U-Roy - Tom Drunk

Reggae indisputably had a major impact on the development of other genres of music.

For instance, with the idea of the sound engineer becoming the main man of the track, dub set the concept of electronic music. Soundsystems brought deejaying, in the term which we know it today.

Another huge invention was the lead up to rap.

When Count Matchuki was selecting for Coxsone's Sir Coxsone Downbeat sound system, he would throw in jive talk over a record and then in between songs, to keep the crowd entertained whilst the record was changed on the only turntable. This rythmical chat was known as toasting.

I recommend that you check out Rodigan telling of the story, full of enthusiasm as always.

At the end of the sixties, this talent was voiced on record by King Stitt and thus created some of the first deejay tunes to achieve considerable success, notably from the skinheads in the UK.

However, the man who brought this concept to a wider audience is the great U-Roy. "Daddy" or "The Originator" was second man of Downbeat at the time he was recommended to Duke Reid after John Holt heard him toasting over one of his own riddims.

U Roy on the mic, wearing a sweatshirt inspired by his hit

U-Roy thus recorded three singles for Reid : Wear You to the Ball, Wake the Town and Tom Drunk. Upon their first plays, the crowds went crazy. Never, ever, had anyone heard such a thing before. Recording jive talk over another song ? Nobody had thought of it, and the impact was colossal !

All three songs mentionned above are cut over some of Duke Reid's most sublime rocksteady riddims. The first is from the Paragons' eponymous song, the second from Alton Ellis' Girl I've got a Date, and the latter is from Hopeton Lewis. All were released on Treasure Isle.

After a heavily rhythm-and-blues inspired intro, Hopeton Lewis and U-Roy take turns in commenting on Tom's wary behaviour.

Hopeton : You cheated !
U-Roy : Did you hear that ?
H : And you lied !
U : Hear what the brother say ? You should never do a thing like that !

As Hopeton tells the story U-Roy gives his opinion and advice to the boy, as well as adding his classic :

"Musical sound that leads the way as I would say !"

Boom !

Toasting was to take another leap forward in the early 80s when dancehall emerged. Deejay vocals were more prominent, a song would consist of the deejay's part only, leaving out the original artist's vocals completely.

Deejays such as Brigadier Jerry, Yellowman, Nicodemus and many others were then leading the scene. One song that reflects the evolution particularly well is Lone Ranger's Living as a Poor. Apart from being a brilliant song, Lone Ranger rides the riddim with an incredible flow - words that would usually describe hip hop... This tune was released on Hi-Yo, Silver, Away ! (1982) which coincidentaly features a cover of Tom Drunk, rub-a-dub style.

It's no surprise that in New York, DJ Kool Herc, the "Hip Hop Originator", was of Jamaican descent...

Adrian Boot

After Beth Lesser, Adrian Boot is also one of the biggest reggae photographers.

His involvement in Jamaican photography began in the mid-70s when he became a staff photographer for Island. Adrian already knew the island well as he'd been teaching at university in Port Antonio.

Although he didn't limit photography to Jamaica, his most-known pictures reflect the lives of artists who's works had been issued on Island, such as Burning Spear, Ijahman Levi or Bunny Wailer.

The Congos at the Black Ark

They're mostly shot in black and white and when you go through his pictures on his website, you can see how he must have been asked to portray artist's lives in Jamaica to show us here in Europe.

Burning Spear at St Ann's Bay

He's the co-founder of Urban Image, an extensive portfolio of his work as well as other reggae photographer's.

Rockers

This is Pablo's label, Rockers, which he used to issue the material he produced, including his own recordings.

Tracks can vary from deejay to dub, and instrumental to vocal. A good summary of the records issued can be found on Discogs.

Cover of Meets Rockers Uptown

As I mentioned the album yesterday, this is the cover of King Tubbys meets Rockers Uptown.

It's a legendary collaboration between two of the biggest and most influential music makers of all time, Pablo and Tubby.

The riddims are all taken from Pablo's repertoire and feature heavy mixing by the engineer, rendering an album that regularly tops the "best ever dub album" list.

The cover has always been more or less the same, with the colours slightly changing since the original release on Pablo's Yard label in 1976 (with a misspelt Agustus Pablo), except for the CD version which was given a new cover picturing Pablo playing the melodica.

It was also re-released as a 3x10" box set last year, in the same way as Blackboard Jungle was for this year's Record Store Day.

Augustus Pablo - Cassava Piece

Musical innovator and genius are the first words that come mind if I am to describe Horace Swaby, aka Augustus Pablo.

