Duff Review: Max Romeo "Revelation Time"

VP Records/17 North Parade
CD/LP
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Even though Max Romeo's Revelation Time was issued as a series of singles for the Black World label prior to the record's release in 1975, according to Steve Barrow's 1999 liner notes for Blood and Fire's Open the Iron Gate, 1973-1977, Romeo always intended these to form a concept album that would help support political efforts to alleviate the dire income inequality present in post-colonial Jamaica: "It came from 1972, when we had a revolutionary movement, with Mr. Michael Manley trying to change society from capitalism to socialism. At the time I was socialist-minded--beca’ it’s the only form of poor people government, socialism. So, bein’ a socialist, that album was actually fed into that area; it was helping to project awareness among really uneducated people." And, at least in artistic execution, Romeo wildly succeeded. Recorded at Lee "Scratch" Perry's Black Ark (with "Scratch" as engineer) and at Randy's Sound Studios, and produced by Clive Hunt, Pete Weston, and Lee "Scratch" Perry (for "Three Blind Mice"), Romeo's absolutely stellar, highly melodic roots reggae tunes presented within lean arrangements focus one's attention on his uncompromising lyrics railing against poverty and injustice (with Old Testament-style retribution to come). The album packs a series of mighty wallops that still land on their targets to this very day.

Throughout, Romeo's fantastic singing is impassioned, but not overly dramatic, which makes boldly revolutionary tracks like "Warning Warning" all the more chilling (particularly, if you're a predatory capitalist):

Your life here on earth has been filled with luxury and pleasure
You have made yourself fat for the day of slaughter
You've not paid the men that work in your fields
The cries of those that gather your crops
Have reached the ears of Jah, Jah Almighty

Heads a go roll down Sandy Gully one of these days...

In a similar vein, the tremendous "Revelation Time" is less Biblical apocalypse and more Workers of the World Unite in its message (that also addresses police corruption and anti-Rasta discrimination):

Revelation time
Wedge up your hammer!
Sharpen up your sickle!

The simplest thing is,"bang, bang, bang"
What is this on our little island?
If every man was equal, you see
There would be none of this poverty

And they could not trim
Dreadlocks, in prison, prison
Victimization would have to stop
They could not trim
Dreadlocks, in prison, prison
Liars and thieves would not be cops

The mesmerizing, bare-bones "Blood of the Prophet" conveys the hardship of metaphorical exile and continuing to pay for the Biblical sins of one's forefathers and mothers, even though one leads a righteous life:

Rachel mourns for her children
They have killed the prophet
And burned down the altar
Whooah, what a slaughter!
The blood of the prophet
Is on the shore of Babylon
Whoah, what a woeful situation!

But I and I and I and I and I and I and I
Have done no wrong...

"Open the Iron Gate" presses the case that Babylon is out of control and deliverance is sorely needed ("I want to survive this armageddon/Poverty and frustration/What a wicked situation/Jah, Jah, open up the iron gate/And let your children repatriate"), while "Tacko" calls out the "fools" who reported/believed Rastafarianism was finished because Haile Selassie had died. "Three Blind Mice" is about the ridiculousness of a police raid on a party: "The police checked the deejay/Tell him to turn off sound/The crowd never like that/Them start gathering 'round...Let the music play!"; this single ended up being a hit for Romeo on Perry's Upsetter label.

Most poignantly, Romeo's grappling with all of the needless suffering inflicted by the powers that be on his fellow human beings leads to the most empathetic song on the album, "A Quarter Pound of I'cence," which expresses the anxiety, desperation, and restlessness that comes from living in a mad, oppressive economic system--and the longing for a temporary escape by getting high:

There ain't no peace in this part of town
I can't stand this roaming, this roaming around
I have the urge to go out of my mind
There must be some peace, some peace I can't find

Romeo's studio work with Perry on Revelation Time led them to expand their collaboration on War Ina Babylon. While side A of that record is brilliant (as is Perry's production), and the title track and "I Chase the Devil" are bona fide roots reggae classics, Revelation Time is a consistently better album start to finish. Following the smash international success of War Ina Babylon in 1976, the previously JA-only Revelation Time was issued (with alterations in tracks and running order) in Canada in 1977 as Warning Warning! on Surface/Jam Sounds; in the USA in 1978 as Open the Iron Gate on United Artists Records as part of their incredible "Anthology of Reggae Collectors Series"; and in the US and UK in 1999 as Open the Iron Gate, 1973-1977 on Blood and Fire Records. Yet, the delayed release of Revelation Time outside of Jamaica ended up putting off many listeners and unfairly diminished the public perception of this record, as it seemed to be a throwback in the progression of roots reggae and its stripped down sound was so radically different from Perry's rich and masterful War Ina Babylon production.

