The Perlich Post: March 2022

Thursday, March 31, 2022

Happy Birthday Lefty Frizzell

Remembering honky tonk hero Lefty Frizzell with an appearance on The Porter Wagoner Show in 1965.

Listen to Slayer open for Venom at the Concert Hall in 1985

Here's the audio from Slayer's rippin' pre-Reign In Blood opening set for Venom at Toronto's Concert Hall on March 31, 1985.

Wednesday, March 30, 2022

90s Nostalgia: Elliott Smith at Lee's Palace, 1998

Here's singer/songwriter Elliott Smith's show shot by Derek Emerson in Toronto on October 7, 1998. See set list below.

Elliott Smith - Lee's Palace, Toronto, Canada October 7 1998

Division Day - 00:00

Sweet Adeline - 03:00

Bottle up and explode - 06:10

Waltz #2 - 08:34

Pictures of Me - 13:00

Stupidity Tries - 16:37

Bled White - 20:22

Alameda - 23:10

Happiness - 26:52

Baby Britain - 31:19

Speed Trials - 34:40

Ballad of Big Nothing - 37:45

Independence Day - 42:40

Say Yes - 46:50

Condor Ave. - 49:30

I Didn't Understand - 53:15

Sure Fire Soul Ensemble releasing fourth album Step Down on Friday

The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble's new album Step Down will be out April 1st – no foolin! Check out two classy tracks below.

Here's the scoop...

The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble are definitely on a roll coming off of their third LP, Build Bridges, which debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart. The new album from San Diego's 9-piece instrumental juggernaut, Step Down, is a direct reflection of the heavy times they were written and recorded in. The COVID-19 global pandemic, two Presidential impeachment trials, the George Floyd murder and resulting social unrest, a seditious attempt to subvert the democratic process at The Capitol…

With titles like Step Down, The Other Side, Time To Rebuild, Omnificent, Love Age, and In Common, SFSE uses their music to beautifully paint a picture of societal woes, but also points toward the solution and a better world. Heavy Cinematic Soul, spiritual Jazz-Funk, upbeat Afro-Funk, and deeply introspective rare-groove cuts lace this ten-track transmission vessel. SFSE is deeply defined by the sum of their influences, but always have their eye focused beyond the horizon.

Pre-order Sure Fire Soul Ensemble's Step Down LP on fire red vinyl (limited edition of 750 copies) exclusively from Colemine Records right here... while supplies last. Listen to the title track and "The Other Side" below.

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Happy Birthday Dwight Trible!

Celebrating Dwight's birthday with his version of "You've Got To Have Freedom" with Matthew Halsall's Gondwana Orchestra

LINKS

Dwight Trible Bandcamp

That time Deadly Snakes played the Lion's Club in 1998

Here's Max, André and their Deadly Snakes crew in action in '98 prior to cutting Love Undone and after with Greg Oblivian in '99.

Schizophonics with Night Finger @ The Baby G, April 19

San Diego's Schizophonics will be joined by Craig Daniels' Night Finger for an electrifying show at the Baby G on April 19th.

Monday, March 28, 2022

Soft Machine captured live in France & Holland 1970 with Facelift package

Cuneiform's Facelift 2CD + DVD package reveals the quintet version of Soft Machine at their early peak. Check the trailer.

Here's the scoop...

From their beginnings as a psychedelic rock band in 1966, sharing stages with Pink Floyd and the Jimi Hendrix Experience, to being one of the originators of electric jazz/rock by early 1969, Britain’s Soft Machine were restlessly creative. Facelift France and Holland captures them at a pivotal moment in the first quarter of 1970 as a short-lived quintet, just before they recorded and released their breakthrough album Third.

As broadcast on the French TV programme Pop 2, the film of Soft Machine’s concert at Paris’ Théâtre de la Musique, which constitutes the main course of the present release, stands as an exceptional document of the band at, arguably, its artistic peak.

