Entries from February 2012
Lost in the Crates #44
February 28, 2012
Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
February 24, 2012
Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet were a surf-rock trio from Toronto, Canada that formed in 1984 and disbanded in 1996. They put out three full-length albums and became largely well known for the use of their material as the theme song to Kids in the Hall. My favorite platter from below is Dim the Lights, Chill the Ham. Check ‘em out.
Savvy Show Stoppers; Cargo, 1988
Dim the Lights, Chill the Ham; Cargo, 1991
Sport Fishin’: The Lure of the Bait, The Luck of the Hook; Cargo, 1993
Little Roy
February 22, 2012
Little Roy is overlooked a lot of times because he has put out so little material, but like Prince Alla and Fred Locks, it’s not the quantity that matters, it’s the quality. Tafari Earth Uprising contains some bona fide classic cuts, several of which have been remade many times since. This album compiles most of his ’70s hits and though this isn’t a superb collection as a whole, it has tunes that every roots reggae fan should have. “Prophecy” is the most well-known here, popularized even more by a ’90s Freddie McGregor remake. Its stirring rhythm and melody are instantly recognizable and likable, but even more enjoyable for me is the pure roots of “Christopher Columbus,” its African drums and early Wailers-esque sound making it irresistible. The melancholy “Tribal War” is another classic later covered by the likes of Buju Banton and others, while the poignant “Easy Chair” is likewise memorable. Less known but comparably strong is the catchy Abyssinians-like “Jah Can Count on I” as well as the melodic “Working”. A few decent dubs are included as well, “Blackbird” being the most notable. Although Little Roy maintains his raw, righteous, vinatage Wailers-esque sound throughout the album, the material is a bit uneven, at times drifting into drab territory. Still, if you’re into roots, you should listen to Tafari Earth Uprising as a vital piece of history.~ Reggae Reviews
Little Roy – Tafari Earth Uprising; Pressure Sounds, 1996
Packin’ House gathers rare and, in some cases, previously unreleased material from Little Roy’s Tafari label — the best-known material released on the label having been featured on Tafari Earth Uprising. Unlike that album, Packin’ House (named for the house of Tafari co-founders Melvin and Maurice Jackson’s mother where the label set up shop) focuses on artists other than Little Roy, although he contributes 4 tracks, including the best one on this set, “Hurt Not the Earth,” unbelievably unreleased until now.
Little Roy’s coarse, tortured, yet worldly and knowing vocals draw irresistible comparisons to Bob Marley, particularly on “Hurt Not the Earth” and “Natty Yard.” On “Ticket to Zion”, meanwhile, he presents a fun take on the Beatles’ “Ticket to Ride.” The most notable of Little Roy’s “friends” here are the Heptones, who provide a tune reminiscent of their Lee Perry collaborations in “Revolution” with an instrumental and rare DJ version with Leroy Sibbles chatting!Of the other lesser-known artists, John (not Johnny) Clarke provides the most memorable moment with the poignant tale of the plight of the unemployed on “Recession,” while a couple of funky instrumentals are thrown in by the Tafari All Stars.
The Tafari label wasn’t very prolific, preferring quality over quantity, and its sound favored a gritty, righteous roots vibe that might be a little too harsh for some listeners, but ’70s roots fans will lap it up. These vibes were recorded at Black Ark, Randy’s, Channel One, Dynamic, Harry J’s, and, of course, Packin’ House. Note that the liner notes are quite entertaining and informative, providing insight into the conniving nature of the music biz and giving little tidbits of information like Dennis Brown played bass on Little Roy’s classic “Tribal War,” and Glen Brown’s “Two Wedden Skank” is a version of a Little Roy/Leroy Sibbles cover of Isaac Hayes’ “Do Your Thing.” So pick it up the vibes here and buy a copy for yourself to read the notes. ~ Reggae Reviews
Little Roy – Packin’ House; Pressure Sounds, 1999
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
February 18, 2012
Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams takes a peek into the Chauvet-Pont-d’Arc Cave in southern France, a site which contains the earliest-known cave paintings in the history of humanity dating back to approximately 30,000 to 32,000 years ago. The limestone cliff face overhanging the cave collapsed and, subsequently, sealed it off for thousands of years preserving the prehistoric art to near perfection. In 1994, it was discovered and, in 2010, its contents were finally shown to the masses. Truly mesmerizing!
Cave of Forgotten Dreams – Directed by Werner Herzog, 2010
Algiers – Blood 7″
February 15, 2012
Algiers is an experimental Gospel, No-Wave, Soul pulp band, slurping Francophilia – Gainsbourg and Dutronc, Saint Just and Fanon, Badiou and Baurdillard – Black Power – Nina Simone, Public Enemy, James Baldwin, Fred Hampton, DJ Premier, and Fela Kuti – and Southern Gothic – William Faulkner, Nick Cave and Flannery O’Connor – into a stew thicker than bourguignon in the Algierian sun.
