June 2009

  • Tony Tuff: Out of a Trio

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/30/09 5:35pm
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    Coming out of a vocal trio and becoming a solo artist is and was the way in which a vast many singers have gained notoriety. Everyone from Slim Smith to a guy named Bob Marley did time in a group, working to get hose harmonies properly in place. And while those two folks should be considered the earlier branch of all of this, the same basic work history was a necessity during the early dance hall period. Sugar Minott might be one of the best examples of this. But in the African Brothers, there were two other performers: Derrick Howard and Tony Tuff. And while I can’t claim to have ever heard Howard’s name in any other context, Tony Tuff is at least a bit familiar.

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  • Lloyd Parks: Don't Put Your Eggs In One Basket

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/28/09 7:29pm
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    The perpetually funky Black Sound posted a disc that I was only drawn to as a result of its cover. The tripped out paisley lilt of the cover seemed to belie the music that it purportedly held. And if that wasn’t enough, doesn’t it appear that Lloyd Parks, heretofore unknown to this nerd, is wearing a powdered wig as if he’s a member of Parliament? Maybe that’s not him, but some historical figure that I’m not privy to. But either way, the bust and the design of the background are seemingly incongruous.

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  • Mr. Symarip: The Skinheads Them Crash The Moon

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/25/09 6:16pm
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    The influence that Roy Shirley – Mr. Symarip – has had over the cult of skinhead is incalculable. Of course, for a great deal of his career, he was the member of various groups, only relatively recently stepping out and using his own name as top billing. But the ‘60s in the UK was the backdrop of what began to get not just Shirley, but everyone from Laurel Aitken to Eddy Grant some sort of renown in the international ska, reggae and rock steady scene.

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  • A Heavy Pressure: Carlton Davis in Dub

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/22/09 1:37pm
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    Mr. James Brown enjoyed letting the drummer get some – it was not only the backbone of his chunky funk, but an organizational tool oft derided or simply set aside by others. If you listen to any punk record from the last decade or so, it becomes rather obvious that the folks sitting behind that array of hap dash metal, plastic and chrome aren’t always musically competent – or even expected to be. That’s not only unfortunate, but ridiculous considering the fact that a rhythm section needs to be locked down in order for the remainder of the troupe – in whatever genre – to function properly.

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  • The Soul Explosion Band: A Tiny Bang

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/19/09 7:00pm
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    Average Canadian StuffsAverage Canadian StuffsWhen some ‘70s reggae stuff pops up and it ends up having a singer that doesn’t sound British or Jamaican, it’s probably from Toronto – not always, but it’d be a good guess to make. Not being familiar with the Soul Explosion Band, I was actually drawn to its cover when the album was posted over at Satta Massagana – take a look around over there, it’ll be worth your time. The art that adorns the cover of Too Much Confusion is a hap dash collage of darkly ominous images, including a slave ship and what looks kinda looks like the Eifel Tower, but probably isn’t. On second thought, it resembles the cover of that first Bad Brains disc with a lightning bolt striking the capitol. Either way, I copped it.

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  • Joe Higgs: Life Of Contradiction

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/18/09 1:50pm
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    A LifeA LifeThere are a great many disparate ideas that go into defining the career and legacy of Joe Higgs. While ostensibly a forgotten figure in the development of JA music, Higgs may have actually been one of the most indispensible figures on the scene. No, his records didn’t sell a great deal. And he never got into producing or engineering records. He can’t even be said to have been a musical innovator. But the way that he acted as an intermediary between artists as well as the genre and the world can’t be understated.

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  • The Upsetter: A Musical Retread

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/17/09 8:21pm
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    Monster SoundsMonster SoundsThe tautology inherent in my writing has grown tiresome even to me by this point. But at the very least, it points at an overarching consistency that’s undeniable. With Lee Perry his assemblage of players that functioned under the name of the Upsetters created a pretty scattered discography with the single being the main form of disseminating songs for a great deal of music’s history. It wasn’t until the ‘60s in the States that this changed, but in JA it would be even later.

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  • Sic and Mad: A Veritible Slackers' Disc of Madness

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/16/09 3:10pm
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    sicMADsicMADIt can be said that at this point in American music a great many discs aren’t able to be pigeonholed into a single genre. So that’s not a unique way by which to frame the new Sic and Mad album Songs for the Revolution. It is, though, as tied to punk as ska and hardcore. But considering that this group is made up of three current members of the Slackers the fact should give some insight. Vic Ruggerio grabs a guitar here, while Ara sticks to the drums and Marcus plows those bass lines into oblivion. Musically, there really isn’t anything remarkable about this disc. And really, if this woulda come out in ’95 or something, it mighta had some chance to get picked up somewhere. At this late date, though, it’s a pretty inconsequential disc. All of these songs were put together in a sense of fun, though.

