Roots Archives Forum

so i just picked up this album, roots radics music

but i never heard of it before.
i like it but, does anyone know of it??
i have no idea if it's legit or not.

Yes, I got this about 12 years ago. Not my favourite. Just giving it a listen again as I am often surprised that stuff sounds better upon rediscovery.

Legit, how? The Tamoki Wambesi release I have has detailed and correct sounding credits on the back of the sleeve.

It does indeed sound like a fairly typical early 80s Roots Radics at Channel One recording. The dub mixing is not exactly what you would expect from Scientist of the period but a few other credits include Maxie and Sylvan Morris as engineers. So it is a collection of Roy Cousins material according the credits. I'll accept that as 'legit'. Many cooks involved so no obvious individual mixing style running through the album. side one is really pretty plain but not atypical of the time.
The fact that there is a minimum of effects used - could this be because it was mixed at Harry J's? Not known for dub, as far as I'm aware.

There is a really good bass sound on this i must say. For this alone I could give it a listen every once in a while.

I have no idea why it is 'Prince Far I Cry Freedom Dub' - it it actually relates in any way to a Far I vocal album. He appears in an intro on the first track on side one and 2 and that's it from the DJ with the rock stone voice.

On Side 2, Famine in Africa, Ethnic Cleansing sound like they might be Scientist on the mix. Maybe just because of the way it is EQed. Just my impression. The organ treatment, low EQed piano (as opposed to bright) and up front but not really low EQ bass...
Not to go into too much more conjecture, side two is a fuller more musical collection of tracks in my opinion fitting with the Scientist style, whether him or not I have no idea.

Posse for hire has a snippet or two of Roy Cousin's unmistakable voice - if you like that sort of thing. It is a bit of a loping messy dub though with confused delay rates. The curse of the digital delay! The riddim itself has a sort of country music style - the slidy gtr in particular. Not my favourite style in reggae or otherwise.

Having listened to the whole album I'd have to rate it as mediocre. a few bright spots certainly the main one being a mean and very present organic bass throughout.

I'd imagine some of the tracks could sound pretty massive in a sound system situation, but at home...not terribly inspiring. Worth having and hearing once in a while.

All just my humble honest opinion

ACEtone wrote:I have no idea why it is 'Prince Far I Cry Freedom Dub' - it it actually relates in any way to a Far I vocal album.

On the back cover it says;
"Tribute To The Late Prince Far I and Family". So maybe the album title is an extension of that tribute. Just guessing, of course.

thanks for the replies
yes i also like the album but it's not the greatest.
it is hard to figure out who mixed this. does sound like scientist, but who is maxie?
worth keeping it- but i don't know how often i am gonna listen to it compared to cry tuffs or other dubs i have...

Super Ape,

Be careful - when I first played this album, I didn't like it, I thought it's plain and boring. But it gets better after repeated listening. Very solid set imo...

as I said, the bass sound is really very good throughout so despite the fact that i never part with vinyl - I would hold on to this regardless.

oh, no intentions of getting rid of it...
but it does sound so much different than any cry tuffs that i was questioning the validity.
it is a good album, though, probably is better on wax than cd

"love rasta" is a wicked track.
i really love this album.
its heavy.