It is the earliest footage of the band to be commercially released and also the only video footage known to exist of the quintet line-up that was active from January to March 1970. The broadcast contains the only professionally-recorded performance of “Out-Bloody- Rageous” with Lyn Dobson on second sax and it also is the only professionally-recorded alternative performance by the quintet of “Facelift” (the original appearing as the opening track on Third).

Facelift France and Holland marks the first official release of the entire show in both audio and video format. Footage of the concert was previously released in 2008 on DVD, but we have gone through the original footage once again to improve video quality as well as remove or lessen soundtrack issues including fake applause and hard edits.

In addition to the March, 1970 material presented here on CD and DVD in splendid stereo sound and looking better than it ever has before, Disc 3 presents a previously unreleased soundboard performance at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw from January 17, 1970.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Soft Machine:

Elton Dean – Alto sax, saxello

Lyn Dobson – Soprano and tenor sax, flute, harmonica, vocals

Hugh Hopper – Bass

Mike Ratledge – Hohner Pianet, Lowrey Holiday Deluxe organ

Robert Wyatt – Drums, vocals

CD One: Recorded at Théâtre de la Musique, Paris, France, March 2, 1970. Licensed from I.N.A.

CD Two Recorded at Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, January 17, 1970.

Check out the trailer and an audio clip of "Out-Bloody-Rageous" below. Get Soft Machine's Facelift: France & Holland via Bandcamp right here.

Whaddya mean you don't know Eleni Bartseri aka Ελένη Μπαρτέρη

Here's the Greek swinger "Cigarette Cha-Cha" which Eleni Bartseri (aka Leni Barteri) cut for NYC's Alector Records in 1959.

The Split Squad – America's least famous supergroup – issue 2nd album!

The Fleshtones Keith Streng & Blondie's Clem Burke have issued a second Split Squad album, Another Cinderella. Hear "Hey DJ"

Sunday, March 27, 2022

R.I.P. sonic alchemist Philip Jeck, 1952-2022

Sadly, adventurous British multi-media artist and composer Philip Jeck has passed away at the age of 69. He'll be greatly missed.

LINKS

Philip Jeck UK premiere of Vinyl Requiem, 1993

Factmag.com Philip Jeck on his landmark turntable piece, Vinyl Requiem

Ian Curtis mural by Akse unveiled by Peter Hook in Macclesfield

The Ian Curtis mural – based on a Kevin Cummins photo – was presented by Joy Division bandmate Peter Hook yesterday.

Happy Birthday Junior Parker!

Remembering the great Junior Parker on his birthday with a couple of his Sun and Duke gems.

Watch the Continental Drifters live in Austin

Vicki Peterson and Susan Cowsill reconvened the Continental Drifters in Austin to rock a few clubs last week.

Brodie West Quintet releases Meadow Of Dreams album

Toronto's Brodie West Quintet just released their new 8-song album Meadow Of Dreams in a very limited vinyl pressing.

Here's the scoop...

Brodie West draws upon a vast array of experience to formulate his unique take on jazz. West was a member of Dutch avant-punks the Ex during their collaboration with Ethiopian saxophone legend Getatchew Mekurya, recording and touring worldwide. He's also worked extensively with drummer Han Bennink, appeared alongside the likes of Hamid Drake, Achim Kaufmann, and Sandro Perri while fronting the octet Eucalyptus and collaborating in the duo Ways with drummer Evan Cartwright (who's heard here on drum kit, vibraphone and acoustic guitar). The quintet's remaining members include pianist Tania Gill, Josh Cole on bass, and drummer Nick Fraser who weaves a rhythmic lattice with Cartwright. The outfit's debut, Clips, garnered favourable press from publications spanning DownBeat to the Wire, the latter of which called it “exciting, eventful music of the highest quality.” Meadow of Dreams—a co-release with prolific and beloved Texan free-jazz imprint Astral Spirits—retains the quirky angularity of its predecessor throughout while providing a listen that's simultaneously more diverse and more cohesive. Minimalist etude-ballads lean up against swinging, stumbling unison melodies; energetic skronk cascades into tender reveries. It's a showcase for West's vision and versatility as both a player and composer, but not at the expense of the insightful contributions of his collaborators.

