gunther came up on some reggae

[gunther b]

man i came up on some hot shit. three crates of nice early 80s late 70s reggae showed up at my record spot. i copped some shit, i can't remember them all, but the most memorable being:

sister carol "black cinderella" OG press from 1984 - this shit tops just about any hip hop record i've ever heard from the era. Sister Carol is a straight up G. I can't begin to explain how dope this record is.

barrington levy "poor man's song" i believe is the title. Shit almost made me cry it was so dope.

Got some Sammy Dread shit that is hittin', Burning Spear Live, a shaggy 12" with grand puba from 95, and a couple others. I am happy to step up my reggae collection a little bit. i have about 20 now haha. Watch out now.

[highlife]

word, b. that barrington levy 'poorman STYLE' is the knock. i am willing to trade some similar stuff for some of your hiphop if you're interested. i know you already declined my request on the vinylexhange board but if you want some more tight reggae i can work something out. peaces.

if not, it's cool. just keep me in mind for when you're through with any old classics, though i doubt you'll be willing to part with them anytime soon!!!

[tgone]

can't go wrong with Levy, check out his classic cut "Murderer" if you haven't. The remix with Rakim is dope too!

[matt1212]

The only reggae I can listen to is BUJU BANtON, he is soooo dope, for some reason I cant listen to anything else, like bob marley, peter tosh or anything like that, dont know why, but I love buju banton, you all should check him out for real , get 'til shiloh' cd is dope.............." I buju don't know how the country run, but by persecuting herb, you're making room for coke to come", shit like that, def. check him out.peace.

[dharna]

what up b?
i want to tell you that i'm trying to get your cd sent as soon as i can, just been sorta busy and feel horrible!
i will not show my face ( so to say) until i have done that. haha
peace.

[gunther b]

dubwiser - it is hard for me to find reggae in denver without a car, so if it ever infects me to the point where i really need more, i may take you up on that offer. as for selling, for now and as far as i can see, i wouldn't give out much of the old hip hop stuff i have for prices i'd feel good about charging to somebody i have respect for, haha. basically what i'm saying is, when i sell any of my old rap, it's gonna be on ebay.

TGone - i will try and check for that. as stated above, i don't come across much reggae here in denver. but boulder has some raga hippie college kids so i know they got it up there. i'll be making a venture soon. boulder's only 25 minutes away. it's funny cuz a girl i talk to in canada put me up on some reggae, namely sister carol (seriously, i've enjoyed this record more than most things i've ever heard) and barrington levy. all i needed was to get my first taste of feeling something off of a recommendation. now i'm hooked, heh.

Matt1212 - I'm down with some buju banton, but i wouldn't go so far as to say i could listen to him and not need to listen to any other reggae music. i think YOU should check out some of the stuff I have recently found. You may be pleasantly surprised...

and last, but not least - Dharna - don't trip I'm not an impatient person. And if it doesn't happen, I'll still give you that smiths wax for something. it's all good.

peace.

g nth r b

[tgone]

Originally posted by gunther b


TGone - i will try and check for that. as stated above, i don't come across much reggae here in denver. but boulder has some raga hippie college kids so i know they got it up there. i'll be making a venture soon. boulder's only 25 minutes away. it's funny cuz a girl i talk to in canada put me up on some reggae, namely sister carol (seriously, i've enjoyed this record more than most things i've ever heard) and barrington levy. all i needed was to get my first taste of feeling something off of a recommendation. now i'm hooked, heh.


Gunth, if you dig Levy's style be sure to check out Eek-A-Mouse. He's got a unique "mousey" voice but he uses production similar to Levy's and he's just plain dope. Also check out some Frankie Paul ("War Is In the Dance" is a dope track), early to mid Junior Reid, Don Carlos, Frankie Paul and Half Pint. They all have similar styles to Levy.

[matt1212]

yea eek-a-mouse is on some chill shiet......I just thought of it, if you want a dope mix of reggae music check out the big blunts compilations---vol. 1, 2, 3, (2 is the best), nothing but reggae tracks talking about herb, some chill type music when driving in your car, has all reggae artists so check those out as well...peace.

[dharna]

oh shit! i'm listening to mouse-a-mania right now...eek-a-mouse is the shit.

gunther, you'll get it for sure :)

[LBFam]

anyone see the most recent episode of def poetry jam?..buju was on there..that was cool to see..it was actually a pretty decent night of poetry..i really like kanye west's poem too..

[matt1212]

Originally posted by LBFam
anyone see the most recent episode of def poetry jam?..buju was on there..that was cool to see..it was actually a pretty decent night of poetry..i really like kanye west's poem too..


Yea I Always watch that def poetry, its dope, quickest half hour on t.v. though, I watch it, theres like 6 poets and then the half hour is up already, so that sucks....yea that buju poem was nice, that one guy who came first with the 'sick and tired of' poem was really cool, if you remember it, they have some really nice poets/spoken word on there, some are pretty bland but most of them are really cool.

