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RR 371LP
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Laurel Aitken's The Fantastic Laurel Aitken, originally released in 1972. Remastered and expanded edition of this hyper-rare early '70s release from the "Godfather Of Ska". By 1970, Laurel Aitken was well and truly established as the "Father of British Reggae", having dominated the country's Jamaican music scene since his arrival at the start of the '60s. But having enjoyed success with every UK-based West Indian record company of note over the previous eleven years, he was no longer content with simply domestic triumphs and set his sights on conquering foreign territories. So, he took the unusual step of licensing his next album to companies in Europe and North America, while leaving his legions of British fans scrambling for the few copies available on import. Originally out on the Belgian label Hebra 42 years ago and never reissued ever since, this is one of the unmissable '70s ska classics finally back on vinyl. Includes four bonus tracks.
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RR 365LP
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$22.50
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 8/20/2021
Jackie Mittoo is one of Jamaica's musical giants, a towering figure in the development of reggae whose skills as a keyboardist and musical arranger led to indelible changes in the evolution of Jamaican popular music, helping it to reach international prominence. An exceptionally-expressive player whose mastery of the organ was truly outstanding, Mittoo was also a gifted arranger with an intrinsic feel for what would work best, his key instruction giving shape to ska at Studio One and roots reggae at Channel One and other Kingston studios, as well as lover's rock at Wackies in New York and with Sugar Minott and UB40 in Britain, Jackie's own productions later incorporating far-out synthesizer experiments and vocoder techniques. Reggae as we know it would never have existed without Mittoo's essential input, making him an under-sung icon of Jamaican song. Jackie Mittoo went on to make all kinds of other incredible music in Jamaica, the UK, USA, and Canada before dying of cancer in 1990 at the tragically young age of 42; the dramatic send-off he received at the National Arena in Kingston gives some indication of the stellar status he achieved in his lifetime and the universal respect with which he was regarded. In an exemplary career full of exceptional music, Showcase, originally released on Bunny Lee's own imprint Jackpot in 1977, remains one of his greatest, an enthralling collection of stunners that shows why he will always be regarded as Jamaica's keyboard king.
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LP
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RR 348LP
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Sly & Robbie's Master Of Ceremony Dub. Master rhythm duo Sly and Robbie first met on the Jamaican club scene of the early 1970s, when both were playing clubs on Kingston's Red Hills Road. They began working together at Channel One studio when Sly was drummer and arranger of The Revolutionaries and Robbie the bassist mainstay of Bunny Lee's Aggrovators and soon became the most in-demand drum and bass team on the island. This obscure dub album, originally released on the Imperial label in Canada, was produced by Lee in the late 1970s, and has the Rhythm Twins trying their hands at updating classic rhythms such as "The Liquidator," "Death In The Arena," "It's Raining," "Love Me Forever" and "My Conversation," as well as killer cuts of Johnnie Clarke's "Roots Natty Congo," Gregory Isaacs' "Storm" and an odd "Legalize It" rendition, plus some wacky between-song interjections. A must for all dub devotees.
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RR 351LP
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Clint Eastwood's African Youth, originally released in 1978. Clint Eastwood followed his older brother Trinity onto the sound systems of western Kingston, becoming another microphone fiend to impact during the mid-1970s. After recording singles for Ossie Hibbert, Manzie Swaby, and Joe Gibbs, Eastwood teamed up with Bunny Lee for a series of sublime LPs, African Youth a super 1978 set voiced at King Tubby's and mixed by Prince Jammy over some of Lee's tough Aggrovators rhythms. Highlights include tough deejay takes of Johnny Clarke's "African Roots" and Cornel Campbell's "Stars," as well as a cut of Black Uhuru's "Eden Out There," from Jammy's archive. This is a crucial roots classic with all killer, no filler status.
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RR 350LP
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Pavement's self-titled album, originally released in 1969. Pavement's sole long-player is the stuff of legend, a record so rare that in-the-know vinyl connoisseurs have questioned its very existence. As one of the many vinyl anomalies of the day, Pavement's obscure story is very much about a particular place and time, in this case, the fringes of the multi-cultural London music scene that existed at the tail end of the swinging sixties. According to the liner notes of the original LP, Pavement was formed in 1968 after "Dexter Pat and John had left their original group," and "Tony and George left theirs to unite with them." Then, "an express letter to Beirut brought Mick, who was playing there at the time." We are told that these musicians were "digging the solid soul sounds" and "the exciting rhythms of the Caribbean, ska and reggae," and after two months of steady rehearsals, the band "launched themselves into the rat race of popular music" in November 1968. They supposedly had so much success as a warm-up act after playing up and down the country in support of various unnamed groups that they were "soon being booked as top of the bill," hence the need for this. Pavement's self-titled debut album was the first LP released by Crystal, the subsidiary of President Records that was established in 1968 by Jack Price, a songwriter and harmonica player that had just replaced Siggy Jackson as label manager at Melodisc Records. Price had his finger in a number of different pies: in addition to promoting Melodisc's ska and reggae catalogue, he was soon to produce the ground-breaking various artists album Rock Steady Hits Of 69 for Fontana with London-based reggae performers, which helped bring Caribbean rhythms into non-specialist music shops for the very first time, and enjoyed the publishing on The Cats' massive "Swan Lake" 45, a hugely successful pop-reggae adaptation. Jack also ran a recording studio of his own, reputedly the first London facility with eight-track recording equipment. The original liner notes suggested that we should "rest assured that there will be more singles and albums to come from this refreshing group" and that "this news will please a lot of people." Of course, things didn't quite work out that way. This reissue reminds that reggae, soul and other foreign forms were spicing up the London music scene as the 1960s drew to a close.