Credits: Evan Cartwright: drums, vibraphone and guitar. Josh Cole: bass. Nick Fraser: drums. Tania Gill: piano. Brodie West: alto saxophone. Recorded by Jeremy Darby and Julian Decorte at Canterbury Music Company on February 29, March 1 and March 2, 2020. Mixed by Matt Smith. Mastered by Jeff McMurrich. Produced by The Brodie West Quintet. Co-produced by Matt Smith.

Adds Brodie West...

New album alert! Meadow of Dreams by the Brodie West Quintet is out today. Stream it, buy it. Vinyl Lp and digi available via both Ansible Editions and Astral Spirits. With slight variations on the packaging - Ansible Editions doing their special thing pressing the first 100 on clear vinyl. Explore more details on the vinyl releases right here and there. But meanwhile, please have a listen to the full album.

Big thanks to Nathan Cross/Astral Spirits, Alex and Jeff at Ansible Editions, Nick Storring at Riparian Media as well as of course my deep, dedicated and talented friends, the musicians in the band Tania Gill, Josh Cole, Evan Cartwright and Nick Fraser. Big thanks also to Matt Smith who mixed and co-produced this record and our engineer Jeremy Darby at Canterbury Music Company. Cover photo by Alex Durlak. All the members involved here also have new albums so I’m going to put them in the links below as well. So set aside a bit of time to plug in your headphones and have a listen. xo

Nick Fraser Quartet - If There Were No Opposites

https://ezz-thetics.bandcamp.com/album/if-there-were-no-opposites

Kind Mind - Kind Mind

https://kindmind.bandcamp.com/releases

Evan J. Cartwright - Bit By Bit

https://evanjcartwright.bandcamp.com/album/bit-by-bit

Prince Nifty - Interplanetary Machines

https://princenifty.bandcamp.com/album/interplanetary-machines

Nick Storring - NewFoundOut

https://nickstorring.bandcamp.com/album/newfoundout

Saturday, March 26, 2022

Happy Birthday Rufus Thomas!

Remembering Rufus Thomas on his birthday with a Schlitz Malt Liquor commercial and dancing The Funky Robot.

Durand Jones & the Indications vs. E.J. & The Echoes

Durand Jones and company do their best with the E.J. & The Echoes' stylish mid-tempo groover "Put A Smile On Your Face"

90s Nostalgia: New Kingdom live at Lee's Palace, 1994

Here's NYC psych-rap crew New Kingdom (Jason Furlow, Sebastian Laws) at Lee's Palace in Toronto shot by Rick Scullion.

Before They Were Famous: Teenage Head's Frankie Venom

Here's a yearbook photo of Frankie Venom back when he was known as Frank Kerr at Hamilton's Westdale Secondary School.

Friday, March 25, 2022

Valorie Miller shares "Apocalachia," a haunting tune about a chemical dump

North Carolina's Valorie Miller wrote "Apocalachia" after learning her Swannanoa home sat adjacent to a hazardous waste site.

Here's the scoop...

The songs on Valorie Miller's upcoming album, Only The Killer Would Know, emerged after the North Carolina songwriter discovered that her acre of land in Swannanoa sat adjacent to, if not in the middle of, a hazardous waste area overseen by the government. Miller experienced health issues that led her to eventually leave the property. Only later, by talking to her former neighbors and doing her own research, did she discover it was a “superfund” site, so named because of the massive cost necessary to clean up the mess left by irresponsible corporations. Watch the video for Valorie's song "Apocalachia" below. Her album Only The Killer Would Know will be out May 6 via Blackbird Record Label/ Indie AM Gold.

“‘Apocalachia’ is not only a song on the record, it’s also an imaginary realm I inhabit when wrestling with life’s larger conundrums," she explains. "When I realized that my beloved Appalachian home was contaminated with chemicals manufactured for warfare, it seemed natural to merge the word ‘apocalypse’ with ‘Appalachia.’ While the subject seems dark to many, I’m simply writing what happens to me and exhibiting willingness to speak of subjects that most would rather avoid. No, it’s not ‘upbeat,’ but it’s real and it contains a message of hope: the earth will heal herself from wounds inflicted by humans. A whole new garden will grow, y’all!”

