Too Much Iron in the Fire : Blackbeard & Friends

This 2 disc set is a compilation that represents the work of Roy "Blackbeard" Sinclair. Each disc has 20 tracks, but most of what you will hear are 3 maybe 4 versions in a row of the same rhythm. It seems Blackbeard borrowed many of these familiar beats we're used to, but that seems to be a more common practice with the increasing number of dj's, engineers, and producers on the reggae scene. There are a ton of artists that have contributed to this release including : Barry Brown, Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Trinity, Jacob Miller, Wayne Jarrett, and Ronnie Davis. So, when listening to this set straight through, you'll hear a couple of versions by some of the masters listed above - and then maybe a dub version by the Blackbeard All-Stars. My favorites on disc 1 are: #2 (Pass up the Chalice - Barry Brown), #7 (False Rasta - Jacob Miller), and #14 (Cayamanas Park Dub). This last one is a Blackbeard dub track of Black Uhuru/Ranking Joe's "Rent Man". My favorites on disc 2 are: #8 (Eyes on Africa - the Mighty Diamonds) and #11 (Mount Zion - Wayne Jarrett). This is a Trojan release from 2004 and the material was originally recorded 1974-1984.

Talking Revolution : Peter Tosh

This is a 2005 2 disc release from Pressure Sounds. Disc 1 has 8 tracks of live concert material from the One Love Peace Concert. Disc 2 is an acoustic set of 11 songs recorded at US radio stations while touring North America. Most people will tell you Disc 2 is far superior but I feal it the other way around. Tracks #2 (Four Hundred Years) and #3 (Stepping Razor) on the Live CD are my personal favorites for this 2 disc release. If Tosh is one of your favorites then no doubt you'll dig this high quality booklet and rare set lists. Really, most of the Peter Tosh I listen to are on the "Legalize It" and "Equal Rights" albums. A few of my favorite singles are "Wanted Dread and Alive" and "Reggae Mylitis". The deep and powerful messages of his earlier work with the Wailers is another great taste of his brilliance and wisdom. The album "Burnin" or the single "You can't Blame the Youth" are two good examples. "Talking Revolution" is a good deal to find used for about $12 or less on CD. For me Peter Tosh usually isn't something I have in regular rotation, but instead it's music I find myself craving for the specific messages and the energy it gives out.

Columbia Colly : Jah Lion

This is a Lee Perry production originally released on LP in 1976 and later released by both Island and Mango on CD. It was recorded at the Perry's Black Ark in Kingston, JA. This is an interesting album because Jah Lion is also known as Jah Lloyd (Pat Francis). Most of his work was done under the name Jah Lloyd including one of my favorite albums "A Double Helping of Jah Lloyd and King Tubby". All of Jah Lion/Lloyd's work is solid roots dub and dj material weather it's with Perry or Tubby. There's eleven tracks total on this disc and my favorites are #1 (Wisdom), #5 (Columbia Colly), and #7 (Bad Luck Natty). There's also a Satta Version and Police and Thieves Version (Soldier and Police War) that round out this disc nicely. His smokey voice textures and chilled mellow delivery make Jah Lion and Columbia Colly a great disc to have on while just relaxing in the afternoon. There's a lot of classic rhythms are on this album and Jah Lion matches his vocals to each with great success.

Larry Marshall in Dub / World in Dub

I've been shopping for some new reggae recently and went straight to my favorite on-line store, Ernie B's. They have the best selection of reggae I've ever seen. The layout and navigation of the website is super easy to use. They have sound samples on selected albums and offer many details including: brief reviews, contributing artists, recording locations, and more. My last purchase included Larry Marshall/King Tubby's I Admire You in Dub and Ranking Joe - World in Dub. I found them both in the "Blowout" list of sale items for about a dollar fifty each. That's right, they're that cheap !!! These are good albums too. I Admire You in Dub is 14 tracks of totally solid roots dub Tubby style. My favorites are #12(You Lie Version) and #13(Heavy Heavy Load) which is an extended version. This CD is a release off of the Motion label. I like most of Ranking Joe's material so I figured I would try World of Dub and I was pleasantly surprised by the 12 fresh dub tracks composed with the Twilight Circus Sound System. This disc has a more modern sound, at times similar to Some of Jah Shaka and Mad Professor's work at Ariwa. My favorites on this one are #1 (World in Dub) and #6 (Seek Ya Dub). These two discs are just a peek of what's at Ernie B's so check it out some time.