Lord have mercy, killer early digi with conscious theme!

 Hello reggae lovers,

As you should know by kow, if you follow this elusive likkle blog, I am more of a roots style aficionado.
But there are exceptions to that line and sometime some "digi" tune get stuck in my mind.
Here is one of these!

This 12" from 1985 is a perfect example of how good and infectious digi can be and it comes complete with conscious lyrics (when slackness was dominant).
The terrible riddim is blessed by the great Tony Tuff (born Winston Morris), original member of the great African Brothers (alongside Lincoln "Sugar" Minott and Derrick "Bubbles" Howard).
The lyrics goes about the runnings Tony observes at the time : "...some talking about the man Garvey, some giving praises to bad bwoy Johnny,  none of them remembers the Almighty..." and he calls on to Jah : "Lord have mercy, beg you make me find meself worthy, I'm trying my best to make meself worthy" Roots and culture style, and, yes, he's damn worthy!

The 12" features a supa dupa DJ excursion on B-side. Super Tarnie summons a huge posse of cartoon characters and goes funny describing a mad session with many relevant DJ's of the era.
The cartoon style is wicked and wicked and wild!

This one must be a dancefloor filler, must try to play loud soon!

Check the whole 12" by following the link below the labels, enjoy, and let me know if you like it!

Peace to one and all,

Ben

http://www.mediafire.com/download/jlk5jwl6a3lotvl/Tony_Tuff_-_Have_mercy_-_Papa_Roots_International_12.zip

This LP I've been searching for years...More Relation

Hello people,

While the garden is on stand-by (cold has returned and the mountains top around us are white again...), records keep on coming, and amongst those some really great pieces!
One of the hottest ones is this great LP from New York based band More Relation.
I already posted one of their wanted 7" here and I will continue if I get lucky enough to find their best output, as a group or as personal efforts.
This is their first and only album (at least if we consider the golden era!) and its a major LP in reggae history although it remains confidential.

You will judge by yourself what is/are your favourites but some tunes featured here really haunted me for long.
"Solve them" is by far my number 1 here, love this laid back groove and lyrics about getting things done : "what are you crying for, don't tell me you got a problem, what are you lying for, go out and solve them!".
On B-side, my choice would go to Don't be angry (which exists as a 7" also).
Pictures below will not be great because of light reflection but, as it is still in shrink and I intent to keep it that way, you will have to satisfy with these!

As always, cut/paste the link below the photos into your brwoser to find the music.
Hope it gets your attention and hope someone will have the good idea of reissuing this soon for everyone to get a copy (if you're a member of the band and want to do so, feel free to contact me, maybe we could do it together...).

Let me know what you think and if you have some imput about the band, share some knowledge. 

Peace to one and all, the digging continues and I will be back soon with monster killers, stay tuned!

http://www.mediafire.com/download/hgw49hzjw8b803w/More_relation_-_More_relation_LP.zip

Some nice instrumentals, with horns!

Hello people,

Springtime is here and I have lots of work to do in the garden if I want to eat my own vegetables this summer. So less time to post on this ya blog...
Ok, so here are some fine instrumentals from different eras, with strong focus on the horns parts.

First piece of wax is a classic trombone rendering over "Movie star" riddim. Don D Junior is on horn duties on this classy canadian pressing 7". Rare and enjoyable roots vibes!

 https://mfi.re/download/ccfch645ecaiu5o/Don_Junior_-_Movie_Swing_7%27.mp3

 Let's be modern for once (and apologies to the artist, one again I own no rights at all over the music and just share it for the enjoyment and promotion of all!). 

Next tune is livicated to my friend Geoff, which successfully had his second edition of Galm! event in Gent, Belgium. Hi Selecta Well, I'm sure you'll like this one and hopefully I would come for next session and spin some plates!

So here is a side of a limited pressing 7" from "berlins #1 most charming austro-alpine dub band". Love this jazzy dubstep vibes. Be sure to get a copy of their LP efforts as they are worth a listen fe sure.

 

https://mfi.re/download/ju78rn923i1wnw8/Hey-o-Hansen_-_a_side.mp3

Back to more rootsy vibes with a long time awaited 12" recently welcomed in the box. Supa dupa UK produced instrumental vibes. Beautiful riddim with full horns section and a wonder of trombone soloing, that blends into extended niceness... This was played over and over by Jah Shaka back in the days so it can't be bad!

John Bradbury's Record Label first and last disco 12" it seems ( for more info about the label, have a look here : http://marcoonthebass.blogspot.fr/2008/09/race-records-john-bradburys-record.html

 

https://mfi.re/download/7ml54abhv6zcg74/Nightdoctor_-_Menelik_-_Race_Records_12.mp3 

Last but not least, by far, I give you this much wanted 7" from Wackie's subsidiary imprint Tribes Man records. Black horns is a marvellous instrumental rendering of Wayne Jarrett's "African woman". Honestly I don't give a damn about the vocal piece (which is on another 7"), the real deal is here with sax, trumpet, flute each batelling for the first place on this laid back groove, one of my all time favs, can listen to it again and again...

 

 https://mfi.re/download/ehcvfomci5gyj4k/Baba_Leslie_%26_Mark-_Black_Horns_-_Tribes_man_7_.mp3 

As always, just follow the blue link to DL the tune and feel free to comment if you like and/or have info to add.

Peace toone and all,

Ben 

Jail house set me free

 Hello people,

Some nice stepper discomix is the order of the day.

Most of the people know this tune because it appears on the fabulous Jack Ruby HiFi LP, alongside other killers in Showcase style (for beginers : a "showcase" album in reggae music is an LP where all tunes are immediately followed by a dub version).
But it seems this issue came first : 1980 states the label and, according to Discogs, the Jack Ruby Hi Fi came out in 1981 on Clappers records label, one of the more militant reggae label ever.