Over the album’s nine songs, Miller’s spare arrangements, haunting, ethereal vocals (think Mazzy Star) and riveting eco-narratives are a genre unto themselves and tell a story that in some ways is all too familiar, yet entirely original. Unraveling the true story of her beloved acre of land – and the toxicity that lay below — is what led to the album’s title.

“You hear that term in detective shows, when somebody has insider information,” she says. “With Only The Killer Would Know, the ‘killer’ refers to the people who dump that stuff in the ground. And by researching all of that, I'm the detective,” she says. “To help find the killer, or the person responsible, the investigator has to know certain details that no one else could possibly know. In this case, the information is readily available, but nobody's looking except for me. I know all of this weird stuff about that place. Meanwhile, in this entire community, practically nobody is even aware that that place is there.”

Watch the video for Valorie Miller's "Apocalachia" below. You can pre-order her forthcoming album Only The Killer Would Know right here.

Hank Williams, Jr. previews Dan Auerbach-produced album

Hank Williams, Jr's ".44 Special Blues" is off Rich White Honky Blues out June 17th via Easy Eye Sound. Have a listen below.

Here's the scoop...

Larger than life, capable of summoning “all his rowdy friends” with a couple crashing downbeats and a blaring guitar riff, Hank Williams Jr., has been one of country music’s truest outlaws for over half a century. But more than the swaggering singles, roughneck fantasy videos or relentless sense of blue-collar boogie, at his core, the 72-year-old legend is a bluesman. Pure, unqualified and unadulterated, the only son of Hank Williams has the same down low lonesome in his veins as the man Rufus “Tee-Tot” Payne taught to play guitar as a small child growing up in Greenville, Alabama.

With Rich White Honky Blues – set for release on June 17 – the second-generation Country Music Hall of Famer makes good on his legacy with a turpentine and rough wood take on the hill country blues that informed his father’s raw-boned style of putting his pain out there. GRAMMY-winning Producer of the Year, Dan Auerbach, recorded the set live, with a dozen songs reprising classics from Robert Johnson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, R.L. Burnside, Muddy Waters, Big Joe Turner and a few from Bocephus himself.

“The blues is where it all comes from,” concedes Williams. “It’s the start of everything musical in my family; everything starts with Tee-Tot and flows from there. I’ve always flirted with this stripped back blues – all the way back to the ‘80s. But I finally made an album that’s just that, and I like it.”

Blame it on the owner of Easy Eye Sound. Auerbach went straight to the essence. Assembling a wicked core band of electric slide guitarist Kenny Brown, claimed as “my adopted son” by R.L. Burnside, bassist Eric Deaton, who first toured with Fat Possum’s Juke Joint Caravan, backing up T-Model Ford and Paul “Wine” Jones, plus drummer Kinney Kimbrough, son of North Mississippi blues legend Junior Kimbrough, they tapped into the lifeblood of the blues at its most randy.

It started with a phone call, discussing what these sessions could be. Nothing definitive, no commitments made. But then Auerbach started receiving text messages the week leading up to the dates: pictures of Hank Williams, Jr. stationery, each with the title of a song he wanted to sing. Back and forth. Songs. Influences. Touchstones to draw upon.

And then it was Day One.

“First thing he said to me when he walked in was, ‘I don’t really feel like fucking with this shit!’,” Auerbach recalls. “And he walked into another room.”

Undaunted, the producer had the band start playing; grindhouse blues, sweltering hill country shuffles, juke joint altar calls. Before too long, the man whose alter-ego is Thunderhead Hawkins emerged, curious and hungry.

“If you wanted to play this kind of music, you couldn’t have better players,” Auerbach explains. “The first time I ever saw Hank Jr. on TV, I was a kid raised on Robert Johnson and Hank Williams, Sr. records, and those things came through so clearly watching him. So, I tried to assemble the right parts to just sit in that piece of who he is.”

