love the music, my KNOWLEDGE is extremely limited.........so I let him do the work, which is why, like Brian, Apantabapanta, Dave Sez, and more, he is a valuable member of the team that we cannot live with out........here is what Cliff has to say to us THIS week:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Today at 10:05 PM
Dread Inna Inglan Pt.1
In the second half of the 1970’s and the early part of the 1980’s some fine reggae bands came to the fore in the UK. This post and the my next will highlight some of those bands. When these bands emerged they struggled to be accepted by some black audiences who deemed them less authentic than Jamaican-born acts; even being unable to book live dates at UK Caribbean venues due to their Rastafarian beliefs. Instead, these new bands found an unlikely fan base: punks (myself included). The bands would tour with punk acts or play venues which had primarily hosted punk. It wasn’t surprising that these two tribes identified with each other, both were discriminated against, faced hostility from authority and each gave an outlet to the anger that black and white youth in the UK felt at that paricular period of time in Thatcher’s Britain.
(I went to 8 of those gigs listed in that flyer)
HANDSWORTH REVOLUTION – STEEL PULSE
Hailing from the Handsworth region of Birmingham, England; Steel Pulse were the first black roots reggae group to positively embrace white audiences when they appeared on Rock Against Racism bills alongside white punk bands. Steel Pulse released ‘Handsworth Revolution’ in 1978. Opening the album, the title track is an unashamedly fervent anthem about both the area itself and the need to fight racism and injustice. There is no let-up in the second track ‘Bad Man’ with its call for 'uprising' and a promise of revenge for 400 years of slavery. ‘Soldiers’ continues the reference to slavery but with the bold: "The Black Man is suffering now far more than when he was a slave" The bubbly ‘Sound Check’ and more 'Rastafarian' ‘Prodigal Son’ only serve to prepare the way for the pièce de résistance, ‘Ku Klux Klan’. The title referred to the white supremacist organisation in the USA but there was little doubt in Britain about who Steel Pulse were referring to – the National Front ( a nazi right wing political party in the UK who had been making gains at the time). The song was a rallying call for youth in Britain to clear the racist scum from the streets. The high quality of the music on the album makes sure that after the high point of ‘Ku Klux Klan’, it doesn't peter out. Surprisingly the unusual use of a Latin-style acoustic guitar on ‘Prediction’ works. From the haunting opening bass riff on ‘Handsworth Revolution’, the music really is top drawer reggae. Sadly, in my opinion, it was a standard Steel Pulse never matched and ‘Handsworth Revolution’ stands out as their defining moment; but what a moment!
Track List:
1. Handsworth Revolution 2. Bad Man 3. Soldiers 4. Sound Check 5. Prodigal Son
6. Ku Klux Klan 7. Prediction 8. Macka Splaff
Link: http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/5ZjszaYA/file.html
MISTY IN ROOTS – LIVE AT COUNTER EUROVISION 79
‘Live at the Counter Eurovision’ is cited as one of the greatest live reggae albums ever recorded. For me it is one of the greatest live albums of any genre. Recorded at Brussels’ Cirque Royale in 1979, it confirms that nothing much matches the sound of a reggae band at the height of its powers. It is a record of the most remarkable spiritual and musical force. Misty sought to combine the spiritual traditions of Africa, the rhythms of Jamaica and their own experiences of growing up in England. There isn’t a stand out track on this album, all are equally as wonderful as each other. I could write never endingly about this album and bore the arses off you all but I won’t. So will let the music speak for itself. If you never listen to anything else I send to Scott to post on this blog; do yourself a favour and listen to this one.
Track List:
1. Introduction 2. Man Kind 3. Ghetto Of The City 4. How Long Jah! 5. Oh! Wicked Man!
6. Judas Iscariote 7. See Them Ah Come 8. Sodome and Gomorra
Link: http://www3.zippyshare.com/v/2MJkSCLR/file.html
LINTON KWESI JOHNSON – FORCES OF VICTORY
A bit of poetry for you all now. But this isn’t poetry in the same vein of Wordsworth or Byron, this is dub poetry! Linton Kwesi Johnson (LKJ) moved to Britain from Jamaica in 1963 when he was 12 years old and grew up in London. His experiences of being a black person fuelled his poetry. For one so outspoken in his politics, Johnson's recorded work, while politically explicit, is not simply a series of slogans or tuneful/danceable jeremiads. Forces of Victory is where his mix of politics and music united to stunning effect. Backed by the dazzling soundscape offered by Dennis Bovell and the Dub Band with guitarist John Kpiaye, offering deftly played, dazzlingly melodic solos. However no matter how great the backing sound is it is LKJ’s moving poetry that holds you. Delivered in a languid, slangy, streetwise style Johnson's grim realism and tales of racism in a UK governed by the evil Margaret Thatcher and her cohorts was scathingly critical.
