Monday, May 6, 2019

Sound Dimension @ Studio One w/ Undercover



Another archival stash of Studio One tunes coming at ya! This time we have the Studio One session band from 1967-72, Sound Dimension. This set started out to find the more obscure instrumental jams released on the Bamboo label but turned into a marathon session trying to identify all their original vocals where possible. Enjoy.

Link

I was going to write my own words, but I think the below from Jo-Ann Green sums it up clearly.

"Sound Dimension, the Studio One house band, created some of Jamaica's most enduring and popular riddims, unleashing a slew of seminal instrumentals, as well as providing backing for the label's myriad hits. For many reggae fans, the band's music defined the age for five years, from 1968 until 1972. With the demise of the Skatalites in 1965, pianist Jackie Mittoo set up shop at Studio One, working as an arranger, composer, and musician. His initial house band was dubbed the Soul Brothers. The rise of rocksteady saw a lineup shift and a new moniker, the Soul Vendors. The group toured Britain in 1967, and guitarist Eric Frater returned home with an echo box. Its psychedelic sound inspired the name Sound Dimension, which the band took as its own the following year. By then, the group included MittooFrater, lead guitarist Ernest Ranglin, drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, budding bassist Leroy Sibbles, and brassmen Vin GordonCedric Brooks, and ex-Skatalite Don "Deadly Headley" Bennett, among others. When Mittoo emigrated to Canada in 1968, Robbie Lyn or Richard Ace usually took his seat, although the keyboardist returned regularly for recording sessions. The Sound Dimension opened their account in 1967 with "Walk Don't Run" and "Swing Easy," with a clutch of fine instrumentals following in 1968 -- "Mojo Rocksteady," "Musical Scorcher," "Heavy Rock," "African Chant," and "Rockfort Rock" among them. "Mojo" proved to be a particular favorite over the years, "Rockfort" even more so. But the two that had the greatest impact were "Full Up" and "Real Rock." More versions have been cut on "Real Rock" than on any other in reggae history. Over the years it has supported so many hits it deserves an entry all its own and, like "Full Up," it is still being avidly recycled to this day. Another clutch of great singles arrived in 1969, including "Rathid," "Soulful Strut," "Time Is Tight," "Return of the Scorcher," and "Drum Song." The latter, initially released and credited to the Soul Vendors, proved to be another enduring number.  Of course, the Sound Dimension's work can also be heard on the myriad vocal numbers released by Studio One during this era, as many of their singles were instrumental takes of the vocal cuts. Later in the decade, Coxsone Dodd dusted off a number of the Dimension's tracks and remodeled them for a new generation, with great success."

Baby Face
Bitter Blood (Ken Boothe - Just Another Girl)
Black Onion (Bassies - Things Come Up To Bump
Black Treasure (John Holt - Fancy Make Up)
Broken Ribs (Leroy Sibbles - Do Your Thing)
Call 1143 (Alton Ellis - Pearls)
Congo Rock
Doctor Sappa Too (Marcia Griffiths - My Ambition)
Drum Song
Federated Backdrop
Full Up
Funky Maker (Horace Andy - Funny Man)
Granny Scratch Scratch
Great Mu Ga Ru Ga
Hail Don D (Heptones - Gonna Fight)
Heavy Beat (Delroy Wilson - Conquer Me)
Heavy Rock (Jackie Mittoo - Our Thing)
Holy Moses (The Lyrics - Music Like Dirt)
In Cold Blood
Ironside
Jah Berry (The Cables - Baby Why)
Jamaica Bag
Jamaica Underground
Less Problem
Little Green Apples (Lascelles Perkins - Little Green Apples)
Love Jah
Love Land
Mix Up (Rattle On)
Moan And Groan (Funky)
Mojo Rocksteady
More Scorcher (Larry Marshall - Nanny Goat)
My Heart In Rhythm (Ken Boothe - My Heart Is Gone)
Mun-Dun-Gu
Park View (Alton Ellis - I'll Be Waiting)
Poison Ivy (The Freedom Singers - Give Peace A Chance)
Polka Dot (John Holt - Do You Love Me)
Pop Corn Reggae
Rahtid
Real Rock
Reggae Time (Jackie Mittoo - Our Thing/Heavy Rock)
Return Of The Scorcher
Rockfort Rock (Soul Vendors - Psychedelic Rock)
Sata (Absynnians - Satta Amasa Gana)
Scorcia (Larry Marshall - Nanny Goat)
Sing A Simple Song (Sly and the Family Stone)
Solas (The Gladiators - Sonia)
Soul Eruption
Soul Food (Heptones - Fattie Fattie)
Soul Shake
Soul Trombone (William Golding - Suffering Stink/Everything Crash)
Soulful I (Pat Kelly - Since You Are Gone)
Soulful Strut (The Young - Holt Unlimited - Soulful Strut)
Still Calling (Nightingales - Rasta Is Callings)
Straight Flush (Ernest Wilson - Undying Love)
Ten to Ten (The Mad Lads - Ten to One)
The Thing
Time is Tight (Booker T. & the M.G.'s - Time is Tight)
Traveling Home
Tunnel One (Jackie Mittoo - Hot Milk)
Upsetter's Dream (Carlton and The Shoes - Love me Forever)
Way Back Home (Junior Walker & The All Stars - Way Back Home)
Zion Lion (Marcia Griffiths - Melody Life)

