Got to love Misty In Roots and The Ruts who formed part of The People Unite Collective at their base in Southall. MIR another band who’s back catalogue is frustratingly almost permanently out of print. They constantly tour, I’ve seen them many times most recently last year at One Love. I was due to see them again along with The Ruts as part of the Rock Against Racism revival/celebration that Covid has put the mockers on.
Respect most definitely due, Misty have been through a lot of tribulation, Clarence Baker came close to being murdered by the Police when he came close to death after suffering a fractured skull from being bludgeoned by some racist neanderthal cozzer, Keyboard player Vernon got jailed and vocalist Delvin Tyson went for a swim in Zimbabwe and disappeared apparently drowned.
Despite all the trial and tribulation Misty have avoided fad and fashion in the music and continued to plough their own righteous furrow
So pleased your enjoying Inna De Yard, its wonderful isn’t it? I hope you decide to get the Soul Of Jamaica set as well.
Did you get the vinyl pressing as well? be interested to know how it sounds.
Inna De Yard were due to tour prior to lockdown, hope they make it here eventually. There is a full length film due for release soon as well.
I just heard this news that Ringo’s boy Zac Starkey has been in Jamaica launching a new label Trojan Jamaica.
He’s been recording with Sly n Robbie and a whole host of top notch artists.
Theres an album Red Gold Green And Blue, which includes tracks like Mykal Rose covering Screamin Jay Hawkins, Andrew Tosh - Muddy Waters, Big Youth - Bo Diddly…
Hi Dread
I should pick up the vinyl copy on Monday. I’ll give it a spin and let you know
The CD is great - I love the percussion. Because I’m dim, it took me a couple of tracks to realise - no drum kit! Great singers, great songs, great atmosphere…a righteous recording. Love it.
I saw the Ken Boothe IDY in the CD booklet. I’ll keep an eye out.
Really enjoying The Revolutionary Minds. Thought provoking Dub Poetry reflective of the times, great Dub to give your bottom end a workout.
The label is Fane Phonics, I’m wondering if it’s the same Fane that manufacture drive units as favoured by Sound Systems like Channel One
Thanks Stevie, I didnt get the vinyl originally as, despite it being my go to format of choice, I find much contemporary reggae from Jamaica sounds better on CD, it’s generally recorded and mastered for playback in the digital domain, streaming etc these days. Ironic considering Jamaica used to press hundreds of records every week but now JA pressing plants are all shut.
Also when playing times exceed about 20mins per side of vinyl SQ tends to get compromised. Be great if you could let me have your thoughts from a comparison.
Not sure if there still available but a selection of tracks from The Soul Of Jamaica set were put out on 12" 45rpm.
Incidentally @steviebee, if your loving Inna De Yard I would highly recommend The Wingless Angel’s self titled first album.
A Rastafarian Nyabhingi group led by the late great Justin Hinds (Justin Hinds & The Dominoes) and featuring Keef Richards.
Its beautiful and funny too, as the performance progresses all are getting increasingly fueled by Ganja, at one point Keef on guitar can be heard slurring “…it’s alright for you guys you’re all sitting down…”
Bonkers lyric and I love the drum and bass interaction on this.
For the trainspotters and Only Fools & Horses fans, this is the tune Denzil blasts out of his ghetto blaster as he roller skates past Del n Rodney in the episode where they try to capture a rare butterfly
Back in the 1970s, Jamaican born DJ, Kool Herc strung up a sound-system in a Bronx park. While the sound-system itself reflected the city of his birth, the records Kool Herc played, and the way he played them was pure New York City. In a moment of historic genius, Herc found that the best way to keep the crowd going wild was to extend the funky bridges that occurred in certain records by playing two copies of the tune side-by-side, cutting back and forth to keep the “break” going. These records – James Brown’s “Funky Drummer,” The Winston’s “Amen Brother” – became known as breakbeats and they created the foundation for what was to become Hip Hop music.
For DJs and record collectors, discovering breakbeats and undiscovered grooves was like searching for vinyl gold. Some DJs would guard their “nuggets” by scraping off labels of their deepest cuts, hiding their identity from train spotting competitors. Others, like the aptly named Breakbeat Lou, shared their discoveries with the world via mixtapes and compilations (the wonderful “Ultimate Breaks and Beats” series for example).
Kingston Shuffle brings the breakbeat genre back to its spiritual home of Jamaica via 25 tracks mined from the extensive Pressure Sounds catalog. The featured songs are a mix of straight-up breaks, Soul covers and various funky grooves all touched by the unique musical melting pot of Jamaica.
@steviebee
If your interested I’m recommending the initial 1996 Wingless Angel’s CD as pictured above. It’s on Island Jamaica/Mindless Records and is a HDCD whatever that means, it plays on a normal CD player and sounds great.
It was sort of reissued in 2010 as Vol 1&2. Vol1 being the above described initial album with Vol2 being later recordings. I haven’t heard that one but I think they are more Studio based recordings so perhaps less authentic.