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RR 341CD
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Beany Man's The Invincible Beany Man (The 10 Year Old D.J. Wonder), originally released in 1987. Dancehall superstar Beenie Man has enjoyed a career unmatched for its length and diversity. Born Moses Davis in 1973, he claims to have started toasting on his uncle's sound system, Master Blaster, at five years old; during his harsh youth, he became a semi-wild creature of the streets and lived as a near homeless person, suffering from malnourishment, before music became his ultimate salvation. His debut recording, "Too Fancy," was produced by political "enforcer"-turned-producer, Henry "Junjo" Lawes, after he won a popular talent contest where the price was a recording contract, though nothing much happened with that particular release. Beenie Man recorded his debut album for hit-making producer Bunny Lee, released as The Invincible Beany Man (The 10 Year Old D.J. Wonder), while he was already a steady fixture on Lee's Unlimited, a vintage sound system established in 1968 in Springfield, a small town in the eastern parish of Saint Thomas, and then one of Jamaica's most prominent sets. On the album, his flow is well-honed, his chatter sounding entirely skillful and confident, the rhymes flowing from his mouth with ease and fervor. On one track, he even dares to compare himself to Bob Marley and as the future would prove, such bragging was not some idle boast! In the best dancehall tradition, the rhymes are relayed over the barest of electro synthesizer rhythms and the subject matter of the chatter is all over the place; on the opening track "Woman Labba Labba" he warns of loose female tongues, relates sound system battles on "Sound Boy Kuffing," appeals to his peers "Try Some Hustling" and decries the anatomy of thin ladies on "Bony Punanny" (over a harsh "Freedom Blues" recut); he praises the general allure of females on "Girls Nowadays," warns of the potential of bothersome insects to ruin a romantic tryst on "Insects Nuh Bother We," and relates the prevalence of gun crime and the negative impact of cocaine along the way, among many other topics. Even though the original track list was a bit out of sequence with the songs themselves, the youth's incredible potential is entirely evident throughout.
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RR 338CD
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Dillinger's Top Ranking Dillinger, originally released in 1977. One of Jamaica's most popular "deejays" or rappers, Dillinger was one of the few Jamaican sound system toasters to rise to international prominence as a recording artist during the mid-1970s. Born Lester Bullocks in 1953, he was raised by his grandmother in a peripheral neighborhood located on the outskirts of Kingston. After moving into a tough ghetto area in western Kingston, he became a protégé of Dennis Alcapone, the star deejay on an influential set called El Paso, and was known as Young Alcapone until the maverick producer Lee "Scratch" Perry renamed him Dillinger, cutting a dozen or so tracks at Dynamic Sounds studio in 1973, of which the most noteworthy was "Dub Organiser," which saluted King Tubby and his sound system. Recordings for Phil Pratt, Augustus Pablo, The Abyssinians, and GG Records led to an impressive album for Studio One, but it wasn't until he began recording for Ossie Hibbert and Joseph Hoo Kim at Channel One that the world took notice, following the dramatic success of Island's CB200 album and its breakthrough hit, "Cokane In My Brain." The album Top Raking Dillinger was produced by Bunny Lee in 1977 and sees the toaster in fine rapping form over some of Lee's toughest contemporary rhythms, including Ronnie Davis's "Hard Times" for "Rat A Cut Bottle" and Johnny Clarke's update of Alton Ellis's "Cry Tough" for "Ranking Of The Past." There are also roots mutations of past classics, including Cornell Campbell's take of Bob Marley's "War" for "War Is Not the Answer," Johnny Clarke's version of "Waiting In Vain" for the cheeky "Check Sister Jane," a cut of The Silvertones' "Smile" as "Three Mile Rock," a horns-laden take of the perennial "Get Ready" as "Judgement Day Rock" and a version of "Melody Life" as "Don't Watch Your Wife."
