I look to my iPod for solace and scroll through my options
and settle on:
(# 300) Long Beach
Dub Allstars – Right Back (1999)
This band was formed by the remaining members of Sublime
after the death of their frontman Bradley Nowell. Considering that band’s brilliant mix of
punk, ska, reggae and dub, few would have predicted much for this
offshoot. And yet this is a far more
accessible and musical album than anything Sublime ever produced. The same mix of styles is present but the key
ingredient was in inviting a number of guest artists to perform vocal duties
including reggae stars Barrington Levy and Tippa Irie and Bad Brains’ H.R. Levy’s two tracks Righteous Dub and Saw Red
(She’s Mine) bookend the album which is further consolidated by the clever deployment
of non musical samples throughout.
(#301) Wingless
Angels – Volume 1 (1997)
I had never heard of this band until I read about them in
Keith Richards’ autobiography.
Basically, he met reggae musician Justin Hinds who introduced to a number
of other musicians resulting in this very relaxed album. Most of the tracks appear to be Rastafari
songs/chants with a couple of additional well known tracks (an almost
unrecognisable We Shall Overcome and the best version I’ve ever heard of that Jamaican
standard, Rivers Of Babylon) thrown in.
All of the musicians involved contribute to the vocal work creating a
sort of Rastafarian choir. Keith’s voice
is recognisable in the midst of this along with the crickets chirping in the
background on some of the quieter cuts.
(#302) Damien Marley –
Welcome To Jamrock (2005)
Damien is the son of Bob Marley and his girlfriend Cindy
Breaksphere, a former Miss World. This
album, his third, is the one which put him on the map musically and is
generally regarded as one of the finest reggae albums released since the death
of Damien’s father. Seemingly aware of
this, Damien samples Bob’s Exodus to great effect on Move! He also keeps things within the (step)family
with a number of telling contributions by Stephen Marley and a spoken word
intro by Bunny Wailer on opening cut Confrontation. The title track, which addresses his crime
riddled home country, is a powerful political statement.
(#303) Sly & The
Family Stone – The Woodstock Experience (recorded 1969/released 2009)
It took 40 years for the band’s finest 45 minutes – their performance
at Woodstock – to be finally granted a complete release. (My version is a two disc affair with the
second disc being the Stand! Album.) Actually, make that their finest 30
minutes; the show takes a couple of tracks to really get going although this
might be due to the poor sound that Sly complains about at one point. By the time they get to Everyday People, they’ve
hit top gear. Dance To The Music, Music
Lover/Higher, I Want To Take You Higher and Love City create an momentum which
simply never lets up and has the audience eating out of their hand. An encore of Stand! – great though it is –
seems scarcely appropriate.
This selection certainly did the trick and kept me going through
the day. After I got home, I wrote up my
post and after publishing it decided to catch up on the news. It was then I heard about the death of
Chrissy Amphlett, undoubtedly the greatest female rocker this country has ever
produced.
I go to bed knowing, for once, what I’ll be listening to
tomorrow.
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