You Don't Love Me (No No No) (feat Delroy Williams) (3:38)
You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good (5:01)
Review: Susan Cadogan is an esteemed reggae vocalist who has been since the 1970s. Now she continues her musical journey with this cover single which is taken from her excellent 2020 album Hurt So Good - Storybook Revisited, distributed by Burning Sounds. Side-A features a rendition of the reggae classic by Dawn Penn, while Side-B offers a sweet soul interpretation of Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' track. Enhanced with Japanese-inspired artwork on the jacket, this release showcases Cadogan's timeless talent and versatility as it bridges the gap between reggae and soul music across generations.
Review: Tabou 1 is on a roll right now and their latest offering features reggae icon Johnny Clarke teaming up with the legendary rhythm duo Sly & Robbie. 'Every Knee' is an archetypal roots reggae anthem that has everything you want in a tune. It demands to be played loud and proud and blends Clarke's soulful, spiritual vocals with Sly & Robbie's masterful bass and drum foundation. The rest of the tracks here also have deep grooves and heartfelt lyrics that resonate with themes of devotion and unity and are enhanced by the signature dub-infused production.
Review: 1978 was a standout year for the great Al Campbell, with five album releases across various labels. This particular album, originally released on Phil Pratt's Terminal label, was originally released in 1981 and stands as one of his most notable. It features powerful roots tracks like 'Foot Stool,' 'Soul Sister' and 'No More Running' which combine militant rhythms with Campbell's soulful vocals fusing conscious reggae and emotional depth. It is a true classic of its genre that now comes on nice coloured wax that looks as good as it sounds.
Review: Dub producer Herman Chin Loy who was one of the pioneers of the style in the early 70s, and this reissue of two formerly unnammed and mislabeled, all but lost LPs - now combined to make up a compilation known as Musicism Dub - perfectly captures the earliest incarnation of the sound. 'Musicism' is a good term to describe the spectacular character of Loy's dub. Dub as a genre itself has been at times described as one of the first popular music styles to use the sound of the beat as a point of intrigue in itself, rather than relying solely on melodies or lyrics. The Chin Loy sound flaunted here is as indicative of this approach, though it is also staunchly rooted in the vintage style of analog production, with the likes of 'Armagideon War' and 'Don't Fight The Man' nailing that undeniably early chillout sound: nicely-glued lows and spitty tops.
Review: Reissued for the first time on vinyl, On the Rock was the third album by pioneering UK reggae band The Cimarons. Those who know consider it to be their standout masterpiece. It was originally released in 1976 on Vulcan and this reissue includes a bonus track which arrives via Lantern Records. The Cimarons are widely known as the first British reggae band and gained recognition by backing Jamaican icons like Jimmy Cliff and Bob Marley and as session players for Trojan Records. Their legacy has seen renewed attention thanks to the acclaimed 2024 documentary Harder Than The Rock and this album will add to their allure for a new generation of reggae heads.
Review: Hollie Cook, as well as being the daughter of a certain Sex Pistols drummer, is a modern-day lovers rock star who dropped her Happy Hour album last summer to great acclaim. It was the latest in a line of superb long players which now gets served up once more in dub form on both CD and vinyl. This heavenly set of dubs is Hollie's first since 2012 and is inspired by the fact she heard many parts of the album in isolation during the original mixing process and decided to use that as inspiration for these versions. Ben Mckone is the man on the buttons alongside Hollie while new vocal features by Josh Skints and Kiko Bun also make the cut.
Review: Hollie Cook's superb new album Happy Hour sees the modern day lovers rock star really mature her sound and come good on everything she has promised before now. She has a happy, feel good and lush singing style that has, since the 70s, become a British reggae signature and it is laid bare here for all to enjoy. Her lyrics are also hugely personal and really invite you in deep to her world with her General Roots band members Ben Mckone and Luke Allwood, and executive producer Youth, all in fine form.