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CD
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RR 343CD
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Delroy Wilson's Better Must Come, originally released in 1971. Delroy Wilson was one of the best-beloved vocalists in the history of reggae. Born in 1948 in the infamous slum of Trench Town, Wilson is regarded as Jamaica's first child star, having signed a contract with future Studio One founder, Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, at the tender age of thirteen. Wilson was blessed with a mellifluous voice and his strong range and expressive tone made him a natural for recording. Debut album I Shall Not Remove caused a sensation on release in 1964 and as Jamaican music evolved in the mid-60s the hits kept coming. Delroy's second album, Good All Over (1969), was another landmark release of the early reggae phase, although he had already begun recording for other producers, most notably teaming with Bunny Lee for a smash rendition of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart Of Mine." As Jamaica geared up for an era-defining general election, Delroy Wilson and Bunny Lee captured the public's imagination with "Better Must Come," which topped the charts in 1971. The popularity of the song was such that leftist candidate Michael Manley adopted it as his campaign theme, leading to a landslide victory the following year. The Better Must Come album was recorded at Dynamic Sounds, then the best-equipped studio in the Caribbean region, with Bunny Lee in the producer's chair and Sid Bucknor and Carlton Lee as resident engineers. In addition to the opening title track, there is a range of classic Delroy here: "Better To Be Loved" puts his soulful delivery over a creeping "John Crow" organ skank; "Can't Explain" describes the passionate allure of his new lover, while "It's You I Love" grafts Delroy's soulful tenor atop a sparse reggae riff, before "Dance With You" recalls a missed opportunity on the dancefloor. The determined "Try Again" is delivered in heavily accented patois, before Delroy drifts into reggae-funk territory with a killer cut of The Isleys' "It's Your Thing"; "Keep An Eye" warns of deceptive friends with ulterior motives and the organ-heavy "Drink Wine" salutes the uplifting qualities of fermented grapes, before closing things off with an alternate reading of Shep and The Limelights' "Stick By Me." Adding to the appeal is an individual drum sound, lively guitar picking and variations on the organ skank, keeping things interesting throughout.
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CD
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RR 334CD
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Moods Of Pablo, a compilation of Augustus Pablo recordings released in 2000. The man known as Augustus Pablo was a visionary, part of an intimate group of creative figures whose approach to reggae music and audio recording have forever changed the shape of popular music in Jamaica, and the echoes of his creative ingenuity have reached far beyond the island's shores. The enigmatic figure will always be most associated with his exceptional skills on the melodica, a plastic toy instrument that is used to teach schoolchildren the rudiments of keyboard melody, but his oeuvre encompassed so much more. In fact, the man was one of Jamaican music's most important record producers, as well as being a session keyboard player of considerable renown. Moods Of Pablo collects some individual moments of Pablo's work which somehow drifted into the orbit of Bunny Lee, a producer with his fingers always in a broad range of musical pies; futuristic cuts of "Queen Of The Minstrel," "Hold On," "Fatty Fatty," "Heart Don't Leap," and "The Drifter" give way to ten thematic roots dubs from King Tubby's studio, each with melodica firmly in place, morphing rhythms such as "Barb Wire," "Everything I Own", and "Miss Wire Waist" into another dimension.
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CD
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RR 342CD
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The Jamaican dancehall artist known as John Wayne was born Norval Headley in 1962 in rural St Elizabeth. He first reached the studio in the early 1980s, recording "Racket Girls In Jackets" for the Root Out label, where you can already hear the fearsome skill unleashed by Wayne at the microphone, showing why he was a favorite of top-ranking sound systems such as Black Scorpio, Kilimanjaro, Jammy's, and Studio Mix. In 1983 he traveled to New York, appearing on a 12" of Sugar Minott's "Jamming In The Street," while the Hoo-Kim brothers paired him with Johnny Slaughter for "Rain Fall, Sun Shine." That same year, Bunny "Striker" Lee produced his only album, titled Boogie Down and issued by Vista Sounds in the UK. Because Striker had access to such killer rhythms, the album is a real treat. Opening track "Jailhouse" rides a slow "Queen Of The Minstrel" recut, patterned similar to Welton Irie's "Army Life"; the aptly-named "Heavy Rhythm" recounts his skill at rhyming, "African Princess" praises black women over a sparse recut of "No More Will I Roam," "Bend Your Back" speaks of various aspects of ghetto life, before Side One closes out with title track "Boogie Down" on the immortal "Late Night Blues" rhythm. On side two, "Bubble With Me" uses a "Drifter" recut to give a massive salute to Bunny Lee and the engineer Professor at King Tubby's studio; "Too Greedy" rides a "Real Rock" recut while the self-referential "Go John Wayne Go" rides Johnny Osbourne's great "Yo Yo," the result so appealing that it gained airplay on John Peel's influential radio show in England (and Wayne keeps up the pressure on "Murder Style" and closing number "Me Deep" too). Wayne scored a massive hit in 1985 when Jammy placed him on "Sleng Teng" for "Call The Police" and he went on to record for George Phang, King Tubby, and Witty Henry before becoming a producer himself. Sadly, John Wayne died of kidney failure in 2014, so we are fortunate that Boogie Down captured the man at the peak of his powers.