When the young Horace stepped into Herman Chin Loy's Aquarius record shop with his melodica for an audition, no one was expecting what was to come. Pleased with the rehearsal, he recorded his first instrumental for Chin Loy the next day, Iggy Iggy, at the age of 15 and East of the River Nile followed shortly after.

Young Horace Swaby at Randy's

He then collaborated with Clive Chin who recorded a song that has become a historical piece of instrumental music - Java. Also check out the ultra-famous but brilliant live in Japan.

As this post is about a later production, I'll move on to when Augustus Pablo became one of the biggest producers in Jamaica. With his Rockers label and Rockers International record store, Pablo produced a huge amount of roots material with the best singers and sound engineers of the moment.

The catalogue is so extensive that collecting his productions seems like a never-ending adventure : from vocals to deep dubs, mind-blowing instrumentals and deejay cuts, there's something for everyone.

On Cassava Piece, Pablo's melodica seems to be counting a story, leading us through a type of melody that has been associated with him : the far east sound. Hard to explain, but only a listen is needed to understan the description.

Further, the dub of this track has many-a-time been described as the best dub ever. Yes, I'm talking about King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown.

Although a dub to Jacob Miller's brilliant Baby I Love You So, it was released on the 7"s a-side with the vocal track on the b-side.

Beth Lesser

Beth Lesser is a photographer who's mostly recognised for her work amongst the early dancehall scene.

At that moment, she primarily shot for Youthman Promotion such as the picture I posted on Wednesday. Bellow, a picture with her husband, probably from the same night, and Jah Stitch at the controls, and above, a picture of her from her website http://www.bethlesser.com/.

Youthman Promotion Soundsystem

As I mentionned early dancehall several times, this is a picture of the Youthman Promotion Soundsystem.

Once Sugar Minott had broken-through, he devouted much of his time in searching for new young talents. In this way, he was able to offer an alternative to violence in the ghetto for the youths, and help them develop their career.

To the left, Major Stitch, selector.

Michigan and Smiley - Diseases

1981, Channel One was the place to be and the Roots Radics were the band of the day.

Papa Michigan and General Smiley, both deejays, formed the duo Michigan & Smiley and together they first released crucial material for Coxsone.

When in 1981, full on rub-a-dub, they recorded Diseases for Junjo at Channel One.

The song is sung over the Mad Mad riddim, popularising this dancehall remake of it. The duo takes turns in denouncing slackness and materialism, which was growing at the time :

Cus everyday that I turn the Bible's pages,
From Proverbs forward to Genesis,
From Revelation to Ecclisiastes,
Let me tell you wisdom increases
And the looks of the world it decreases
Everyday man a build expolosives,
The corruption of the world it exposes.

(yes, the books of the Bible are purposefully inverted)

Together they explain that Jah will lick you with diseases before enumerating the numerous plagues that will reach those concerned.

Rub-a-dub style !

The Gladiators - Rich Man Poor Man

The Gladiators' most popular work was released under Virgin's Frontline label, a branch that the music giant opened in 1978 dedicated to promote reggae music in Europe, and attract a new audience.

Outside of their releases on Frontline, the Gladiator's wide discography has marked Jamaican music.

Albert Griffiths, Clinton Fearon and Gallimore Sutherland began recording in 1966 when they released You Are The Girl on the B-side of the The Ethiopians' massive hit Train to Skaville. The A-side gained a second wave attention when is was re-recorded by The Selector in the UK.

I've been listening Albert Griffiths' singing for years as the band is largely reponsible for contracting reggaemylitis¹ to me. On this track however, bassist Clinton Fearon is the lead vocal.

As you can guess from the title, Rich Man Poor Man is a song about poverty, a state of which the group knows well having grown up in Trenchtown, but also deals with the issues in a corrupt society. After a great organ-lead intro, Clinton beggins :

The Rich man, poor man, beggar man, the thief
Everyone claim that them a the chief
The rich man buy the poor man's life
The poor man take away the beggar man's wife

Clinton tries to put an end to this situation warning us :

If you step pon fire, fire gonna burn y'
You play with puppy, puppy lick yu mouth

The latter is a common Jamaican expression which is an equivalent of familiarity breeds contempt.

In more recent years, Clinton Fearon has been touring the world giving accoustic concerts, as well as re-recording accoustic versions of the band's hits. Rich Man Poor Man can be found on  Mi an' Mi Guitar.

In all, the song is uplifting as it looks towards a brighter future, something that all sufferah's from Trenchtown will tell you they are longing for. Inspired from the Bible, the weak ones now will soon become strong...

