Babylon: The Original Soundtrack (EMI/Chrysalis)
The 1980 film "Babylon", directed by Franco Rosso and starring Aswad's Brinsley Forde, was a seminal work of black and working-class British cinema, and one of if not the best film about reggae sound system culture. The release of its soundtrack was also a landmark in the history of UK-produced reggae, and is a mixture of tracks featured in the film and original (mostly instrumental) tracks created by producer Dennis Bovell for it.
The LP opens with 3 Yabby You tracks: firstly, the familiar but inexhaustible "Deliver Me From My Enemies", a piano-led deep roots classic which can also be found on both the Blood & Fire compilation "Jesus Dread" and the album of the same name. Michael Prophet's "Turn Me Loose", which to my knowledge is not available on any other LP or CD, is a relatively laid-back (but still dread) tune with prominent trumpet and the Prophet pleading convincingly for freedom from the economic system. "Free Africa" is in fact the dub of that tune (the vocal can be found on "Deliver Me From My Enemies"), and is one of Yabby's dreadest late 70s productions, with its deep bass and forceful yet elegiac horn riff. "I am not preaching racial discrimination, I am only seeking human rights".
I-Roy's "Whap'n Bap'n", a Bovell production from a somewhat experimental funk-reggae album by the DJ originator, has Roy calling out political leaders over current and enduring crises in a sometimes half-singing style over warm yet punchy staccato horns: it is telling how many of the countries he mentions are still sites of imperialist conflict. So far, impeccable dread credentials; however, Cassandra's "Thank You For The Many Things You've Done" is a weak point in the album, being a somewhat lacklustre lovers tune (although representative of a very popular trend in the UK at the time, presumably hence its inclusion here).
The dread vibe picks up rapidly again with Aswad's two outstanding tunes here, however. "Hey Jah Children" is a pulsing, percussion-heavy and echo-laden work of real innovation, with a sound which incredibly strongly foreshadows the UK and European digi-dub vibes of the 1990s, as well as the work of JA digital producers such as Digital B or Xterminator, showing how massively influential and ahead of the game the often overlooked 70s and 80s UK roots scene was. "Warrior Charge", while nearer to the typical sound of its time, is rightly a classic and perennially revisited instrumental, with trademark blazing syndrums and one of the all-time great horn riffs.
The remaining 3 tracks on the original LP are Dennis Bovell's original instrumentals made specifically for scenes in the film, and represent a fusion of reggae and ambient film music similar to that achieved in funk and soul by the likes of Isaac Hayes with "Shaft" and Curtis Mayfield with "Superfly". "Beefy's Tune" has a jaunty rhythm and a somehow very British vibe, perhaps recalling, with its joyous trombone, the traditional Northern English brass band, yet still retaining just enough of the sense of dark, urban drama. "Manhunter" goes for a classic film noir soundtrack vibe, with James Danton's sensual jazz saxophone solo recalling the likes of John Coltrane as well as of Cymande, similarly jazzy piano and bass masterfully completing the effect. "Jazterpiece" is, as suggested by its name, another jazz-reggae fusion, with call-and-response trumpet and sax over a skanking rockers rhythm alternating with improvised percussive breakdowns.
The CD reissue has 7 more tracks by Bovell and/or his Dub Band as bonus tracks, including alternate versions of "Beefy's Tune" and "Jazterpiece". "School Skanking" is another soundtracky but upbeat instrumental, with Julio Finn's bluesy harmonica taking the lead. "Living in Babylon" and "Runnin' Away" are vocal tracks, both credited to Bovell himself, although the lead vocal doesn't sound like the same man on both of them, leaving the identity of one or the other vocalist a mystery; "Living in Babylon" sardonically describes life in a Britain full of cold war paranoia and hostile to any non-white inhabitants, and serves as a fitting coda to the film, while "Runnin' Away" is a jaunty, light-hearted, almost 60s-style number with a tongue-in-cheek optimism.
"Chief Inspector" is another horn-led instrumental, with an edgy, dubby vibe and harmonica and guitar complementing the impassioned lead trumpet. "B Flat Reggae Concerto" is a very mellow, synth-led piece with a slightly mock-classical vibe in its imitation of a string section. The "reggae version" of "Jazterpiece" is essentially the "jazz" version with the wilder percussion solos removed, while the long version of "Beefy's Tune" again differs fairly little from the shorter version, but nicely rounds off the album with its somewhat more leisurely and extended take on the groove.
Overall, this CD release is something of a mixed bag, but definitely worth getting, and still holds together as an album without requiring the listener to be familiar with the film. While the instrumentals dominating the latter two thirds do blur into one another somewhat if listened to all in one go, and the JA tunes at the beginning in consequence seem rather randomly tacked on, everything on this CD is quality music, whether you are a fan primarily of film soundtracks or of reggae.
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