things and time will tell.

Horace Andy + Sly & Robbie – Zion Gate Tropical Dubwise – TD12001 Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Maxi-Single, Stereo, France, 2021 info A modern Horace Andy follow up to my last post, on this re-cut of his 1973 song  Zion Gate . His voice is in great form as he delivers this reminder to live righteously before it's too late. I appreciate the spiritual clarity at a moment when the world seems pretty dedicated to handing me complication. Andy has released some quality records in the last few years, especially two brilliant LPs for On-U Sound. As much as I like his reinvention in the 90s and 2000s through his work with Massive Attack, it's been great hearing such successful new reggae recordings from this veteran, 50-odd years into his career. Horace Andy teamed up with Sly and Robbie on this single, released just a few months before Robbie Shakespeare sadly passed away in December, 2021. Sly & Robbie lead their classic Taxi Gang band on the backing track and don't disappoin

Dr. Alimantado – Dread Lock's Music / The Challis Blaze AT IT – none Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Jamaica, 1975 info Dr. Alimantado weighs in on the Greenwich Farm sound system scene in this next cut to my last post,  Dance In A Greenwich Farm ,  also from 1975. The DJ picks up the chalice  baton from Cornell Campbell, chanting his own praises of King Tubby's sound and the dreads at the dance. On the B side, instead of a dub, the good doctor keeps riding that same Bunny Lee rhythm (although the lyrics drift a bit from the sound system to touch on some more, ah, medicinal concerns...). Dr. Alimantado's first album, Best Dressed Chicken In Town , came out in 1978, but was actually compiled from singles the DJ had recorded between '73 and '76. This record comes from that same period, when he recorded most of his greatest material. ( His last appearance on these pages was from just a couple years later, mixed by the Upsetter, Lee Perry, who we sadly lost last week.) I know

Cornell Campbell – Dance In A Greenwich Farm Clocktower Records – CT714 Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, US, 1975 info Quick post of another Jamaican favorite. Maybe a little more upbeat than my usual reggae picks, it seemed perfect for the beautiful weather earlier today. Hopefully people get a little peace and time away from work and the struggles of the world for Labor Day... and hopefully that provides some time to play this loud and enjoy. Cornell Campbell tells the story of a dance in the Greenwich Farm neighborhood. The dreads are there to rub a dub, listening to latest sounds booming from King Tubby's sound system... but everyone has to worry about police busting up the dance and the baldheads are there to wreck the party. The song takes you back to the time of the foundation sound systems... If you're interested, the sound quality isn't perfect, but you can hear a tape of a 1975 session by Tubby's sound with the legendary U-Roy on the mic that someone has posted

U Roy / Strihev All Stars ‎– The Right To Live / Movering Black Art Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Jamaica, 1975 Info I hate conversations about "authenticity." Pretentious discussions about whether something counts as "creativity" make me run. Nothing's new, we all steal ideas, who cares? Case in point: today's record, another single by the mighty U-Roy (RIP). On The Right To Live  from 1975, U-Roy lays down his own lyrics about living on the run and escaping a prison death sentence over a version of Cornell Campbell's I Gotta Keep On Running from the same year. Campbell's cut followed the Wailers' Keep On Moving  from a few years earlier. Song writing credit on the U-Roy and Campbell discs are given to "Robert Marley," but the Wailers had in turn been riffing on the Impressions' 1964 Keep On Movin' , written by Curtis Mayfield. U-Roy's single was released on two different labels, one of which was Lee "Scratch" Perry

Continuing our brief tribute to the late, great Bill Withers... Horace Andy ‎– Ain't No Sunshine Jaguar ‎– J 189 Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM Jamaica, 2006 A    Horace Andy  -  Ain't No Sunshine B    Mafia & Fluxy  -  Ain't No Sunshine Version In the early 70s, Jamaican vocalist Hoarce Andy had a hit on the island with his cover of Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." What we have here is an early 2000s remix of that cut by musicians and producers Mafia & Fluxy. Horace Andy has one of the most distinctive voices in reggae, crossing decades and genres yet still managing to remain relevant. Since the 1990s, he's been best known to non-reggae obsessives for his work with Massive Attack, but he's been on the scene since the early 1970s, originally releasing records for Coxsone Dodd and his legendary Studio One label. Even by the prolific standards of reggae singers, he's put out an impressive number of memorable songs and that in