¹ Peter Tosh coined the word in his eponymous song, when he was diagnosed due to a "funny feeling in my bones, blood and toes up to the brain". Since the 70s, the contagious disease has spread resulting in stock shortage in record shops across the globe.

Prince Lincoln Thompson - Daughters of Zion

Prince Lincoln Thompson never gained the same popularity as other singers but nevertheless he released some incredible material.

His singing talents were first revealed in the mid 1960s when he was part of a rocksteady quartet. Along with Lindberg Lewis, Cedric Myton, who would become a member of The Congos and Devon Russell, who later recorded as Devon Irons (see article from 31/10/2013) they formed The Tartans.

Together they released several rocksteady tracks such as the sublime Dance All Night.

Daughters of Zion was recorded at Studio One in 1971 but wasn't released until 7 years later.

The song features a dark minor-key rhythm lead by a gentle but nonetheless melodious bassline, over which Pince Lincoln recounts how the the daughters of Zion are turning from glory to shame.

As he warns the daughters that fire will burn down to their feet, we're struck by a sense of sadness that shapes the song.

However, as Prince Lincoln's plaintive voice is barely louder than the instruments and with the backing harmonies bringing shivers to the spine, this deep tune is packed with humbleness and profoundness.

If you thought that Studio One only produced sweet love songs, I hope this will incite you to listen to the important amount of conscious music recorded there. Next step, Burning Spear's Door Peeper.

Dennis Emmanuel Brown

Following yesterday's article, Dennis Emmanuel Brown (DEB), a.k.a The Crown Prince of Reggae.

Dennis Brown - Should I

This week I blogged about the Drifter riddim. Realising that I would be skipping many important versions, I still took the opportunity to list a few of my favourite cuts. However when going through this thread on Blood & Fire's forum this afternoon, I realised that I had missed out on one of Dennis Brown's finest songs.

Should I was recorded in 1978 and released on a Joe Gibbs 7". In the UK, it saw release on Laser Records with another love song Cassandra on the B-side.

Dennis is known for his song-writing talents and here he finds himself questioning a relationship. One thing that particularly strikes me in this song is the extent to which he stretches his voice, singing as far as his chords will go.

I won't come down on you,
With lighting, brimstone or fire.
For in my heart that isn't,
What I require.

I was surprised to see that this has been labeled as lovers rock on Discogs as it was recorded at Joe Gibbs, and his instrumentals tend to have a militant side to them -for example the bassline is given a bigger punch than other producers' cuts to the riddim.

Also, it has been through a proper remake with added piano and a totally different horns section than the melody which is normally heard on the drifter. However the year in which this was released and the depth of the lyrics can justify this.

The Heptones - On Top

Following yesterday's post, here's the cover of On Top. The same has been used in all re-issues since its original release in 1968.

The Heptones - Equal Rights

As mentionned before, The Heptones were one of the most appreciated trios in the late sixties.

Their album On Top was released by their first producer Coxsone in 1968. Many opinions have credited it as the best album to have ever come out of Jamaica, notably singer and producer Sugar Minott.

The best players - the Soul Vendors are here, and the singers' voices truly are on top. To add to that, almost every song on the album has been versioned since.

However, Equal Rights, the opening song, stands out amongst the others here.

First of all, its lyrics are militant and as they're dealing with racial and social equality, the Heptones are paving the way for one of the hottest topics in the decade to come.

The lyrics are simple, but effective. The song opens with the first article of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen :

"Every man has an equal right to live and be free"

Indeed, Jamaica gained its independance in 1962 but its colonial past lead to race and social separation issues that persist today.

Secondly, although Equal Rights definitely has a rocksteady beat and that cherished Studio One sound, the nyabinghi drumming brings forward this rootsier feeling.

Drifter Riddim

Presenting the Drifter riddim... From Big Youth to Garnett Silk, or more recently Tony Rebel, this timeless riddim has been re-worked many times over the last 40 years. Many incredible versions have been made and here are some that stand out most to me.

Originally recorded as a an early-reggae song by Dennis Walks, the rythm has since been versioned in many studios over the island. A love song, the singer reveals that since he met this girl, he is no longer a drifter, wandering without knowing where he's going, was recorded in 1968 for Harry Moodie owner of the Moodisc label.

Its unstoppable flowing bassline pattern coupled with an early-reggae skank shuffle has made it the classic it is today.

 

One of the smoothest voices in reggae, Don Carlos recorded his version on the Drifter. Johnny Big Mouth seems to be a personification of people too much who talk before acting.

