Everything Is Fine

 

Every roots reggae lover worth his ganja should at least own mighty Mr. Zukie's MPLA, Man Ah Warrior and In Dub albums, but this compilation of tracks he produced for his own Stars label is not to be missed either. Here's a couple of sparkling highlights, my brethren.

Linford Nugent - Black Princess
Ronnie Davis - No Weak Heart

All Alone

 

The Pressure Sounds label has been a trademark of roots reggae quality for decades now, and their releases can be snapped up blindly. Which is where their new When Jah Shall Come compilation comes in, focusing on obscure Bunny Lee productions, some dubbed to the max by the great King Tubby. The lovely Life Of My Own by the mysterious Raver is only one treasure out of many here, so don't miss out, my brethren.

The Raver - Life Of My Own

With Praise

Just got the sad news that Bunny 'Striker' Lee has passed away. The legendary reggae producer, inventor of the flying cymbal sound in the mid seventies and a big influence on dubmaster King Tubby later on, was 79. He had a hand in more crucial reggae and dub tracks, many of them big hits, than you can shake a stick at. Miss him, my brethren.

Stranger Cole & Lester Sterling - Bangarang

Derrick Morgan - Rasta Don't Fear

Bim Sherman - Down In Jamdown>

Johnny Clarke - Enter His Gates With Praise

I Roy - The Godfather

Bunny Lee & Brad Osborne - Super Star Dub

Your History

New Pressure Sounds ahoy. Most of the fine fine tracks on this righteous helping of roots and dub were showcased before on Blood & Fire's classic Jesus Dread and King Tubby's Prophecy Of Dub collections. In case you missed out on these, Walls Of Jerusalem is a most irie alternative.

Yabby You - Go To School Jah Jah Children

Jah Pride

And yet more reggae sweetness, my brethren, as the Soul Jazz label just came up with the third volume of its excellent Black Man's Pride compilation series. Irie stuff from the Studio One vaults as usual, with the relative unknowns once again managing to steal the show from the big names, which is no mean feat considering that we're talking Freddie McGregor, the Gladiators, and the Wailing Souls amongst others here. Dig this hard hitting roots anthem by the aptly named Nightingales to see what I mean.

The Nightingales - Jehovah

Pressure Dub

Pressure Sounds, always on top. The long-lasting reggae reissue label upped the ante yet again by re-releasing two incredibily rare dub albums from '77 (Conflict Dub) and '82 (Dubbing In The Front Line) as one set. With the Aggrovators playing, Bunny Lee in the producers chair and Prince Jammy as engineer, what can possibly go wrong? You know what to do, my brethren.

The Aggrovators - Skilful Dub
The Aggrovators - Babylon Dub

Too Hot

After cool cool sets covering Lloyd Parks and producer Bunny Lee, this here's the third much recommended roots reggae compilation of 2017. Coxsone Dodd's legendary Studio One is where it's at on Black Man's Pride. You can't possibly go wrong with this wicked selection of big names (Alton Ellis, Horace Andy, Sugar Minott) and obscure outsiders. Of the latter category, here are the rather marvellous Classics. Seen?

The Classics - Got To Be Cool

Check Yourself

Roots time, with a cool Horace Andy tune and a wicked deejay version thereof by wildman Jah Woosh. Check out that wonderful deep bass, my brethren. To be found on an amazing collection of Keith Hudson productions called Studio Kinda Cloudy.

Horace Andy - Don't Think About Me
Jah Woosh - I'm Alright

Version Galore

Two of my fave reggae compilations are credited to Rupie Edwards & Friends, and each one is based on a truckload of different versions of one particular riddim. Ire Feelings uses Everyday Wandering by Johnny Clarke as a basecamp of sorts, while Let There Be Version utilizes My Conversation by Slim Smith's Uniques to great effect. Dubs, instrumentals, deejay versions... When Rupie works his magic, it's all good. Six pack time!

Johnny Clarke - Everyday Wandering
Rupie Edwards - Ire Feelings
Rupie Edwards All Stars - Feeling Horn
The Uniques - My Conversation
El Cisco Delgado - Mi Nuh Matta
Joe White - President Rock

Do You Remember

The days of slavery? And how they worked us so hard... Presenting yet another rootsy six pack from the island.

Burning Spear - Slavery Days
Joe Higgs - More Slavery
Skulls - Black Slavery Days
Culture - Too Long In Slavery
Jack Ruby & The Black Disciples - Slavery Days Dub
Skin Flesh & Bones - Slavery Dub

Island In The Sun

Shame Jamaica didn't qualify for the footy world cup this time around. To make up for that a wee bit, here's a rootsy six pack from the island, about the island. "C'mon and smile..."

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Smile Jamaica/Version
Culture - Down In Jamaica
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - Down Jamaica Way
Jimmy Cliff - Miss Jamaica
The Gaylads - My Jamaican Girl
The Meditations - Running From Jamaica

All-Mighty Africa

"I man an African, don't call I Jamaican..." On the island, most rasta's were - and probably still are for that matter - fascinated by Africa, the continent of their ancestors. Which means it's massive ten pack time here again, my brethren, in a roots & dub stylee. We're all African descendents after all...

The Sons Of Selassie - I Man An African
Hugh Mundell - Africa Must Be Free By 1983
Jack Ruby & The Disciples - African Birthright
The Black Notes - African Style
Alton Ellis - African Descendents
Prince Far I & The Arabs - Dub To Africa
Los Hombres - Africa
King Tubby - African Roots
Prince Francis - African Skank
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - African Dub

Mic Masters

"Sounds good like you know it should..." Presenting a sizzling ten pack of the sharpest toasters from the island riding some of the hardest riddims of the roots era. If this won't get you through the festive season I honestly don't know what will, my irie brethren.

U Roy - The Same Song
King Stitt - Fire Corner
Trinity - Three Piece Suit
Jah Stitch - Greedy Girl
Big Youth - Cool Breeze
Tappa Zukie - Pick Up The Rockers
Dennis Alcapone - Shades Of Hudson
I Roy - Sidewalk Killer
Dillinger - Nebuchadnezzar
Prince Far I - Heavy Manners

El Salvador

If you're even remotely interested in reggae music, pick up Lloyd Bradley's indispensable book Bass Culture. Guy knows what he's talking about. Here's he is on Lee Perry's dub masterpiece Super Ape for instance: "...a jungle of a soundscape so thick you need a machete to hack through the undergrowth, while the vines and creepers continually swing back and hit you in the face. Like nothing else at the time, it shows how far roots reggae could have gone, as it explores roots both thematically as well as musically, Rastafari, righteousness and repatriation from a perspective so skewed it comes back into line as the absolutely spiritual. This man is the Salvador Dalí of dub."

Scratch & The Upsetters - Croaking Lizard

Unitone Skank

Skanking easy today with a genuine Jamaican ten pack, so turn up that bass if you please. Gotta keep on moving, y'all. This one's massive.

Augustus Pablo - Skanking Easy
Ray I - Weatherman Skank
Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - Ghetto Skank
Shorty The President - Yamaha Skank
Erroll Brown - Sky Nation Skank
The Silvertones - Rejoicing Skank
Little Joe - Tradition Skank
The  Upsetters - Kentucky Skank
Dr. Alimantado - Unitone Skank
The Revolutionaries - Rema Skank