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Artist: Aswad
Track: Warrior Charge (from the film ‘Babylon’)
Label: Island
Catalog#: 12WIP 6646
Format: Vinyl, 12”
Country: UK
Released: 1980
Credits: Birnsley ‘Dan’ Forde – Guitar, Tony ‘Gad’ Robinson – Keyboards & Bass, Angus ‘Drummie Zeb’ Gaye – Drums. Featuring Vin Gordon - Trombone and Michael ‘Bammi’ Rose - Alto Sax. Produced and Arranged by Aswad and M. Campbell.
Aswad (which means ‘black’ in Arabic) were for the best part of a decade, the foremost roots band in Britain. They formed in 1975, in the Westbourne Grove area of West London, where the core members of the band grew up. Although they never broke through to U.S. or Jamaican audiences in quite the same way as Steel Pulse, Aswad have a prolific output totaling more than 21 albums.
Aswad's strongest recordings are probably from the late-70's/ very early 80's when British, militant roots Reggae was in full-swing. Here, Rastafarian and Reggae themes of black nationalism, alienation, displacement and police harassment where given a specific ‘born in the UK’ context and these themes dominated much of their work.
This track, the instrumental ‘Warrior Charge’, is built around the powerful horns section of Rose and Vin Gordon, and I feel, remains Aswad’s most musically powerful track to date (included here in its full 12” glory). Also check out; Steel Pulse, Matumbi, Black Slate, LKJ, and Dennis Bovell.
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Artist: Leroy Brown & The Roots Rebels
Track: Money Barrier
Label: Rhythm Gits
Catalog#: LB 2737
Format: Vinyl, 7”
Country: Jamaican
Released:
Credits: Written by Leroy Brown
There’s also another cut, ‘Colour Barrier’ on Flames Records, but this is by far the best and most sought after version.
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Artist: Twilight Circus Dub Sound System
Track: Bin Shaker Dub Plate (from the LP ‘Dub Plates Volume Two”)
Label: M Records 180
Catalog#: M Records 180
Format: Vinyl, LP,
Country: UK
Released: 1999
Credits: Produced, Performed & Mixed by Ryan Moore.
Dub Plates Volume Two – a collection of special dubplate mixes and exclusive Twilight Circus tracks previously only available to Sound Systems and DJ’S. Mastered at the legendary Dubplates and Mastering studios in Berlin. Cut for maximum drum and bass on pure 180 gram vinyl.
Since that night in 1967 when selector Ruddy Redwood spun a vocal-less acetate in a Kingston dance hall and the midnight ravers demanded "Rewind!", ‘Dubism’ has been fine-tuned to the art of perfection. Unfortunately, some narrow-minded muzos claim the work of Tubby, Perry, Hudson and Scientist can never be bettered – purely because they get hung up on the subject of ‘authenticity’. However, in Dutch-based Ryan Moore, the Legendary Pink Dots and Tear Garden escapee, I believe we have found a contender for the contemporary Dub crown. Take a listen…. may you wince in fear for your speaker cones.
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Artist: Slim Smith
Track: Hip Hug
Label: Studio 1
Catalog#: WIRL – CS – 3078
Format: Vinyl, 7”
Country: Jamaica
Released: 1966
Credits: Written and Produced by C. Dodd
Re-pressed on a Studio One 7” in 2005 and a 10” on Music Lab in 2007, Hip Hug is one of the sweetest Rocksteady tunes ever recorded, and for me, typifies Slim Smith at his very best.
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Artist: Prince of Darkness
Track: Burial of Longshot (Pt I)
Label: Downtown (subsidiary of Trojan Records)
Catalog#: DT441
Format: Vinyl, 7”
Country: UK
Released: 1969
Credits: Produced by Dandy Livingstone (a.k.a. Prince of Darkness)
A song about the death of a racehorse could be considered an unlikely contender for the subject of a song, but 'Burial of Longshot' is just one of many tunes devoted to the tale of the legendary Jamaican racehorse, Long Shot (the most famous song being 'Long Shot Kick de Bucket' by The Pioneers).
Long Shot was far from a champion horse, but he possessed serious guts and stamina. His ability to complete races 'a record 202 by 1969' made him famous in Jamaica. His name lives on in the Long Shot Trophy, awarded annually at Kingston's Caymanas Park race track. But in Reggae, it is his 203rd race for which Long Shot is best remembered. As Long Shot hugged the rail down the last straight, one afternoon in 1969, he dropped dead, four furlongs short of the finishing post. Both vocal and instrumental versions are killer.
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