Dambala

[ras b]

if you down to trade i am intrested i love to have that album i have a lot like hugh mundell live and so many rare stuff please let me know

[Sergio619]

ill trade with you.....i just have the Azania album

[ras b]

ok what do you want e can send each other mp3 file and email is bongoteo5@aol.com let me know want you looking for

[ras b]

let me know what you want and the we trade wid mp3 file
jah bless

[Alvin Christie]

Hi Guys, I came across this discussion today and while I don't have the time right now to give as much info as is possible regarding Dambala and the apparent mysteries surrounding the releases of albums and why the group split up. I can tell you that dambala as it was, never released an album of music unfortunately. Both the albums you speak of where I believe released by Gus Anyia the groups co-founder (along with myself)singer and lead guitarist after the group had split. We where in the process of recording an album but it was never finished, I have not heard both these albums so I don't know if the groups music was used at all, if anyone has some mp3's I would be interested to hear them...Jimmy Lyndsay did indeed sing on and produce the groups first single "Zimbabwe" which was written by Gus and I in my flat in West Hampstead one night, the Lindsay link was through a friend of mine Larrington Walker (an actor/singer)and Jimmy needed some musicians because he'd had the hit with "Easy", we only worked twice with Jimmy the second track being "Ain't No Sunshine". The group split after several tours of Holland/Germany/Belgium because of "personal differences" the rest of the members without Gus went on to form "Inner Force" who released a single "Holiday/Wasting My time" and then also split...the magic was gone...hope this helps a bit to answer some questions...I personally have just released a CD titled "A Handfull Of Succulent Riffs" which is a Reggae based album, but not strictly Roots Reggae and is available here: http://cdbaby.com/cd/toxteth2 ...thanks guys

[truthsandrights]

nice info Alvin. much appreciated!
respect.

[Alvin Christie]

Hi again, a little bit more info. Dambala was founded in London (West Hampstead) during the Summer of 1977 by Gus Anyia(Nigeria) and myself(Liverpool), the rest of the members were as follows: Kelvin Lovell(Barbados)-Drums, Thomas Kadette(St Lucia)-Keyboards, Mark St Louis(St Lucia)-Bass, Horace McKenzie(Guyana)-Percussion, the line up remained more or less constant with the addition of Jimmy Lindsay and various others over the years. The groups music was released on ISIS records (own label) and distributed by Rough trade (if I remember rightly). The first single "Zimbabwe" was engineered-co-produced by Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell from Matumbi along with Jimmy Lindsay who also took production credits. The band recorded the theme music for the British documentary series (Channel 4) "Black British" and also appeared during the opening credits. Dambala was voted "Most promising newcomers" by the Black Music and Jazz Review readership in 1978(?)and the single reached N04 in the 12" charts in the same magazine, the group was regarded as sounding essentially "British" mainly because we did not try to copy others but forged our own particular "sound".
We toured England as support to "The Pop Group" with "Alternative TV" also on the bill, we also supported Aswad and Tom Robinson at a large "Rock against Racism" gig in North London. We also toured with Jimmy Linsday during his "Easy" period and culminated in topping the bill at the "Ace" cinema in Brixton with "Misty in Roots" as support.
After the group split, Gus continued on his own and released the two albums under discussion here, as far as I know, no other members of the group were involved in the recording of the two albums, although they were titled as by Dambala they were in fact not by the groups original members, but solo projects by Gus Anyia.
I have no idea what the members of the group are doing now, as I now live and work out of Oslo in Norway(yeah, it is very cold in winter, but there are still many brothers living here...)
If anyone has any other questions they would like answering with regards to the original group, please do not hesitate to ask... peace and love...

[fadel diagne]

