Familyman in Dub : Aston Barrett

Be careful with this one, it's got heavy heavy base and bounding instrumental dubs straight through - 14 tracks total - Just under an hour ( about 57 minutes ) .  It's the perfect companion disc to Cobra Style (released off of the Heartbeat label in 1999).  Familyman in Dub was also released in 1999 off of the Heartbeat label.  Some selected tracks on this one are : #1 (Cobra Style Dub) a great version of the Familyman great, #2 (Steppers Rock) is a nice - slow instrumental dub - take your time, #3 (Familyman Skank) has a triumphant ring with a dominant horn instrumental dub out, #10 (A Distant Dub) all bass & horns, #14 (Dub Maker) this is ... one of the few tracks on the disc with full vocals - very nice.  Familyman opened the recent concert at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, CA with the Cobra Style / Dub - most everyone recognized that was going to be the beginning of a great show.  Familyman is one of the originals and we're very lucky to have him touring the West Coast.  Come back soon Familyman !!!

Shanty Town Determination ( 1976 - 1978 ) : Trinity

This is going to be one of the best Trinity compilation discs you're going to be able to find out there.  Thank You, Blood & Fire for releasing this proper track set back in 2000 with the wave of reissues and collections, more than a head-full of reggae at the time. Shanty Town Determination has 13 tracks total and it's just under an hour in duration.  The highlight tracks for me : # 6 (Promise is a comfort to a fool), # 7 (Natty Dread A No Bandooloo), # 11 (Peace Conference In A Western Kingston), and # 12 (Fight It To The Top/Lively Tribulation).  Fight it to the top is an extended Trinity Add-on of the Heptones original.  The first eight tracks of the disc are straight from the original vinyl release back in 1977, which is apparently a very rare piece for collectors.  Five additional tracks round this disc out and make it a decent duration.  Sometimes it's hard to pick up a disc when it has only got 6 or 7 tracks on it.  Some say Trinity has a slight similarity to Big Youth in his delivery and voice, but once you listen to all these DJ champs enough you hear differences that make them unique, not similarities - you'll see. Over-all this is a great disc to start off with out of the Trinity library - it's also a proper disc to add in to your master collection.  If you've only got several slots for Roots DJ, this could easily be one of your selections.

Ethiopian Kings (1975-1980) : Rod Taylor

Welcome, Reggae people, to Rod Taylor's finest tracks.  This disc is a total of 14 tracks, many of which are extended mixes, disco cuts, and dub tracks; all from the late seventies in to the eighties (1975-1980), a true time for roots reggae.  With all cylinders hitting hard on the Reggae scene in the 70's, Rod Taylor might have slipped through our fingers as one of the great roots vocal sounds.  He has worked with a few different producers, mixing engineers, and backing bands, so this disc is a solid compilation from the different production shops and experts.  His voice, roots style, and sound compare to that of Linval Thompson & Johnny Clarke : if you don't know, you might mistake him for one of these other great vocalists.  Sharing common producers and mixing technicians sometimes produces a "familiar" sound.  Producers Tracks on this disc include : Bertram Brown (tracks 1-3), Prince Far-I (tracks 4-5), Mikey Dread (tracks 6-7), Ossie Hibbert, Dudley Swaby, and others.  The Highlight tracks on this one are #1 (Ethiopian Kings - Discomix), #6 (His Imperial Majesty), #7 (Behold Him), and #14 (Night in September).  Really the disc as a whole is excellent and I highly recommend adding it to your collection.  Some other extended version and dub tracks for songs on this disc are out there from big hit names such as Mikey Dread and Big Youth, especially for "Ethiopian Kings" & "His Imperial Majesty".  Backing bands on this one are Soul Syndicate, the Revolutionaries, and some Roots Radics as well.  Recorded @ Channel 1 : Mixed at King Tubby's by King Tubby, Scientist, & Prince Jammy.  This disc also has a nice 5 page booklet with Rod Taylor interview excerpts and career history.  I'm looking for more Rod Taylor, but usually find myself coming back to this disc; it's the best example of his work so far that I have found.

The Wailers : Live @ the Belly Up

Ah Yes, the "Legend : Celebrating 30 Years" tour has come to Southern California and it has landed at the wooden "concert hall/night club" tavern, the Belly Up in Solana Beach.  Great sound quality at this venue and the seating is tiered to some extent for maximum seated viewing pleasure.  Oh course there is an open dance floor.  Table Service, food, drinks, & dancing if you please.  Everyone having a nice time at this Wailers stop on the way to Reggae Immortality.  The Wailers opened up with Familyman's "Cobra Style" and extended the instrumental nicely, it had a hard & clean sound to get the night going. Good to see Aston "Familyman" Barrett on Bass most of the night, only switching out during the encore with his son "Familyman Jr." on the keyboard at the end.  The Belly Up in Solana Beach will be hosting Israel Vibration in early August ( http://www.bellyup.com/event/israel-vibrations-2/ ), it should be a great show as well.  The Belly Up has a venue in Aspen, CO if that's your neck of the woods or should you find yourself in the area, check it out and let me know what you think.

Marley (2012 Movie / Documentary) : Bob Marley

This is the latest major Bob Marley documentary film or book to be released and  it was a definite pleasure to be able to view it on the "big screen" down at the Pickford Cinema's "Limelight Theatre" ( http://www.pickfordfilmcenter.org/ ) in Bellingham.  The film by director Kevin MacDonald is about 145 minutes long and, to me, doesn't seem to cover any new revelations or shocking secrets of Bob's life and times.  I did, however, enjoy the interviews by those such as Bunny Wailer and numerous other contemporaries.  It showed how those that knew Bob the best have changed and aged themselves.  Maybe with a bit more wisdom and patience.  That being said, this is a most comprehensive documentary and the picture quality is the best yet.  Comparing this to older documentaries like Public TV's "American Masters" series and books like "Catch 'a Fire" (T.White) is not that fair.  Of course we've all got limited Marley resources to go on - so what you have in "Marley - 2012" is the latest, cleanest, most updated version of the real-life legend of Bob Marley.  I would recommend finding a Marley book (Catch 'a Fire) and at least one other TV Show / Film to get the best mixed perspective of Bob and Marley lore throughout the years, but this is a Great place to start.

Clinton Fearon : Live @ the Wild Buffalo

Yes !!!, Another late night Reggae session with the legendary Clinton Fearon and the Boogie Brown Band, this time on Saturday January 11th, 2014.  It's great to see him in town once again for what seems like the annual Bellingham Jamdown at the Wild Buffalo House of Music ( http://wildbuffalo.net/ ) .  I've noticed some changes in band members, but it's the proof of the professional that the live sound stay as clean, clear, and consistent as ever.  Always getting your money's worth with this show - you know you'll hear some familiar (if you've seen him before) tracks.  Now remember that Mr. Fearon is one of the Original Gladiators and a True Legend of Reggae culture.  The Reggae history and legacy of the Seventies and Eighties is getting away from us.  Soon it will only be legends and tales of concerts by these history-making Reggae Titans, so witness thy self to bare witness and be a part of sharing Reggae Culture with those of the future.  Not enough venues - not enough artists.  Who Next - Soon Come ??