Over the course of just three days, Rich White Honky Blues was done, with Williams punctuatingly declaring “I hope you got all of that. I bet YOU did. I’m going to listen – and smoke...”

As Williams prepares for the release of his 57th studio album, his family has been struck by tragedy with the sudden passing of his wife of 31 years, Mary Jane Thomas. While Williams considered delaying the project’s announcement, time with his family led to one conclusion: music offers solace in the most difficult times.

In this sense, it seems almost predestined that Rich White Honky Blues ends with a prayer for redemption as Williams invites the Savior to bring whatever grace He might have, to sow solace and forgiveness, suggesting the larger than life amongst us transcend mortal limitations. After all, Country blues informed his father’s raw-boned style of putting his pain out there, epitomizing the unquestionable truth that there is always a time for music in moments of need.

Check out ".44 Special Blues" following the track listing for Rich White Honky Blues which you can pre-order right here.

Rich White Honky Blues – Hank Williams, Jr.

1..44 Special Blues

2.Georgia Women

3.My Starter Won’t Start

4.Take Out Some Insurance

5.Rich White Honky Blues

6.Short Haired Woman

7.Fireman Ring the Bell

8.Rock Me Baby

9.I Like It When It’s Stormy

10.Call Me Thunderhead

11.TV Mama

12.Jesus Will You Come By Here

One For The Weekend: Bauhaus

Peter Murphy, David J, Daniel Ash & Kevin Haskins created "Drink The New Wine" by sharing audio files while in lockdown.

Here's the scoop from Bauhaus HQ...

"Drink The New Wine" was recorded last year during lockdown with the four members sharing audio files. The track employs the Surrealists' 'Exquisite Corpse' device whereby each artist adds to the piece without seeing what the others have done. Bauhaus have used this technique in the past to great effect. The title refers to the very first Cadavre exquis' drawing rendered by André Breton, Marcel Duchamp, Jacques Prévert and Yves Tanguy which included words which when strung together made up the sentence, 'Le cadavre exquis boiara le vin nouveau' ('The exquisite corpse will drink the new wine.") For the recording, the four musicians each had one minute and eight tracks at their disposal plus a shared sixty seconds plus four tracks for a composite at the end. All done without hearing what the others had laid down. The only common link being a prerecorded beat courtesy of Kevin. The final playback came as synchronistic revelation.

Thursday, March 24, 2022

That time Phono-Comb w/Dallas Good & Reid Diamond played the Tarragon Theatre

In 1996, Phono-Comb was Reid Diamond & Don Pyle from Shadowy Men, Dallas Good and Fifth Column's Bev Breckenridge.

Happy Birthday Carol Kaye!

Celebrating the birthday of Wrecking Crew bass boss Carol Kaye with her funky 1995 mini-LP.

LINKS

PKM Carol Kaye: The boss of bass guitar

Altin Gün preview Toronto show with "Badi Sabah Olmadan"

Amsterdam-based Turkish psych crew Altin Gün hit The Axis Club April 5. View "Badi Sabah Olmadan" and a 'live at home' set.

Don Cash shares new Rulez track "Live Cassette"

Toronto's other King of Kensington, Rulez just put out a new track "Live Cassette"... more to follow. Watch the clip below.

Here's the lowdown...

Produced by Don Cash, "Live Cassette" is 4 minutes and 30 seconds of hot metal from the potent pen of Ontario's finest. When asked to comment on rumours of stacks of classic new rap gems on deck ready for release this summer, RULEZ frowned, replying with no reply.

"I don't have no comment for nobody. Just watch and see."

Get "Live Cassette" via Bandcamp right here.

Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Rare home recording by the late Charles Stepney uncovered!

"Step By Step" was pparently recorded by producer/arranger Charles Stepney in his Chicago basement in the late 60s. Get it here.

Patti Smith chats with Malcolm Gladwell for Broken Record podcast

Patti Smith returns to NYC's Electric Lady Studios to share some memories for an hour with Malcolm Gladwell.

