1974-1980 reviews on current reggae releases...

[stepping razor]

BLACK MUSIC: SEP 1976:
[cover=63,65][cover=7547,65]
Johnny Clarke "Rockers Time Now" (Virgin V2058)

Rockers Time Now / Ites Green And Gold / African Roots / Be Holy My brothers And Sisters / Sattamassagana / Stop The Tribal War / Declaration Of Rights / Lets Give Jah Jah Praise / I Wish It Could Go On Forever / Natty Dreadlocks Stand Upright / Prophecy A Fulfil / Them Never Love Poor Marcus: -

* * * *

As a 45 this version of the Abbyssinians` song "Declaration Of Rights" was one of his best discs ever and his best since "Move Out Of Babylon", a year and a half ago. That`s a long time. He`d not been idle but his material, in the main, was difficult to listen to, to put it mildly.This Bunny Lee Produced album is his best ever. The material is consistently good, the under production suits Johnny, and his singing is as natural as it has ever been. A combination of the right songs. Righteous themes like "African Roots", "Be Holy", "Sattamassagana", Stop The Tribal War", the beautiful "Let`s Give Jah Jah Praise", and the irresistible "Prophecy A Fulfil" whose bouncing rock steady bass is perpetual pleasure as Johnny`s vocals glides over the effortless Rydim like a surfer on the sea. Except for the graceful romantic love song, "I Wish It Could Go On Forever", the songs relate spiritual and cultural feelings. "I was born and raised in the ghetto with the blood of African roots. . ." sings Clarke. He speaks for many.
Carl Gayle -
Review
Balck Music September 1976:

peace

[stepping razor]

BLACK MUSIC: SEP 1976:
[cover=174,181]
Jah Lion "Colombia Colly" (Island 9386)

Wisdom / Dread In A Jamdung / Hayfever / Flashing Whip / Colombia Colly / Fatman /
Bad Luck Natty / Black Lion / Little Sally Dater / Satta: -

* * *

Jah Lion is none other than producer Pat Francis a.k.a. Jah Lloyd. Here, he toasts with Lee Perry`s rydims in his earphones and sounds as good as he`s ever done.
He works with a sound system in JA from time to time but his recorded material has never been particularly ear catching. Lee Perry`s moody, atmospheric tunes over sombre, contagious rydims are particularly well suited to Lloyd`s slow, deliberate vocal style. "Wisdom," "Dread In A Jamdung," "Hayfever," "Bad Luck Natty," and "Black Lion" are all good numbers with rocking rydims and moody atmospheres conjured up by Scratch`s imaginative engineering.But the title track is the killer. The background vocals provide an hallucinatory atmosphere, the voice of Angels! An LP with some fascinating moments.
Carl Gayle -
Review
Black Music September 1976:

peace

[stepping razor]

BLACK MUSIC: SEP 1976:
[cover=167,174]
Dillinger "CB-200" (Mango 9385)

C.B.200 / No Chuck It / Cokane In My Brain / The General / Power Bank / Plantation Heights / Race Day / Natty Kick Like Lightning / Buckingham Palace / Crankface: -

* * *

"Jamaica, de land of wood and water, now becomes motor vechicle and manslaughter," declares Dillinger at the intro of "No Chuck It", "so Idrens and daughter don`t be like John Slaughter yaah. . ." He says "Peace, love and unity is the foundation of any community". That`s his message.Dillinger, falling back now, rushed to the front of the talkers` popularity stakes last year with the 45 "C.B. 200", taking a few other toasters with him. His forte is his simply brilliantly improvised, rhyming, jive talk, an asset of speech received from ghetto life.This combined with the right cultural/social observations, is dynamite. Dillinger, with his strong voice, and quick sense of humour, has manipulated his assets to excellent effect on this album but not enough times. Only "The General," "No Chuck It," "Buckingham Palace," and "Crankface" contain the ingredients that Dillinger ought to be using in his commentaries. Thus, though this is a good LP to listen to simply because of Dilli`s voice, his humour, and some good rydims, the material fails to do him justice on the whole. But listen to "Buckingham Palace" and you`ll see what I mean about the right ingredients.
Carl Gayle -
Review
Black Music September 1976:

peace

[stepping razor]

BLACK MUSIC: SEP 1976:
[cover=1302,1501]
Count Ossie & The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari "Tales Of Mozambique"
(Dynamic 1001)

Sam`s Intro / Tales Of Mozambique / Selam Nna Wadada (Peace And Love) / No Night In Zion / I Am A Warrior / Wicked Babylon / Let Freedom Reign / Lock Stock And Barrel / Nigerian Reggae / Run One Mile: -

* * * *

A fan`s expression, Quote: "An unreal explosion of African drums, driving reggae rhythms, Coltrane like saxaphones, and soulful black voices singing and chanting. . . .Ordained, equatorial music of systematic vibrations which expresses the cultural portrayal of Africa, their cultural homeland.The rastafari brethren are a religious and cultural sect whose message is peace and love. Once regarded as social outcasts in Jamaica because they refused to bow and to embrace English colonial cultural forms, the Rastafarin`s insistence on maintaining his African identity, and his persistent demands for repatriation along with his unique music, have attained for him international recognition. . ."
The music of the MRR stays closest to the traditional concept of rastafari music. They are not entertainers, they`re communicators. This is cultural expression, not pop music, nor even reggae music. Some people will buy this album simply because they`re hip to it. Others, because they really want it. It doesn`t matter why you buy it, only that you hear what there is to hear. This LP cannot be criticised, only recommended.
Carl Gayle -
Review
Black Music September 1976:

peace

[stepping razor]