[Blue]

Damn, I just ducked outta work and went and picked up that "Black Cinderella" album along with Sister Nancy's "One, Two..." I'm liking these sisters!

[gunther b]

no doubt blue, good choice! that first song on black cinderella - international style - where she flips in like 8 different languages, sings, and busts raps, not only is that some shit for 1984, but that's some shit that holds its own against modern rap! i was vibin' that shit HARD. good choices. And I've heard of Sister Nancy as well, gotta peep her out. And thanks tgone for the recommendations. peace people.

b

[highlife]

well, there's a lot more to reggae than praising herb. it's about truth and rights and if you only listen to buju banton, then you are VERY superficial. to me, his style is too dancehall. synthesized instruments are horrible. gunther, just pick up most anything backed by the roots radics band and production by scientist, henry 'junjo' lawes, prince jammy, king tubby, or early mad professor. i'm dying to ask you if that barrington is an original? i highly doubt you have an original because reggae was such an underrated genre at the time of its height so there are only few original pressings. my version has a drawing of barrington leaning against a light post in the ghetto and it is on clocktower records. most everything else i have (reggae wise) are represses. but i'm cool with it cuz no way in hell am i paying $150 plus for lacksley castell's albums or hugh mundell's originals. maybe one day though. and yeah, i fully understand you regarding ebay. i'd do the same man, just thought i'd try!!!

[gunther b]

highlife - i agree on the point about praising herb. it actually gets old hearing that on every song. I like a little variety myself. Whether it's praising god, friends, love, herb, as long as it's mixed up with different styles and intensities. And yeah, all those producers you mentioned, i'm up on them, but i just don't see them. I'm good at digging, I know how to check for producers, labels, musicians, dates, etc i just haven't been lucky enough to come up on any of that shit yet. As for the Levy record, I'll check it when I get home. Thing is, all these records that came through the shop were from the same span of about 5 or 6 years, all owned by the same person, and they all seemed to be originals. I could be wrong, but I'll check it out when I get home. I don't remember what label it's on at the moment. Do you know the specs for the original pressing?

oh and i don't think synthesized instruments are ALL bad, I mean, if I DJed, I'd have a shitload of dancehall cuz honestly, that gets women up and moving more than any kind of music i've heard. Some dancehall is lame as hell, but some is really dope. I honestly preffer straight dub over all the styles of reggae, but the roots are a close second for me. Scientist - that mufucker is BAD. I only have one of his (thanks to tgone's recommendation) but I wouldn't mind having 10 more.

later.

gnthrb

[tgone]

Originally posted by highlife
. synthesized instruments are horrible.


I disagree. I like live instruments and electronic reggae. Both can be good, both can be bad. Some of my favorite production comes from the Xterminator camp. Philip "Fatis" Burrell makes some seriously dope electronic beats. I'm loving that stuff. For me, it doesn't matter if it's a snyth or a real instrument, it's the composition, ryhthm and melody that makes the difference.

[Blue]

Originally posted by tgone
For me, it doesn't matter if it's a snyth or a real instrument, it's the composition, ryhthm and melody that makes the difference.
Exactly! And I'm really starting to like some dancehall...some of it just sounds so fresh and deep!

[tgone]

Originally posted by Blue
Exactly! And I'm really starting to like some dancehall...some of it just sounds so fresh and deep!

For sure. Dancehall is a thriving style. It's just as valid as roots reggae. There's so much of it too. Even though it all sounds the same it can be diverse.

[Blue]

Yeah, all those versions on the same riddim is crazy. Do you listen to Positive Vibrations on KEXP? Sometimes the DJ will play like 6 different versions all in a row...it's pretty redic...although I noticed he's been jocking the "Clappa" riddim lately, playing it every week.
Oh, I gotta say that Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam" is the cut! I could listen to this song all day long!

[tgone]

Originally posted by Blue
Yeah, all those versions on the same riddim is crazy. Do you listen to Positive Vibrations on KEXP? Sometimes the DJ will play like 6 different versions all in a row...it's pretty redic...although I noticed he's been jocking the "Clappa" riddim lately, playing it every week.
Oh, I gotta say that Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam" is the cut! I could listen to this song all day long!

Yes, Positive Vibrations is ok. I'm happy to hear it beacuse there's not much reggae in Seattle but it could be so much better. They're cool though. I always like hearing different artists over the same riddim. I wish hiphop would be down with that.

"Bam Bam" is beyond classic. I've heard it like 8000 times. It's always fun to hear at parties.

[gunther b]

well, hip hop is built on an entirely different foundation, i'm kinda glad it's not like that.

Ever listen to Israel Vibration? or is that Vibrations? Anyway, I heard some of their stuff a few years ago, it was dope as hell to the untrained ear.

[highlife]

vibrations, yes. all of them are polio survivors too. they have the quite the story of overcoming adversity with the love of jah. i tend to like reggae with more message and devotion than most dancehall i've heard. to me, dancehall is more pop music than antyhing. just me though i guess.

