U-Roy and related 70s reggae artists appealed to me in a way Bob Marley stopped.
It’s an indica versus sativa thing; do you prefer to be high, or to be stoned? I’d rather be high and my brain cells sparkling, not dull-headed and semi-sedated
Strictly roots and dubwise homages to 70s reggae here, please.
I’ll kick off then.
Prince Far I – Bedward
A bit more Prince Far I – super heavy!
I made a playlist and heard this rather unusual song for the first time yesterday @Alias.
Today I discovered that Bedward actually existed!
https://jamaicajamaicawi.wordpress.com/2017/05/12/dip-dem-bedward/
A popular , charismatic preacher he was to be an inspiration for Marcus Garvey.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Bedward
Jamaican writer Kei Miller has written a novel, Augustown about him
He’s mentioned n this early Meno song.
Sly Mongoose by Sam Manning.
The stuff one learns on the AW!
Well, we’ve had some U-Roy, so we should definitely have some I-Roy.
This is “Black Man Time” from the impeccable “Presenting I-Roy” album.
The best bit is the spoken word introduction – the first 35 seconds:
Some more I Roy dub…
I and I are duly admonished. Can we add “cultural appropriation” to the charges, m’lud ?
If it’s toasting you’re after…
Jump fi happiness, jump fi joy!
Given that it’s February, be sure to get your cloak and umbrella.
Harry got in Lizzie’s bad books by playing this on repeat and really, really, really, really LOUD –
Feelin’ IRE with this.
*knocks discretely*
Excuse me, sir. The Jamaican High Commission have telephoned. They wish to make it known that the word is quite definitely spelt ‘irie’ and not ‘ire’, which is what you may, they fear, provoke by such as foolishness.
*exits, sucking teeth*
“I believe, m’lud, this has caused my client not inconsiderable iration”
Danny Kelly was clearly a big U Roy fan
113 45s and that’s just U Roy. He must live in a very big house.
Forgive me for digressing for a moment.
I was a bit shaky on release dates so I was having a quick Google.
Interesting to read that Desmond Dekker signed with Stiff Records and in 1980 released an album, backed Graham Parker’s wonderful band, The Rumour entitled….Black and Dekker.
Ouch!
Lee Perry produced this wonderful song by Junior Murvin about police brutality in Jamaica.
The band included Ernest Ranglin, Sly Dunbar and Boris Gardner.
Here’s the dub version
And then of course there’s The Clash’s version….
Junior was lukewarm. His first comment was “They have destroyed Jah work!”
Bob Marley was more charitable:
“It is different, but me like how him feel it”.[
The Wikipedia page is excellent-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_and_Thieves.
Why I think of the Roys, I think of the Youth
Both U and I were very well served by Virgin’s wonderful Crucial Cuts albums.
Some lovers dub?
I think this is my favorite U Roy track:
Like this a lot:
That is included in the bonus CD with the Dr Bird reissue of Beat Down Babylon. Great Lee Perry rhythms throughout and highly recommended.
Here’s a ‘killer’ for you, in all senses of the term.
Still a mighty tune, after all these years!
Two from Max Romeo, from the same fine album: War Ina Babylon.
Chase the Devil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpIAc9by5iU
And this old favourite from Dennis Brown: Money in my pocket.
Poet Linton Kwesi Johnson deserves a mention.
Sonny’s Lettah
A full concert, live in Paris with Dennis Bovell’s band.
Creeping into the ’80s with this from Dennis Bovell.
I’ve actually met Dennis Bovell. Back in the day, at the Rub a Dub Studios in Stockholm.
He’s very charming.
Dennis wrote, produced and played on Silly Games, Janet Kay’s hit single which made #2 in 1979 in the UK. The first British-born, female, reggae to have a major hit.
Producer for The Slits, the Pop Group, Orange Juice: he is a versatile chap.
https://thevinylfactory.com/features/the-unsung-genius-of-dub-innovator-dennis-bovell/
He also did production for Irish accordionist Sharon Shannon on her 1994 album “Out The Gap”. He even gets a co-write credit for the first track “Sparky”, for which he wrote the intro.
Thanks Mike. What a talented bloke!
I found this U Roy obituary rather useful.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/feb/23/u-roy-obituary
He leaves behind his partner and 16 children!
16? A mere lightweight! That Grauniad page also has an obit of Bunny Lee who died last October. It says he is believed to have had 35 children
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/09/bunny-lee-obituary
How many did Aston Barrett manage to fire out?
PS. 52.
And counting – he’s still alive. Somehow.
Not for Jamaicans those Harlem Globetrotters reverse nicknames. For the HGs, the bald guy is inevitably given the sidesplitting epithet “Curly”.
“Family Man”, on the team, would have to be some dude who’d had a misfortune akin to John Wayne Bobbitt’s…
Thanks Vince. What lives they led! Excellent article.
And lots of the songs mentioned are there on YT or Spotify.
Desmond Dekker
Roy Shirley
Dennis Bovell also acts in “Silly Games”, one of Steve McQueen’s five “Small Axe” films (2020).
…and here is the great man having a fight with a snake (1.40) on Top of the Pops.
Relax – it’s Kid Jensen
Bovell’s best work is with Linton Kwesi Johnson but he also created dub under the pseudonym Blackbeard
On Saturday 25th November 1978 I went to the Rainbow Theatre to see Dillinger. This song was very popular at the time,
Thank goodness for this site which helped to jog my memory.
http://www.rainbowhistory.x10.mx/1978.htm
An enjoyable evening of which I remember little, other than the copious amounts of jazz tobacco being consumed.
Isn’t that mark Ellen’s favourite album, like, ever?
Or did I dream this?
That was a really big tune at the punk club I frequented in Norwich. I’m very impressed that you saw him.
It could have been Mark Ellen’s favourite album, he did have a reggae sound system when he was young.
I do remember there were a lot of people up there on stage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3NfXVk0VpU
I love this Rainbow site.
1st Jan 1978 – The Ramones, The Rezillos, Generation X
2nd Jan 1978 – “Stars in Wonderland” with Lulu, Ted Rogers, Bernie Clifton, Lesley Judd, The Wurzels, Bernie Flint, Mud, Roy Castle, The Barron Knights, Stu Francis & Geoffrey Bishop’s New Edition, Keith Chegwin, Ed “Stewpot” Stewart
….beat that, so-called CBGBs
Incredible in retrospect, but I was present at one of those…
The Wurzels were on fire!
Really? All that straw was clearly a hazard.