Track List:
1. Want Fi Goh Rave 2. It NohFunny 3. Sonny’s Letter (Anti - Sus Poem) 4. Independant Intavenshan 5. Fite Dem Back 6. Reality Poem 7. Forces of Vicktry 8. Time Come
Link: http://www77.zippyshare.com/v/BK3AzG76/file.html
NATURAL ITES AND THE REALISTICS – PICTURE ON THE WALL
The Natural Ites were a bit second division really. It’s not that they weren’t good they just seemed to lack that bit of spark to make them stand out. However this is a pleasant enough roots orientated album and the the title track is a cracker. If I’m honest I think I’ve included them because they were from my own home town of Nottingham and as a young ‘un I saw them many times so I will always have a soft spot for them. Anyway not every album you listen to has to be the greatest thing, there is always room for something decent and pleasant. You’ll have to make your own minds up.
Track List:
1. Love and Understanding, 2. Lion Inna Jungle, 3. Gwan Go Do It, 4. Sunshiny Days, 5. Jah Works Mamma, 6. Picture On The Wall, 7. I Want Your Love, 8. I'm In The Mood, 9. Black Roses, 10. Ain't Gonna Stop
Link: http://www54.zippyshare.com/v/Sb0twmyF/file.html
That’s all folks.... Part 2 next week
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thanks for the great shares Cliff, hope for LOTS more still to come
In the second half of the 1970’s and the early part of the 1980’s some fine reggae bands came to the fore in the UK. This post and the my next will highlight some of those bands. When these bands emerged they struggled to be accepted by some black audiences who deemed them less authentic than Jamaican-born acts; even being unable to book live dates at UK Caribbean venues due to their Rastafarian beliefs. Instead, these new bands found an unlikely fan base: punks (myself included). The bands would tour with punk acts or play venues which had primarily hosted punk. It wasn’t surprising that these two tribes identified with each other, both were discriminated against, faced hostility from authority and each gave an outlet to the anger that black and white youth in the UK felt at that paricular period of time in Thatcher’s Britain.
(I went to 8 of those gigs listed in that flyer)
HANDSWORTH REVOLUTION – STEEL PULSE
Hailing from the Handsworth region of Birmingham, England; Steel Pulse were the first black roots reggae group to positively embrace white audiences when they appeared on Rock Against Racism bills alongside white punk bands. Steel Pulse released ‘Handsworth Revolution’ in 1978. Opening the album, the title track is an unashamedly fervent anthem about both the area itself and the need to fight racism and injustice. There is no let-up in the second track ‘Bad Man’ with its call for 'uprising' and a promise of revenge for 400 years of slavery. ‘Soldiers’ continues the reference to slavery but with the bold: "The Black Man is suffering now far more than when he was a slave" The bubbly ‘Sound Check’ and more 'Rastafarian' ‘Prodigal Son’ only serve to prepare the way for the pièce de résistance, ‘Ku Klux Klan’. The title referred to the white supremacist organisation in the USA but there was little doubt in Britain about who Steel Pulse were referring to – the National Front ( a nazi right wing political party in the UK who had been making gains at the time). The song was a rallying call for youth in Britain to clear the racist scum from the streets. The high quality of the music on the album makes sure that after the high point of ‘Ku Klux Klan’, it doesn't peter out. Surprisingly the unusual use of a Latin-style acoustic guitar on ‘Prediction’ works. From the haunting opening bass riff on ‘Handsworth Revolution’, the music really is top drawer reggae. Sadly, in my opinion, it was a standard Steel Pulse never matched and ‘Handsworth Revolution’ stands out as their defining moment; but what a moment!