Yabby You's 80s dub productions compiled by Pressure Sounds

Yabby You Sound – Dubs & Versions collects 20 rare tracks of great Yabby You dubwise productions on 2 LPs. Get it right here.

Here's the scoop...

In the early 1970s the island of Jamaica, and in particular its reggae musicians, developed a love affair with small Japanese motor bikes. Honda bikes were eulogised in Big Youth’s ‘S90 Skank’ and Dillinger’s ‘CB200’, whilst their rival was lauded on Shorty The President’s ‘Yamaha Skank’, to name the most obvious examples.The plot of the film ‘Rockers’ revolved around how transformative a motorbike could be, providing a livelihood whilst projecting an image of success in the ghetto.

Vivian ‘Yabby You’ Jackson had been fiercely independent as a singer and producer, and the success of his early self-pressed productions, mostly on the Prophets or Vivian Jackson labels, had given him a sense of hard earned autonomy. A motorbike was one of the fruits of his labours, acquired as a way of zipping around the capital’s roads to deliver records and organise recording sessions. His wife Jean could often be see hanging on to the back. Twelve years after his death, she remembers various exploits on the pot-holed roads of Kingston.

Jean Vencella Williams: ‘His first motorbike was a Honda 50 and then a 100, a Yamaha. I remember the Yamaha, it was a dark blue colour, it must have been from the mid 70s til the early 80s. I used to ride around on the back and we ride all over, like we go to the country cos his mother lived in Clarendon.And he had a little carrier thing for boxes of records, so we go to Mandeville in Manchester, sometimes to Spanish Town fe sell records. Most of the time he sell them to the shops, like Randys, and the people them buy it from there. He had pressing plants like Byron Lee and later Tuff Gong, so when the records pressed we find out the time when we get back the records, which usually was at least a couple of days or about a week.And later when we living in Clarendon we come into Kingston to pick them up at the pressing plant.And when he book the studio he might book two or three days and we come in and usually stay til late.

‘He used to carry the records from the different pressing plants on the bike, but because of the rain and weather you know it not so good for the records, and also the sun beating down.Then Wayne Wade had an accident on the Yamaha, and he was hurt quite bad, and he had to go to the hospital for quite a while. Well Yabby didn’t ride it after that, cos it was getting dangerous with so many cars coming in. So he gave up the Yamaha and bought a Toyota Carina, and that car was very good to him.Then the Carina become a little shaky, so he got a Toyota Corolla which he drove until his death.’

This album presents a sample of the best of those ‘Dubs and Versions’ that Yabby was ferrying around town, whether rarities, B-sides or tracks culled from albums that showcase the breadth of Yabby’s productions between 1975 and 1982.

Tribal War Dub and Creation Rock Version

We open with two make-overs of Studio One rhythms,‘Death In The Arena’ and ‘Rockfort Rock’.Yabby is rightly lauded for his well worked original rhythms, but the same care and attention is on display here.Slow and hypnotic,‘TribalWar Dub’ was recorded at the Black Ark but mixed and overlaid with syndrum sound effects at King Tubby’s. ‘Creation Rock Version’ was issued on 7-inch as the flip to a storming vocal by Michael Prophet: the dub is pounding and relentless, aimed straight at the sound system.

United Africa Dub

Tommy McCook’s delicate flute leads an instrumental dub of Yabby’s haunting song ‘Jah Over I’.The master saxophonist was a key collaborator with Yabby throughout the 70s, and often switched to flute or fife for atmospheric classics like the mighty ‘Death Trap’. Here his sublime melody floats over a solid steppers drum pattern from Sly Dunbar, with syncopated snare fills.