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  • WANTED: Dennis Alcapone in Dub

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/15/09 10:48am
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    WANTEDWANTEDWorking a government job didn't suite Dennis Smith. It probably wasn't too rewarding, no one should blame him - I don't at least. And at the time - the late '60s - JA was flush with touring sound systems, parties and a new sing jay style, which was evenly split between chatty rhymes and sporadic, but well placed sung words, phrases, whoops and hollers. It can be said that U-Roy created this patchwork. And while he remained the main exponent of the style, there would be a number of folks who arrived on the scene equally adept at this kind of toasting. But Dennis Smith, who eventually became Dennis Alcapone and helped found his own sound system, shoot to stardom on his elder's coat tails.

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  • Douglas Levy is Prince Douglas in Dub

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/12/09 8:01pm
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    The Prince is KingThe Prince is KingApart from the fact that the stable of musicians that Lloyd 'Bullwackie' Barnes kept included a guitarist named Jerry Hilter (which is awesome in its own twisted way), the Bullwackie label is now and was then the most important outlets for JA music in the States. And although, Bullwackie himself may not get the credit that he should actually be afforded, that might change eventually as his label's work is in the process of being reissued by some Germans. Yes, Ze Germans. The Wackie's label, though, didn't just showcase productions from Barnes. It included a number of others who worked behind the boards as well as counting the Love Joys, Junior Delahaye and others as performers it would repeatedly utilize.

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  • Bob Marley's 'Kaya' x Dub

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/10/09 7:41pm
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    Bunny Lee counts as one of the unsung heroes of reggae and dub, no question. Having recognized in himself an acumen for production, although no studio, Lee culled a group of players from other outfits, the Skatalites and some session players that resulted in the formation of the Aggrovators. Taking a cue from the skinhead youth culture in Britain - the term 'aggro' was a substitute for violence - this newly christened band worked at a variety of studios where Lee could afford to purchase time. So, anywhere from Studio One to Randy's could be considered the home of this roving ensemble. But the music that they created during the '70s is unsurpassed by other dub ensembles.

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  • The Maytones: No Ease Up

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/10/09 12:39pm
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    MightyMightyThe career trajectory of acts from a time prior to electronic interferences - aka the internet - found acts necessitated to do a great deal of leg work, release countless singles and tour before being granted the opportunity to record a proper full length disc. This was the case for many vocal groups in JA during the '60s - including the Maytones.

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  • Economical Crisis: Militant Barry

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/8/09 9:58pm
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    MilitancyMilitancyAmongst the shit storm that is life, there are tiny, yet indispensible moments that one will always carry around, sporadically being recalled - good or bad - that affects one's day. Selling my car was one of those moments. Before moving across the country and beginning an ill conceived west coast sojourn, I parted ways with my Toyota. He was left with a computer programmer newly arrived from India.

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  • The Melodians: Rock it with I

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/8/09 7:58pm
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    Swing and DineSwing and DineEven if you had never heard the name of the Melodians, you'd probably know at least one of the group's songs - at least one. If it's not "Sweet Sensation" as a result of UB40 covering the tune in the early '80s, than you'd more likely than not be familiar with "Rivers of Babylon." Familiarity with that song, though, won't mean that you're a reggae enthusiast, it might just hint at your filmic tastes.

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  • Mighty Sparrow x Byron Lee

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/6/09 12:44pm
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    This is pretty much a soul ballad from Might Sparrow as he's backed up by Byron Lee and his band.

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  • Hub City, Up in Arms

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/4/09 9:05pm
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    HCSHCSRecalling the fact that Inspector 7 was and remains one of best live ska acts of the third wave (RIP) hadn't ever convinced me to check out the Hub City Stompers. Comprised of the 7s' former members in addition to some folks that did time in Predator Dub Assassins, this group isn't as enormous as the nine piece predecessor.

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  • Kick de Bucket: The Pioneers

    By cobwebsandstrange on 6/4/09 6:18pm
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    BucketsBucketsA part of the reason that a few reggae acts have achieved a sort of lasting cult around them is because of their success in England. Again, the cult of skinhead spurred a few groups to the top of the pop charts while also spawning its own home grown heroes, like the larger than life Judge Dread. But the Pioneers had as bizarre a journey to success as any other group.

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