The band consists of three individuals; Franklin James Fisher (b. North Carolina, l. NYC) on vocals, guitar, keys, programming, and percussion; Ryan Mahan (b. Georgia, l. London) on vocals, bass and percussion; and Lee Tesche (b. Georgia, l. London) on guitar, vocals, programming, and percussion.
This 7″ marks the first musical document to be recovered from the wreckage of Algiers and is part of a larger, fully-realised body of work recorded between 2007–2011 to be released posthaste. It features “Blood”, a solemn slave-folk incantation set against the depraved atonal wail of Roland S. Howard, Glenn Branca, and Watts ’65, b/w “Black Eunuch” which gurgles with the tension of Punk Gospel impotence, billowing to bursting before succumbing to an Axelrod/Greenwood orchestral relent.
Check the powerful video for “Blood” below and pick up a copy of the 7″ via Double Phantom Records.
Algiers – Blood 7″; Double Phantom Records, 2012
Pete Rock & InI – Center of Attention
February 15, 2012
This wax has maintained a steady presence on my turntable for the past few months. Spin after spin after spin and it never gets old. Circa 1995-96, four cats from Westchester County in New York; Grap Luva, Rob-O, Ras G and Marco Polo, teamed up with the legendary Pete Rock to create this brilliant set which, amazingly, was shelved by Elektra Records and never released. Thankfully, it finally made it to the streets and to the ears of heads around the globe!
Pete Rock & InI – Center of Attention; Soul Brother Records, 1995
Nuff respect to you if you recognize the child on the cover!
Trojan Lovers Box Set
February 14, 2012
Celebrate the theme of the day with this set of choice Rocksteady, Ska and Reggae selections from the vaults of Trojan. Vibrations in the key of love!
Trojan Lovers Box Set; Trojan, 1999 Disc 1, Disc 2, Disc 3; Tracklist
Brand New Wayo: Funk, Fast Times and Nigerian Boogie Badness 1979-1983
February 12, 2012
With this release, Comb & Razor Sound launches its exploration of the colorful world of popular music from Nigeria, starting with the post-disco era of the late 1970s and early 80s. The years between 1979 and 1983 were Nigeria’s Second Republic, when democracy finally returned after twenty-three years of uninterrupted military dictatorship. They were also the crest of Nigeria’s oil boom, when surging oil prices made the petroleum-producing country a land of plenty, prosperity and profligacy. The influx of petrodollars meant an expansion in industry and the music industry in particular.
Record companies upgraded their technology and cranked out a staggering volume of output to an audience hungry for music to celebrate the country’s prospective rise as global power of the future. While it was a boom time for a wide variety of popular music styles, the predominant commercial sound was a post-Afro-beat, slickly modern dance groove that retrofitted the relentless four-on-the-floor bass beat of Disco to a more laid back, upbeat-and-downbeat Soul shuffle, mixing in Jazz-Funk, synthesizer Pop and an overall ‘afro’ feeling. At the time, it was still mostly locally referred to as “Disco”, but has since been recognized as its own unique genre retrospectively dubbed “Nigerian Boogie”. Time to get down with the boogie badness!
Ranking Trevor – In Fine Style
February 9, 2012
With a chatting style reminiscent of the great Daddy U-Roy, Ranking Trevor is one of my favorite deejays from the mid- to late-70s era and this set showcases his choice delivery perfectly. Nice up di dance with sounds from Channel One.
Ranking Trevor – In Fine Style; Virgin, 1978
Lost in the Crates #43
February 6, 2012
Rich Medina – Afro-beat Since 1969: Created by Tony Allen
February 3, 2012
Rich Medina compiled this hour-long mix of unreleased remixes, b-sides and classics from the legendary originator of the Afro-beat sound, Tony Allen, as a special set to be given away with a t-shirt from 101 Apparel.
Rich Medina – Afro-beat Since 1969: Created by Tony Allen; 101 Apparel and Wax Poetics, 2010
101 Apparel presents Tony Allen “Afro Beat” mix by Rich Medina – 12 min sampler by 101 Apparel
Dreadsquad – MT-41 Riddim
February 1, 2012
DJ/Producer duo Dreadsquad, hailing from Poland, get 2012 started off inna massive fashion with the MT-41 riddim. Heard this one blarin’ out of a pub here on Koh Samui and immediately went to hunt it down. Been rulin’ di hi-fi ever since I got my hands on it. Murderous sounds!
The MT-41 riddim was made entirely from sounds of the famous Casio Casiotone MT-41 keyboard (whose brother, the MT-40, provided the sounds for the legendary “Sleng Teng” riddim from King Jammy in 1985). Featured on the cut are artists from around the world including El Fata (Nigeria/UK), Skarra Mucci (JA), Doubla J (Costa Rica/Germany), Prophet Z (USA), Ranking Diximal (France) and, my favorite, Dr. Ring Ding (Germany).
Dreadsquad – MT-41 Riddim; Superfly Studio, 2012
SF011 Dreadsquad & VA – MT-41 Riddim (IN STORES!!!) by Dreadsquad
