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KINGSTON SOUNDS

Dillinger

Hard Times

    Dillinger one of the most consistently successful DJ’s to come out of Jamaica, fondly remembered for his massive ‘Cocaine In My Brain’ hit from the great CB200 album and the later reworked ‘Marijuana In My Brain’ which gave Dillinger crossover hits in both England and Europe. But the versatile DJ has many more strings to his bow.

    Dillinger (born. Lester Bullocks,1953 Kingston, Jamaica) began his musical venture around 1971, working as a DJ to Sound Systems run by Prince Jackie and El Brasso.1974 saw his first vinyl release in the form of ‘Freshly’ for Producer Yabby U and in 1975 he came with the great ‘Brace A Boy’ for the young Mr Augustus Pablo.But his first album release was through Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One setup, where he let Dillinger fire some vocals over classic Rocksteady rhythms. It took the form of ‘Ready Natty Dreadie’. It was his time at Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Hookim’s Channel One Studio that produced his second album set(a crossover release and fore mentioned) the timeless 1976 classic ‘CB 200’. It contained three big singles in ‘Plantation Heights’, ‘Cocaine In My Brain’ and ‘Crank Face’. The reworked ‘ Marijuana In My Brain’ even became a No 1 hit in Holland in 1979.

    This set of tunes are taken from his classic 70’s period when Mr Dillinger could do no wrong. Alongside the big ‘Cocaine’ and ‘Marijuana’ hits the great opening track ‘Love Is All I Bring’ sees him working over Alton Ellis ‘Still In Love With You’ which Itself turned into ‘3 Piece Suite’. ‘Money Alone Is Not All’ where he works over Barry Brown’s ‘Mr Money Man’, ‘Hear and Deaf’ working over Johnny Clarke’s ‘Nobodies Business’. ‘King Pharaoh Was A Baldhead’ has him working Frankie Jone’s ‘ Jesse Black’ cut. ‘Concubine’ reworks the Mighty Diamond’s ‘Mother Winney’ and ‘Time So Hard’ sees Dillinger telling it like it is over Ronnie Davis’ original ‘ Time So Hard’ cut, empathizing the points in fine style.

    A classic set of tunes all ‘Killer No Filler’ from the master of rhyme himself we hope you agree…..


    TRACK LISTING

    1. Love Is All I Bring
    2. Cocaine In My Brain
    3. Time So Hard
    4. Don’t Want To Wait In Vain
    5. Money Alone Is Not Enough
    6. Some More Love
    7. Hear And Deaf
    8. Marijuana In My Brain
    9. Bathe In A Washpan
    10. King Pharaoh Was A Bald Head
    11. Dub It In A Three Mile
    12. I Want To Squeeze You
    13. Rastafari Rule
    14. Concubine
    15. Mickey Mouse Crab Louse *
    16. The Tuffest Of The Past *

    Horace Andy

    Say Who

      Horace Andy has always commanded a place high on the list of Reggae singers from Jamaica. His distinctive haunting vocal style stands strong on any rhythm, song or style he chooses to cover.Of the singers on that long list he has managed more so than any other to crossover to a new generation of listeners due to his individual style helped also by his collaborations with the likes of Massive Attack, Horace began his musical career at Coxonne Dodds Studio One,After numerous singles and with two albums worth of material Horace moved on to work with many of the top flight Jamaican producers, among them Keith Hudson, Augustus Pablo and Niney the Observer. But it was his work with producer Bunny Striker Lee in the 70’s that he cut most of his hits for and its from this stable of work we have compiled this set.
      So sit back and enjoy the one and only Horace Andy….


      TRACK LISTING

      A1. You Are My Angel
      A2. My Guiding Star’money
      A3. Just Say Who
      A4. Money Money
      A5. Skylarking
      A6. Something On My Mind
      A7. Riding For A Fall
      B1. Zion Gate
      B2. Natural Mystic
      B3. Love Of A Woman
      B4. Don’t Try To Use Me
      B5. Man Next Door
      B6. Better Collie
      B7. No Man Is An Island

      Jackie Edwards

      Mr. Peaceful

        Vocalists don't come more legendary than Jackie Edwards, and the smooth operator has lent his sweet tones to hundreds of ska, R&B, soul and rocksteady records. He was there at the birth of Island Records and his distinctive soulful voice has rightly given him the moniker of the Original Cool Ruler. A renowned singer from the earliest days of Jamaican recording Jackie Edwards presented future Island Records owner Chris Blackwell with two outstanding tunes in 1959. The first a sentimental ballad “Your eyes are Dreaming” and a Latin beat tune “Tell me Darling”.  His song writing skills were much in so demand and his popularity of such importance that when Chris Blackwell went to London in1962 to set up his record company he took his top Balladeer Jackie with him. This would pay dividends when a UK group Blackwell had signed called The Spencer Davis Group went on to release two of Jackie’s compositions “Keep on Running” and “Somebody Help Me”, which topped the British charts in 1966. Here Kingston Sounds have compiled some of Jackie Edwards finest songs, each covering a different reggae style but all sung to perfection.. Hope you enjoy the set....

        STAFF COMMENTS

        Patrick says: Killer collection of tunes from the 'original cool ruler' here! Plucked from throughout Jackie's long career the set covers R&B, rocksteady, soul and ska, but it's the righteous roots grooves of "Wad-Ada" and "So Jah Say" that are turning me out!

