RIP reggae archivist, writer & champion Steve Barrow, 1945-2026

Sadly Steve Barrow, co-founder of archival reggae label Blood & Fire, has passed away. He'll be greatly missed. 

One of the best friends roots reggae and dub ever had, Steve Barrow was a record collector, writer and DJ who ran the Daddy Kool record shop selling Jamaican music in London's Soho district starting in 1975. Building an impressive vinyl collection while amassing a deep knowledge of the breadth of Jamaica's vast musical exports, Barrow lent his expertise to Trojan and Island where he assembled crucial compilations of important overlooked recordings before co-founding the influential Blood & Fire archival label in 1993. 

Barrow and his Blood & Fire crew helped kick-start the 90s resurgence of interest in dub by releasing an unbroken string of brilliant collections, showcasing well-chosen gems from King Tubby, Keith Hudson, Horace Andy, Yabby You, Glen Brown, The Congos, and others in tastefully designed packages that were always informatively annotated and drawn from the best available sources with a portion of the proceeds going to artists/producers responsible. The superior quality of Blood & Fire's output forced more established labels to rethink how archival compilations were done. Suddenly, it was no longer sufficient to knock out bootleg quality comps with a slap-dash sleeves, sans accompanying notes and session credits – everyone had to raise their game. 

Steve Barrow was also the co-author (with Peter Dalton) of The Rough Guide To Reggae Music, the first authoritative and comprehensive reggae guide covering the entire history of the music and related subgenres as well as providing insightful profiles of key players. Rest in power Steve, you'll be greatly missed. Check out a few interviews with Steve and a few of his boffo collections. 

 

Keith Hudson's Flesh Of My Skin reissued with bonus tracks

VP Records has just put out Keith Hudson's 1974 roots gem Flesh of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood. Hear "Fight Your Revolution"

Here's the scoop...

Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood, Hudson’s fourth LP, was released in 1974 to critical reception in London, paving the way for his future success and setting a foundation for his creative legacy, which was cut tragically short when he died from cancer in 1984. Hudson’s original records are to this day some of the most sought after by reggae vinyl collectors. 

In Jamaica, Hudson is best known known for his standout hit record with Big Youth, “Ace Niney Skank” and his debut production with singer Ken Boothe “Old Fashioned Way.” From there, Hudson’s output maximized the use of remix and versions that were the hallmark of early dancehall and sound system culture. 

VP’s meticulous remaster of the original Mamba pressing of Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood includes three tracks not on that original, plus extensive liner notes from Hudson biographer Vincent Ellis, combining to make this the definitive release of an obscure reggae classic. 

The track "Fight Your Revolution" is avant-guarde reggae from one of the genre’s most innovative producers. 

Given an original animated visual treatment from graphic artist and illustrator Costantinos Pissourios, the song features guitars (and a bass) panned into full stereo, with Hudson and his harmony singers imploring “black man, fight your revolution.” The statement of black empowerment is enhanced by the dignified portrayal of Hudson mixed with psychedelic Afrocentric iconography. Watch the video below. 

Get Keith Hudson's Flesh Of My Skin, Blood of My Blood right here.