Some heavyweight grooves to make you move, courtesy of 14 reggae and dub legends.
All of these songs originate in 1975, although I can't be certain that the individual versions used here date from that year.
Such is the task of trying to date releases when many Jamaican 7" singles bore very little info, let alone the year of release. I guess they weren't considering that half a century later, saddoes like me would be trawling the internet, trying to track down the merest snippet of info about a song. "Internet"? What's an "internet"?!
No matter, what binds them all together is a bass, skank, skunk and a trunk full of quality tunes. Some of the finest voices to ever grace vinyl, from Pat Kelly to Susan Cadogan to Gregory Isaacs to Bim Sherman to Louisa Mark and U-Roy.
Augustus Pablo appears twice, the second appearance via Baby I Love You So, my introduction to the great man via the cover version by Colourbox in 1986.
And Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey is one of the greatest albums of all time.
1) 555 Crown Street (Single Version): Augustus Pablo
2) There's A Song (Sing About Love): Pat Kelly
3) King Tubby's Badness Dub: King Tubby
4) Carry Go Bring Come (Discomix): Justin Hinds & The Dominoes
5) Fever (Live) (Cover of Little Willie John): Susan Cadogan
6) Darkest Night: James Eastwood
7) Dreadlocks Love Affair: Gregory Isaacs
8) Resting Place: Burning Spear
9) Danger (Album Version): Bim Sherman
10) Jah Jah Jehoviah: Ronnie Davis
11) Baby I Love You So: Jacob Miller & Augustus Pablo
12) Blue Boots (Album Version): Eric Donaldson
13) All My Loving (Cover of The Beatles): Louisa Mark
14) Joyful Locks: U-Roy
1975: Marcus Garvey: 8
1990: Crucial Cuts II: 9
199x: Classics: 2
1998: Breakout (bonus tracks): 13
1998: Trojan Dub Box Set: 3
2003: Cool Ruler: The Definitive Collection: 7
2004: The Bunny 'Striker' Lee Story: 14
2005: Tom Middleton Presents Crazy Covers Vol 1: Cosmosonica: 5
2005: Trojan Roots Reggae Box Set: Forward Jah Jah Children: 10
2006: The Essential Augustus Pablo: 1, 11
2007: Sun Is Shining (Mojo magazine promo CD): 6
2009: Emmett's 10/09 Playlist (Art Decade blog): 12
2015: Reggae Discomixes: 22 Essential Extended Mixes: 4
Another superb collection of reggae songs there Khayem. And yes Marcus Garvey is one of the best reggae albums in time. You should also listen to the dub version called Garvey's Ghost.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Walter! Marcus Garvey & Garvey's Ghost are inseparable to me, mainly because as a Johnny Come Lately fan, my copy is the CD which included both albums on one disc.
Delete1975 was a good year
ReplyDeletePS While in your former home town last week I picked up a double CD Jacob Miller/ Inner Circle compilation which includes seven other collaborations with Augustus Pablo. I will bring them up the queue after listening to this one.
DeleteYes, though I don't think 4-year old me quite appreciated this at the time!
DeleteCongrats on the Jacob Miller/ Inner Circle find - on the back of this, I wonder if I picked up a subliminal suggestion to include the JM/AP collaboration...?
Who knows? But I have certainly used it for my latest post in a way that was the opposite of subliminal (I'm going to say conscious but that might not be right)
DeleteExcellent collection, thanks again!
ReplyDelete