Rockers Soundtrack : Various Artists

If you've never seen the movie Rockers you're missing the best Reggae film ever made. It's a Jamaican Robin Hood with every scene packed full of short performances by all of our favorite Reggae stars of the seventies. It's a brief look inside the daily life of Jamaican musicians, thick with Jamaican patois and messages of unity and brotherhood. But enough about the film, I would like to give a brief review of the soundtrack. This soundtrack is one of the better compilations you can buy for seventies reggae. This is a great selection of roots from such legends as: Bunny Wailer, Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, the Heptones, Jacob Miller, the Maytones, and more. This disc has 14 tracks total and my favorites on this one are : #2 (Money Worries), #7 (Fade Away), and #8 (Rockers). The movie was released in 1979, but the material on the soundtrack could be from about'76-'79. Chris Blackwell was the main man behind this project and you can find this soundtrack released by both the Island and Mango labels. Just a quick note ; the DVD copy of this movie has extra soundtrack songs and versions in the bonus materials/extras section of the menu. If you haven't experienced Rockers yet, I would urge you to watch the movie first and then check down the CD soundtrack as a supplement to the vibe of this fun and energetic movie.

Plantation : Don Carlos

Once again it's the sweet youthful vocals of Don Carlos. My copy of Plantation is a Tamoki Wambesi CD released in 2001. I've actually seen a couple different versions of this album. My copy is a total of 16 tracks and includes alternating versions of each song. There is also a release with 10 tracks, but with out the alternating versions. I'm not too familiar with the 10 track album and I'm sorry I can't do a head to head comparison. I'm usually a big fan of "showcase" style, when the tracks are followed by their dub or dj counterpart, but on this CD it just didn't feel right. I found myself listening to the dub versions and thinking that they were more instrumental versions than dub. They came out a little dry and stripped down with very little sound effects and not heavy enough to support the original vocal versions. My favorite track on this one is #3 (Plantation). All the vocal tracks are good and true Don Carlos style, but the dubs fell a little short of expectations.

Why You So Craven : Israel Vibration

This is the first strictly Israel Vibration album I've done at HB Reggae Blog. They were one of the first reggae groups I started listening to, along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, of course. I've seen this disc sometimes overlooked by bloggers and Vibes fans. This is actually the second Vibes disc I heard, right behind Unconquered People. The material is early eighties, but my CD copy is a 1991 release. This is the original Israel Vibration, but at a time of discontent among the group members. With nine tracks on this disc you get a nice tight set of roots from a classic vocal trio. Produced by Junjo and mixed/engineered by Scientist this is a very solid production with only the top professionals in the business involved. The Hi-Times Band offers a solid backdrop for Junjo to execute his crisp and clean roots rhythms. My favorite tracks on this one are: #3 (On Jah Solid Rock), #4 (Jah is the Way), and #6 (Highway Robbery). Finding a copy of this disc for under ten dollars would be a fair deal for the number of tracks you get. If you don't have any Israel Vibration in your collection yet, this would be a good one to start with.

Dub Fi Junjo : Roots Radics

This dub/instrumental album was released in 2000 on Tabou (France) and is a type of tribute album to the late Henry Junjo Lawes who was killed in England in 1999. He worked a ton with the Roots Radics in the seventies, helping transition the sound of the time from roots to the rub-a-dub of the eighties. When you listen to this CD you'll find yourself recognizing the instrumental tracks from your favorite artists such as Israel Vibration. The Dub on this CD is very clean, very good sound quality, and totally professional. My favorites on this disc are #2 (Leggo de Dub), #4 (Rocking Miss D), and #8 (Mash Dub). Daweh Congo has used versions very close to Leggo de Dub and Mash Dub for his tracks Herb Tree and Human Rights & Justice. Human Rights & Justice is one of my all time favorite discs and I've already done a post on it - check it out !!

Cry Freedom Dub : Prince Far-I

Solid, hard, bouncing dub at it's finest is what you'll get with this set from the Tamoki-Wambesi-Dove label. Usually when I see Prince Far-I on an album cover I look forward to his rough and grough voice and I love it. This disc however has vocals only on the first track and all the rest is non-stop dub. The album is backed by the Roots Radics and all material was recorded from 1980-1983. My favorites on this one are #1 (Free Jah Jah Children), #2 (Blood on the Corner of Orange Street), and #8 (Famine in Africa). Famine in Africa has some creative instrumental (what I think is keyboard) work and I've now added this track to my permanent playlist. Recorded mostly at Channel One and engineered by Scientist and Maxie. Adding instruments and taking them away, stripping away everything but the drum and bass, and then building it back up takes a great ear for dub music and this disc stands tall.

Bim Sherman meets Horace Andy and U-Black in a Rub-A-Dub Style

Three great names in reggae - this one's got to be good. The material on this disc was originally recorded between 1976 and 1980 and is now just recently available on CD. This is a definite treat for those of us who love that 70's roots and culture. Each track has an extended dub track or alternating dub version. Recorded at Channel One and King Tubby's with a typical list of reggae all-stars: Bingy, Horsemouth, Sly, Flabba, and others. My favorite tracks on this one are #1 (It Must be a Dream / Dreaming Dub) and #4 (Dread Pan Some / Dread Dub). Dread Pan Some starts out with a chant style and parlays the rhythm in to the "strait up" Dread Dub. This CD actually offers the last four tracks as extras not released on the original vinyl. If you're looking to buy this disc your best bet is Ernie B's. Sites like Amazon are only offering pre-orders for about twice the price of Ernie B's. See the link at the bottom of the page if you're interested.