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LP
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RR 341LP
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Beany Man's The Invincible Beany Man (The 10 Year Old D.J. Wonder), originally released in 1987. Dancehall superstar Beenie Man has enjoyed a career unmatched for its length and diversity. Born Moses Davis in 1973, he claims to have started toasting on his uncle's sound system, Master Blaster, at five years old; during his harsh youth, he became a semi-wild creature of the streets and lived as a near homeless person, suffering from malnourishment, before music became his ultimate salvation. His debut recording, "Too Fancy," was produced by political "enforcer"-turned-producer, Henry "Junjo" Lawes, after he won a popular talent contest where the price was a recording contract, though nothing much happened with that particular release. Beenie Man recorded his debut album for hit-making producer Bunny Lee, released as The Invincible Beany Man (The 10 Year Old D.J. Wonder), while he was already a steady fixture on Lee's Unlimited, a vintage sound system established in 1968 in Springfield, a small town in the eastern parish of Saint Thomas, and then one of Jamaica's most prominent sets. On the album, his flow is well-honed, his chatter sounding entirely skillful and confident, the rhymes flowing from his mouth with ease and fervor. On one track, he even dares to compare himself to Bob Marley and as the future would prove, such bragging was not some idle boast! In the best dancehall tradition, the rhymes are relayed over the barest of electro synthesizer rhythms and the subject matter of the chatter is all over the place; on the opening track "Woman Labba Labba" he warns of loose female tongues, relates sound system battles on "Sound Boy Kuffing," appeals to his peers "Try Some Hustling" and decries the anatomy of thin ladies on "Bony Punanny" (over a harsh "Freedom Blues" recut); he praises the general allure of females on "Girls Nowadays," warns of the potential of bothersome insects to ruin a romantic tryst on "Insects Nuh Bother We," and relates the prevalence of gun crime and the negative impact of cocaine along the way, among many other topics. Even though the original track list was a bit out of sequence with the songs themselves, the youth's incredible potential is entirely evident throughout.
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Artist |
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Format |
Label |
Catalog # |
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LP
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RR 338LP
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Dillinger's Top Ranking Dillinger, originally released in 1977. One of Jamaica's most popular "deejays" or rappers, Dillinger was one of the few Jamaican sound system toasters to rise to international prominence as a recording artist during the mid-1970s. Born Lester Bullocks in 1953, he was raised by his grandmother in a peripheral neighborhood located on the outskirts of Kingston. After moving into a tough ghetto area in western Kingston, he became a protégé of Dennis Alcapone, the star deejay on an influential set called El Paso, and was known as Young Alcapone until the maverick producer Lee "Scratch" Perry renamed him Dillinger, cutting a dozen or so tracks at Dynamic Sounds studio in 1973, of which the most noteworthy was "Dub Organiser," which saluted King Tubby and his sound system. Recordings for Phil Pratt, Augustus Pablo, The Abyssinians, and GG Records led to an impressive album for Studio One, but it wasn't until he began recording for Ossie Hibbert and Joseph Hoo Kim at Channel One that the world took notice, following the dramatic success of Island's CB200 album and its breakthrough hit, "Cokane In My Brain." The album Top Raking Dillinger was produced by Bunny Lee in 1977 and sees the toaster in fine rapping form over some of Lee's toughest contemporary rhythms, including Ronnie Davis's "Hard Times" for "Rat A Cut Bottle" and Johnny Clarke's update of Alton Ellis's "Cry Tough" for "Ranking Of The Past." There are also roots mutations of past classics, including Cornell Campbell's take of Bob Marley's "War" for "War Is Not the Answer," Johnny Clarke's version of "Waiting In Vain" for the cheeky "Check Sister Jane," a cut of The Silvertones' "Smile" as "Three Mile Rock," a horns-laden take of the perennial "Get Ready" as "Judgement Day Rock" and a version of "Melody Life" as "Don't Watch Your Wife."
