Larry Mac, Jahmai, Ani, + Ridim live; Bay Area Reggae Musicians Special, May 19th 1980 Midnight Dread #20 -complete show-

May 19, 2013 by midnightdread2012

Nor Cal legends Ridim play three live tracks from The Catalyst & Keystone Berkeley in MD #20 Parts 1 & 2. Two of Ridim’s principals, yardies Larry MacDonald & Jahmai, speak along with Virgin Islander Ani on the history of roots reggae & Jamaican musicians living in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 1970s. Another 33 years ahead Midnight Dread goes deep & comes up with full coffers. The week’s Reggae Calendar includes a double bill of Toots & Third World live at The Old Waldorf in San Francisco & Zellerbach Auditorium across the bay on the campus at UC Berkeley. Discs, Wheels & Sports is moving their reggae wares to a new location near Lake Merritt. M Al’s reggae sound studio is open for biz nearby downtown Oakland. Listen to the ripples of reggaemylitis’ invasion into the bay music scene. Amazing advance vinyl pressings from Black Uhuru & Pablo Moses round out this well-charged radio program.

Larry McDonald plays three key Ridim tracks from an upcoming limited edition vinyl release and goes into great detail on the musicians. Mac also talks at length about the just closed Broadway musical REGGAE, Michael Butler’s followup to HAIR starring Phillip Michael Thomas with music by Max Romeo & Ras Karbi who also appears in the ambitious stage play. Michael Kamen, producer of The Wall by Pink Floyd who went on to produce Jah Malla’s first album for Atlantic around this time, was Music Director for REGGAE. Key times for reggae & culture. Sans the wonderful live Ridim “Wadasowa (Love)” selection from end of Part One, here’s the entire Larry Mac interview:

“The medal on my neck was won in the 1970 Festival competition. I came to US in 73. It was in the Daily Gleaner so my guess is that they own the copyright. Their morgue would have quite a bit of stuff on me.”-Larry McDonald:

Dreadcasting & streaming liquid musical jewels with daily 21st Century Midnight Dread programs at 12am including deja views often heard in Wendt’s Best of All Worlds slot when noon is high. Become conscious with the indigenous sounds of Native Son Rising curated by Doug everyday at 6am (all Pacific Times). Explore more Midnight Dreadness here.

Prince of Dub Augustus Pablo Tribute with Lance Linares on 5/5/80 Midnight Dread #18

May 5, 2013 by midnightdread2012

It’s Sunday Midnight & time to become dreader than dread with a crucial overview of The Dub Organizer Horace Swaby aka Augustus Pablo. Joining Doug Wendt this week is Lance Linares, Pablo devotee & reggae radio pioneer who hosted his Friday night very popular prime time “Roots Rock Reggae” Pataphysical Broadcasting program on KUSP in Santa Cruz, California from the 1970s to the 2000s, the earliest longest continually running regular reggae radio show heard anywhere in the United States. Linares pulls gem after gem from his extensive Augustus vinyl collection to flood the airwaves with pulsing Prince of Dub masterworks while passing along vital background info on one of the deepest Sound Generals ever to come from Jamaica. Listen to the mystic & be transfixed via music unto Jah Jah. Burning Spear & Mikey Dread debut new material while Hugh Mundell, Tetrack & Israel Vibration join the Pablo posse just beyond this side of east of the river Nile where melodica & other keyboard devices open the doors of perception. X-Ray Music never sounded so good, so massive, and so wonderful. All aboard this version excursion!

This detail just in straight from Lance’s head: “I started in 1974 on KUSP but first iteration was Satta High which morphed into Roots Rock Reggae at some point in ’76 or ’77. Last show was Aug 29, 2008 I think. So 34 years or so….” Quite a run. Well you can’t run away from yourself seen. Would be nice to see Lance back on the beam soon, the master of the non-style style announcement school. In those early days of KUSP the Santa Crucial boss public radio station was right on the beach so the live sound of the surf could be heard whenever one opened the mic. His bitchin’ vintage tapes, reggae library, & comprehensive Augustus Pablo archive must be heard. Word.

Black Uhuru “Showcase” (Taxi) 1979

April 24, 2013 by marleyrkives

“Showcase” is the trio’s second album as “Black Uhuru”. By 1979, the band had called itself “Black Sound Uhro”, then “Uhuru”. For the ‘Showcase’ album, recorded at Channel One Studio, Sandra “Puma” Jones joins the group, now fronted by Michael Rose.

The “showcase” phenomena predominated during this period. This style of album featured 5-8 singles by the popular reggae group of the day, each track fading into the version. Personally, I absolutely love showcase albums. I don’t know why you don’t see them anymore.

The album includes tracks recorded by Uhuru between 1975-1978, while they were backed by Joseph “Jo Jo” Hookim’s Studio One in-house band, The Revolutionaries, led by the now legendary duo, Sly & Robbie. The Revolutionaries were actually built around the riddim twins in 1975, marking the first Sly & Robbie collaborations in the studio.

All tracks except “Shine Eye” were produced by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespear, and were released on the Duo’s upstart Taxi Production label, on which Black Uhuru has contributed to the imprints inaugural release with the single, “Observe Life”. Of the albums seven tracks, Michael Rose is credited with writing all except the final track, “Plastic Smile”, which was written by both Michael Rose and band member Derrick “Ducky” Simpson. Each vocal track was followed seamlessly by a dub version of almost equal length. None of the album’s tracks are under five and a half minutes in length.

The Black Uhuru “Showcase” album is later re-issued by the Black Rose label, and on Richard Branson’s Virgin label as “Black Uhuru Vital Selection” in 1980.

In 1983, North American based Heartbeat Records, licensed the album’s masters, and repackaged the album again, this time as “Guess Who Is Coming To Dinner”, with a cover photo by Deborah Feingold. This version was wildly successful, with additional releases in Japan by CBS/Sony (1983). In 1987 Heartbeat released the album on compact disc, and JHO Music re-issued the disc in Brazil in 1995.

Of note here are the mixes of the “versions,” or dubs, to each track, which are unique to this record. I cannot recall hearing these versions in this mix on any other release. Also, the track “Natural Reggae Beat” is a stunning display of riddimatics (yes, I just made that up) by Sly and Robbie. This is one of Uhuru’s more obscure tracks, and may even be considered rare.

The original pressing of this album on the Taxi label is a true classic. Rare and expensive. It can go at auction anywhere from $20 USD to more than $100 USD. I found mine for $10 USD while digging a few years back. Truly blessed to have found this.

Leaving To Zion
General Penitentiary
Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner
Abortion
Natural Reggae Beat
Plastic Smile

Peter Tosh Live at “No Nukes” 1979

April 11, 2013 by marleyrkives

Rare live performance by Peter at the star-studded MUSE “No Nukes” concert at Madison Square Garden on September 22, 1979. MIDNIGHT RAVER BLOG co-editor Fred “Reggaelover” P has great information on HIS SITE about this show.