Black Uhuru - Black Sounds Of Freedom

Black Uhuru
Black Sounds of Freedom (Greensleeves GREWCD23)



Black Uhuru have a justified reputation as one of the darkest and most uncompromising of the internationally successful roots groups of the late 70s and early 80s. They went through several different vocal line-ups, but most of their most crucial works were produced with lead singer and prime lyricist Michael Rose, a man whose very personal blend of spiritual militancy and dread paranoia gave the classic Uhuru a unique and unmistakeable, almost gothic and industrial vibe, creating (aided by the inimitable drum and bass duo of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, who were essentially part of the band) some both rock-audience-friendly and truly deep and dark roots.

"Love Crisis" was their first full-length album, recorded for Prince Jammy in 1977 with the vocal line-up of Rose, Duckie Simpson and Errol Nelson. After the group achieved international popularity with their Island albums such as "Red" and "Sinsemilla", Jammy remixed the album and re-released it in 1981 as "Black Sounds Of Freedom", by which title it is more widely known. This CD reissue from Greensleeves collects both versions of the album, along with DJ cuts to 3 of the tunes by U-Black.

The original version of the album opens with "Crisis For Love", which despite its lyrics is surprisingly cheerful and upbeat, more resembling a mellow Wailing Souls or Israel Vibration track than the typical Black Uhuru sound. The mood soon gets sombre again, however, with the moving, elegiac feel of the anti-war classic "Satan Army Band", a powerful lament showing Rose can do "understated" vocally as well as he can "strident" (although its ambience is somewhat broken by the rather puzzling lyric mentioning a "hot cross bun").

"Tonight Is The Night To Unite" is one of the tunes on this set most typical of what would become the familiar and unmistakeable Black Uhuru sound, with Rose's trademark scats and vocal interpolations getting their first proper airing, on a prescient lyric of determination in the face of suffering. "Eden Out Deh" (presumably a mis-spelling of its intended title, as the lyrics refer to "heathen", not "Eden") continues the militant theme: despite the enemies everywhere, "our revolutionary spirit has come a long long way". Sly & Robbie's rhythm section (a massive, if often uncredited, influence on electro, industrial and similar movements) ensures the dread mood is kept up.

On "Sorry For The Man" Rose turns his hand to relationship matters, but of course keeps things dark in tone with his pitying condemnation of an ex-lover: whether you regard the lyric as misogynistic or just angsty, it's a long way from standard "lovers rock". "I Love King Selassie" is probably Uhuru's best-known early hit, a devotional song to the Ethiopian ruler which (in one of the great paradoxes of the Rastafarian movement), despite the irrationality of its own basic premise, produces some great attacks on religion and superstition: "Useless praying to the spirits, for the spirit is within the flesh of I and I". Sly's metronomic drumming is particularly impressive here.

"Natural Mystic" is a nice cover of a tune whose lyric, in Rose's hands, sounds like it was written for Black Uhuru; he also admirably refuses to attempt to imitate Marley vocally as too many artists do when covering his songs. The horn section of the original is replaced by a nice piece of organ courtesy of Winston Wright.

"Hard Ground", one of the standout tracks of the album, has one of the darkest, most powerful sufferers lyrics in the whole of Jamaican music; a tale of homelessness and hopelessness that even dares to question the faith in God that infuses Black Uhuru's (and so many reggae artists') entire body of work: "All my life I've only known misery - it seems as if Jah Jah really has forsaken me". Guitar, organ and piano enhance the mood, and Rose gives one of his most characteristically doom-laden vocal performances: a stunning, uncompromisingly dread tune that easily cements Black Uhuru's reputation as the darkest and most daring band in roots reggae.

"African Love", a song first recorded by UK band The African Brothers, but significantly lyrically retooled by Rose and Simpson (to include typically Uhuru references to Satan and revolution), is another effective transformation of an existing song into the Uhuru style; without knowing the African Brothers version, it would be hard to tell it was not an original. The closing "Willow Tree" is a partial adaptation of Rose's earlier "Born Free" (recorded for Yabby You), a plea for an end to ghetto violence that shows how Rose can make even the words "peace and love" sound foreboding of doom.

The remixed version of the album (presented first on this CD) is not in fact vastly different from the original: the track order is changed so that it begins with the big hit "I Love King Selassie", and the general feel is slightly slicker and less raw, but the biggest change is the overdubbing of Johnny Osbourne's harmonica, which, while not as intrusive as, for example, the rock guitar overdubs on the remixed version of The Wailers' "Catch A Fire", clearly sounds like it was not part of the original recording, and changes the mood of some tracks slightly, adding urgency but removing some of the depth and seriousness; there is little to choose really between the two versions, but IMO the original "Love Crisis" is slightly superior.

U-Black, a toaster with a somewhat U Roy influenced style, contributes versions to 3 of the tracks from (presumably the later version of) the album, "King Of All Time" ("I Love King Selassie"), "Crocodile Style" ("Hard Ground") and "Love You Girl" ("Sorry For The Man"), which are fairly unremarkable but nice additions for any selector wishing to extend the riddims, "Crocodile Style" with its dubby echo and ebullient lyric condemning hypocrites in politics, music and love being probably the best of the bunch.

