Economical Crisis: Militant Barry

MilitancyAmongst 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. It's probably still running - the car, not the Indian fellow - despite the fact that the car's probably ten or eleven years old at this point. The reason that this is how I've chosen to begin this piece about Militant Barry is, because part of the reason I parted ways with my four wheels was the fact that I didn't feel like giving hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars every year to oil companies. That might spark a few cries of "Hippie," but I would cry "foul" at those accusations. Surely, Militant Barry wasn't a hippie, although I'd wager that he was stoned during the recording of his late '70s Militant Style.

Barry works in a toasters style backed up by some pretty impressive dub backdrops over which he unlooses timely political critiques. It's pretty interesting to take a listen to this considering the fact that the US has been embroiled in military excursions for the past seven or eight years. The lead off track here, "Ayatolla," speaks on the Russian incursion into the Middle East. Barry obviously sees the military posturing of the then super power as lacking in reason. We'd be hard pressed to disagree. But, pretty much everything that he mentions during that brief track is pretty much applicable to the situation in the region today. I don't know if that's weird or just sad...

That single song, regardless of how good it is, doesn't even represent the high point of this offering. Being produce by Keith Hudson and counting Tappa Zukie as the engineer, Militant Style lacks only one thing - a deserved reverence from reggae fans. I, very honestly, copped this because of the cover - which might say a few things about me personally - but in the end it turned out well. But anyway, the dubbed out tracks don't spring any surprises on us - and it's a surprisingly more staid an effort than Hudson's own Pick a Dub, which was released prior to this. There isn't any information anywhere - seriously, anywhere - on Barry or this disc. Strictly Vibes has a bit on Barry's '79 disc entitled Green Valley, which I haven't been able to hunt down as of yet.

Even considering the scant respect afforded this toaster, Militant Barry does really have a spot alongside anyone from the genre. He's not as exaggerated as U-Roy or as ridiculous as Dillinger and that perhaps is why he never achieved the notoriety he deserved. It might also have a bit to do with the fact that this work could be construed as kinda preachy, even though there are a few love songs in addition to the requisite Jah songs. Find it, cop it, teach it.