Roots Archives Forum

This is kind of a goofy question, but I'm sure most of you praise the glory years of the Black Ark and wish you could take a time machine back to it to watch a session. My hypothetical question is: If you could choose any artist to have recorded an album at the Black Ark in all its late 70s glory, who would it be? I'm going to have take the obvious pick of late Bob Marley. Can you imagine songs like "Guiltiness", "So Much Trouble in the World", or "Running Away" being made heavier and darker or Lee Perry recording the song "Kaya" once again with the unlimited power of the Ark? Too bad they had to feud so early.

So who would you pick?

the burning spear would have been heavy to see record there!

Burning Spear.

Gregory - more tunes like mr cop


dennis - more tunes like wolf and leopards

culture, spear or israel vibration might have been interesting, too.

Your question is funny cause yesterday I was thinking how amazing it would have been for me to record there! ahaa! You said dreaming didn't you?
I mean when I here stuff like Natives i think this man could make even a basic reggae singer part of an amazing roots set!
But for a serious answer I'd say well, yes burning spear would have been a great thing

Spear´s Social Living album would be great as a Black Ark production. A touch of Super Ape feeling in the mix, riddims played a little darker, some roaring lions added.....yes!

One more. Naturality album by The Gladiators with Upsetters backing band.

The Congos again

Gladiators/Clinton Fearon

Gladiators fans, there is an album's worth of Black Ark material that they appear on: TIME and ON TRUE GIRL are two under their own name. MESSAGE TO THE NATION credited to Tony Fearon is another. As is TOGETHERNESS on Sky High. Mr Fearon also did RISE AND SHINE with Watty Burnett. KNIT UP YOUR TAM by Noel Brown on Ital features Gladiators. They provided the music for ROAST FISH & CORN BREAD single. They also worked for the SILVER STARS and VENUS labels at the ark, and listen to some of those 1975 ark tunes, I'm thinking SAM CARTY records, etc, and you'll also hear Gladiators. So it deh, but you have to search fi it.
Myself: a second album by George Faith would have suited me, or a LEO GRAHAM LP from 1976, Voodooism style. How that man deh never release an album is SHOCKING.