The Rhythm Master

Here's an uptempo roots tune from 1979. It's 'Higher Man' by Glen Brown, and it's very nice in a far more polished way than the early-seventies tunes he's best known for. The label is one of my favourites - a really simple design that just works.

Higher Man

This is quite a rare record, I got mine off a list at the start of the nineties, flogged it, and then picked up another copy for next to nothing on ebay a couple of years ago. I've never seen it anywhere else - I hope you enjoy it too.

Happy Occasion

French speakers might be able to guess what it is ...




And yes, the bit at the start is a bit of a giveaway.

Horsemouth Strikes Again

Here's a really old deejay track by Mad Roy, better known as Leroy Wallace. It's a version of John Holt's 'A Love I Can Feel', and while it's quite nice, it's not his best. We've already had the magnificent 'Herb Vendor' in an earlier post, and someday I'll post a great vocal he did on Big Youth's Negusa Negast label called 'Far Beyond The Blue'.

Universal Love

The b-side is far older, about 10 years older in fact. It's a nice Jamaican boogie-woogie called 'Chariot Rock' from Sir Coxsone and the Blues Blasters. Coxsone's first love was apparently jazz and a lot of his productions, especially the earlier ones, do have a very jazzy feel to them.

Wreck Up My Life

Today's tune is a classic from Leroy Smart - 'Trying To Wreck Up My Life'. It's a superb vocal laid over a heavy Aggrovators version of an old Heptones song called 'Give Me The Right' (also superb).

Trying To Wreck Up My Life

It has a really good dub - one of my favourite Jackpot b-sides in fact - with some great double-drumming effects and echo. My copy called the b-side 'Channel One Under Heavy Manners' - but I didn't get a label scan before I flogged it years ago, so we're stuck with the only picture I could find. 'Channel One Feel It' doesn't go quite as well with the spoken intro on the vocal - but the message is still pretty clear.

Dillinger did a superb deejay version called 'Trial & Crosses' - his album 'Talking Blues' was one of the first reggae LPs I ever bought and I've always rated it as one of the best deejay records ever made.

Big Joe also versioned it to good effect on his LP 'Keep On Rocking & Swinging'.

As always, hope you enjoy.

Danger Zone In Roots!

Here's another serious roots tune - and this time it's not in any way connected to psychopathic cult leaders or serial kiddy-fiddlers. It's 'Running Star' by Barry Brown, a roots version of 'Danger Zone' that you definitely ought to hear.

Running Star

It came out on the LP 'Stand Firm', with a disappointingly anaemic bassline. Here on the 7" version you get some proper bass, and a superb dub as well. The vocal and horns still have that slightly tinny sound that they have on the LP, but it hardly matters on a tune this good.