Track List:
1. Handsworth Revolution 2. Bad Man 3. Soldiers 4. Sound Check 5. Prodigal Son
6. Ku Klux Klan 7. Prediction 8. Macka Splaff
Link: http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/5ZjszaYA/file.html
MISTY IN ROOTS – LIVE AT COUNTER EUROVISION 79
‘Live at the Counter Eurovision’ is cited as one of the greatest live reggae albums ever recorded. For me it is one of the greatest live albums of any genre. Recorded at Brussels’ Cirque Royale in 1979, it confirms that nothing much matches the sound of a reggae band at the height of its powers. It is a record of the most remarkable spiritual and musical force. Misty sought to combine the spiritual traditions of Africa, the rhythms of Jamaica and their own experiences of growing up in England. There isn’t a stand out track on this album, all are equally as wonderful as each other. I could write never endingly about this album and bore the arses off you all but I won’t. So will let the music speak for itself. If you never listen to anything else I send to Scott to post on this blog; do yourself a favour and listen to this one.
Track List:
1. Introduction 2. Man Kind 3. Ghetto Of The City 4. How Long Jah! 5. Oh! Wicked Man!
6. Judas Iscariote 7. See Them Ah Come 8. Sodome and Gomorra
Link: http://www3.zippyshare.com/v/2MJkSCLR/file.html
LINTON KWESI JOHNSON – FORCES OF VICTORY
A bit of poetry for you all now. But this isn’t poetry in the same vein of Wordsworth or Byron, this is dub poetry! Linton Kwesi Johnson (LKJ) moved to Britain from Jamaica in 1963 when he was 12 years old and grew up in London. His experiences of being a black person fuelled his poetry. For one so outspoken in his politics, Johnson's recorded work, while politically explicit, is not simply a series of slogans or tuneful/danceable jeremiads. Forces of Victory is where his mix of politics and music united to stunning effect. Backed by the dazzling soundscape offered by Dennis Bovell and the Dub Band with guitarist John Kpiaye, offering deftly played, dazzlingly melodic solos. However no matter how great the backing sound is it is LKJ’s moving poetry that holds you. Delivered in a languid, slangy, streetwise style Johnson's grim realism and tales of racism in a UK governed by the evil Margaret Thatcher and her cohorts was scathingly critical.
Track List:
1. Want Fi Goh Rave 2. It NohFunny 3. Sonny’s Letter (Anti - Sus Poem) 4. Independant Intavenshan 5. Fite Dem Back 6. Reality Poem 7. Forces of Vicktry 8. Time Come
Link: http://www77.zippyshare.com/v/BK3AzG76/file.html
NATURAL ITES AND THE REALISTICS – PICTURE ON THE WALL
The Natural Ites were a bit second division really. It’s not that they weren’t good they just seemed to lack that bit of spark to make them stand out. However this is a pleasant enough roots orientated album and the the title track is a cracker. If I’m honest I think I’ve included them because they were from my own home town of Nottingham and as a young ‘un I saw them many times so I will always have a soft spot for them. Anyway not every album you listen to has to be the greatest thing, there is always room for something decent and pleasant. You’ll have to make your own minds up.
Track List:
1. Love and Understanding, 2. Lion Inna Jungle, 3. Gwan Go Do It, 4. Sunshiny Days, 5. Jah Works Mamma, 6. Picture On The Wall, 7. I Want Your Love, 8. I'm In The Mood, 9. Black Roses, 10. Ain't Gonna Stop
Link: http://www54.zippyshare.com/v/Sb0twmyF/file.html
That’s all folks.... Part 2 next week
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Thanks for the great shares Cliff, hope for LOTS more still to come
Great choices, Cliff - LKJ, Misty in Roots and Steel Pulse are amongst the best reggae I know. Quite agree on Steel Pulse never quite equalling Handsworth. Meanwhile here's something you might not have: http://darkcircleroom4.blogspot.com/search/label/Linton%20Kwesi%20Johnson
ReplyDeleteand
http://floppybootstomp-ii.blogspot.com/search/label/Linton%20Kwesi%20Johnson
From memory, I also gave these to BigScott but I can't search the blog, so I offer links to circle's and silent's blogs.
Cheers, Dave Sez.
Awesome stuff
ReplyDelete