Lord Of Lords Dub, Black Is Our Colour Dub, Now I Know Dub and Man Of The Living Dub

Four dubs all taken from singles featuring the teenage singer Wayne Wade. Jean remembers Wayne Wade as ‘a very brilliant singer, really the first one that Yabby spend a lot of time on as he get more confident as a producer’.Wade recorded extensively for Yabby, and went on to cut the awesome ‘Poor And Humble’ for Linval Thompson and a couple of albums for Willie Lindo. ‘Lord of Lords’ is a reworking of Yabby’s signature tune ‘Conquering Lion’,‘Now I Know’ is a recut of Dennis Brown’s ‘Baby Don’t Do It’, and ‘Man Of The Living’ is one of the deepest tunes recorded by Yabby’s young protégé.The ‘Black Is Our Colour’ rhythm was recorded by Lee Perry at the Black Ark studio, with horns and flute by Tommy McCook added after the original release, as heard on this, the version side to Jah Stitch’s cut ‘African Queen’.

Dub U So and Yabby U Sound

Two tracks from an LP named ‘Yabby U Meets Sly and Robbie Along With Tommy McCook’ released in 1982, in which Yabby revisits some of his older rhythms with new dub mixes by Professor and Scientist.‘Dub U So’ focuses in on some stirring but plangent horn parts.An album track by Byron Otis of The Blackstones named ‘Set Me Free’ uses the same rhythm track, seemingly because its producer Jah Larry was living in Clarendon alongside Yabby. ‘Yabby U Sound’ is a minimalist remix of the anthemic ‘King Pharaoh’s Plague’, originally released five years earlier.

Vengeance In Dub, Repatriation Rock and Warrior No Tarry Yah Version

Three version sides to strong DJ records, with Ranking Trevor’s toast over a recut of ‘Jah Vengeance’, Jah Stitch’s DJ piece to ‘Zion Gate’ aka ‘Judgement On The Land’, and Tony Tuff ’s chant over his own ‘One Big Family’, riding the Paragons’ ‘Man Next Door’ rhythm.All were mixed at King Tubby’s, probably by Prince Jammy, and all three dubs show the standard Tubby’s practice of recording the DJ’s clean voice and the full dub mix onto separate adjacent tracks.This meant that the flip side of the record would not need to be mixed separately, the dub mix being the same as that behind the voice on the A side.You just pulled down the fader on the DJ’s vocal and your B-side dub was already mixed. Not a second was wasted in the studio!

Heads A Roll Dub, Mash Down Rome Dub and Turn Me Loose Dub

Michael Prophet was Yabby’s most successful and prolific artist. Jean remembers Michael’s recruitment:‘Michael Prophet came to him as part of a trio,andYabby liked Michael but for some reason he didn’t take the other two, and decide him better as a solo artist. So Michael was taught from scratch and him would come in the evening and practice and practice, until Yabby feel he was ready for the studio.’ These three tracks are from the confusingly named ‘Michael Prophet – Vocal and Dub LP’, which is actually a full dub album mixed by King Tubby, with extended vocal passages. It’s a very musical set that was obviously conceived as a coherent album, with new mixes to existing singles and subtle sound effects overlaid throughout.

Dub U So and Yabby U Sound

Vengeance In Dub, Repatriation Rock and Warrior No Tarry Yah Version

Heads A Roll Dub, Mash Down Rome Dub and Turn Me Loose Dub

Death To All Racist and Aggression Dub

Yabby took a pretty relaxed attitude to naming tracks, especially on his dub albums, which today causes some confusion among the ranks of record collectors.These two neglected tracks are both from LPs with contradictory information.The various pressings of ‘Yabby You Meets Michael Prophet And Scientist At The Dub Station’ use the same track names for totally different dubs, but ‘Death To All Racist’ on the original 1981 release is the dub to Michael Prophet’s ‘Stop Throw Stones’. Meanwhile the tracklisting on ‘Michael Prophet – Stars In Disco Showcase’ does not match between the sleeve and the label, so ‘Aggression Dub’ may actually be named ‘Falkland Crisis Dub’. Whatever, it’s a great version, probably mixed at Channel One, although strangely the only known vocal on this rhythm, ‘Come Make We Rally’ by Willie Williams, was produced by Sugar Minott.

Babylon A Fall Dub

‘Babylon A Fall’ was released as a Discomix 12” on the Grove label, with the dub segueing from Yabby’s vocal. Here the dub is presented on its own, with instrumentation led by trombone and a slightly tentative flute, again probably mixed by Prince Jammy.