This issue came out in Canada (which I consider everyday more as the third country for roots music after Ja and GB) and distributed by a Montreal shop.
Once again, heart felt lyrics (innocent bredda them a dying, I just can't help from crying), rolling bassline and fabulous drumming and percussion.

It is a must stepper, ready to mash up the dance on a proper sound system.
To enjoy it, just cut paste the link below the labels in your browser...

https://mfi.re/download/oagckk9o6bb6nbh/The_Revealers_-_Jail_House_-_Winston_%26_Riley_Records_12%27%27.zip

Hope you like it as I do,

More to come soon,

Peace,

Ben

Suffering...

Hello people,

Very long pause with this blog, sorry for that!
I have been travelling with my family for a time, back to my mother's land in Argentina, enjoying a superb summer in the middle of Northern winter, how nice is that?

So, back to sharing some of the boxes treasures.

Today post is a quite obscure 7" from the early 80's (1980 or 1982, not sure as you'll notice on the label the date has been corrected by hand).
Reggae is a "sufferer's" music and the tune is an illustration of that (also check the earlier fabulous Kingstonians tune "sufferer", and many, many more on that topic). It is called Suffering and it's an effort from the not very prolific (under his own name) singer Paul Freeman : 4 singles on discogs, 2 self produced on that same Sun Shine Records imprint.
It seems, according to their Wiki page, that Freeman joined the band Knowledge at some point, another sufferer classic band!

Lyrics are not very original (no food to eat, no clothe to wear, suffering down in the ghetto...) but the riddim is heavy early 80's stuff.
Slow drumming, heavy bass and nice organ ornamentation here and there makes it a perfect example of that era best riddims.

Hope you like it as I do, and if you have any information about the singer or the band performing on that session, please share your culture!

To download both sides, just cut/paste the link below the label photos in your browser and click the "download" button.

https://mfi.re/download/jyywpckb4zcoa4k/Paul_Freeman_-_Suffering_-_Sunshine_Records_7.zip


Peace to one and all,

Ben

Untamed

Hello people,

A quick one again, but what a tune!
Tonight feature has been long enough in my want list and I was very happy to finally get my hand on a good original copy of it.
This is a self production by the great, still quite unknown, Mighty Abijans.
For a full review of the band's output, I invite you to have a look at the nice post Digikiller did when reissuing almost all of their discography recently, see here : http://digikillerrecords.blogspot.fr/2014/03/untamed-history-of-fashioneers-mighty.html

I also urge you, if you like it as much as I do, to go and get yourself a copy of it, to support the artists and those who reissue these top notch tunes.
Here is a link directly to reissue label :
http://dkr.bigcartel.com/category/swing-bird

Well enough promotion for the repress, this is the original bizness and it's a tough 7" nugget. As Honest Jon's put it : "defiant, sublime roots on a dreadnought rhythm, with full dub. Jaiq Sterling, Leonard Billings, Kingsley Irons and Glenford McLeggan with the Roots Radics at Channel One, in the early 1980s. Killer."

Here is what I understand of the lyrics, corrections are welcome!

Ever since I been born
Loneliness and poverty
Have been the ...and friends everyday
So no bother with your pitty
For I no licky licky
And no bother with your lasso
For I no su su su so (I no whisper)
Untamed!
And you can't (kill we?) 
When you're down and need a friend
Ain't no one to take your hand
Leave it to the dog(?)
And there's a lot to take in
Fullfill I...no heart fe get
But I was born in the wild open
The sun, the rain and cold
Them pression can't take me in

So no bother with your pitty

For I no licky licky

And no bother with your lasso

For I no su su su so (I no whisper)

Untamed! (I'm wild so wild)

...

At the end a DJ seems to take over but then the song vanishes quickly (would be interesting to get the DJ version...does anyone know if it is the same that appears on the 12" issued later on N1 Rock label?).

Discogs mentions a 12" issue on Swing Bird but I have never seen even a picture of it, does it exists?

Version is classy Roots Radics, best Channel 1 period, with guitar (with heavy effect) and organ  in and out of the mix, some cool percussions in the back, well balanced dub!

Top draw stuff!

Share The Mighty Abijans - Untamed - Swing Bird 7''.zip - 15 MB

As always, click on the download link under the labels (I say blue but I just noticed that it finally appears red on the blog...) to listen to the full song and version.

More to come soon hopefully,

Peace to y'all

Ben

Goombay sounds for my Pap's

Hello people,

As winter is coming (according to Game of thrones and to the snow in my yard) and news from earth are not that good, let's try to have some fun with music from Bahamas.

George Symonette was the king of that specific kind of calypso from Nassau (more info about the style here :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goombay).
This LP is a good reflect of the fun and good humor carried by that style, and is also a "madeleine de Proust" to me, as my dad used to play an old tape of it.
I have been searching for this one for a long time now and was very pleased to finally got my hand on it for a few bucks, thanks to Paperstax NY based auctions.

The copy is in very good condition and sounds great even though it was issued in 1956!

As you can expect from calypso, the songs are a mix of "earthy humor", to quote the backcover text, and sexually orientated jokes like the favorite tune of mine Freckles (first tune on B side).

Hope you like it , summer vibes to enjoy your winter, perfect to sip a good aged Caroni rum by an open fire when it's cold outside, trust me.

Share George Symonette and his Goombay sextette - Goombay Rhythms.zip - 67 MB

As always, click on the blue link above to DL the whole album, sit back, relax and have a good listening.

Specially livicated to my old man, bon anniversaire Papa!

Peace,

Ben