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LP
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RR 343LP
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Delroy Wilson's Better Must Come, originally released in 1971. Delroy Wilson was one of the best-beloved vocalists in the history of reggae. Born in 1948 in the infamous slum of Trench Town, Wilson is regarded as Jamaica's first child star, having signed a contract with future Studio One founder, Clement "Sir Coxsone" Dodd, at the tender age of thirteen. Wilson was blessed with a mellifluous voice and his strong range and expressive tone made him a natural for recording. Debut album I Shall Not Remove caused a sensation on release in 1964 and as Jamaican music evolved in the mid-60s the hits kept coming. Delroy's second album, Good All Over (1969), was another landmark release of the early reggae phase, although he had already begun recording for other producers, most notably teaming with Bunny Lee for a smash rendition of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart Of Mine." As Jamaica geared up for an era-defining general election, Delroy Wilson and Bunny Lee captured the public's imagination with "Better Must Come," which topped the charts in 1971. The popularity of the song was such that leftist candidate Michael Manley adopted it as his campaign theme, leading to a landslide victory the following year. The Better Must Come album was recorded at Dynamic Sounds, then the best-equipped studio in the Caribbean region, with Bunny Lee in the producer's chair and Sid Bucknor and Carlton Lee as resident engineers. In addition to the opening title track, there is a range of classic Delroy here: "Better To Be Loved" puts his soulful delivery over a creeping "John Crow" organ skank; "Can't Explain" describes the passionate allure of his new lover, while "It's You I Love" grafts Delroy's soulful tenor atop a sparse reggae riff, before "Dance With You" recalls a missed opportunity on the dancefloor. The determined "Try Again" is delivered in heavily accented patois, before Delroy drifts into reggae-funk territory with a killer cut of The Isleys' "It's Your Thing"; "Keep An Eye" warns of deceptive friends with ulterior motives and the organ-heavy "Drink Wine" salutes the uplifting qualities of fermented grapes, before closing things off with an alternate reading of Shep and The Limelights' "Stick By Me." Adding to the appeal is an individual drum sound, lively guitar picking and variations on the organ skank, keeping things interesting throughout.
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LP
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RR 342LP
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The Jamaican dancehall artist known as John Wayne was born Norval Headley in 1962 in rural St Elizabeth. He first reached the studio in the early 1980s, recording "Racket Girls In Jackets" for the Root Out label, where you can already hear the fearsome skill unleashed by Wayne at the microphone, showing why he was a favorite of top-ranking sound systems such as Black Scorpio, Kilimanjaro, Jammy's, and Studio Mix. In 1983 he traveled to New York, appearing on a 12" of Sugar Minott's "Jamming In The Street," while the Hoo-Kim brothers paired him with Johnny Slaughter for "Rain Fall, Sun Shine." That same year, Bunny "Striker" Lee produced his only album, titled Boogie Down and issued by Vista Sounds in the UK. Because Striker had access to such killer rhythms, the album is a real treat. Opening track "Jailhouse" rides a slow "Queen Of The Minstrel" recut, patterned similar to Welton Irie's "Army Life"; the aptly-named "Heavy Rhythm" recounts his skill at rhyming, "African Princess" praises black women over a sparse recut of "No More Will I Roam," "Bend Your Back" speaks of various aspects of ghetto life, before Side One closes out with title track "Boogie Down" on the immortal "Late Night Blues" rhythm. On side two, "Bubble With Me" uses a "Drifter" recut to give a massive salute to Bunny Lee and the engineer Professor at King Tubby's studio; "Too Greedy" rides a "Real Rock" recut while the self-referential "Go John Wayne Go" rides Johnny Osbourne's great "Yo Yo," the result so appealing that it gained airplay on John Peel's influential radio show in England (and Wayne keeps up the pressure on "Murder Style" and closing number "Me Deep" too). Wayne scored a massive hit in 1985 when Jammy placed him on "Sleng Teng" for "Call The Police" and he went on to record for George Phang, King Tubby, and Witty Henry before becoming a producer himself. Sadly, John Wayne died of kidney failure in 2014, so we are fortunate that Boogie Down captured the man at the peak of his powers.
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RR 339LP
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LP version. Radiation Roots present a reissue of Shorty The President's Fire Fire, originally released in 1979. Jamaican deejay Shorty The President may have been one of the more obscure figures to rise from the Kingston sound system scene, but the impact he made on vinyl recordings during the 1970s is no less important and his work remains coveted by reggae connoisseurs. Born Derrick Thompson in rural Trelawny in 1949, like many of his peers, he moved to the Jamaican capital as a teenager in search of better opportunities. As he gravitated to the Rastafari faith, an affiliation with the sound system Conquering Lion sparked interest from producer Rupie Edwards, who produced debut hits "President Mash Up The Resident" and "Yamaha Skank". Edwards issued debut album Presenting Shorty The President in 1976 and after sparse work for Enos McLeod, Joe Gibbs, Pete Weston, Winston Riley, and Keith Hudson, sophomore album Fire Fire was produced by Bunny Lee in 1978, with Shorty riding typically tough Aggrovators rhythms of the day, including Ronnie Davis's updated version of Bob Marley's "Kaya" and The Cables' "Baby Why", Delroy Wilson's "Have Some Mercy", and Barry Brown's take of Wilson's "I'm Not A King", as well as killer cuts of Brown's "Natty Roots Hold Them" as "Roots Man" and "Best Thing In Life" as "Do My Thing". Includes liner notes by David Katz.