While the Blood and Fire version of this album is a must have (the mastering is extraordinary and it includes the essential "Melt Away," "Valley of Jehosaphat," and "Fire Fe The Vatican" tracks), VP's CD edition includes additional dubs, like "Heads A Go Roll" and "Hammer and Sickle," and equally great and politically-charged contemporaneous singles, including "Socialism Is Love" and "Black Equality" (note: the LP doesn't contain these bonus tracks). If you're interested in Max Romeo's masterpiece Revelation Time, copies of both should be acquired.

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Duff Review: Los Aggrios "Alcohol" b/w "Manten La Fe"

Steady Beat Recordings
7" picture sleeve single/digital
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Los Aggrios' dynamite second single is anything but bitter (the band's name in English--as the cover artwork might infer--is The Sour). "Alcohol" is not a cover of The Special AKA track of the same name, but rather a bright, Harry J Allstars-like swig of late '60s instrumental skinhead reggae that sounds like what it feels like to be relaxed, happy, and carefree when you have just the right buzz on. "Manten La Fe" ("Keep the Faith") has a similar vibe, but with an organ melody that just as effectively could be a vocal part (and a terrific sung song at that--surely, a great set of lyrics could be derived from the tune's title). Keep your eye on this excellent LA-based band.

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Duff Review: The Blackstones and The Officinalis - "Change of Plan" b/w The Officinalis "Santantonio Special"

Aloe Vera Records
7" vinyl single/digital
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

This is the third single from Italy's finest purveyor of vintage mid-'60s ska sounds bar none, The Officinalis (Latin for plants used for medicinal purposes). For the A side, they team up with The Blackstones, a UK-based reggae vocal trio that had some success in the late '80s and early '90s (and were notable for being one of the last acts that Coxsone Dodd recorded prior to his death in 2004; their album Tribute to Studio One was issued in 2005--since I never can get enough of the "Real Rock" riddim, I have to point out that their "Don't Chuck Badness" is a great cut off this record). "Change of Plan" is a beautiful--if heartbreaking--plea to a wayward partner, full of absolution and hope: "But, if you love me true/All you have to do/Is come on home." The falsetto harmonies, which may remind one of The Melodians, The Mighty Diamonds, The Techniques, Carlton and the Shoes, and others, are spot-on and splendid. "Santantonio Special" is an incredible, minor-key, mid-tempo, spaghetti-Western-ish original instrumental that sounds like a cut Prince Buster Allstars (essentially The Skatalites) would have recorded back in the day (speaking of Prince Buster, make sure to check out The Officinalis' stellar tribute to him, "The Champ," off their second single). This record is a knockout--don't miss it!

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Huge thanks to Sergio Rallo for the recommendation!

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Duff Review: Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra "Tunnel Vision"

Self-released
Digital single
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

While Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra's previous releases have been focused almost exclusively on covers of classic Skatalites cuts, this new digital single is the first to feature one of the band's original songs. And what a fantastic track it is! Typically, Western Standard Time Ska Orchestra blends '60s ska and Jamaican jazz with '40s style American big band jazz, but on this outing they mix in some reggae and the results are outstanding. The tune is wonderful, the arrangements are compelling, and the musicianship is absolutely top-notch. Word is that this is the first in a series of forthcoming singles and I suspect that you won't want to miss what's coming next down the line.

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Duff Review: Brixton Sounds "Sonidos de Brixton" b/w "Me Perdi"

Steady Beat Recordings
7" vinyl single/digital
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

This stellar new single from Oaxaca, Mexico's Brixton Sounds contains two original tracks of '60s ska and Jamaican jazz with hints of cool jazz, bossa nova, and samba--all impeccably performed and produced--and will remind one of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Jump with Joey, and the originators, The Skatalites. A theme song of sorts, "Sonidos de Brixton" is an elegant, almost cinematic instrumental with a lovely melody in the repeated chorus, while the moody "Me Perdi" ("I Got Lost") features the gorgeous and expressive vocals of Alondra Hernández. It doesn't get much better than this.

