Today I have for you a most killer dub set. This one is righteous. It’s 1978. Sly Dunbar, Norman Grant, Robbie Shakespeare, Lloyd Parks, Tarzan, Ernest Wilson, Winston Wright, Ansel Collins, Cedric IM Brooks, Sticky, Flick Wilson, Junior Delgado, with production by Prince Jammy….need I say more? Just listen!
DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – 4TH GENERATION DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – GUIDANCE DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – THE TRUTH DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – SOUNDS ALMIGHTY DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – SOUNDS OF FREEDOM DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – THE EMPEROR DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – UMOJA DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – SCRUB IT DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – 3RD GENERATION DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – SHAKA THE WARRIOR DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – LAGOS DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – SOMETHING SPECIAL DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – SATTA DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – SONS OF DUST DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – COP’S SPY DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – GREAT MAN CALLING DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – MURDER DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – GENERAL VERSION DEB MUSIC PLAYERS – SPIRIT OF UMOJA (12″)
It’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite Dennis Brown tune, but this one might be it. This mix especially. Dennis sings this wonderful tune over a classic Herman Lin Choy-produced riddim from Aquarius. Later versions of the tune were more slickly produced, with the amplified vocal laid over the Lin Choy riddim. Sounds great still, but the original vibe is lost. Listen to how Brown’s vocal just blends with the riddim, never overpowering it. Perfect meld of vocal and riddim here as if the vocal were just another instrument in the mix.
The highlight of the tune is the lyric though. My favorite from Brown:
“I remember one rainy day on March, My poor ma, she sent me out to get some starch, I was the only one that she could depend on, So I had to shop and cook and clean all day long, Without a father, only the one that’s deep within”
Sunset Marquis Hotel, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA November 11,1982
There were many opportunities available to us for the #1000 posting. There are two interviews in particular that I considered posting, exclusives with some very prominent artists who we have not heard from in a while, but I have other ideas for those. Of course, we could have posted an unreleased live performance recording, but we have shared much music here over the past 2 years and it just did not seem special.
But when Roger Steffens offered up unreleased audio of a well-known interview he conducted with Dennis Brown in November 1982, my mind was made up. Somehow, I wanted to go back to the foundation for this post, and with Roger coming through with pure gold once again I feel like we have come a full 360 degrees. Roger is the one individual who has supported this site since Day One, when it was just me and a shit-ton of reggae treasures. So big thanks to RoJah once again for everything he has done, and for everything he continues to do to support the heart and spirit of reggae. Also I would like to send a huge thanks to Cedella Marley for coming through on her end for us this week. Dermot Hussey…thanks and big respect boss every time. Doctor Dread deserves a huge shout for sticking his neck out to make something happen. Soon come, Doc. Also Pekka Vuorinen, Frenchie, Noel Hawkes, Steve Barrow, and Flabba Holt….thanks for making this a week to remember.
So here I have included 3 different excerpts, each approximately 4 minute long, from Roger’s interview which runs a little over 34 minutes. However, the excerpts I have included are the “meat” of the interview. Here we have Dennis refuting rumors that he is ill and in the hospital with one lung. Also refuting rumors that he is a homosexual. All of this is brought about by his producer, Joe Gibbs, who called Roger the day before the interview to tell him that he must address with Dennis these rumors that are going around. However, the true gold here is in segment three where Dennis sings a cappella to Roger and the girls in the room. Just listen, you’ll see…A transcript of the interview can be found HERE.
“It’s lots of fun in a room full of female fans of his (who laugh when he addresses the rumors that he is gay); my 3 year old daughter Kate who’s crying about something and hustled out of the room by her mom; and Tony G, his friend, who was Bob’s road manager. It includes snatches of songs like “What A Difference A Day Makes,” “Misty” and “Sitting and Watching.” I attempt to sing the dog-whistle high notes of “Misty” to my everlasting embarrassment. But all in all it’s a good natured and pretty casual conversation, brought into being by Joe Gibbs’ calls in the preceding days. The interview took place in the Sunset Marquis in Hollywood, just off the Sunset Strip, a hotel that Bob and Peter used to stay in too.” – Roger “RoJah” Steffens
Also included here is my own personal vinyl rip of Dennis Brown’s “Concentration” 10″, which was re-issued several years ago by Trojan Records.
