A great Spear track from the Jack Ruby era, harder than the best! Credited as the “Burning Spears” on the label most likely because the group was a trio at the time.
Tag Archives: Burning Spear
Bob Marley, Burning Spear, Melody Makers Int’l Year Of The Child 1979
Here is an interesting clipping fom the August 20, 1979 issue of the Gleaner.
Mikey Dread, Live in Scotland (2013)
And yet another great reggae release for 2013. What a treat this one is! Mikey Dread live in Glasgow, Scotland. Backed by the Roots Radics and an outstanding horn section, Mikey Dread rips the roof off of a small club in Glasgow. What an album! Cop it now at most online stores…
Here is a great article written by Mikey Dread which appeared in New Musical Express in December 1982:
Ring Craft Posse – St. Catherine in Dub
St. Catherine in Dub 1972-1984 captures a snapshot of a special place and time musically, as well as a particular musical equation involving dub producer Rodguel “Blackbeard” Sinclair and his backing band, the Ring Craft Posse. The where, when, and who of St. Catherine in Dub 1972-1984 result in a delightful collection of 14 previously unreleased, newly remastered dub recordings named after various sections of St. Catherine, Jamaica. These dubs may or may not already be familiar to you; for instance, the opening dub, “West Bay,” is a version of Burning Spear’s “Joe Frazier.” Then again, unless you’re a real wiz about ’70s reggae, chances are you probably won’t know many, if any, of these versions.
Blackbeard’s production is top notch, as well as the mix, which is provided by Jah Thomas. And the Posse? Amid the numerous bands that made the ’70s such a golden age for reggae, with the blossoming of both roots and dub styles, the Ring Craft Posse stand tall, alongside other such luminous bands as the Aggrovators, the Revolutionaries, the Upsetters, and the Roots Radics. The band backed Blackbeard for a long and illustrious stretch of time, from roughly the early ’70s until the mid-’80s, and recorded a wealth of tracks at his Mr . Tipsy studio. Definitely a band to look for if you’re into ’70s roots-dub reggae, the Ring Craft Posse are comprised of drummers Sly Dunbar and Mickey “Bo” Richards, bassists Robbie Shakespeare and Lloyd Parks, keyboard/organ/pianists Winston Wright, Ansel Collins, Herbert Herbie Harris, and Robbie Lyn, guitarists Willie Lindo, Winston Bopee Browne, and Dwight Pinkney, and a horn section including Bobby Ellis, Roland Robinson, Dean Fraser, and David Madden.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that this is one of the very best dub albums I own, and may be one of the best ever.
Ring Craft Posse – Westbay
Ring Craft Posse – Garvey Meade
Ring Craft Posse – Passage For T
Ring Craft Posse – Cumberland
Ring Craft Posse – Caymanas Park
Ring Craft Posse – Waterford
Ring Craft Posse – Edgewater
Ring Craft Posse – Bridge Port
Ring Craft Posse – Braeton
Ring Craft Posse – Portsmouth
Ring Craft Posse – Independence City
Ring Craft Posse – Naggo Head
Ring Craft Posse – Westchester
Ring Craft Posse – Southboro
Producer : Roy Sinclair
Backing Band : The Ring Craft Posse
Drums : Sly Dunbar & Mikey Boo Richards
Bass : Robbie Shakespeare & Lloyd Parks
Guitar : Willie Lindo & Bo Peep & Dwight Pickney
Keyboards : Ansel Collins & Herbie Harris & Robert Lynn & Winston Wright
Horns : David Madden & Bobby Ellis & Nambo Robinson & Dean Fraser
Studios :
Recording : Mr Tipsy’s
Related articles
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- A Conversation with Ryan Moore of Twilight Circus Sound System (midnightraverblog.com)
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‘Black Slavery Days: The Sound of Saint Anns’
The album ‘Black Slavery Days: The Sound of Saint Anns,’ originally produced by Jack Ruby in 1975 and subsequently released on Lister Hewan-Lowe’s Clappers label (recently re-issued by Honest Jons) is one of those records that collectors are always looking for. The album, recorded entirely in St, Anns (birthplace of both Winston Rodney and Bob Marley) includes black empowerment anthems inna roots reggae style by the Skulls, The Mercenarys, The Arrows, Original Survivors, with riddims provided by The Clappers All-Stars.
Clappers is well-known for releasing only the rarest, most underground, most sought after records around. To my knowledge, they have only released <10 albums in more than 30 years, including Yabby You’s African Queen (many thanks to Randall Grass at Shanachie for that nugget). I have previously shared another Clappers classic, 1975′s ‘Jack Ruby Hi-Fi.‘
On the Clappers albums, everything is communicated on the hand drawn cover. Here is what is written on ‘Black Slavery Days: The Sound of Saint Anns:’
Many groups have originated out of Ochi Rios. e.g. Burning Spear. Lots of them are totally unknown until a militant Record Company that is anti corporate decided to give the Black Breadrin a break in this time. The group Arrows is a perfect e.g. Arrows features the great Burning Spears brother Elias Rodney. Many record companies refuse to touch their songs. But we at Clappers defend Black Militancy, Seen!
Black Slavery Days was a big hit on the Ochi Rios sound system scene. Sounds such as Soulsville Sounds System used to feature it in their set. Skulls lead singer, Tony Thomas worte all their tunes. Tony used to sing with the original Justin Hinds & the Dominos group.
THE ORIGINAL SURVIVORS, Lead vocalist Jah Blue Evans began his reggae career in the original Burning Spear group. Their sound is typical of what this album is about.
“The Sound Of Saint Anns” (T. S. O. S. A.) also released as
“Black Slavery Days: The Sound Of Saint Anns”
Record date : 1975
Label: Clappers
The Skulls – Black Slavery Days
T.S.O.S.A. – 9 To 5 Dub
The Skulls – Tird World
The Mercenarys – Third World Shuffle
The Arrows – Seek Fire
The Clappers All Stars – How Can A Man Dubwise
The Original Survivors – Come Away Jah Children
T.S.O.S.A. – Theme For Ras’g
The Arrows – Old Broom
The Original Survivors – Beautiful Land
Producer : Jack Ruby
Engineer : Phillip Robinson & Karl Pitterson
Studios :
T.S.O.S.A (St. Ann, JA)
