Published just 6 days following Bob Marley’s passing, this fitting tribute by Neil Spencer hits hard and heavy. I include it primarily because of the photo, a publicity photo for the “Catch A Fire” album, which is one of my all time favorite photos of King Marley.
Here is a Max Romeo cut from 1969/70 called “Word, Sound, & Power” w/ Version from my own 7″ vinyl collection. Lee Perry production. Max Romeo’s distinctive vocal over the original “River Jordan” riddim, played by the Prince Buster All-Stars. Take note of the sax on this track. Sounds absolutely ridiculous. Version is real nice.
“Jordan River’s gonna roll”…
I am not one who bestows superlatives upon every decent, working reggae outfit that passes through these times. As a student of this reggae music, I am keenly aware of true greatness in the works of The Wailers, The Heptones, The Viceroys, The Abyssinians, and artists like Dennis Brown, Dobby Dobson, Gregory Isaacs, and others.
However, there is a new standard being set in reggae right now and we are very blessed to bear witness to it. In MIDNITE, I believe we are truly witnessing a resetting of the dial. The shear number of albums produced by MIDNITE is approaching the extraordinary: more than 50 long plays in 14 years. What is striking though is that, at least over the past several years, they have consistently released 2 LPs per year. And the material is not throw away by any means. In fact, the quality of the material gets stronger every year! As if that is not impressive enough, they tour in excess of 200 days per year. Their shows routinely run 3-4 hours. I simply cannot recall another band as prolific as this one. In my opinion, last year’s Children of Jah was dreads and shoulders above any other reggae release of 2012. It was not even close.
The band, formed in Washington, DC in the mid 1990s by brothers Ron and Vaughn Benjamin, play a style of music characterized as the “chant and call” style which gives their music a spiritually intense and an overtly Rastafari movement feel. Many find their style of music foreign and too far removed from the classic reggae sound. The lyrics are centrally focused on the plights of the oppressed, the inherent faults of the current political, economic and social settings on a global scale, and the redemption available to mankind through a life dedicated to Jah.
I could go on and on about this band’s greatness among the greats of the past 25 years. They have to be the greatest, most prolific reggae roots band in the business, right?
Read my review of 2012′s ‘Children of Jah,’ which I named the best reggae album of the year.
And listen to the new album, which is absolutely amazing. They seem to have re-invented themselves once again with 2013′s ‘Be Strong.’ Please note that this is a preview of the new album and not every song is included. You can buy the album at most online retailers.
MIDNIGHT RAVER BLOG’S co-editors Glen Lockley and Peter van Arnhem have shared with all of us their own very rare personal copies of Black Echoes magazine. Black Echoes was a popular black music and culture magazine which is no longer in print. The magazine was one of the first to cover reggae artists in the early to mid 1970s. The great thing about Black Echoes, apart from the amazing reporting on reggae roots and culture, was that it featured many different artists besides Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. There is a ton of history in these pages. Give thanks to Glen and Peter for their crucial works in making these articles available to the reggae massive for the very first time.
Here, they present the many great reggae articles featured in the February 14, 1976 issue of Black Echoes. To read these articles in our digital document library click HERE.
Check Junior’s new VIDEO!
Also check Junior Marvin HERE and at www.juniormarvin.com
Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Kaya celebrated its 35th birthday with a release of a deluxe, two-disc edition of the 1978 album. Remastered and including the Smile Jamaica bonus track, plus a second disc concert recording taken from the subsequent tour, a July 7, 1978 stop at Ahoy Hallen in Rotterdam, Netherlands, the set also contains rare photos, lyrics, and essay detailing the history behind the collection. Considered by many to be Marley’s ‘love’ record, it is the fifth of his Island studio catalog to receive the deluxe treatment.
A bit of a left turn from the monumental Exodus that preceded it, Kaya was decidedly less revolutionary both literally and figuratively in its tone and content. Focusing on the affection Marley had for the marijuana plant on the title track and the Easy Skanking opener, listeners were greeted with a more reflective and relaxed Rasta. Hard to imagine that Marley was not still feeling the effects of the assassination attempt on him two years prior and the growing political violence in Jamaica, he offered instead a lighter side loaded with love, both realized and forlorn, and as always spiritual hope. Even on weighty fare like Crisis and Time Will Tell, the singer isn’t as suggestive in promoting action, but almost relieved in letting Jah sort it out. The Smile Jamaica bonus cut, originally issued in Jamaica in 1976, then as a B-side to Satisfy My Soul in 1978, keeps with the positive sentiment, flowing somewhat naturally despite being added on.
The second disc is the real prize. A 13-song live set (though regrettably not the entire show), it captures Marley’s touring unit, the Wailers, in all its glory. Well-honed over several previous jaunts, the group sizzles through the hour-plus evening, following the leader near-flawlessly through slight arrangement shifts and improvised vocals. Junior Marvin’s guitar work is lively, almost feverish, with pleading bends on Heathen and the rattling rhythm of Exodus. Marley’s voice showing more of his latter-career grain affects beautifully a cathartic reading of No Woman, No Cry, while lifting the charged Easy Skanking, here noticeably faster than in-studio. There is a false start on Is This Love, quickly rectified, but it’s the source audio that attracts the most criticism. Rather than achieving the same sonic brilliance and dimension as previous live Marley recordings in the Island canon, this appears to lack the multi-tracked attention or overall balance. Instead, there is a thin, almost transmitted quality to it that some bootlegs of the same show surpass in fidelity. Perhaps the available material limited the ability to attain higher quality.
Kaya, like its deluxe edition ancestors, delivers more completely the Bob Marley & The Wailers of that date in time. Those that were previously satisfied with the 2001 definitive remaster should find incentive to revisit based on the inclusion of the live second disc. They will find a concert recording that despite its less-than-optimum audio quality still carries with it the unique qualities of its creators; a man and his band best displayed onstage and in the moment.
2CD / DIGITAL RELEASE [Island]
Release date: 4/23/2013
Tracks
CD1
01. Easy Skanking
02. Kaya
03. Is This Love
04. Sun Is Shining
05. Satisfy My Soul
06. She’s Gone
07. Misty Morning
08. Crisis
09. Running Away
10. Time Will Tell
11. Smile Jamaica [Bonus Track]
CD2 – Live in Rotterdam 1978
01. Positive Vibration
02. The Heathen
03. Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)
04. Concrete Jungle
05. Rebel Music (3 O’ Clock Road Block)
06. War/No More Trouble
07. I Shot The Sheriff
08. No Woman No Cry
09. Is This Love
10. Jamming
11. Easy Skanking
12. Get Up, Stand Up
13. Exodus
INFORMATION:
Packaged with the original artwork, Kaya: 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will come with a 23-page booklet that includes lyrics, rare photos, plus extensive liner notes.
