Here's a peak at another Augustus Pablo disc. Pablo & Friends is a kind of greatest hits CD with 18 tracks total. You get to hear the original track by such artists as: U Roy, I Roy, Derrick Morgan, John Holt, and Prince Jammy. That's followed by the Pablo instrumental version. Showcase style a la Pablo. This album set-up allows you to experience the pure Pablo and gain insight into how he's contributed to the evolution of reggae music. His instrumental interpretations of these reggae classics are good to have in your collection. My favorite tracks on this one are: #5 (It Dread Inna Earth), #6 (Pablo's Majestic Mood), #8 (A Tuff Dub), #15 (Cow Town Skank), and #16 (Pablo in Cow Town). When you listen to the disc as a whole, it's really like listening to 9 extended tracks - nice to leave on around the house. My copy of this disc is RAS '92, but there might be other releases out there. With all the popular reggae artists on this one, I would almost consider this a various artists CD.
June 29th was another outstanding night at the Malibu Inn in Malibu, CA. A local band from Huntington Beach, The Simpkin Project, started the evening off with solid roots rhythms including a Twinkle Brothers cover of "Faith Can Move Mountains/Never Get Burn" and a real rock version. They're having a CD release party on Fri. July 18th at Gallagher's in HB. I look forward to seeing them again down here in the OC. U-Roy was next on stage with his dapper suit and cap and instantly lifted the crowd in to an irie state-of-mind. He busted out a dozen or so songs including a couple of my favorites "Babylon Burning" and "Natty Rebel" blessing the room with a smokey vibe. The crowd was sad to see him go, but Cornell Campbell was next. He emerged from the back room in a brown leather suit and boots and proceeded to give us a hard set including the classics "The Gorgon", "Natty Dread in a Greenwich Farm", and "100 lbs. of Collie". These guys are the originals of this ya reggae culture and any chance you have to see dem a rock - take it.