Production Something : Culture

For fans of Culture and Joseph Hill this disc should be in the top two or three albums in their collection along with International Herb : Culture . This disc is set up so you get the dub version of each track mixed straight in to the end of the original vocal version - excellent. Apparently this is Joseph Hill's example of how patience and thoroughness in the studio and at the mixing boards paid off. The first few tracks are the prime examples of the Culture sound with clean instrumental roots dubs laced on to the end. My favorites on this one are : #1 (Too Long in Slavery), #2 (Garvey), and #7 (Dog A Go Nyam Dog). There's also an eleven minute version of Pyaka (#6). Only nine tracks total on this one, but they're all extra long chunky dubs. All the studio musicians involved are the highest ranking and the production of this disc is another solid effort from Heartbeat (1998). The booklet on this one explains quite well how this album came about and how this has affected the path of dub that culture began to integrate in to their musical path through the years.

Open the Iron Gate : Max Romeo

This disc is a greatest hits catalog showcasing Max Romeo's work from 1973 through 1977. This is a more recent Blood & Fire production of "Revelation Time" sharing many of the same tracks and adding the extra version and extended tracks here and there. I think there are 12 tracks total on this one and they are all roots classics that should be heard. The sound quality is nice and clear on this 1999 release. The booklet has a brief biographical story of Max Romeo that correlates the time line of political events with his songs. He collaborated with Lee Perry and many other producers so his work is scattered across the reggae landscape, but this is a nice compilation. This is reggae fueled by the bad feeling and hard times of the populous in Jamaica and Max Romeo is known for speaking his mind through hard metaphors delivered with the smooth voice of an soul superstar. If you are looking for just one disc to represent Max Romeo in your collection - this is a pretty good choice.