        Various Artists

        Skinhead Reggae 1969

          The Sound of Now...mentioned in ’The Return of Jack Slade’ by Derrick Morgan was the sound of 1969/1970 and that sound was the sound of Jamaican Reggae.The look at the time was the Skinhead fashion borrowed heavily from the Jamaican Rude Boy style. The Skinhead movement started around 1968 and by the following year of 1969 became the style and fashion of many British teenagers.The uniform of the Skinheads consisted of boots,braces and jeans and the upbeat Reggae sound seemed to match the style perfectly. Never before has a music matched a look more perfectly than that of the Skinhead/Rude Boy and Jamaican Reggae sound. So stand up and move your feet one more time to the Skinhead Reggae Sound!!!


          Various Artists

          Ska From The Vaults Of WIRL Records

            Ska was the name given to the music that came out of Jamaica between 1961/66. Based on the American R&B and doo wop records that the sound systems in Kingston Town used to play. But the American records style started to mellow out while the Jamaicans preferred a more up-beat sound. So the sound system bosses became record producers, creating their own tunes to cater for this demand. Sir ‘Coxonne’Dodd and Duke Reid led the way getting the island's top musicians in the studio to make music. The subtle switch in the rhythm that emphasised the offbeat made the music unmistakably Jamaican, and ska was born.

            WIRL Records(West India Records Limited) was set up by the Jamaican politician Edward Seaga in the late 1950s. He had supervised the recording of an album of ethnic Jamaican music and needed an outlet for its eventual release. In 1962 the year of Jamaican Independence, Seaga became a member of Parliament, representing the Jamaican Labour Party. He then decided to sell the label to Bryon Lee, the sale led to a name change from WIRL to Dynamic Sounds.

            Kingston Sounds have compiled some of the best scorching ska sounds that came out of WIRL vaults - and they still sound as fresh today as the day they were first recorded.


            Various Artists

            Listen Up! - Roots Reggae

              To celebrate Jamaica’s 50 Years of Independance 1962-2012, Kingston Sounds have put together a series of releases that cover the musical styles that reggae mutated into through its history: ska, rocksteady, roots reggae, dub, DJ style and dancehall. So, Listen Up! and enjoy!

              Part three brings us the roots reggae sound. A period in Jamaican music's history that followed the two year supremacy of rocksteady, which had beun to tail off around the end of 1968. The reggae sound did not come initially from the chop of the gui- tar but from the stabs from the keyboard / organ that produced that jeggae / jerking feel. The roots element can be heard in the heartfelt lyrics and the stories told in the songs. So sit back and enjoy some roots reggae straight from the heart of Jamaica...


              The shuffle rhythm that was born from the American rhythm and blues tunes that hit Jamaica in the 1950s would soon fuse under its Jamaican influence and find an emphasis on the second and fourth bars of the beat. This off-beat would create the ska sound and no fine exponent of this in the sounds early days was Theo Beckford. Theophilus 'Easy Snapping' Beckford (born 1935, Kingston, Jamaica) began his musical career in the mid 50s and had after only two years mastered his instrument of choice the piano. His first hit for Coxonne Dodd's Worldisc label was the classic "Easy Snapping". He had created his own laid back style that simply rolled off his piano and his musical arrangements became the backbone of so many early Ska tunes. His services were soon in demand with not only Coxonne Dodd but all the other top flight producers of the time, Duke Reed, Beverley's, Prince Buster and Clancy Eccles. His session work alongside his playing as part of the big group of the time Clue J and His Blues Blasters, that would eventually morph into the legendary Skatalites, meant that his fingers were truly on the musical pulse of the time. Kingston Sounds have compiled some great early ska cuts for this release that have been touched with the T. Beckford magic. Some of his own classic hits "Flip,Flop And Fly" (aka "Walking Down King Street"), "Mr Downpressor" the fantastic "Don't Have A Ticket Don't Worry". His poignant duo of "Grudgeful People" and "Ungrateful People" and two other timeless tracks "What A Woe" and "Boilerman". Alongside some of his productions for some of the other long – forgotten hero's of the early ska sound: Basil Gabiddon's "Streets of Glory", Frank Cosmo's "On Your Knees", Shenley And Annette's "Now You're Gone" and Daniel Johnson's uplifting "Come On My People".

              TRACK LISTING

              CD:
              1. Don't Have A Ticket Don't Worry - T.Beckford
              2. Come On My People - Daniel Johnson
              3. Love Me Or Leave Me - Lloyd Clarke
              4. Seven Long Years - T.Beckford
              5. Hit You Like You Feel It - The Tenor Twins
              6. Daphne - T.Beckford
              7. On Your Knees - Frank Cosmo
              8. Grudgeful People - T.Beckford
              9. Flip Flip And Fly - T.Beckford
              10. Brother Nathan - Daniel Johnson
              11. Streets Of Glory - Basil Gabiddon
              12. Bajan Girl - T. Beckford
              13. Now You're Gone - Shenley & Annette
              14. Mr Downpressor - T. Beckford
              15. Boiler Man - T. Beckford
              16. Ungrateful People - T. Beckford
              17. What A Woe - T. Beckford (Bonus Track)
              18. Take Your Time - T. Beckford (Bonus Track)

              Various Artists

              Return To Orange Street

                Kingston Sounds return with a further installment of rare and unreleased recordings from the vaults of Bunny Lee circa the early - mid 70s. The compilation's title takes its name from the legendary Orange Street, Jamaica's very own Tin Pan Alley, where all the big recording studios were situated. It features tracks from Horace Andy, Cornell Campbell, Slim Smith, I Roy, Prince Jazzbo, Lee Perry, Delroy Wilson, Jah Stitch and more.


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