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 ??

The Skatalites : Live @ the Wild Buffalo

A couple of weeks ago the Skatalites came to Bellingham, WA and played down at the Wild Buffalo w/ Yogoman Burning Band.  When I first heard they were coming to town I couldn't believe it.  What ?? the legendary Skatalites are coming to this windy forgotten corner of Washington ??  Of course I went - with a couple of friends - and was pleased to hear the uptempo Yogoman Burning Band playing when I arrived.  They were a great energetic opening band for the Skatalites.  Plenty of people up on the dance floor for Yogoman's funky horn accented set.  It was the perfect match-up for the Skatalites, who came on and blasted out song after song from the extensive list of classics.  A couple hours of high-powered horns on a Monday night was almost a wake-up call for some of the folks in this town.  The Skatalites would rotate and trade-off massive solos that gave each track a great improv quality.  The "James Bond Theme" was a highlight for myself, just one of my favorites.  This was a one-of-a-kind opportunity to see musicians of this caliber playing in Bellingham, so Thank You !!  Of course the sound quality at the Wild Buffalo was outstanding.  Clinton Fearon will be coming in to town on Sat. May 12th, apparently for a CD release party also at the Wild Buffalo.  He's one of the original Gladiators and considered a local favorite.

Day to Day Living : Don Carlos

"Day to Day Living" was originally released on LP back in 1982.  This was kind of the second heavy wave of Don Carlos music to be produced.  The late seventies serves as the first wave with hit releases like : "Time is the Master" & "Prison Oval Clash".  The CD I've got was released from Greensleeves in 2001, during the massive reissuing movement of seventies roots reggae on to CD format. There are 10 tracks on the CD, just like the original release including a couple of nice tracks : #3 (Dice Cup), #8 (400 Years), and #9 (I'm Not Crazy).  The production was handled by a solid crew, with Junjo Lawes as producer, Scientist as the engineer, and the Roots Radics band pumping out the instrumental tracks.  Recorded and mixed at Channel One, this is another solid piece of Jamaican reggae.  Oddly enough, some of Don Carlos' best releases have been combination albums, like : "Firehouse Clash with Junior Reid" and "The Mighty Diamonds Meets Don Carlos & Gold - At The Channel One Studio".

Black Sounds of Freedom : Black Uhuru

This one of the great Black Uhuru albums released in the prime of the groups late seventies / early eighties domination of the roots vocal trio scene.  The original album was released in 1981 by Greensleeves, but I've got the Artists Only CD release featuring the cover art found at the left.  With 10 tracks on the original release, it serves as a great base for numerous dub/extended tracks found on other CD releases (Greensleeves 2006).  Built from the studios of Harry J's and King Tubby's in Kingston, JA : Prince Jammy serves as producer with Sylvan Morris as engineer and they do a great job of keeping the rhythms tight.  My favorite tracks on this one are : #1 (I Love King Selassie), #2 (Satan Army Band), and #9 (Willow Tree).  This album is truly a solid listen all the way through and when paired other Black Uhuru original such as "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" it makes for a nice double spin in your disc player.

The Keyboard Legend : Jackie Mittoo

Well, you can't get to much more Roots than this folks !!! Jackie Mittoo is a pioneer of the instrumental roots scene with his electric organ and keyboard skills unmatched by any in the spectrum of reggae.  This disc is a 20 track greatest hit type of set that features many classic rhythms with Mittoo taking over for what would be the vocalist.  Mostly instrumental with very little dub or vocals on the whole CD.  The production company is Sonic Sounds, witch I am not too familiar with, but it a low budget offering with no liner notes.  Just Jackie posing for a back alley jam session on a trash can - his facial expression is priceless.  It might be a little hard to find these days, but try your luck, it should be worth the effort if you find it.  My favorites on this disc are overshadowed by the fact its a solid listen from track #1 all the way through to track #20.  It's nice to let it roll if you've got folks over and the conversation at the pad is paramount, great tunes to relax to.  Also great tunes to drive to on a crisp and sunny winter day.  Unfortunately, I can't find the date this disc was pressed, but it seems that the material is mostly from the 1970's, like the bulk of his work.  Not exactly a lightweight dude !!

Deeper Roots, The Best of ... : The Meditations

The Meditations have been around since the late seventies and this album is a proper compilation of their work on the roots scene.  From deep in Jamaica - The Meditations are one of the classic vocal trios, but seem to have been overlooked at times.  They only released 5 album spanning from 1978 to 1983.  If you don't have any of the meditations original albums, you can jump the gun with "Deeper Roots" and get the most Meditations for your money.  This CD is a Heartbeat release from 1994 with 20 tracks - most of them solid roots.  Top tracks include #4 (Having Fun), #10 (No Peace), #12 (Something Looking Good), and #13 (Groovy Situation aka Being A Dread Is No Crime).  Like most Heartbeat compilations, this has a great booklet with an extensive history and story of the Meditations, along with track breakdowns, and top performances.  The Meditations might not have gotten the credit they deserved early on, but since the early 1990's they have managed to stay on the top of the pile thanks in part to this CD compilation.  This is the only Meditations disc I own, but it gets quite of bit of playing time in the rotation.

Bubble Up (Showcase Vol.1) : Wayne Jarrett

Another great Wackies production (also known as Showcase Vol. 1)with heavy roots beats and the soft spoken voice of Wayne Jarrett.  The original track list from  this 1982 release shows only six songs, but each one is either an extended mix or an instrumental.  A great overall album, but still with it's stand out tracks: #1 (Brimstone & Fire), #2 (Every Tounge Shall Tell), and #6 (Holy Mount Zion).  Keep in mind this is one of the original Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes productions out of his Wackies label in New York City.  A great talent for the time and place and an important step in the North American extension of the roots reggae movement of the seventies and in to the eighties.  These rythms are tight, the Wackies label could almost will things to come together in top notch style for each vocalist and different situation, with excellent results.  Everything dialed in straight.  Wayne Jarrett is a great roots vocalist, look for his works to be spread out over several Wackies, Greensleeves, and King Tubby compilations.