Friday, May 3, 2019

Fe Me Time Version Excursion w/ Undercover



Jimmy Radways Fe Me Time label is a favourite of mine. Heavy, horny roots with a distinctive feel synonymous to his label. Jimmy had a short career but managed to have an output most would envy. Jimmy a songwriter enlisted some cream of JA talent at the time, Errol Dunkley, Leroy Smart, Desomnd Young (Desi Roots), Hortense Ellis and of course Big Youth. Massive tunes followed - Black Cinderella, Mother Liza, Mirror Mirror, Hell and Sorrow etc. But more importantly it was the musicians and studios he used that would elevate his sound above the rest. Fe Me Time Allstars had the baddest horn section - Vin Gordon, Bobby Ellis and Dirty Harry which gave his 1975 dub album Dub I, mixed by Errol T, such a distinctive horns lead sound. I've sequenced the set with the original vocal before the horns version, dubwise and DJ cuts to give the ultimate version excursion.
* Original vocals by The African Brothers and Glen Brown were not Radway productions but the dubs somehow ended up on his Dub I album.

Link

Leroy Smart - Mother Liza
Bobby Ellis - Mr. Ellis Burn Out (Mother Liza)
Fe Me Time All Stars - Mother Liza Dub (Mother Liza)
Errol Dunkley - Keep The Pressure Down
Fe Me Time All Stars - Keep The Pressure Down Version
Desmond Young - Warning
Big Youth - Wolf In Sheep Clothing (Warning)
I Roy - Double Warning (Warning)
Fe Me Time All Stars - Black Rights (Warning)
Leroy Smart - Mr. Smart (Happiness Is My Desire)
Leroy Smart - Happiness Is My Desire
Fe Me Time All Stars - Dub Is My Desire (Happiness Is My Desire)
Leroy Smart - Mirror Mirror
Fe Me Time All Stars - Awn Yah! (Mirror Mirror)
Hortense Ellis - Hell And Sorrow
Vin Gordon - Tina May (Hortense Ellis - Hell and Sorrow)
Big Youth - Tribulation (Hortense Ellis - Hell and Sorrow)
Fe Me Time All Stars - Hell And Sorrow Dub (Hortense Ellis - Hell and Sorrow)
Errol Dunkley - Black Cinderella
Vin Gordon - Zion Youth (Black Cinderella)
Big Youth - The Best Big Youth (Black Cinderella)
Fe Me Time All Stars - The Best Big Youth Version (Black Cinderella)
I Roy - Sound Education (Black Cinderella)
Augustus Pablo - Cinderella In Black (Black Cinderella)
Fe Me Time All Stars - Cinderella (Black Cinderella)
African Brothers - Lead Us Father
The African Brothers - Lead Us Dub (Lead Us Father)
Fe Me Time All Stars - Back To Africa (Lead Us Father)
Glen Brown - No More Slavery
Tyrone Downey - Organ D (Slaving)
Jimmy Radway & The Fe Me Time All Stars - Wicked Have To Feel It (Slaving)
Fe Me Time All Stars - Micron Way

Thursday, May 2, 2019

Big Tunes w/ Undercover


Okay, the crisis has been diverted and some good new reggae has been found!!! Killer stuff from Buju lementing Jamaica has been 'selling itself off', Yaadcore with his 'debut?' single sounding miltant AF before a slew of Ganja tunes get rolled up. Saturday Night riddim is bouncy, Baltimore riddim is tuff and the digital bits from Marshall Neeko and Coronel Brown are tight.


Joseph Cotton - Big Bad Boy
Buju Banton - Country For Sale
Protoje, Lila Iké f/ Agent Sasco - Not Another Word
Yaadcore - Ready Now
Dre Island - My City
Aza Lineage - Roots Radics
Etana - Ganja Lovers
Eesah - Marijuana
Jah Cure f/ Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley - Marijuana
Meleku - Steam It Up
Skip Marley f/ Damian 'Jr. Gong' Marley - That's Not True
Randy Valentine, Eesah and Runkus - Blessed
Hempress Sativa - Boom Shakalak
Stalawa f/ Blessed San - Traitor
Claye - Murda
Friendly Fire Band and Mr. Williamz  - Saturday Night (Saturday Night Riddim)
Myki Tuff, Friendly Fire Band - War General (Saturday Night Riddim)
Friendly Fire Band, Tippa Irie - Mini Bus Man (Saturday Night Riddim)
Blackout Ja - Music (Baltimore Riddim)
Isiah Mentor - Lawless Rebel (Baltimore Riddim)
Michael Fabulous - Why I Love Jah So (Baltimore Riddim)
Ninja Man - Bucky Marshal (Sleng Teng 2019 Riddim)
Horace Andy - For Real (Sleng Teng 2019 Riddim)
Marina P, Stand High Patrol - Summer on Mars
Marshall Neeko f/ Little Kirk - Mankind
Marshall Neeko f/ Little Kirk - Pressure Sound Boy
Marshall Neeko - Champion Dub
Coronel Brown f/ Cool Up Records - Sweet Honey
Jstar, DJ's Choice, Dark Angel - Warrior
Jstar - Boss Riddim Dub
Cultural Warriors f/ Horace Andy - Money
Cultural Warriors f/ Horace Andy - Money (Dub)