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LP
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RR 336LP
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LP version. Radiation Roots present a reissue of Eric Donaldson's self-titled album, originally released in 1971. Eric Donaldson's soaring falsetto has made him one of Jamaica's best-loved vocalists. Born in the country town of Bog Walk in 1947, Donaldson cut some ska material at Studio One in 1964, which never surfaced, and went on to form The West Indians vocal trio at the tail end of rock steady, enjoying minor local hits for Sir JJ and Lee "Scratch" Perry. Winning the annual Festival Song Competition with love ditty "Cherry Oh Baby" in 1971 saw him team up with former Jamaicans vocalist Tommy Cowan and hit-making producer Bunny "Striker" Lee, the subsequent recording of the tune at Dynamic Sounds studio resulting in a spectacular success around the world and subsequent hit cover versions by The Rolling Stones and UB40, among many others. This self-titled debut album was recorded at Dynamics in the wake of the hit with the set of upcoming players known as The Inner Circle, which then featured future members of Third World such as keyboardist and arranger Ibo Cooper and guitarist Cat Coore; along with the enduring "Cherry Oh Baby", there is a popular cover version of the doomed romance saga, "Sylvia's Mother" and an individual rendition of "Love Of The Common People", as well as the castigating "Miserable Woman", all popular with reggae fans at home and abroad. Includes liner notes by David Katz.
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RR 340LP
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LP version. Radiation Roots present a reissue of Sugar Minott's The Leader For The Pack, originally released in 1985. Sugar Minott is part of the pantheon of Jamaican roots reggae icons, one of a handful of singers that indelibly changed the course of the music and helped it reach a broader overseas audience. Raised next door to one of Jamaica's most popular dancehalls, in the heart of a notorious west Kingston slum, Minott joined The African Brothers in the mid-1970s, making an impact with singles for Rupie Edwards, Clive Chin, and Micron Music, as well as with self-produced work, but the breakthrough came when Sugar went solo for Studio One, spearheading the reuse of classic rhythms at the facility for new purpose. He later moved away from Studio One to record sparse work for Prince Jammy, Mikey Dread, and other smaller producers but the main focus was Black Roots/Youth Promotion, the record label and sound system he established himself. Then, following smash hit "Good Thing Going", Sugar helped to launch the careers of dancehall stars like Tenor Saw and Nitty Gritty. The Leader For The Pack album was produced by Bunny Lee in 1985 at The Rock studio in London, established by Gibraltarians Danny, Eddy and Henry. Sugar's first fully synthesized album, it was arranged by Jackie Mittoo and revived classic rhythms of the past with minimal, synth-driven backing, including "Everybody Needs Love" as "This Is Rockers Music", alongside a great cut of "Sleng Teng" for the title track; "Them Have To Come A We" was co-written by fellow icon, Gregory Isaacs. Includes liner notes by David Katz.
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LP
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RR 337LP
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LP version. Radiation Roots present a reissue of Trinity's Dreadlock Satisfaction, originally released in 1979. The reggae artist known as Trinity is one of the music's best-known rappers, known in Jamaica as "toasters" or "deejays" for their key work at the microphone on sound systems. Born Wade Brammer in1954 and raised in the tough streets of the Two Mile ghetto in western Kingston, an early preoccupation with the toasting styles of U Roy and Big Youth kept him away from crime, leading to a debut single as Prince Charming and more solid early work released under the name Prince Glen. Bonding closely with fellow deejay Dillinger brought another name change to Trinity at Channel One studio, which enabled his debut album, Shanty Town Determination (1977), produced by Yabby You, and subsequent breakthrough material for Channel One and Joe Gibbs, the latter releasing "Three Piece Suit," the blueprint for Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking", which would catapult Trinity to international stardom. Dreadlocks Satisfaction was produced by Bunny Lee for his Jackpot label in 1979, placing Trinity's witty raps over some of Bunny's most unusual rhythms, including alternate, rockers-styled Johnny Clarke takes of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart Of Mine" and The Tams' "Riding For A Fall," plus Cornell Campbell's takes of The Sensations' "Every Day Is A Holiday" and The Heptones' "Why Did You Leave"; Trinity also salutes Dillinger on a recut of John Holt's "Linger A While". Includes liner notes by David Katz.
