Roots Archives Forum

I am surprised no one mentioned The Skatalites - Return of the big guns

Actually i prefer the term essential rather than top 10 as with me this can vary day to day; but essential is the foundation similar to that first cup of coffee in the morning.

I second Rico - Man from Wareika. What a great album that is.

The Ernest Ranglin "Below the Bassline" set is immensely enjoyable to me

plenty out there - a few more........

(1) Roland Alphonso - Roll on (wackies). Not early ska stuff but beautiful horns over deep, shimmering 70's/early 80's wackies rhythms

(2) Willie Lindo - Far and Distant (Klik). Most later Willie Lindo LP's are a bit to commercial but this is a great mid 70's LP with Willie doing his thing over some great original rhythms - "chopper" is an absolute classic

(3) Jackie Mitto - many great LP's out there, if you like 70's stuff try his version of bunny lee/tubby rhythms captured on LP's like "in cold blood", "hot blood" and "the keyboard king" which originally came out on third world if memory serves me correct. While we're on the subject of JM can't go past his last LP for studio one "showcase" which is in the later "modern" studio one dubbed up style

(4) I Roy - Cancer dub (Virgin). I Roy is a DJ but also a Channel One engineer. This sounds like it should be simply a dub LP - I suppose it is but it is liberally sprinkled with some great horn charts

(5) Tommy McCook and Bobby Ellis - Blazing Horns (Grove. Brilliant collection of horns material over yabby Yu rhythms - reissued on CD by B&F

The Best of Rolando Alphonso (Studio 1)
Jump the Fence - Winston Wright (Third World)
Hot Lava - Tommy McCook (Third World, can I have a non-warped copy though please)
Macka Fat - Jackie Mittoo (Studio 1)
Others previously mentioned - Jackie Mittoo Showcase (Studio 1)
Im Flash Forward - Cedric Im Brooks (Studio 1)
And for a variety of different instruments over the same rhythm - Yamaha Skank (Success)

The Japanese band Dry & Heavy have recently issued an excellent instrumental/dub album called "In Time". Did anyone else hear it? It's a coveralbum with versions of well-known Jamaican riddims

My favorites are all dub LPs or ska and skinhead compilations that tend to have at least a few vocal cuts. Most bona fide instru-led LPs just aren't that good.

East of the River Nile - or anything Augustus Pablo
North of the River Thames, and Dubsetter, by Adrian Sherwood
(you said not dub but trust me)
Light of Saba (though it's not strictly reggae)
ditto Wareika Hill Sounds and The Legendary Skatalites

SteveT wrote:The Upsetters - Kung Fu Meets The Dragon, Musical Bones, Return of wax

These are also conveniently packaged together in the Trojan 2-CD *Dubstrumentals*. Incidentally that title is scheduled for a reissue, along with similar packages *Dub-Triptych* and *Ape-Ology*. Just a heads up!

Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - Top Secret
Other T. McCook comps as Trojan's 'Down on Bond Street', classic instrumental rocksteady, 'Blazing Horns' on Blood and Fire...
Rico Rodriguez's 'Brixton Cat', 'Blow your horn' or 'Tribute to D. Drummond
Hippy Boys stuff
Any Jackie Mittoo, I love the 60's stuff
and I love Dr. Pablo's 'North of River Tames' on U-Sound