A master-class in digikal dread, by the Cool Ruler and King Tubby.
Swingeing Firehouse rhythms, expertly dubwise, with driving, tumping bass, and the burning horns of Dean Fraser and Vin Gordon. Utterly masterful singing.
The overall mood is foreboding, sombre and distressed. ‘Your trouble wanna trouble you,’ warns Gregory. ‘War in the morning, war in the evening.’ ‘Everyone is wondering who will be next.’
The gist is the toll of everyday living — paranoia and alienation, loneliness and heartbreak, drugs and violence — and the gravitational pull of prison, so it’s great to see the emblematic art-work of the original UK issue, by the aptly-named Serious Business, back again. (We miss the Rudy Gone Whaling typo of an old bootleg, still.)
Typically dapper, trash-and-ready reissue by Dub Store in Tokyo, with ace sound, handsomely sleeved (though the tracks are listed in the wrong order).
Masterworks like Long Sentence, Once A Man — giant-slaying Fade Away excursion — and Badness.
Hotly recommended.

Melting, copybook Lovers Rock from 1977.
Willie Lindo, Harold Butler Robbie Lyn and co at Federal. Marcia Griffiths on backing vocals. A classy Waiting In Vain.

Rollicking, mid-sixties, post-Skatalites ska thriller, led by Bobby Ellis and Roland Alphonso, with slightly different soloing to the original release.
Backed with a charming, forsaken, rare Summertairs: ‘I love you, Errol… come back today… but not too late… Errol, my dear.’

With a sweet Hamlins on the flip.

An ace, urgent version of Joe South’s stinging denunciation.
Easy to imagine Andy and South — who also wrote Walk A Mile In My Shoes — getting on very well together.

Young bros Glen, Dalton, Noel, Cleveland and Danny, irresistibly doing over MJ for Geoffrey Chung. ‘She makes my motor purr.’

Total murder.
With a precious instrumental version.

A heavy, rumbunctious, rocking version by a young Monty Alexander, with a tasty eastern tang; plus a terrific rolling shuffle, on the flip.

Stately ska loveliness, with Queen Patsy at her very best, disclosing her devotion to Frankie Lymon; and a previously unreleased Webber Sisters on the flip, fizzing with charm.

Superb rock steady, from the dark end of the street. Recorded for Sonia Pottinger, on the eve of Delano Stewart’s leaving the group to join Lee Perry. So nice The Heptones did it twice.

Triumphantly reviving all-time-classic Jammy’s. Proper dub, too.

Scorcher. Ska at the threshold of rocksteady. Mittoo and Dizzy Moore do it to it.

The great reggae saxophonist surfing a dazzling array of immortal Glen Brown instrumentals and dubs, like Dirty Harry, Mr Bald Head Aitken, Merry Up, South East Music, Fathers Call, Music From South Side…
GB the Rhythm Master is right up there in the first pantheon of reggae producers, with the Upsetter, Niney and one or two others; stuff like Dirty Harry is the food of gods.
A deeply pleasurable set, warmly recommended.

Tasty rudeboy anthems from Cedric ‘Congos’ Myton, Devon Russell and co —  a dancehall tribute and a jailhouse portent. Double-bass in the place.

Killer.
Typically masterful, ultra-soulful singing, over a sparkling rhythm. It’s the last gasp of the swinging sixties; geezer is hurt but randy. His missus has scarpered, so the coast is clear for some of this in-ting debauchery he’s been reading about in the papers.
With a trombone-led moonstomp on the flip.
This first hit for Keith Hudson’s new label is a stone-cold re-wind in perpetuity. So play it back, Jack. Hook back on the track with a double attack.