Overall, while the relatively small difference between the two versions of the album makes this CD feel rather repetitive, it is still an essential purchase for allowing the listener to decide hir own preference of the available versions of one of the strongest and deepest late 70s roots albums, and making both easily available in good sound quality for the first time. None more Black.

Barrington Levy - Englishman/Robin Hood

Barrington Levy
Englishman/Robin Hood (Greensleeves CD 509)

"Englishman" and "Robin Hood" were originally 2 albums recorded for Junjo Lawes in 1979 and 1981, and this Greensleeves reissue combines both on one CD. The packaging is minimal to say the least, with absolutely no sleeve notes or information beyond band credits, and looking like it was badly photocopied, but the sound quality of the CD is fine (far better than many), and the value for money of the package cannot be faulted. (Greensleeves has apparently reissued "Englishman" again as a CD to itself with some bonus tracks, so this 2-for-1 issue may now have been deleted.)

"Englishman" is the rootsier of the 2 albums lyrically, but "Robin Hood" probably has the edge on it in terms of production, with a more fully developed Roots Radics sound. Both albums, however, showcase a typically Levy mixture of roots and lovers material in a pre-digital dancehall style, and as such fit almost seamlessly together.

"Englishman" opens with its title track, one of its more uptempo tunes, and an affirmation of unity between nationalities which is also a celebration of Barrington's international popularity , on a tough rockers riddim enhanced by Ansel Collins's tense organ playing.

"If You Give To Me" and "Sister Carol" are nice but unremarkable lovers tunes which likewise have that warm, organic Radics rub-a-dub feel, while "Don't Fuss Nor Fight" is a plea for non-violence in the dance which is also a deeply laid-back celebration of "sweet reggae music, what the people them want". "Look Girl" gets even more laid-back, with only some sharp syndrums to counter the overwhelming mellowness.

The mood soon changes to one of roots determination, however, with "Look Youthman" with its tougher, semi-steppers riddim and righteous lyrics warning the youths while exalting the Creator. However, the real roots highlight of the album is the haunting "Send A Moses", with Barrington's trademark yearning vocal stretched out over a slow, plaintive riddim to powerful and moving effect, offset nicely by bluesy guitar and echoing cymbals.

"Black Heart Man" (no relation to the Bunny Wailer song and album of the same name) keeps up the mood, with Chinna Smith's guitar again employed to poignant effect over Levy's impassioned defence of Rastafari against false demonisation as child abductors and abusers. "Money Makes Friends", another attack on hypocrites, is voiced over what sounds like a curiously slowed-down cut of "Real Rock". "Bend Your Back" is, again, nice but unremarkable, dealing with the perennial dancehall topic of popular dance moves.

"Robin Hood" is massively dominated by its title track, a truly awesome dancehall roots killer with a deeply dubby, anthemic riddim (taken from another Barrington tune, "Warm and Sunny Day", which was produced by Linval Thompson, and in fact retaining its "day" backing vocal), and Levy at his most impassioned chanting down petty gangsters who rob the poor instead of redistributing wealth like "Robin Hood, who steal from the rich and build the poor more". A powerful, staccato horn riff and inspired, echoing mixing by Scientist lift this tune easily into the ranks of the undisputed classic.

The rest of the "Robin Hood" album shares the horns (which are unfortunately absent from "Englishman"), but fails to reach the same heights of lyrics or arrangements, being dominated by lovers tunes; however, Barrington's varied and inventive lyrics manage to lift such material above the banality of much of its kind, and the riddims are nice throughout. "Rock and Come In" has a horn arrangement somewhat similar to "Stalag", while "Love Sister Carol" is a much-versioned tune with a jaunty, joyful trumpet riff.

"Gonna Tell Your Girlfriend", while dealing lyrically with jealousy and infidelity, has a steely bass and vengeful horns suited to a deep roots tune, and the anthemic tone continues on "You Come To Ask Me What Is Love", with Levy pondering the nature of love and concluding "love is happiness", while once again Scientist finishes the tune with a nice helping of echo. "Why Did You Leave Me" is more minimal, without horns but with very dubby mixing, showcasing percussion and bass.

"Many Changes In Life" centres on Barrington's often-returned-to "when I was a youth... now I am a man" lyric, echoing also the changes in Jamaica due to the economic crisis, a searing bluesy steel guitar again enhancing the mood despite being low in the mix. "Na Broke No Fight Over No Woman" has a similar dark and uncertain mood, with Levy's voice floating hauntingly over the mix, despite rather dismissive lyrics.

"When Friday Come" is a sardonic reality lyric, a tale of working all week and getting no pay, yet with an almost jaunty tone, while "Like How You Kiss And Caress Me" returns to a mellow lovers mood, yet with enough authority in its heavily echoing drumbeats to close the album.

Overall, while lyrically this is a very mixed bag, the mood of the whole CD is cohesive, tho nothing else on it reaches quite the killer status of "Robin Hood". The latter album is noticeably more impressively mixed than the earlier, showing the development of Junjo's and the Roots Radics' sound, but both nicely capture the period when roots was transforming into early dancehall. This is a worthwhile purchase if still possible to track down in its 2-for-1 edition...