BLACK MUSIC: SEP 1976:
[cover=124,127]
Bob Marley & The Wailers "Rastaman Vibrations" (Island 9383)

Positive Vibrations / Roots Rock Reggae / Johnny Was / Cry To Me/ Want More /
Crazy Baldhead / Who The Cap Fit / Night Shift / War / Rat Race: -

* * * * *

Rhythmically, it`s quite an under-played album, dub wise style almost. An album that`s difficult to criticise despite disappointment. And one which grows on you if you cast your predjudices away (whatever they may be), think positive, and let it. . . The point of this LP in particular is to get people to listen to the main message of the Almighty: "Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior, until the colour of a man`s skin is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes. . . there will be no peace. . . ". The message also is that you must "help one another along the way", pick up the positive vibration, and so live! If you want to dance there`s "Roots Rock Reggae" and "Crazy Baldhead". "War" and "Rat Race" are the two most powerful live numbers now. If you`ve seen the 1976 Wailers you`ll know what I mean. The next LP will be another step forward, even if all you want to do is chuck it.
Carl Gayle -
Review
Black Music September 1976:

peace

[stepping razor]

BLACK MUSIC: SEP 1976:
[cover=2373,2738][cover=3996,2738]
Cimarons "On The Rock" (Vulcan 501)

Wake Up Jah Man Can (On The Rock) / Hear Talk Of Inflation / Rooting For A Cause / Take Heed (He Who Hides) / Jah No Dead / Rock Rock Reggae Rhapsody / Dim The Light / Free As Life / Paul Bogle / Fight To The End:-

* * * *

The material is good but not consistently so. Three of the tracks on side two are quite mediocre in fact. If not in content then in performance or arrangement. Side one is really good but side two doesn`t match up. Dunn and Levy are obviously the best songwriters and Reid the only singer. If he`d led on all the tracks this would be a better L.P. I particularly like "Wake Up Jah Man Can," "Hear Talk Of Inflation," and "Take Heed" for their strong melodies, their natural flow, their skilful key changes, and for the easy way in which Winston handles the sometimes tricky lyrics.
"Jah No Dead" is as good as any other number but its, nevertheless, very derivative of Marley`s "Jah LIve". And "Rooting For A Cause", besides being lyrically over ambitious, lacks a good rydim. A good enough album from Cimarons which, above all, points to a bright future once they settle down and become more self critical.
Carl Gayle -
Review
Black Music September 1976:

peace

[stepping razor]

BLACK MUSIC: SEP 1976:
[cover=374,434][cover=6420,434]
The Sons Of Negus "Freedom Sounds" (Dynamic 3004)

Watch And Prey / Written Down There / Holy Mount Zion / I Shall Not Remove /
Roll River Jordan Roll / Tenastalin:-

* * * *

The music here is composed wholly of traditional rasta chants backed by African drumming and electric lead and bass guitars. The two guitarsplay off each other searing and singing. . . The drums are steady, relentless, the pulse and the rydim, into and around which Ras Michael hypnotically throws his vocal. A sound of anguish in prayer.The total sound is the most alive I`ve heard on wax. It captures much of the atmosphere of an open air performance. To some, this will sound repetitive, predictable, dull even. But the criteria for criticising music in general isn`t really pertinent here.
Carl Gayle -
Review
Black Music September 1976:

peace

[6anbatte]

Hi Stepping Razor

Excellent stuff! Keep 'em coming. Much appreciated! (tu)

[Bellyman]

In response to all the positive replies, we made this thread a 'sticky'.

Right on Stepping Razor, keep 'em coming!

[stepping razor]

BLACK MUSIC: SEP 1976:
[cover=2546,2932][cover=4321,2932]
Third World "Third World" (Island 9369).

Sattamassagana / Kumina / Slavery Days / Brand New Beggar / Cross Reference /
Got To Get Along / Sun Won`t Shine / Freedom Song:-

* * * *

Third World make excellent Third World music. Their angle is political from the personal point of view, progressive to the point where there is not another band in Jamaica that can compete on that level of musical enterprise and technique if it wanted to. And cultural, if only in their superficial awareness of Africa which is displayed primarily through "Carrot`s" immaculate, blazing percussion. Third world have an accurate balance and a unique approach. Brand new beggar. They borrow from the Spear, the Abbyssinians, Santana, War, from the spinners(?) even. Yet they owe little if anything to any, for music is music and in their hands they have originality. . . . The result of their musical operations is always something fresh, stimulating. It`s a corporate effort, Third World, a skilful, painstaking operation. "Brand New Beggar" is the most immediately hypnotic of their own creations. An irresistable and compulsively contagious piece of JA funk that tells of reincarnation without physical death. It means that they, the Third World, know what they are, where they`re coming from, where they`re headed. "Freedom Song", as it turns out, is their most potent creation for the stage. An uplifting message. . . and I hope they tread the path that song in particular has begun for them, with future albums.
Carl Gayle -
Review
Black Music September 1976:


peace