The Peoples’ Sound (Tribute To Daddy Veigo)/Off The Spectrum (3:18)
Review: Creation Rebel were the original On-U Sound house band, laying down some of the definitive riddims in the early days of Adrian Sherwood's voyage into dub. 40 years on from their last record, the trio of Crucial Tony, Eskimo Fox and Magoo have reunited with Sherwood at the controls for another masterclass in heavyweight sounds from a crack team of players. Originally they formed as a backing band for the late Prince Far-I, and some of his unmistakable tones manifest on this new record from archive tapes, while Daddy Freddy brings his famous fast chat flow to proceedings and Italian synth player Gaudi crops up on occasion too. Rather than dub-by-numbers, this is an exploratory record which takes in different grooves and influences, all filtered through the expanse of space-time manipulation the dub wise approach inspires.
Review: As part of a rather comprehensive looking back and reissuing of some of Creation Rebel's best and most enduring albums, On-U Sound pay due homage to their one and only in-house band. Close Encounters Of The Third World is one such album; it was first released in 1978, and draws a titular link between alienation and privation. The eight-track LP collates the instrumental talents of Lizard The Wizard, Dr. Pablo and Crucial Tony, and hears a fantastic mixing job by none other than Prince Jammy. With an initial charge to 'Know Yourself' before externalising the pilous inner monologue with 'Natty Conscience Free', Creation Rebel here demonstrate a stage of collective soul-searching and a subsequently serene set of songs.
Know Yourself (CD2: Clsoe Encounters Of The Third World (1978))
Conspiring
Beware
Dangerous & Deadly
Shouldn’t Do That
Creation Fever
Natty Conscience Free
Joyful Noise
Rebel Vibration (CD3: Rebel Vibrations (1979))
Jungle Affair
Hunger & Strife
Ian Smith Rock (dub)
Diverse Doctor
Mountain Melody
Black Lion Dub
Doctor’s Remedy
Starship Africa (Section 1 - CD4: Starship Africa (1980))
Starship Africa (Section 2)
Starship Africa (Section 3)
Starship Africa (Section 4)
Starship Africa (Section 5)
Space Movement (Section 1)
Space Movement (Section 2)
Space Movement (Section 3)
Space Movement (Section 4)
Creation Rock
Give Me Power
Original Power
The Dope (CD5: Psychotic Jonkanoo (1981))
African Space
Chatti Mouth/Threat To Creation
Highest Degree
Mother Don’t Cry
Yuk Up
Drum Talk
Independent Man
Creation Rebel
Monkey Grinds The Organ
Swiftly (The Right One) (CD6: Hostile Environment (2023))
Stonebridge Warrior
Under Pressure
That’s More Like It
Jubilee Clock
This Thinking Feeling
Whatever It Takes
Salutation Gardens
Crown Hill Road
The Peoples’ Sound (Tribute To Daddy Vego)
Off The Spectrum
Review: A comprehensive reissue campaign of the key albums by Creation Rebel, the original On-U Sound house band. The series encompasses out of print and much in demand UK dub reggae albums from the late 1970s and early 1980s, all highlighting crucial early production work from the mixing desk of Adrian Sherwood. The band's post-reformation, 2023 album Hostile Environment, is thrown in for good measure. This mammoth 6xCD edition houses five dozen tracks of indelibly experimental dub and reggae tracks, many of which tend towards the spacier and more cosmically-intoned ends of the dub tradition, which was above alive and kicking at the height of the genre's fame from the late 1970s onwards, and spearheaded by none other than group members Clifton Morrison, Eric 'Fish' Clarke and more.
Review: Pivotal players in both the nascent dub, dancehall and punk scenes of the late 70s, Culture (not, in our estimation, named as such for no reason) emerged from the fecund, twinned musical grounds of Jamaica and the United Kingdom; 1977's Two Sevens Clash was released during, and named after, that crucial year, and serendipitously found itself embraced by the new punks. Though it's famous for this association, this is an electronic/dub album through and through, and could have commanded just as much respect at any other time. A beautifully clear yet vintage sound abounds here, whether on the jabbing bubbles of title track, the lyrical privations of 'See Them A Come', or the prophetic professions of 'Pirate Days'.
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