I got this record a year ago or so and it is one of these "likle" 7' I wanted for a long time. But this one copy came to me without effort in the end, in the form of a random guy contacting me on the web asking "do you buy records?". Easy question, easy answer and that's how i began to buy job lots from the guy for what looked to be a beautiful business collaboration beginning an ended in a mess a few months and 3 or 4 lots of records after, what a shame!
Still, this one and a few others I kept and so I want to share it with you tonight.
The tune is initially from a famous 70's band, the Ethiopians, whose lead singer, Leonard Dillon, has a very distinctive voice. This tune, titled Obeah Book can be found on their classic Slave Call LP produced by Winston "Niney The Observer" Holmes. The LP cut comes with serious horns section underlying the "countryside" kind of riddim.
The cut featured tonight is the 7' issue credited toe The Ethiopian (without "s" at the end) as it seems the two other members of the vocal trio, Stephen Taylor and Aston Morris, did not participate in this production.
This cut, sounds more "dry" without the horns and the harmonies, which matches the topic in a better way to my hears, emphasizing on the guitar, piano and hand drums. For those who are not familiar with Jamaican culture, obeah is a local form of "black magic", a bit like pocomania or Haitian vaudou. Many rasta refuse to be associated with that magic as they only deal with life and not dead. But still some well known rasta singers are said to deal with obeah.
Share Ethiopian - Obeah Book - Observer 7.mp3 - 7 MB
or check : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6kax62vk6nyvgel/AABGBlz6mVjWNAcDGsyb1roGa?dl=0
or check : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/6kax62vk6nyvgel/AABGBlz6mVjWNAcDGsyb1roGa?dl=0
Here the singer clearly refuses this kind of doing.
The lyrics go like this :
I'm not an obeah man
I am a rastaman
I am a righteous one (2x)
Do not study iniquity
Jah Jah know ya
Put not heart we can leave, I say (?)
Jah Jah know yah
So I say back weh with your obeah book
No no no I man na dwell deh
Back weh with you obeah book
No no no rasta no dwell deh
Going around making disturbancies
Persecuting Jah Jah children, yo
Talking this, talking that
Cold dead on hot spot (?)
But I say back weh with you obeah book
No no no I man na dwell deh
Back weh with you obeah book
No no no rasta no dwell deh (a true)
The record comes complete with a decent dubbing excursion on B-side titles Back weh, with echo explosions and drum&bass mixing alternating with the piano/guitar skank core of the riddim.
As usual you can DL the tunes by clicking on blue link below the labels (feel free to contact me if anything does not work proper).
I hope to be able to share a few more tunes soon, this one post goes livicated to Greg who introduced me to the tune, Litelet who plays it regularly in the dance and to Heala on Mixcloud who inspired me to share again some vibes with his great mixes, big up yourself guys!
I'm gona have some rest, peace to the world,
Ben