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RR 339CD
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Shorty The President's Fire Fire, originally released in 1979. Jamaican deejay Shorty The President may have been one of the more obscure figures to rise from the Kingston sound system scene, but the impact he made on vinyl recordings during the 1970s is no less important and his work remains coveted by reggae connoisseurs. Born Derrick Thompson in rural Trelawny in 1949, like many of his peers, he moved to the Jamaican capital as a teenager in search of better opportunities. As he gravitated to the Rastafari faith, an affiliation with the sound system Conquering Lion sparked interest from producer Rupie Edwards, who produced debut hits "President Mash Up The Resident" and "Yamaha Skank". Edwards issued debut album Presenting Shorty The President in 1976 and after sparse work for Enos McLeod, Joe Gibbs, Pete Weston, Winston Riley, and Keith Hudson, sophomore album Fire Fire was produced by Bunny Lee in 1978, with Shorty riding typically tough Aggrovators rhythms of the day, including Ronnie Davis's updated version of Bob Marley's "Kaya" and The Cables' "Baby Why", Delroy Wilson's "Have Some Mercy", and Barry Brown's take of Wilson's "I'm Not A King", as well as killer cuts of Brown's "Natty Roots Hold Them" as "Roots Man" and "Best Thing In Life" as "Do My Thing". Includes liner notes by David Katz.
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RR 337CD
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Trinity's Dreadlock Satisfaction, originally released in 1979. The reggae artist known as Trinity is one of the music's best-known rappers, known in Jamaica as "toasters" or "deejays" for their key work at the microphone on sound systems. Born Wade Brammer in1954 and raised in the tough streets of the Two Mile ghetto in western Kingston, an early preoccupation with the toasting styles of U Roy and Big Youth kept him away from crime, leading to a debut single as Prince Charming and more solid early work released under the name Prince Glen. Bonding closely with fellow deejay Dillinger brought another name change to Trinity at Channel One studio, which enabled his debut album, Shanty Town Determination (1977), produced by Yabby You, and subsequent breakthrough material for Channel One and Joe Gibbs, the latter releasing "Three Piece Suit," the blueprint for Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking", which would catapult Trinity to international stardom. Dreadlocks Satisfaction was produced by Bunny Lee for his Jackpot label in 1979, placing Trinity's witty raps over some of Bunny's most unusual rhythms, including alternate, rockers-styled Johnny Clarke takes of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart Of Mine" and The Tams' "Riding For A Fall," plus Cornell Campbell's takes of The Sensations' "Every Day Is A Holiday" and The Heptones' "Why Did You Leave"; Trinity also salutes Dillinger on a recut of John Holt's "Linger A While". Includes liner notes by David Katz.
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RR 336CD
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Eric Donaldson's self-titled album, originally released in 1971. Eric Donaldson's soaring falsetto has made him one of Jamaica's best-loved vocalists. Born in the country town of Bog Walk in 1947, Donaldson cut some ska material at Studio One in 1964, which never surfaced, and went on to form The West Indians vocal trio at the tail end of rock steady, enjoying minor local hits for Sir JJ and Lee "Scratch" Perry. Winning the annual Festival Song Competition with love ditty "Cherry Oh Baby" in 1971 saw him team up with former Jamaicans vocalist Tommy Cowan and hit-making producer Bunny "Striker" Lee, the subsequent recording of the tune at Dynamic Sounds studio resulting in a spectacular success around the world and subsequent hit cover versions by The Rolling Stones and UB40, among many others. This self-titled debut album was recorded at Dynamics in the wake of the hit with the set of upcoming players known as The Inner Circle, which then featured future members of Third World such as keyboardist and arranger Ibo Cooper and guitarist Cat Coore; along with the enduring "Cherry Oh Baby", there is a popular cover version of the doomed romance saga, "Sylvia's Mother" and an individual rendition of "Love Of The Common People", as well as the castigating "Miserable Woman", all popular with reggae fans at home and abroad. Includes liner notes by David Katz.
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RR 340CD
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Radiation Roots present a reissue of Sugar Minott's The Leader For The Pack, originally released in 1985. Sugar Minott is part of the pantheon of Jamaican roots reggae icons, one of a handful of singers that indelibly changed the course of the music and helped it reach a broader overseas audience. Raised next door to one of Jamaica's most popular dancehalls, in the heart of a notorious west Kingston slum, Minott joined The African Brothers in the mid-1970s, making an impact with singles for Rupie Edwards, Clive Chin, and Micron Music, as well as with self-produced work, but the breakthrough came when Sugar went solo for Studio One, spearheading the reuse of classic rhythms at the facility for new purpose. He later moved away from Studio One to record sparse work for Prince Jammy, Mikey Dread, and other smaller producers but the main focus was Black Roots/Youth Promotion, the record label and sound system he established himself. Then, following smash hit "Good Thing Going", Sugar helped to launch the careers of dancehall stars like Tenor Saw and Nitty Gritty. The Leader For The Pack album was produced by Bunny Lee in 1985 at The Rock studio in London, established by Gibraltarians Danny, Eddy and Henry. Sugar's first fully synthesized album, it was arranged by Jackie Mittoo and revived classic rhythms of the past with minimal, synth-driven backing, including "Everybody Needs Love" as "This Is Rockers Music", alongside a great cut of "Sleng Teng" for the title track; "Them Have To Come A We" was co-written by fellow icon, Gregory Isaacs. Includes liner notes by David Katz.
