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  1. 2023 Albums Thing 081 - The Congos “Heart Of The Congos”

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    I love Reggae. Let me qualify that with, when I say reggae I’m talking 70’s, predominantly Jamaican, Roots Reggae. I don’t own a lot but what I do own I play a lot. This album I really do play rather a lot.

    Produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry at his Black Ark Studio (where the entrance door was lowered and a picture of Emperor Haile Selassie I was hung above it so everyone who entered the studio had to bow down to His Imperial Majesty) and is regarded as one of Scratch’s greatest productions. The band responsible reads like a who’s who of late 70’s Jamaican reggae Sly Dunbar on drums, Ernest Ranglin in guitar, Boris (“I Wanna Wake Up With You”) Gardiner on bass, Gregory Isaacs sings backing vocals. The Congos themselves were Cedric Myton and Roydel Johnson a duo of Rastafarian’s both of whom had previously performed with the legendary Ras Michael in his groups the Royal Rasses (Myton) and the Sons of Negus (Johnson). They are pictured on the front cover playing, you guessed it, congos and on the reverse with a group of fishermen.

    Which brings us to track one side one, “Fisherman”, a beautiful dreamy, laid back groove over which Cedric sings, in a stunning clear falsetto, lyrics that can be taken on face value as being simply about finding enough food to feed your growing family and buying a little collie along the way. But then you hear the line “Row fisherman row, We've got to reach on higher grounds” and you realise the concerns of the singer are somewhat more spiritual. The following “Congoman” is a Rastafarian chant telling how they have come to “To enlighten the world with psalms, an' songs, an' voices”. This is an album concerned with Rastafarian devotion and repatriation set to some of the most incredible reggae music you will hear. The titles tell a story of their own “Open Up The Gate”, “Sodom And Gomorrow”, “The Ark Of Covenant”. The songs are wonderful, “Children Crying” hangs off the most delicious melody, as do “Can’t Come In” and “Solid Foundation”.

    The original 1977 Jamaican issue was on Scratch’s Black Art label and was a very limited release, rumoured to be only several hundred copies, and sells these days for huge sums. Fortunately the record struck a chord with many and it has been lovingly re-issued a number of times which allowed it to reach a much wider audience. When Brummies The Beat were given their Go-Feet imprint by Chrysalis one of the first things they did was arrange to re-issue “Heart Of The Congos” on their label. Then in 1996 Mick Hucknall (another reason to show the guy a little more respect) via his Blood & Fire label oversaw a luxurious 2 CD remaster including extra tacks and a 36 page booklet.

    “Heart Of The Congos” is a landmark of Roots Reggae and anyone with an inkling of interest in Jamaican music should search out and fall in love with it.

    Children Crying - https://youtu.be/6AsbZ-RLfDM

  2. 2023 Albums Thing 080 - Eddie Cochran “C’mon Everybody: 20 Rock ‘n’ Roll Classics”

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    I’ve never been much of a Rock ‘n’ Roll fan, the 50’s was way before my time and although I understand the importance of Elvis Presley, Bill Haley etc. to that generation, their records sounded very tame to me. The Rock ‘n’ Roll I did lend an ear to was rawer in nature than the watered down hits, Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent,  Little Richard and Eddie Cochran.

    Back in the early 80’s we had two great friends, Rick and Eddie, a couple of Rockers who’d moved up from Walthamstow to Birmingham with their parents. Their families were Turkish so both were dark skinned with jet black hair which was teased into outlandish, greased quiffs. Their attire of choice was biker jackets, Levi’s and brothel creepers. They looked like a pair of Anatolian Stray Cats, very cool. They were both fanatical Eddie Cochran fans and through them I got to hear more than the “Summertime Blues” and “C’mon Everybody” you might occasionally hear on the radio, fantastic records tho’ both are, “C’mon Everybody” in particular featuring a killer, almost surf style, guitar sound which was really unusual for 1958.

    “Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie”, the proto-Punk “Somethin’ Else” and “Weekend”, are banging teen anthems of the most optimistic kind. “Cut Across Shorty” is a hybrid country/bluesy tale of the tortoise and the hare, and then there are my personal favourites, “Nervous Breakdown” a song I’m sure must have been a favourite with The Cramps and “20 Flight Rock”, a rockin’ tale of the lengths a fella will go to to see his girl (if anyone out there knows the Moving Sidewalks garage-psych classic “99th Floor” it’s pretty much the same story). Cochran had first performed “20 Flight Rock” in the movie “The Girl Can’t Help It” when he was just 18 !

    Eddie Cochran died tragically young at 21 in a car accident in Wiltshire, UK in 1960 while on tour. Who knows what the future held for him.

    Nervous Breakdown - https://youtu.be/rY5MDivdcEE

  3. 2023 Albums Thing 079 - The Clash “London Calling”

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    “London Calling” is the second album I’ve written about during this exercise that holds a permanent place in my top 5 favourite albums. It was released (in the UK) on the 14th December 1979, my 17th birthday. It’s been shining a light on future possibilities for me ever since. One of the greatest and most important albums ever made. 

    I’ve written about “London Calling” in this blog before, in fact in my very first post here listing those top 5 albums and my reasons why (you can read it here  https://www.whiterabbitrecords.co.uk/blog/read_142215/welcome-to-the-white-rabbit-records-blog.html to save me repeating myself, it all still applies). 

    To many, The Clash were “the only band that mattered”. They didn’t quite hold that position in my life back in ‘79, that spot was reserved for The Jam at the time. However, in later years I find myself turning to their debut and “London Calling” far more often than I do to “All Mod Cons” or “Setting Sons”. I think that may well be as a result of my relationship with Joe Strummer and Paul Weller’s solo records than any lack of love for The Jam. We’ll get to both of those guys eventually and I can explain more. 

    “London Calling” carries absolutely none of what the music of Punk Rock was accused of peddling, nihilism. There’s no belief that everything is meaningless on this album, no pessimism, exactly the opposite in fact. In 1980 Rolling Stone magazine described the album as being "merry and tough, passionate and large-spirited" and a celebration of "the romance of rock & roll rebellion in grand, epic terms”.

    A friend recently opined “Good record. Always think it tails off towards the end…” and it struck me that on Side 4 you get, one after the other to end on, “Four Horsemen”, “I’m Not Down”, “Revolution Rock” and “Train In Vain”…most bands can’t muster that many great songs on a single album yet that’s The Clash tailing off.

    “London Calling” is the sound of a band having a great time, exploring what they are capable of and communicating that life is great if you grab hold of your own and do something worthwhile with it, whatever you decide that that is. 

    I’m Not Down - https://youtu.be/uV6-vY4O5us