hi guys and particularly to alvin christie
my name is fadel and iam writing all the way from senegal,west africa.i have been a long time fan of reggae and i can tell right from the outset that the origin and the discography of dambala has always remained a mystery to me.i only came across the name of the band through sebastian clarke seminal book on reggae and rasta called jah music which translated into french by"les racines du reggae" which litterally means"the roots of reggae".there i saw the name"zimbabwe"which seemed to have been the only release of the band at that time.
besides,i have a problem with groups who decide to disband due to issues oftentimes unknown to the general problem,or to put it bluntly different from the official versions.i know that we are all human beings ,with our stenght and weakness,bad sides and positive sides.but we oftentimes need to surpass ourselves and theink about what you guys can achieve together rather than individually.pablo moses once said that"constructive results is better than self insults"and i believe that oftentimes with a little hinsight one discover that the bone of contention is really nothing compared to the scale of the damages it has caused.it's not by mere chance that today that the reggae circles or the great majority of fans are longing for reggae to come back full circle.i wonder what would have become of reggae if bands like steel pulse(the genuine steel pulse with original founding members)black slate,talisman,aswad(with georges oban,courtney hemmings,donald griffiths etc)capital letters,matumbi had been strong enough to surpass their personal differences and thought about the cause they were rooting for?reggae would have been a much greater force to reckon with,you would have ben much more credible in the eyes of the general public still you would have practiced what you had been preaching for so long.after all,isn't the whole still greater than the sum of its parts?
i read a personal email from brendan whitmore ex-talisman who enthusiated about the fact that people were still asking and talking about them some 25 years after they split.i give credit to bands like the congoes and itals who have decided to settle their differences and decided to turn a leaf and come together much to the pleasure and satisfaction of lovers of vintage reggae music who have suffered for a long time of the insanity of the lyrics and the gimmicks and the lack of feel and human-friendly consideration of computerized music and dance hall.i don't even think that the new geration of singers like luciano,sizzla antony b and their likes will have the versatility both in vocal potential and musical arrangements and the endurance to resist to the assalt of an ever growing and ever demanding music industry which requires them to churn out more and more records much to the detriment of quality music.iam really longing for the day when vintage reggae bands will come back to the studios sit together with classic instruments,hammond b3 organ,piano precussions and horn section and take time to lay down good rythm and harmonies.
i would highly appreciate your sending me a personal message at this adress:silverlining72@hotmail.com
by the way i have never listened to "zimbabwe"or any other singles that dambala has produced even though i listened to"easy like sunday morning"by jimmy lindsay and"ain't no sunshine".are dambla the backing band behind these albums?what does "dambala"means,what language is it from?i know that aswad means black in arabic and"matumbi"means rebirth.were you familiar with some members from other groups like aswad,misty in roots,black slate etc....i have once met poko from misty in roots.
i would really like to listen to dambala's music
all the best alvin
fadel

[Bellyman]

I brought this discussion up and I must give a biiiiig 'THANK YOU' to Alvin Christie , thanks and bless !
Special greetings to Norway, 'eartical.

[jahadambom]

First of all I think that It's awesome that an original member of Dambala has joined and added to this discussion-right on! Second of all, I too have some info regarding dambala on Vinyl, the actual vinyls are safe at home but I'll go off memory right now...
The Music Hive Disco Zimbabwe has been mentioned, but the flip side tune called "visions of war" was forgotten, but don't miss, this is a hard tune!
I have not yet aquired the "rally rally round" 12" yet. But I am not really sure if it is a 12" Disco or an LP because if I remember right, the one I was looking to buy (which cost too much for me at the time) was a 12" Disco, ISIS001. Who knows, maybe there is an LP called "rally rally round" as well as a 12" disco of the title song. (can anyone give a track listing for the rally rally round LP?). Next, there is Disco 12" ISIS002 vocal tune called "Rebel" and on the flip is a tune called "Militant dub", but it is actually an uncredited deejay vocal version to the "Rebel" riddim. I have never heard or seen anything else on the ISIS label other than those two 12"s.
The "Azania" LP on the DADA Music label is wicked as they say. It has ten hard tunes which also includes an alternate version of "Zimbabwe" called "I Nation time". I can give info from the back of the album later on, but I do remember that neither horace mckenzie, alvin christie nor jimmy lidsay are credited on it at all, and that it was recorded at MOK studios in the netherlands-wicked, wicked set.
I also have few other singles with tunes credited to dambala...
Music Hive 12" Disco with a Susan Tyrell lovers rock tune (forget the name cause I never cared for it), but on the flip is a tough instrumental called "Take Five" and is credited to a group called Exodus and after that tune is a tune called "An 'ting" credited to dambala, strange but wicked tune none the less.
The other single is a 7" with two tunes credited to Dambala feat. Gus Anyia. a side is called "babylon" and B-side is called "No go". Issued on a Red Nail records label. I hope that this info helps the cause of getting Dambala more well known because the Music is so sweet and I would hate for anyone to miss out on it. Wether it's with the original members or not, I haven't heard any dambala I didn't like. Now listen here...I do have a copy of the azania LP that I would be willing to trade, however I am only looking to trade for one of these two LP's : Alpheus Taylor LP(Black Ant Record label) or Angel Hoytt LP(Serious Gold record label). I'd really like to have one of these LP's so if Anyone can help me let me know, email me at Jahadambom@yahoo.com. also make a note that I sell rare and collectible reggae vinyl via online worldwide mailorder website at www.Bomreggae.gemm.com and/or www.Topshota.com. Over 600 items at set sale prices, order through GEMM or directly through me (save %15). You can listen to two different samplers of vinyl tunes available on my shop, at both, www.Topshota.com and www.Myspace.com/jahadambom- for all the vinyls junkies. This is my first time on the forum but I see so many topics I'd like to add to, so I'll be talking will you all soon. LAte. ADam