December 18, 2008

Essential Pressure Sounds Release for DubHeads : Jimmy Radway’s 1975 Dub I












According to our Rough Guide To Reggae, Jimmy Radway's Dub I is one of the heaviest dub albums ever released. And, as usual, the're right. Former painter and political gunman Ivan Jimmy “One Foot” Radway (born Kingston, 1947) recorded a bunch of wicked tunes in the early seventies for his Capricorn and Fe Me Time labels. He gets his first hit with Errol Dunkley’s Black Cinderella in 1972, written by Radway himself. He returns to the charts in 1973 with Leroy Smart’s Mother Liza, and releases several other tunes with deejays I Roy, Big Youth and Scotty. By 1975, he also did an entire dub album, filled with the tough riddims of his earlier tunes, all mixed in a day by mixing desk wizard Errol T at Joe Gibbs. A the time only 300 copies were pressed (the Micron label had folded), making it a sought-after item on the collecter’s market. Adding to the mystery, the album carries many different names such as Dub I, Micron Dub, Hug a Dub, Dubwise Shower and Fe Mi dub. Now, this mythical dub album gets a proper re-release in his original sleeve by Pressure Sounds, who again deserve praise for their work in uncovering Jamaican gems. No tricks here, the horns with lots of echo, the basslines with lots of crunch, heavy and grim dub, reflecting the dark and violent circumstances of Kingston’s ghettos at the time. Dub versions to afore mentioned Black Cinderella (and its deejay and melodica cuts from Big Youth, I Roy and Augustus Pablo) and Mother Liza, plus dubs of Scotty Bells’ Black Am I, Leroy Smart’s Happiness Is My Desire and Desmond Young’s (later known as Desi Roots) awesome original cut Warning, toasted by Big Youth as Wolf In Sheep’s Clothin. Radway also recut Glen Brown’s Slaving as Wicked Have To Feel It. Musicians include Jamaica’s finest session players: Carlton and Aston Barret, Alva Lewis, Tyrone Downie, Bobby Ellis, Vincent Gordon, Dirty Harry, Tommy McCook and the mighty Cedric “Im” Brooks. His vocal work of the early seventies can be found on the Keep the Pressure Down compilation on Prestige records, recorded at Randys and Dynamics 1972-1976. After the Dub I album, Radway decided to quit the music business and retired to the countryside. By 1996 he was down on his luck living in Ocho Rios, unable to afford a mobile phone. Hopefully this beautifull re-issue will get him some more of the attention and financial reward he deserves.
Listen To: Black Rights Version (sample)

Listen to: Wicked Have To Feel It (sample)
Tracklist:
1. Black Rights Version
2. Cinderella Version
3. Micron Way Version
4. Hell & Sorrow Version
5. Awn Yah! Version
6. Mother Liza Version
7. Back To Africa Version
8. She’s Mine Version
9. Wicked Have To Feel It Version
10. Black I Am Version

December 09, 2008

JARRING EFFECTS GOES CHRISTMAS



French label Jarring Effects, are Santa Clausing once again: they're giving away a free cd stacked with 18 Jarring Effects goodies. Well worth checking out for anyone into bassheavy, experimental dance music!

Tracklist:

1) Bassnectar - Heads Up
2) Caterva- Monkey
3) Filastine - Hungry Ghosts
4) Ghislain Poirier - Diaspora
5) Debmaster - The Last Robot
6) Zol - Syphilisupastar (Borgias edit)
7) Tony Oheix - Galaxy on the table
8) Dub Gabriel
ft No Surrender - Rundown
9) Ben Sharpa - B to the E
0) Oddatee - Not even one
1) France Loisir - Le Peuple est une fiction
2) Trash von Traxx - Zona Zero
3) Stormfield - Inner silence outer violence
4) Opti & Ohmwerk - Hammering
5) m3t4 & Myrkur - Wobble diktat
6) Von Magnet - Mostar Angels
7) Professor Psygrooves - 24/7
8) Josef Bilek Experience - New Genesis


Go deh and support: http://www.jarringeffects.net/jfxbits3

December 01, 2008

Mitty Collier - Shades Of A Genius (Chess LP 1965)

Although I love their cocktails, Milano is actually way to much fashion for me. Lots of posh shops that is, however, there's also Via Padova. A street with lots of people hanging around and police patrolling heavily. And it is here where I found Dischi Metropolis, an old basement filled with second hand vinyl, also equiped with very helpfull personell. Browsing through the bins I encountered Mitty Collier's 1965 album Shades of a Genius on Chess Records for 7 euros. Earlier this year I already noticed the Ace/Kent compilation Shades of Mitty Collier (focusing on her 15 singles for Chess), and was impressed with the powerfull soul-gospel voice of Mitty. Chicago’s Chess label hosted a whole bunch of great female soul voices, eg Etta James, Fontella Bass, Jackie Ross and Sugarpie de Santo. Somewhat more obscure is the here featured Mitty Collier, best known for her hit I Had a Talk With My Man Last Night, released in 1964 on Chess. Mitty was born in 1941 in Birmingham, Alabama, sung in church and toured with gospel groups The Hayes Ensemble and the Loyd Reese Singers. In order to earn some money for her college education, Mitty started singing r&b in the local clubs. In 1959, she won Al Benson’s Talent Contest and a year later, she got signed by Ralp Bass for Chess records at age 20. She stayed with Chess for eight years, releasing 15 singles and the here featured album, 1965’s Shades Of A Genius, a set comprising songs originated by or associated with Ray Charles (three songs are written by him). The album includes her first 1961 single Gotta Get Away From It All, arranged and produced, by Riley Hampton and Roquel “Billy” Davis and the 1964 classic I Had a Talk With My Man Last Night, a gospel song written by James Cleveland (and produced by Billy Davis), substituting the word “God” for “Man”. No Faith, No Love was another 1965 minor hit inspired by James Cleveland’s No Cross No Crown. Shades of a Genius provides us with excellent mid sixties soul, with a deep gospel undercurrent. Most tunes are slow, but things also get funky with Willie Dixon’s My Babe. As usual, the Chess production created tastefull brass sections and bluesy guitar licks. The woman on the album cover is not Mittie Collier, and although it was a withdrawn album cover, it managed to be pressed and released in Italia. Her highest charting single was released a year after the album, Sharing You, also covered by Dusty Springfield, Inez Foxx, Shirley Brown and Marva Wright. Her Chess swansong, released in 1968, was a new version of Gotta Get Away From It All, recorded at Fame Studios in Alabama with producer Rick Hall. Mitty left Chess after releasing Everybody Makes A Mistake Sometimes, a song recorded at Muscle Shoals. She then recorded five singles for William Bell's Peachtree label, in 1969, releasing True Love Never Comes Easy and You Hurt So Good. In 1972, Mitty departed secular music and began singing gospel music, releasing veral albums : The Warning, featuring I Had A Talk With God Last Night (1972), Hold The Light (1977) and I Am Love (1987). She is now the pastor of the More Like Christ Christian Fellowship Ministries, Chicago.

Listen To: I Had A Talk with My Man Last Night





Listen To: My Babe




Tracklist:
1. Come Back Baby
2. I Had A Talk With My Man Last Night
3. Would You Have Listened
4. I Gotta Get Away From It All
5. My Babe
6. Halleluja (I Love Him So)

7. Drown In My Own Tears
8. No Faith, No Love
9. Together
10.Let Them Talk
11.Little Miss Loneliness
12.Ain't That Love

Mittie Collier with the Bar-keys on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPcKJSw92a0 (introduction by Otis Redding)