Sherman's "Scorpio"/"Red Sea" singles, together with the tunes "Mighty Ruler" and "Ever Firm", were compiled for "Love Forever", an album that was released by UK based sound system operator Lloyd Coxsone on his own "Tribesman" label. This truly classic and unmissable late-1970 roots album was followed by the 1979 released "Lovers Leap". Another consistently strong collection, actually a showcase style album of vocals followed by the dub versions. A year later Bim Sherman was featured on one side of the album "Bim Sherman Meets Horace Andy And U Black", a minor but robust and enjoyable set. In the early eighties Bim Sherman settled in the UK where he teamed up with producer Adrian Sherwood. It marked the beginning of a fruitful association as Sherman started to record for Sherwood's "On-U-Sound" label. In 1982 Sherwood produced "Across The Red Sea", an enjoyable set but not the sensation for which followers of both had hoped.
Throughout the eighties and early nineties he was a featured vocalist on the highly acclaimed, Sherwood-produced "Singers And Players" series of albums for which he sometimes would record new versions of his old material. In 1984, Bim Sherman started "Century Records", originally through On-U Sound, and released two albums : "Bim Sherman And The Voluntary" and "Danger". "Century Records" then stopped releasing material, and Sherman's products started to appear on RDL, the "Revolver Distribution Label". Albums to appear on this label included "African Rubber Dub" (RDL/Revolver 1987), "Haunting Ground" (RDL/Revolver 1989) and "Exploitation" (RDL/Revolver 1989). Towards the nineties Century became operational again, with straight reissues of the RDL releases and with compilation CDs featuring tracks from the RDL albums. Subsequent Sherman releases were on Century, often featuring On-U-Sound musicians. Although Bim Sherman had a lot of devoted fans in the UK and Europe, it lasted two decades after he started his recording career before he finally made a commercial breakthrough in the UK charts. It was the release of Bim Sherman's acoustic masterpiece "Miracle" - released on Beggars Banquet Records' offshoot "Mantra" in 1996 - that made things happen for Sherman. The album brings together disparate elements - 'playback' strings orchestrated by Suraj Sathe, Talvin Singh's tabla's, former Sugarhill sessioneers (guitarist Skip McDonald and bassist Doug Wimbish) and Sherman's meditative lovers and cultural songs. The lack of a conventional drum kit is barely noticed, and yet this is still recognizably reggae, albeit of a uniquely mutated kind. Dance producer Steve Osbourne took the album track "Solid As A Rock" and made a remix. After it was released on single it scaled the UK charts and helped to re-energize Sherman's career. The next year saw the release of another strong Bim Sherman album entitled "It Must Be A Dream", a collection of remixes.
Brenda Ray - (2011) ST 12''
EM Records – 1092
Four 12" tracks cut from the album Walatta (EM 1071CD/LP). Handmade silkscreen print sleeve in a 2-holed disco bag. Super limited edition, only 400 made; lush reggae tunes on this Japanese label!
Brenda Ray - (2012) D'Ya Hear Me! : Naffi Years, 1979-83 LP
EM Records – 1108
With its strong but unvarnished pop melodies, dubby production and sprinklings of exuberant racket nicked from free jazz records, D’Ya Hear Me’s contents would flow perfectly on a mixtape along with The Slits, Raincoats, Young Marble Giants, early PiL, and Viv Goldman’s “Launderette” single. But Ray’s track would be the one in the mix that makes everyone smile.
Sweet post-punk, with a heartfelt reggae/funk influence, analog dub effects and lovely femme-vox. A unique slice of late-70s/early-80s goodness, starring Brenda Ray, whose previous release on EM Records, Walatta, has been embraced by a large number of listeners. Recorded in North West England, D'Ya Hear Me! is warm-hearted, open, fresh and slyly experimental
With an independent spirit and a true D.I.Y. soul, these thirteen tracks, originally released in various formats by Ray a.k.a. Brenda Kenny a.k.a. Natalie Sand a.k.a. Polly Rith'm and her musical friends under the moniker(s) Naffi/Naffi Sandwich, were recorded in a simple home-made studio, making full use of the creative options opened up through the full use of simple means - although the warm, full audio belies any notions of primitivism. Far from media-crazed London, Naffi created a musical world free from lust for the spotlight, focusing solely on the music, and the results are fittingly pure
D'Ya Hear Me! is a wide-ranging release, with lovely vocal tracks, warm dubs and pleasingly odd instrumentals, all knitted together with a special trans-Atlantic rhythmic sense. Two songs of special interest here are "Moonbeams" and the Young Marble Giants-esque "Everyday Just Another Dream", which are early versions of "Starlight" and "Another Dream" from Walatta. Also noteworthy are several previously unissued longer versions of some songs.