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RR 335LP
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RSD 2019 release. Top-ranking toaster Dillinger, aka Lester Bullock, is among the most versatile and popular of all the Jamaican deejays. Displaying an ease of verbal dexterity at the microphone, he can attack any subject under the sun with wit and skill. Emerging from a ghetto area near Waltham Park Road in western Kingston, he began as a protégé to Dennis Alcapone on El Paso sound system, where he was known initially as Alcapone Junior, then later switched to Smith The Weapon, based in nearby Payneland. Recording a glut of material for Lee 'Scratch' Perry under the name Young Dillinger in the early 1970s, he also cut sporadic work for Winston Riley, Prince Tony Robinson, Phil Pratt, Enos McLeod, Augustus Pablo, and Yabby You, among others, with his debut album, Ready Natty Dreadie (1975), surfacing from Studio One. Although Channel One broke him into the mainstream with "Cokane In My Brain" and the CB200 LP (1976), his longstanding connection with Bunny Lee resulted in all kinds of noteworthy material. None Stop Disco Style is the American issue of the 1977 release also known as Talking Blues, though slightly reedited for the US market; with every track presented in "showcase" style with an extended dub portion, it has excellent Dillinger workouts of Johnny Clarke favorites such as "Roots Natty Roots Natty Congo," "Give Up The Badness," and "Nobody's Business." Killer! Edition of 300 on military green and white vinyl for RSD 2019.
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RR 331CD
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Radiation Roots presents a reissue of Bob Marley and The Wailers' Soul Rebels, originally issued in 1970. Easily one of the greatest roots reggae albums of all time, Soul Rebels resulted from the intensive partnership brokered by the group and maverick producer, Lee 'Scratch' Perry. It was the first Wailers 'concept' album, conceived as a long-player based on a rebellious theme, rather than a collection of isolated singles, and the presence of the Barrett brothers in the rhythm section pointed the way for greater glories to come. The Wailers first formed as an unruly five-piece in 1963, with Junior Braithwaite as lead singer and Beverley Kelso an early member, sometimes replaced by Cherry Green. During their long tenure at Studio One, Bob Marley gradually shifted to the lead vocal role and the robust core of Marley, Peter Tosh, and Neville Livingston, aka Bunny Wailer, soon emerged as the mainstays of the group. Perry was involved with the Wailers at Studio One, using their talents for backing vocals on some of his solo work, but the partnership that yielded Soul Rebels was in an entirely different league. The title track, Tosh's anguished "400 Years and "Corner Stone" are legendary for their intense power; "It's Alright" set the template for the later "Night Shift," "My Cup" was an individual barebones reading of James Brown's "I Guess I'll Have To Cry Cry Cry," while the playful "Try Me" and "No Water" are suggestive odes. Tosh's dejected "No Sympathy" and the spirited "Soul Almighty" are other winners and the "Cloud 9" revamp "Rebel's Hop" is another joy. All killer, no filler!
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RR 332LP
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LP version. Radiation Roots presents a reissue of Dillinger's Marijuana In My Brain, originally issued in 1977. In the early 1970s, top-ranking toaster Lester Bullock got his start on the El Paso sound system in the mean streets of western Kingston. Initially known as Young Capone, since he was a protégé of the better-established Dennis Alcapone, he was renamed Dillinger by Lee 'Scratch' Perry, the first producer to record a significant number of tracks with the youth. "Dub Organiser" and "Tighten Up Skank" were somewhat popular when released in 1973 and there were individual tracks cut for Phil Pratt, Augustus Pablo, Prince Tony Robinson, and Joe Gibbs, as well as Studio One, who issued his debut LP, Ready Natty Dreadie, in 1975. By then, Dillinger was recording a series of singles for hit-making producer Bunny 'Striker' Lee, particularly on Johnnie Clarke's rhythms, though recordings for Channel One and the CB 200 album were what catapulted him into overseas consciousness in 1976, once the outstanding single, "Cocaine In My Brain," reached the European pop charts. Marijuana In My Brain dates from 1977 and placed the toaster over some of the Striker's hottest rhythms, previously utilized for Clarke scorchers like "Satta" and "Poor Marcus" (along with the odd Ronnie Davis track); Clarke's reading of "Going To A Ball" is here transformed into an ode to the Bouncing Ball, then one of the most popular clubs for black Londoners, and his "African Roots" anthem gets the Dillinger treatment too. Of course, the title track was the biggest hit of the bunch, an ode to the 'wisdom weed' driven by cosmic space synth overdubs.
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