"A nuff of dem a run up dey mouth
nuff of them a say dem a de best"

This was recorded with the Radics (1979) and the instrumental is sublime. Don Carlos' voice is still the same today, and this song being in his repertoire for concerts today makes his gigs a great experience.

When Coxsone was re-voicing singers over his previous rocksteady and early reggae cuts, Lone Ranger recorded an albums-worth of material, On the Other Side of Dub. This album has become a classic from the veteran deejay, and Every Thing She Want plays a big part in it. As a deejay, he's also a very entertaining performer, his voice now has his rough signature sound and he's often over in Europe.

Although Dennis Brown recorded his cover of the song, Cornell Campbell's is by far my favourite. It's also using the Radics' version, the horns from the original version have been replaced by a very swingy guitar. Cornell's ultra-smooth loving voice fits-in perfectly and there's nothing more to add than magnificent...

Astonishing, this one. Mikey Dread isn't here to talk about love, and he makes that clear as of the first line "Money can't buy life...".The lyrics are as conscious as they get

"If life was a thing that money could buy,

the rich would live and the poor would die"

Mikey calls out the addiction to money and individualism that we have been brought to, bringing us to live in hard times.

"The times so hard, the times to dread,

we can't differenciate the living from the dead.

This a mental slavery"

Mikey deejays over an incredible remake of the riddim, drum rims flying everywhere and his effects that he learnt to use on his radio are spread out over the riddim creating what I call a "wonderful mess". This should be played loud enough to make your eardrums shake, and as with most of the songs on World War 3 (1980), we get a discomix version ! Serious stuff.

It is said that the late Garnett Silk was to become the Bob Marley of the end of the century. In his short life, he recorded some of the best songs of the 1990s, bringing reggae away from slackness and back to its roots. On a digital version on Richard "Bello" Bell's Startrail label, he signed this roots revival song, almost solely based on the bassline so make sure that's turned up.

And to finish off, another version on the Roots Radics' cut. Nicodemus is one of my favourite deejays of the early-dancehall period, and he murders this version here. The introduction to the songs leeds to an amazing drop, when the bassline and drums kick-in. Echo, delay, gimmicks, all is here to a squeeking door towards the end of the song. Nicodemus doesn't stop, and if anyone wonders where hip hop comes from, here's the perfect example. Taken from the DJ Clash (1982) album shared Toyan, the entire set is of a similar level and I highly recommend it.

King Tubby

He's been mentionned many times in my blog, he's a key figure in Jamaican music. An article will soon come, Osbourne Ruddock a.k.a King Tubby.

Scientist

Scientist - Your Teeth In My Neck

Scientist has always been one of my favourite sound engineers, and I'm going to show you just why.

Born Hopeton Brown, Scientist's first contact with electronic equipment came from when he used to work for his dad, repairing radios and televisions.

Soon after as a teenager in the 70s, he became King Tubby's assistant at his studio in Waterhouse. When, then Prince, Jammy, failed to turn up to mix Barrington Levy's recording, Scientist was given his first chance. On My Way/Collie Weed (on the My Conversation riddim) was a big success. Impressed by his efforts, Scientist would become Tubby's protégé.

Early 1980s, now an accomplished studio engineer, he left Tubby's to work at Channel One. This is where is where he gained his fame and aquired a signature sound working with the Roots Radics.

Over these years he released several dub albums with Greensleeves, Your Teeth In My Neck is included in one of these.

Scientist Rids the World of the Curse of the Evil Vampires (1981), one of his best achievements,can be seen as a concept album. Said to have been mixed at midnight on Friday the 13th. June 1981, the album is horror-themed as scary voices and Hooo ha haaaa's are voiced over the dubs.

All tracks were laid by the Roots Radics before being mixed at Tubby's.

Your Teeth In My Neck is a spectacular dub of Michael Prophet's Love and Unity, a melancholic song opposing greed and rightousness.

Scientist leaves in the singer's first verse, as he comments on materialism and the flicking [of] ratchets, the small pocket-knives that were so predominant in Jamaica.

Some take money
And make big enemy
While I man take love and make good friend
Some are stick in pocket
The other are flicking ratchet
But I man is there to teach you what's right from wrong

Oyyyy......

From there, echo is pushed to its fullest, and a whopping bass booms in as we picture Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and other characters from the album's cover fleeing Scientist's sound system, pictured as a source of rightousness. The song retains the original's melancholy as Michael Prophet's voice resurges throughout and in no way meant to be played low.

Beautiful.