May 2010

  • Johnny Clarke's Don't Stay Out Late (1977)

    By cobwebsandstrange on 5/25/10 12:05pm
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    Skipping around from producer to producer has one of two results. Either, a singer or band winds up creating a catalog without a singular bent, or the variety of settings results in a broad spate of songs that can easily be taken in by any number of different fan groups. The latter is obviously what folks desire, but there are a number of reasons for jumping ship, as it were.

    After wining a talent contest during the early seventies, Johnny Clarke struck a relationship with Clancy Eccles. And while the producer – who should righty be well regarded for his singing as well – didn’t seem to promote Clarke in a manner the singer felt was befitting. It was still an early career association that couldn’t have looked bad a few releases on even if those singles weren’t that successful.

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  • The decline or Reggae Music?

    By Anonymous on 5/23/10 2:29pm
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    Let those who are loved and revered be held to the same standards as everyone else. To those who still support and supported him--"CEZIDEK"  --he would gladly sell us all for a Babylonian dollar.  We should stop letting money and greed allow us to run away from ourselves while singing about it.  Let's ring truth in the ears of hypocrites, parasites,  and sons of mites. 

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  • The Slackers – The Great Rocksteady Swindle (Hellcat, 2010)

    By cobwebsandstrange on 5/18/10 1:52pm
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    Reminiscing is kinda fun. You guys remember when ska bands had a shot at making music a career. Yeah, there aren’t too many folks who can claim to be in a full time ska band. Even Westbound Train took a break. How long was that group around for? Five years or something like that. Either way, it appears that only the stalwarts of the (American version) of the genre are able to get by any longer. But that probably goes for just about every industry – print journalism certainly. Even with that, though, it’d be easy to expect just a passable disc from an ensemble that really makes its dough on the road. Surprise, surprise. New York City’s the Slackers have bucked expectation and issued something worth more than a single listen. Believe.

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  • The Phil Pratt Thing

    By cobwebsandstrange on 5/17/10 1:47pm
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    It’s curious as to why some performers are incapable of achieving success through their own recordings, but subsequently find renown after taking a backseat and helming the boards. The conception of a song can’t be that much different on either side of the recording studio glass. If you’re playing on a track, a vision of some sort needs to be figured and composed to a degree. And if you’re endeavoring to twiddle knobs, understanding how to record and produce a work after its been set to tape seems complicated in roughly the same way. It’s all splicing ideas together in order to arrive at a summation of a moment in time.

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  • The Uniques inna Showcase Style

    By cobwebsandstrange on 5/12/10 3:31pm
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    There’re so many reasons to love JA music. The nation's history being as unique as any other country’s has a bit to do with that. But what’s more important than the struggles its people dealt with is how they were dealt with. Unrest was the pervasive state of things during huge portions of the seventies down there on that island. Things haven’t really be reconciled. But out of the turmoil sprung a succession of musical statements that worked not just lyrically to free people, but to free music from previous expectations.

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  • Linval Thompson: Sorry for You and You...

    By cobwebsandstrange on 5/8/10 11:57am
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    The stable of players that Bunny Lee worked with over time should be thought to possess roughly the same talent as folks associated with Studio One, Randy’s or any other top tier recording company. Time hasn’t granted Lee a huge amount of fame, being overshadowed by any number of the island’s ‘supa producers.’ But the work of Lee’s singers, who are properly touted by those more than passably familiar with the genre, have aged as well as anything from the Marley, Tosh and Wailer axes of the reggae world – that’s not debatable.

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  • Troubled Reggae Rising Announces Weak Lineup

    By Lipps on 5/3/10 8:52am
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    Lion of JudahLion of JudahPerhaps in response to rumors flying around about bankruptcy, non-refundable ticket rip-offs and other troubles, Reggae Rising has released a lineup for its Aug. 6-8, 2010 reggae festival. On the list of acts are Ky-Mani Marley, The Melodians, Yami Bolo and others. None of the major acts of reggae are confirmed. Since the original Reggae on the River ended in 2006, Reggae Rising has been put on in its place. Ever since then people have referred to the original as the 'real' reggae on the river.The first 'Rising' shows had great lineups with Stephen and Damien Marley, UB40, Steel Pulse and others, making this year's lineup anemic by comparison.

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  • Max Romeo - Wet Dream

    By cobwebsandstrange on 5/2/10 10:25am
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    Apart from the fact that this song's music is boss, listen to the lyrics. Max Romeo tried to explain it away, but the sexual element is pretty obvious - I mean, what's the title?