Sweet post-punk, with a heartfelt reggae/funk influence, analog dub effects and lovely femme-vox. A unique slice of late-70s/early-80s goodness, starring Brenda Ray, whose previous release on EM Records, Walatta, has been embraced by a large number of listeners. Recorded in North West England, D'Ya Hear Me! is warm-hearted, open, fresh and slyly experimental
With an independent spirit and a true D.I.Y. soul, these thirteen tracks, originally released in various formats by Ray a.k.a. Brenda Kenny a.k.a. Natalie Sand a.k.a. Polly Rith'm and her musical friends under the moniker(s) Naffi/Naffi Sandwich, were recorded in a simple home-made studio, making full use of the creative options opened up through the full use of simple means - although the warm, full audio belies any notions of primitivism. Far from media-crazed London, Naffi created a musical world free from lust for the spotlight, focusing solely on the music, and the results are fittingly pure
D'Ya Hear Me! is a wide-ranging release, with lovely vocal tracks, warm dubs and pleasingly odd instrumentals, all knitted together with a special trans-Atlantic rhythmic sense. Two songs of special interest here are "Moonbeams" and the Young Marble Giants-esque "Everyday Just Another Dream", which are early versions of "Starlight" and "Another Dream" from Walatta. Also noteworthy are several previously unissued longer versions of some songs.
Bunny Lee - (2015) Kingston Flying Cymbals (Dubbing With The Flying Cymbals Sound 1974 - 1979) CD
Jamaican Recordings – 057
“I named it flyers but they didn’t know what flyers was…” Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee
Bunny Lee’s flying cymbals, or flyers rhythms, dominated the dancehalls and the charts during 1974 and 1975. The style, based around the Philadelphia disco, or ‘Philly Bump’, sound of an open and closed hi-hat was not necessarily novel but Striker’s innovations of bringing a number of different elements into play most certainly was. Johnny Clarke’s interpretation of Earl Zero’s ‘None Shall Escape The Judgement’, not only opens this set but also opened the floodgates for the flyers style. The story had begun the previous year with Lowell ‘Sly’ Dunbar…
“Sly played the flying cymbals first… I said to Sly ‘You played it on the Delroy Wilson tune for Channel One named ‘It’s A Shame’ and Sly played it before that with Skin, Flesh & Bones on ‘Here I Am Baby Come And Take Me’, the Al Green tune, when Al Brown sung it for Dickie Wong with the ‘tsk, tsk, tsk’ sound on the hi-hat. I named it flyers but they didn’t know what flyers was!” Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee
“The first session I played for Channel One was Delroy Wilson’s version to
The Spinners’ ‘It’s A Shame’. It was a big hit for Jo Jo”. Sly Dunbar
“Santa was a great drummer. He started with The Soul Syndicate. He wore size fourteen shoes and that’s why when he licked the drum it sound!
Sly played the drums so brilliant but he played different from Santa… I said
“Santa I want something that sounds like it’s come from outer space!
This tune now, ’None Shall Escape The Judgement’, I was going home one night and I heard Chinna and Earl Zero playing this tune and Earl Zero was singing ‘None shall escape the judgement in this time…’ I come and I listened and I said ‘I like the tune, you know, Chinna’ and Earl Zero said ‘Mr Lee. Come tomorrow down to Duke Reid’s studio. I think I’m going to record it.’ They had ‘Dum, dum, dum… dum dum dum…dum dum dum dum dum dum dum’ and the beat of it…
So I asked Johnny Clarke to sing it with Earl Zero … they rehearsed it the whole day… but Earl Zero could only sing the front part so that night I asked Siddy (Bucknor) to run off a cut of the rhythm... ‘I a go try something’. That night me and Johnny Clarke… we were always around together… we were up at Tubbys and Tubbys said ‘This guy can’t manage the song’ and I said ‘Johnny. Do you think you could a do it?’ and Johnny went into Tubby’s studio. One cut! One cut! No error or nothing… ‘cause he’d been rehearsing it with Earl Zero the whole day.