Harry Mudie meets King Tubby in Dub Conference Vol. 1

This is the first in a series of three great dub collaborations by the master King Tubby and 70's dub influence Harry Mudie. This album features straight forward dub with classic techniques and the touch of studio instruments. Very little sound effects and manipulation are used on this one. This album was originally released in 1976, but my CD copy is from '94. My favorite tracks on this one are: #1(Full Dose of Dub), #4 (Dub with a Difference), and #8 (Heavy Duty Dub). All these dubs were developed in both England and Jamaica. Full Dose of Dub features a hard conga drum rhythm to give it pop. Dub with a Difference is a great partnership of strings and horns with classic reggae drum work. In Heavy Duty Dub, the name is deceiving. It's actually a really mellow track; I get kind of a smokey lounge vibe from it. The second and third volume of this series are equally impressive and worth checking out.

Messenger Man : Willi Williams

This is just an outstanding 17 track album by Willi Williams. Another Blood & Fire release, this one from 2005 and the material was originally released in 1980 on the Inland label and recorded in Kingston and Toronto. This more recent Blood & Fire version includes several versions, extended versions, and a couple of previously unreleased dub tracks. My favorite tracks on this one are: #3 (Give Jah Praise), #5 (Zion Town), and #14 (Zion Town Dub). I find a very powerful message in "Zion Town" and I keep it on my all-time favorites playlist. Of course with Blood & Fire comes a great booklet and this time the notes are written by Carter Van Pelt. He's a noted North American authority on Reggae and I was very pleased to see his contribution to this album. The booklet tells the story of Willi Williams and also of the story and meanings behind the Messenger Man album. Besides Armagideon Time, this is my favorite Willi Williams album.

Only Love Can Conquer : Prince Alla

This disc is another compilation style collection from the Blood & Fire label. This is a release from 1996 featuring Prince Alla from '76-'79. This is a nice "greatest hits" package with a comprehensive 14 page booklet witch is mostly an interview style biographical story of Prince Alla. With 14 tracks on this one, my favorites are: #3 (Only Love Can Conquer), #5 (They Never Love), #7 (Bucket Bottom), and #11 (Youthman in the Ghetto). Most tracks on this one were produced by Bertram Brown and/or Prince Alla and features a ton of talented musicians: Sly & Robbie, Tony Chin, Santa Davis, Fully Fullwood, and Chinna Smith. All classic roots music in the tradition of the '70's. This album is a great example of Blood & Fire at there finest, simply a great CD and booklet.

Aggrovators meet the Revolutionaries at Channel One

Bunny Striker Lee productions released this All-Star album back in 1977. This is clean and professional roots/dub/instrumental, just classic JA sounds. With 11 tracks total, all recorded at Channel One, this is a great album to have in your collection. All tracks were produced and arranged by Bunny Lee and the list of contributing artists is extensive: Bobby Ellis, Santa Davis, Sly & Robbie, Chinna Smith, Tony Chin, Ansell Collins,Jackie Mittoo, Tommy McCook, and many more. These guys are responsible for a huge stock of genuine 1970's dub instrumental and you'll here this material dubbed out by legends such as King Tubby. The first 5 tracks were set by the Revolutionaries and tracks 6-11 were laid down by the Aggrovators. All the songs on this album are a standard length of 2-4 minutes and all instrumental, no extended/dub tracks. My favorites on this one are: #3 (Bionic Man), #8 (Special Brew), and #9 (Super Larger). My copy of this CD is 1998 and the sound quality is great - very clean and clear. Check it out !!!

Augustus Pablo : Live in Tokyo Japan

Live !!! This is a rare recorded stage performance and a great treat for all Augustus Pablo aficionados. With 13 tracks total, this CD gives you a good idea of Pablo in concert. All tracks were recorded on stage with the Rockers All-Stars in Tokyo, Japan. The sound quality is excellent and you can hear Pablo announcing the song name before each track performed. My favorites on this one are: #1 (Ancient Harmonies), #5 (Rockers Rock), #7 (East of the River Nile), and #8 (Africa 1983). Rockers Rock is a great real rock version that you probably won't find to many places and Africa 1983 showcases Pablo's live instrumental talents while performing his classic Hugh Mundell backing rhythms. My copy of this disc was published in 1991 by Rockers International and is a UK release. Augustus Pablo passed away only eight years later in 1999. His talents were legendary and his influence will be missed in the world of reggae music. Check my other Pablo reviews for more track highlights and info on other CD's. If you have your own favorite Augustus Pablo material, let me know so I can check it as well. Long live Pablo !!!

Africans Unite : Sylvan White

You might not of heard about Sylvan White, but this compilation disc will make you remember him. It showcases his vocal work of the late 70's and early 80's with the sweet roots sound of The Soul Syndicate and The High Times Band. The mixing engineer is listed as King Tubby and the Producer Bertram Brown. This disc is a pleasant surprise with many extended mixes and alternate dub tracks. There are 13 tracks total, but my favorites on this one are #1 (Africans Unite), #3 (Mountain Top), and #4+#5 (Faith w/ Version). All tracks were recorded at Channel One and King Tubby's in Jamaica. There really isn't too much out on the market for Sylvan White CD's, but this one has great sound quality and a solid track list.