[gunther b]

i know what yo umean about dancehall and i agree, but there's something to be said for music that is so simple yet not as retarded as mainstream radio pop that can get a girl's ass shakin' so much. the rhythms they use for danchall are simple but they are reggae rhythms so that makes them better than simple hip hop or r&b rhythms to me. so if i have to pick a favorite type of dance music, it's dancehall.

[tgone]

Originally posted by highlife
vibrations, yes. all of them are polio survivors too. they have the quite the story of overcoming adversity with the love of jah. i tend to like reggae with more message and devotion than most dancehall i've heard. to me, dancehall is more pop music than antyhing. just me though i guess.

Highlife, I know you appreciate good reggae and I think you're missing out some dope stuff. There's quite a bit of concious and talented neo-roots and dancehall. Garnett Silk has been compared to Bob Marely on terms of universal love. Luciano, Bushman, Tony Rebel and Jah Cure are super concious and talented as well. They're all rastas and preach universal love and positivity. Ras Shiloh fuses dancehall with hiphop and roots. There's some very dope dancehall-roots coming out these days. It's just like hip hop - some of it sounds like pop but not all of it. There's a lot out there you just have to find it.

Dancehall is extremely diverse. Unfortunately most of the dancehall people in the U.S. hear is all about drugs, sex and money. You gotta spend time to find the good stuff. In the early 90s Garnett Silk really helped revolutionize dancehall because he popularized the style of fusing dancehall riddims and positive lyrics. A few people had done that before but folks like Garnett helped make it a "cool thing". Soon after, the Bobo dreads like Capleton, Sizzla and Anthony B exploded onto the scene and now are some of the most popular concious dancehall artists.

Although they're huge now, Tony Curtis, Beenie Man, Bounty Killa and Merciless have all made concious tracks (especially in their early days). Actually, Beenie Man recorded an album with Dennis Brown and Triston Palmer called "3 Against War" back in 1994.

I heard Beenie has a youth center in Kingston.

[highlife]

that's tight. for some reason i just don't dig it. nothing against it though. i'm just sad to see it dominating the genre now when you can't even see a good roots band at the marley festival anymore. i mean shaggy, headlining? c'mon now??!!

[tgone]

Originally posted by highlife
that's tight. for some reason i just don't dig it. nothing against it though. i'm just sad to see it dominating the genre now when you can't even see a good roots band at the marley festival anymore. i mean shaggy, headlining? c'mon now??!!

for sure

[gunther b]

highlife and/or tgone:

here's the rundown on that barrington levy i copped:

trojan records 1982 baby blue label, cover is a drawing of a village with a profile of levy's face on the left side made in UK. original or no? probably not huh. it's dope though.

[tgone]

Originally posted by gunther b
highlife and/or tgone:

here's the rundown on that barrington levy i copped:

trojan records 1982 baby blue label, cover is a drawing of a village with a profile of levy's face on the left side made in UK. original or no? probably not huh. it's dope though.

Sorry, I have no idea. If you really want to find out if it's an OG I suggest posting a message at: http://www.bloodandfire.co.uk

That's one of the best places on the Internet to ask reggae related questions.

[highlife]

wow, shit man i have no idea either. that sounds pretty random. the one i have is on clocktower records and it is a drawing of barrington. you're talking about the 'poorman style' record, right? does it have the tracks: she is the best girl, don't give up, sensimella, true love, poorman style, this little boy, rob and gone, i can't wait too long, man give up, and i love, i love you? if not, than i have no idea what album you're referring to. it sounds like you might have a trojan 'best of' album or something. try what tgone said though. i've never heard of that site but they might be able to help you identify what you have.

[highlife]

Scientist - that mufucker is BAD. I only have one of his (thanks to tgone's recommendation) but I wouldn't mind having 10 more

which one do you have? there are about 12 other ones than that one, but only a few are really tight. i'm a dub fan myself but a lot of it gets boring and stagnant. there are maybe like 20 or 30 classic roots jams that just get old after hearing them done by 10 producers. only a few versions actually 'meet my satisfaction.' but i'd have to agree and say that scientist is my favorite dub producer. there are few GREAT martin campbell dub albums that rank up there as well. this guy is mad tight. neo roots with HEAVY minor chords and breaks. forgot about augustus pablo but that is just a given :) god bless... to all the greats... rip.

[gunther b]

actually, this barrington levy (and yes i'm talking about poor man's style) is the same with all the same tracks. it's almost definitely an 80s pressing, i'll go research it.

as for scientist, i picked up scientist rids the world of the evil curse of the vampires. it's pretty sick. "i want bloooooooood" hahah love it. grabbed 2 more records last night:

lover's rock by delroy wilson, it was only a couple bucks and had a decent sound to it, haven't really checked it out yet though.

and Underground Lover by Jose Wilson (sly and robbie on respective instruments) this one is rough i dig it. the cover is worth the 3 bucks i paid alone.