Time Changing Dub and Chanting Version

These are the version sides to singles by Samuel Patterson (‘Time Changing’) and Errol Alphonso (‘Chant Jah Victory’) respectively, two talented singers who sadly seem to have recorded only one or two tunes each, and exclusively for Yabby. Both dubs have the musical weight so typical of the music mixed at King Tubby’s. ‘Chanting Version’ has a great intro guitar lick, probably played by Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith, and brilliant use of the famous hi pass filter to alter the whole perspective of the mix half way through.

Although drawn from disparate sources, hopefully this collection presents a coherent overview of the drum and bass music produced byYabbyYou from the late 70s to the early 80s.As Jean remembers:‘Yabby really loved dubs, I think he put special care into them. And he loved what he did.’

– Diggory Kenrick, London UK 2022

Yabby You Sound - Dubs & Versions

1. "Tribal War" (dub)

2. "Creation Rock" (version)

3. "United Africa" (dub)

4. "Lord Of Lords" (dub)

5. "Dub U So"

6. "Black Is Our Colour" (dub)

7. "Vengeance In" (dub)

8. "Heads A Roll" (dub)

9. "Repatriation Rock"

10. "Death To All Racist"

11. "Aggression" (dub)

12. "Warrior No Tarry Yah" (version)

13. "Now I Know" (dub)

14. "Mash Down Rome" (dub)

15. "Babylon A Fall" (dub)

16. "Man Of The Living" (dub)

17. "Time Changing" (dub)

18. "Turn Me Loose" (dub)

19. "Chanting" (version)

20. "Yabby U Sound"

Tuesday, March 22, 2022

Watch Otoboke Beaver's video for "Pardon?"

"Pardon?" is off Otoboke Beaver's new album, Super Champon, out May 6. They're playing Lee's Palace on September 30th.

Better get tickets quick for Otoboke Beaver's upcoming Toronto show right here – it's sure to be a sell out!

New book collecting Sun Ra's Saturn label sleeve art due in October

The 240 page Sun Ra: Art On Saturn – the first comprehensive look at the sleeves created for the Saturn label – is out October 25.

Here's the scoop...

Drawn from private collections around the world, this is the first comprehensive collection of the Saturn label’s printed record covers, along with hundreds of the best hand-designed, one-of-a-kind sleeves and disc labels decorated by Sun Ra and members of his Arkestra.

Considered the foremost exponent of Afrofuturism, Sun Ra mastered a wide array of styles that spanned jazz, R&B, exotica, Afro-hybrids, electronic, big band, solo piano, orchestral, experimental, and chamber works. In his 45-year recording career, he issued an epic number of albums and he was one of the first Black musicians to own an independent label, which he named Saturn, after the planet on which he claimed to have been born. The covers of Saturn LPs, issued from 1957 to 1988, are iconic—some rolled off commercial printing presses but many were hand-crafted. These records were sold at concerts, club dates, and by mail order. As collectibles, original handmade Saturn covers sell for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars. More than just packaging for a slab of vinyl, they are works of art in their own right.

Sun Ra: Art on Saturn is the first comprehensive collection of all Saturn printed covers, along with hundreds of the best hand-designed, one-of-a-kind sleeves and disc labels, decorated by Ra himself and members of his Arkestra. Essays by Sun Ra catalog preservationist Irwin Chusid, noted Ra scholar John Corbett, and Glenn Jones, who in the 1970s signed Ra to a distribution deal that put countless homemade covers into circulation, add unique insights into the interplanetary life and work of Sun Ra and his Saturn partner Alton Abraham.

Historians have written extensively about Sun Ra and his music. This book is a tribute to the covers and to the uncredited visual artists and their rich imaginations. From the simple to the baroque to the absurd, the covers that sheathed Ra's discs reflect the tenaciousness of a genius who refused to compromise or relinquish control of his destiny.

Pre-order Sun Ra: Art On Saturn right here.