This is one of my favourite instrumentals - 'General Amin', a rough diamond from Joe White, easily as good as the better-known 'Kenyatta'.
I like deep, raw-sounding roots like this - I also like the jazzier side of reggae - so this presses all the right buttons. It's been a while since my last post, but I've got a lot of new stuff ready that I'll post over the next week or so.
Here's an old favourite, the original rhythm to Mikey Dread's 'Barber Saloon' 'Love The Dread' (thanks VoR). It's 'Not Responsible' by Carlton Patterson & Leroy Brown (I don't know which one). The mix is great, especially on the dub where you get some real impact on the drums.
There are also a couple of versions by Dillinger ('Ah You Me Love' and 'Healing Stream') and Bongo Herman ('Psalms Of Drums'). The next tune is just really sweet, followers of this blog will know that I'm a big fan of Joe White - an artist who never really got the recognition he deserved. 'Pretty Black Girl' was something he cut for Harry Mudie at the start of the seventies, and you can hear that my copy's been played into the ground.
The final tune needs no introduction, one of Horace Andy's very best, and one of the first really big hits to come out of Channel One: 'Girl A Love You'.
It's hardly surprising that a lot of singers can play an instrument, or deejay. After all, if you can tell when your guitar's in tune, you should be able to tell when your voice is too. We've already met Joe White in a previous post; not just a very good singer, but also a pretty decent organ, piano and melodica player. He recorded instrumentals for a number of producers including Glen Brown, Rupie Edwards & Derrick Harriott.
This first record shows off some of his vocal talents. 'Ain't Misbehaving' is a straight cover of Fats Waller's signature tune, produced by Rupie Edwards. The singer's on good form here, sweet-voiced and riding a nice upbeat rhythm. Rupie Edwards' productions often feature really lovely guitar (like 'It's Time To Be Free', 'High Society' or 'Another Pleasure') and this is no exception. The b-side is straight soul and is also very nice.
Next up we got the UK issue of 'Call Me Trinity' by Joe White & the Crystalites. This was one of a whole series of western-themed instrumentals that Derrick Harriott put out at the start of the seventies. It's a tribute to Bud Spencer and Terence Hill's finest film (apart from 'They Call Me Nobody') - would you believe that Bud Spencer was once an olympic swimmer! (or that he later became a lawyer and politician)
On the b-side, we have 'Monkey Drop' by Scotty, aka David Scott, a talented singer and pioneering deejay who recorded all too little during his early-seventies heyday. As far as I know, all of his deejay tunes are collected on a compilation called 'Unbelievable Sounds' that came out on Trojan a while back - highlights are the title track, 'Draw Your Brakes' ('Stop That Train') and 'Skank In Bed' ('Breakfast In Bed' - that, Lorna Bennett's, and Dusty Springfield's vocal versions are all dynamite).
Let's finish with a taste of David Scott the singer - a really fine self-produced rocksteady tune that he recorded with the Federals, called 'You Better Call On Me' (aka 'Shocking Love'). The Federals were only around for a couple of years in the late sixties, and after they split up two of them (Scott and Franklyn Spence) joined the Chosen Few.
The other side, 'In This World', is only so-so; but honestly, who cares?
I hope you enjoy these - we've been on a roots tip for a while now and I need to take a break from the heavy stuff. Anyway, here's the intro to 'They Call Me Trinity' - it's a seventies thing, we used to love all this.
BTW, thanks Lala for the Mawal, that clip of Asala is a gem - what a moment to have a brain freeze!
I've got 3 tunes today that cover pretty much all the bases.
First up, let's have 'Jah Guide' by Big Joe, monster deejay cut to Horace Andy's 'Problems'. Big Joe can be a bit of an acquired taste, but this is one of the very best Santic-produced deejay tunes and I would recommend it to anybody. It also has a seriously ruff and dirty dub - just compare this to the dub of 'Lover's Mood' and you'll see what I mean.
Next let's have an instrumental. I've seen a few (as in 2 or 3) copies of this over the (last 20) years and none of them have had a title. Produced by Vincent Chin on a label named for his wife, this has a quirky, jazzy feel and is pure quality all the way through. It's one of my favourite reggae instrumentals, sublime horns on the a-side and a version that concentrates more on the (very good) guitar and organ.
Finally, Joe White's 'People Are Changing'. This is a fantastic song from a seriously undervalued singer. The b-side dub is also excellent; the effects are applied with a very light touch and really emphasize the elements of the song that kind of pass you by in the vocal mix.
