2026 Volts Of Holt

John Holt is a legend, pure and simple.

I was introduced to John Holt's music via Blondie's #1 single The Tide Is High, a song he co-wrote in 1967 with Tyrone Evans and Howard Barrett for their group The Paragons.

Going solo shortly afterwards, John expanded from reggae and rocksteady into lovers rock and roots reggae, becoming as popular for his cover versions as his original songs.

Today's selection is half and half self-penned songs and reinterpretations, spanning John's post-Paragons ventures in 1968, his groundbreaking 1973 album 1000 Volts Of Holt through to 1976 and the equally essential 2000 Volts Of Holt.

I've paired 1969 classic Ali Baba with one of the unreleased King Tubby dubs, created in the 1970s but unreleased for two decades. The selection also samples John's productive partnership with Arthur 'Duke' Reid, Bunny 'Striker' Lee and Keith Hudson, to name a few.

I was in a pretty good mood already, about ten times better for listening to this. Thanks, John.

1) The Treasure Of Love (Album Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee) (1972)

2) Touch Me In The Morning (Album Version By Keith Bonsoir & Tony Ashfield) (Cover of Diana Ross) (1976)

3) Never, Never, Never (Album Version By Tony Ashfield & Trevor Newman) (Cover of 'Grande Grande Grande' by Mina) (1973)

4) I'll Be Lonely (Single Version By Arthur 'Duke' Reid): Jay & Joya (John Holt & Joya Landis) ft. Tommy McCook & The Supersonics (1968)

5) Pledging My Love (Album Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee) (1972)

6) Ali Baba (Single Version By Arthur 'Duke' Reid) (1969)

7) Borderline Dub (Ali Baba Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee): King Tubby & John Holt (197x)

8) Share My Rest (Single Version By Keith Hudson) (1970)

9) I Will (Album Version By Keith Bonsoir & Tony Ashfield) (Cover of The Beatles) (1976)

10) Girl From Ipanema (Jamaican Mix By Tony Ashfield & Trevor Newman) (Cover of Os Cariocas) (1973)

11) I've Been Admiring You (Album Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee & Lord Koos) (1974)

12) I'd Love You To Want Me (Album Version By Tony Ashfield & Trevor Newman) (Cover of Lobo) (1973)

13) Rain From The Skies (Single Version By Prince Buster) (Cover of Adam Wade): John Holt ft. Prince Buster All Stars (1972)

14) Fancy Make Up (Single Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee): Dennis Brown & John Holt (1971)

15) All The Love I've Got (Single Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee) (Cover of 'Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got' by Jimmy Ruffin) (1970)

1968: I'll Be Lonely EP: 4

1969: Ali Baba EP: 6

1970: Change Partners/Give Her All The Love I've Got EP by Peter Austin/John Holt: 15

1970: Share My Rest/Allways EP by John Holt/Al Brown: 8

1971: Fancy Make Up EP: 14

1972: Pledging My Love: 1, 5

1972: Rain From The Skies EP: 13

1973: 1000 Volts Of Holt: 3, 12

1974: Don't Break Your Promise: 11

1976: 2000 Volts Of Holt: 2, 9

1994: Augustus Pablo Presents King Tubby: 20 Unreleased Dubs By The Late Great King Tubby: 7

2009: 1000 Volts Of Holt (Deluxe Edition) (2x CD): 10

2026 Volts Of Holt (44:05) (GD) (M)

No More Crying, Heartaches, Sorrows Or Pain

A "quick" post about Johnny Clarke that inevitably turned into a big detour...

Having been listening to it over the weekend, my intention was simply to post Johnny's 1977 classic Every Knee Shall Bow and a couple of accompanying versions. So, without further ado, here's the original single version, produced by Bunny 'Striker' Lee...

...followed by the self-produced extended version from 1978, featuring U-Roy and a superlative dub from King Tubby on the flipside...

...and last, but certainly not least, U-Roy's own take on the song, one of his last recordings before his untimely passing in 2021. This is huge in every sense, over 15 minutes in length and featuring Big Youth and Mick Jones, with Youth, Zak Starkey and Dave Sardy at the controls. 

And the detour? Right at the top of this post, looking on YouTube for Johnny Clarke clips, I discovered rediscovered a full set from the Mekudeshet Festival in Jerusalem on 19th September 2019, Johnny performing with Dub Asante Band and Matic Horns. Well worth an hour and a quarter of your time.