It’s not the right name really. Anytime I did a session I used to get loads of Kentucky Fried Chicken for the musicians and when it came they’d say ‘put up the flyers for Striker’ meaning the wings, which I loved, and they used to say ‘Striker. When you a go fly?’ And everybody started to get puzzled when Johnny Clarke hit with this flyers. I used to love eat the chicken wings and I’d said ‘Santa… that drum sound on ‘Here I Am Baby’... I like it’ so when the rhythm done I said ‘It’s named flyers’ through the chicken wings. Sly had played it but he never realised what he had and because I loved my chicken wings we just named it flyers (sings) ‘tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk…’
So that night when we went up to Tubbys with the rhythm I said ‘Tubbs. You’ll like this rhythm... it’s different. When we do it I want something like it’s from outer space on the intro’. Tubbys passed it through the high pass filter on his machine where he pushed up one of the things on his board and it thinned it out. Styled it out man! (sings) ‘tsk, tsk, tsk...’ Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee
And, before too long, “every tune we put out we put the rhythm behind it” and every Kingston producer followed suit with their own variation of Striker’s flying cymbals rhythms…
Bunny 'Striker' Lee & Friends - (2015) Next Cut! (Dub Plates - Rare Sides & Unrealeased Cuts)
Pressure Sounds – 088
Great compilation of rare and unreleased mid to late seventies Striker Lee material containing some tuff dub mixes of otherwise familiar material. Highlights include Barrington Spence's Blood Of Babylon, previously only issued as a track featuring I Roy on his 1975 Virgin release Crisis Time, a different take of Wayne Jarrett's ultra heavy Satta Dread and Linval Thompson's Big Big Girl / Ethiopian Girl featuring studio chat and false starts, it's monumental rhythm also used for Tommy McCook's Death Trap which appears here with the "steppers" drum overdub, originally issued as a track on one of McCook's mid-seventies instrumental LP's. Lee's productions are indeed ubiquitous yet thi album does indeed offer something fresh to even the most jaded of listeners.
Carlton & The Shoes - (1978) Love Me Forever
Studio One – 003
"Love Me Forever", the one and only LP from the peerless vocal harmony trio Carlton & His Shoes, definitely belongs to one of those Studio One albums that fans have been awaiting for a long time to be released in digital clarity. Initially Carlton & His Shoes consisted of songwriter/leadsinger Carlton Manning and his brothers Donald and Lynford, who were responsible for the crystalline harmonies. The trio recorded their debut single for Sonia Pottinger, but this effort failed to make a serious impact. Then they started to record for Coxsone Dodd who unleashed their first single, "Love Me Forever"/"Happy Land" in early 1968 on the "Supreme" label. These songs showed both sides of the trio. "Love Me Forever" dealt with Matters of the heart, while "Happy Land", on the other hand, expressed their cultural side and became one of the most versioned riddims as it became known as the template for the Abyssinians' roots killer "Satta Massa Gana".
"Love Me Forever" originally appeared on Peckings' "Studio One" label in 1976 and since then this classic set has been re-released in a variety of sonic formulations. The album covers not just rocksteady, but also the first years of reggae as it spans the period 1967-1975. Now here's the CD, which comes in pristine mono, without overdubs, and features the original set. This implies that no extra tracks are included which truly may be regretted as the inclusion of "Happy Land" and "Let Me Love You" would have completed the story of Carlton Manning at Studio One. But nevertheless "Love Me Forever" is an absolutely essential re-issue and highly recommended for lovers of sweet harmonies and original Jamaican love songs.
Chris Farrell - (2015) No Vampire CS
Krokodilo Tapes – 014
90 minutes of tough-like-iron roots and deep, minimal digi sufferers to cast out the vampire; hand-picked by one of the UK’s finest selectors, from one of the UK’s finest collections. Runs the gamut from the sombre to the celebratory, the mystical to the murderous, the bracingly direct to the dazed and dizzyingly dubwise.
Farrell is the founder and owner of the Idle Hands record store and label operating out of Stokes Croft, Bristol. Blackest Ever Black first encountered Chris back in the early 2000s, when he was working behind the counter at Imperial Records (R.I.P.), and we (BEB) were sheepishly buying second-rate electroclash records. We became close friends, and to say he taught us much of what we know would be rather an understatement. 2016 will see us launch a new imprint together, Silent Street, of which more in due course.
Farrell is the founder and owner of the Idle Hands record store and label operating out of Stokes Croft, Bristol. Blackest Ever Black first encountered Chris back in the early 2000s, when he was working behind the counter at Imperial Records (R.I.P.), and we (BEB) were sheepishly buying second-rate electroclash records. We became close friends, and to say he taught us much of what we know would be rather an understatement. 2016 will see us launch a new imprint together, Silent Street, of which more in due course.
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