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”…
Yesterday I shared with you the excellent Jerry Brown-produced debut album by Noel Ellis. Light In The Attic Records recently repressed another outstanding Jerry Brown-produced album. Innocent Youths is the first long player released on Jerry Brown’s Summer Records imprint, hitting the emerging Toronto reggae marketplace in 1977. In 2008, the original LP is virtually extinct, a highly coveted and extremely rare piece of Canadian reggae history (often described as the northern answer to Lee Perry’s Black Ark). For the uninitiated, we are talking heavy bass, drums, reverb, echo, roots vocals, keys, guitar, percussion, and Brown’s wild style touch behind the controls.
Earth, Roots & Water initially forms in the mid-seventies to provide hard rhythms and tight backing tracks for the growing number of musical friends and family who venture to Brown’s Malton, Ontario basement studio. Over the years, a veritable who’s who of the Jamaican music scene passes through Summer Sound to record with like-minded brethren. Jackie Mittoo, Willi Williams, Johnny Osbourne, Carl Dawkins, Leroy Sibbles, Stranger Cole, and King Jammy are just a handful of the label’s impressive roster.
By 1977, Earth, Roots & Water evolve into an engaging live entity as well, based around the talents of Adrian “Homer” Miller (vocals), Anthony “Base” Hibbert (bass), Colin “Zuba” Suban (drums), Matt Shelley (guitar), and Tony “KB” Moore (keyboards). Both a sonic and visual force, the charismatic youths soon find themselves performing in and around the Toronto area, opening up for The Police and The Stranglers while extending the UK-born punk/reggae love affair to North America.
In 2008, Light In The Attic Records along with Jerry Brown and Jamaica-Toronto series producer Kevin Howes (aka Sipreano) decide to share this vital bounty to reggae fans the world over. Innocent Youths contains the complete studio album lovingly remastered from the original Summer Records master tapes.
As is always the case here at MIDNIGHT RAVER, we like to go directly to the original source material. It just so happens that the original pressing of this album resides in the basement. So I share the first pressing with you here with the hope that you seek out the album, which is in stores now. Heavy, heavy duty album with a distinctive lo-fi dread vibe reminiscent of a little Jamaican studio which was reduced to ashes by it’s owner in September 1978. I’m speaking of course of Lee Perry’s Black Ark.
Innocent Youths
Tribulations
Liberation
Love The Same Old Way
Lou Sent Me
Jah Les’ Lament
Back A Yard
Zion
Today I’m sharing a selection of several vital 7″ and 12″ singles from my collection. Some are original presses and some are recent represses.
Here is another great 7″ from my collection. Dennis Brown’s “My Time” released on the Observer label. Wicked version on this one. Enjoy!
Here is a 12″ repress on Lee “Scratch” Perry’s Black Ark label. The tune, Righteous Flame’s “Jah Jah Words” is actually the B-side to LSP’s “Silver Locks” 12″. Great tune with an even better version.
Here is a repress of Prince Far-I’s “Red Sea” on the Coptic Lion label. Coptic Lion has repressed some great tunes lately and the vinyl and sound quality are superb.
Here is a repress of Horace Andy’s “Children of Israel” recently released on the Pressure Sounds label. An Augustus Pablo production.
Here we have another Pressure Sounds repress. Don Prendes’ “Ska-Ba-Doo-Be-Day” on 7″ heavyweight vinyl.
Another deadly Wackies tune from Joe Morgan. This one is straight killer with no filler. “Basement Session” on the City Line/Wackies imprint.
A gorgeous slab of roots from the production team of Michael and Geoffrey Chung. Mikey Chung wrote and arranged the song and the production by Geoffrey Chung is totally sympathetic to Keith Goode’s excellent vocal delivery. This is the first time this tune has been re-issued since it originally appeared in the mid 70s. The first pressing is limited to just 600 copies on 7″ and comes in a re-cycled Pressure Sounds sleeve and hand-stamped bag. An absolute belter of a song that has been versioned in recent years. But this is the original. Mastered to perfection in all its original glory.
I owe so much to my good friend Dubwise Garage. When I decided to join Facebook a few years back, I was looking around to see if there were any serious reggae heads out there. Dubwise was the first real “head” that I found. I had him pegged as an 18 year white kid with dreads. I was stunned when I realized he is my age, with a wife, kids..the whole thing. I thought it impossible that there was someone out there who spends as much time as I do devoted to this music. Dubwise is as real as it gets and he has done so much for me in the 3 years that I’ve known him.
So, needless to say, I was totally honored when he offered to do a mix for us to mark our 1000th blog post. I just knew it would be hard & heavy…Make sure to visit his website at www.bobmarleyconcerts.com.
01. Thirld World – MLK Dub – Satta Massagana – Garance Fest. 2012
02. Max Romeo – War Inna Babylon – Garance Fest. 2012
03. Ziggy Marley – Rio 4-16-2013 – Justice
04. Lee Scratch Perry – Coachella 2013 – Dub Organizer
05. Ras Michael with Scientist – Drum Song – Los Angeles
06. Ini Kamoze – World A Reggae – Los Angeles 1985
07. Stephen Marley Summer Jam 2011 – No Cigarette Smoking In My Room
08. Bob Marley & The Wailers- 1979-11-30 Oakland, CA – Roots Rock Reggae
09. Bob Marley and The Wailers – Seattle 1979 – Heathen
10. Steel Pulse and Carlos Santana – Exodus
11. Steel Pulse – Holland 1984 – Handsworth Revolution
12. Joe Higgs – 1984-12-30 Los Angeles A So It Go
13. U-Roy – Soul Rebel – Sunsplash 1984
