Roots Archives Forum

both albums are well crucial.
massive roots style jah dread

I agree with =Nilo82= - you HAVE to have African Anthem, I feel it's his BEST work. I have the CD with the bonus tracks, which (for once) are REALLY worth having. It ROCKS so HARD n TUFF you'll need to tie yourself to a chair.

Still trying to re-buy the vinyl though for that lovely warm analogue sound.

#1 Top Ranking Mikey Dread LP is "Jungle Signal"....bway,how much version can a man tek....)

yes coolhand, how could we forget that Jungle Signal LP, so very crucial

While 'African Anthem' is universally seen as THE classic/masterpiece/musthave (and in excellent quality available again though with different coverart from Auralux) I think it's important to divide the works of Mikey Dread into different categories:
- The Dub Works
'African Anthem'
'Dubwise'
'Dub Catalogue'
'Jungle Signal'
'Dub Merchant'
all HEAVY and crucial, and the last three featuring some of the best Roots Radics music EVER with some of the definite mixwizardry by Scientist !
- The DJ/Singjay Works
'Evolutionary Rockers'
'Dread at the Controls'
'World War 3'
'Pave the Way'
etc.
with the first being the original (and rootsier) mix to the second album.
- As producer of others
'Master Showcase'
'Rockers Vibration'
two of the best compilations ever made
and off course albums like
Earl Sixteen - reggae sound
Junior Murvin - badman possee (with the ridiculous great lions on the cover).
Not to mention all the great DATC 12"s from the beginning of the 80s, all highly recommended and hardhardhard to find today.
Check your dealers for some 10"s that are newly available since 2004.

What about S.W.A.L.K ?? Damn, its maybe the alone album of him where i like more of 50% of the tracks in...

SWALK is in my collection.

It's a bit of a departure from his other works - down lover's lane! But it is a cool disc that stands alone without problem.

If you like DATC or African Anthem and buy SWALK expecting more of the same, you might be disappointed. But if you like the lovers rock style of that early 80s era, then you might like it.

Agreed, Fabroots, sometimes these LPs are 50% ers. I find the same with some of Gregory Issacs work, some tracks are so crucial, others missable.

And that, for me, is why I have very recently woken up to the appeal of 12' Disco 45s and 7" 45s. You can just obtain and play the tracks you like, without excess baggage. Plus of course with 12" 45s you usually get some awesome version or versions of the tune.

Someone says there are two version of WW3.

I got both and I'm quite sure the mix are the same. Only the covers differ. There is the classic yellow one and a far rarer one (reissue?) with a black & blue design + a pic of Mikey Dread.

wareika

I've heard there are more than one issue of the original yellow cover version, two I think, but always the same mix. And maybe different record or matrix numbers.

True? - or - False?

there are two covers for

mikey dread - world war 3
1 - original yellow cover - DATC (1980)
2 - black and blue - DATC (1982)

both have the same songs

--------------------------------------------------

mikey dread - beyond world war 3 -heartbeat (1981)
the cover is the same as
1 - original yellow cover - DATC (1980)
but has "beyond world war 3" written instead

the track "mental slavery" has the extended version
while the track "world war 3" is not the extended version

plus the tracks
"skin head skank" + "losers weepers finders keepers (with watty burnett)"
are replaced with
"warrior style (extended stereo style)" + "rockers delight (extended play)"

i have the lp DATC (1980) + lp heartbeat (1981)
i would like to have the black and blue lp DATC (1982)