Jah Fire : Hugh Mundell

This Hugh Mundell disc is from Black Arrow Records.  The original material on this album was recorded in and released in 1980 by Live & Love Records.  It has eleven tracks total and some of the highlights are #5 (Million Miles), #8 (Blacksheep), and the title track #2 (Jah Fire).  Other noteable songs on this disc are #9 (Million Dub) version of Million Miles, #10 (King Pablo) dub version of King of Israel, and the now classic #11 ( Pablo in Moonlight).  Tracks 9, 10, and 11 are extras only found on the Black Arrow CD, released in 2002.  Producer is noted as King Jammy's ; featuring Lacksley Castel and Augustus Pablo.  And of course these rythms were layed down by some master musicians like : Santa, Horsemouth, Sly, Robbie, Bobby Ellis, Deadley Headley, 'Im Brooks, Bingy Bunny, and more.  This is an outstanding musical effort coming hot off the heels of 1978's "Africa Must be Free by 1983", the legendary album that gained Hugh Mundell his noteriety.  Self-titled "Mundell" came afterward in 1982, and if you've got all three of these albums, you've got the most important cross-section of Hugh Mundell's work.

Harder Than The Rest : Culture

This album is a classic Culture selection right out of their roots swell from about 1977-1980.  The original LP release was in 1978 on High Note and Virgin "Frontline".  Other notable Culture album releases from this time period include International Herb(1978) and Two Sevens Clash (1977).  Harder than the Rest has 10 tracks total.  All the tracks are solid and you can easily listen to this one straight through, without skipping over any tracks.  my favorite track is #2 (Holy Mount Zion) - a great example of downbeat roots.  Other nice picks are #4 (Iron Sharpening Iron) and #8 (Work on Natty).  My copy of this disc is a Virgin Frontline reissue from 2000.  The Mixing Engineer is Errol Brown and the album was cut at the Treasure Isle studios in Kingston.  Some of the backing musicians are Sly and Robbie as well as Ansel Collins and many other homegrown Jamaican talents.