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Duff Review: The Lions "The Loser"

Names You Can Trust
7" vinyl single/digital
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

It's hard to believe that it's been five years since The Lions released their magnificent Soul Riot (here's some of what I wrote about it back then: "I am in awe of this record. Like Fishbone's Truth and Soul or Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, The Lions' absolutely phenomenal Soul Riot is full of songs of defiance, despair, anger, and pure joy (where love and lust are concerned) that reflect the Black American experience--as the nation's horrific legacy of slavery continues to play out in so many devastating ways (in particular, see "When It Rains," "At a Loss," and "Going Nowhere")). Fortunately, they're finally back with a superb new single, a cover of Derrick Harriott's perfect 1967 rocksteady hit "The Loser." The Lions' take on it at first seems pretty faithful, but when you hear the Impressions-like harmonies in the chorus and other responses, Alex Désert's silky lead vocals, and Black Shakespeare's deft deejay commentary, it all ascends to the next level.

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Duff Review: The Equators "Nice to Be Nice"

Self-released
Digital single
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

The Equators, of course, are the all-Black Birmingham-based ska band that pre-dated The Beat, opted to sign with Stiff Records rather than 2 Tone, backed Desmond Dekker on some of his 1980 Black and Dekker album, inspired The Untouchables to form, and released one incredible album (Hot) in 1981, just as 2 Tone was flaming out.

The Bailey brothers (Don, Rocky, and Leo) reformed the band with several new members in 2017 and released the digital single "Bed of Roses" (about the difficult experience of immigrating from the Caribbean to the UK in the 1960s). The Equators' excellent new single "Nice to Be Nice" is much more upbeat--they're pitching it as this summer's anthem and certainly have made a strong case for it. It's a sweet, crisp, and brisk ska track that's about nothing more than the minor miracle (particularly these days) of how a beautiful day can make you happy: "Feeling nice/Feeling really good/As I walk through my neighborhood/No dark clouds in the sky/Make everybody feel so nice." Put this on if your mood needs a boost.

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Duff Review: Steady Social Club "Take One"

Self-released
LP/digital
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Take One is the impressive debut album from Poland's first rocksteady act Steady Social Club, and is filled with really terrific original tunes and ace performances--all recorded live in the studio on analog gear in one take, warts and all, with no edits, overdubs, etc. (hence, the album title). It should be noted that Steady Social Club are not newcomers to the scene, as members hail from other Polish and (one) German ska groups (Vespa, The Bartenders, Real Cool Sound, Big Fat Mama, and Spartan Allstars). They joke that they're ska veterans, but older now, so they play slower (hah!). And this really is a late night, end-of-the-afterparty record, when people couple or uncouple, and don't necessarily make the best decisions (practically all of the songs on Take One are about falling in or extracting oneself from a romantic relationship). The rocksteady tempos are markedly (almost stubbornly) unhurried, giving the male and female singers (Wioletta Baran, Anna Teliczan, and Boris Borowski) plenty of time to do their thing, and the song arrangements are uncomplicated, yet completely appropriate and effective (the band is rounded out by Artur Grochowski on drums, percussions, and keyboards; Bartłomiej Kościański on bass, guitar, and keys; and Maciej Januchowski on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; the later two wrote all of the tracks here).

Top cuts here include "Let's Do Rocksteady," which has wonderful harmonizing and offbeat use of male falsetto ("Let's forget all the daily trouble/Now it's just you and me together/Hold me tight, till you feel my heartbeat/All the world can come back tomorrow"); the gorgeous ballad "Magic Feeling" (which, of course, is that of being in love); and the incredibly sultry tracks "Set Me Free" (who could resist this entreaty?) and the you're-headed-for-a fall "Slow Down." "You Kept Me Waiting" is more Harry J skinhead reggae than rocksteady and features really amazing Jerry Dammers-esque organ during the chorus (the singer knows he's not ever going to get what he wants, but still can't help himself: "I'll keep on waiting/Up through the night/I'll keep on waiting/Until the dawn/Why?"). "Friend or Foe" also is excellent dirty reggae about someone getting what they're owed in a Niney the Observer "Blood and Fire" kind of way ("I say one day/You gonna pay/And the lies you've said/Will be exposed!"). Perhaps the fiercest song on the album is "There's the Door" (I'm warning you/This game won't be played be no more/It is last chance for you to change/And otherwise there's the door")--you won't be able to resist singing along with the ominous "ohs" of the chorus.

Even though I'm getting killed on the shipping costs from Poland to the USA, I need Steady Social Club's Take One LP in my collection. If you're a fan of rocksteady, you'll want this album, too.

[Update: Since posting this review, I've learned that this LP will be available in the USA through Jump Up Records.]

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Duff Review: Danny Rebel and the KGB: "For Babylon's Head" EP

Self-released
Digital
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

If you aren't into American hardcore and punk from the first half of the 1980s, you might miss that the cover artwork for Danny Rebel and the KGB's new EP For Babylon's Head is a brilliant take on the Minutemen's 1984 Double Nickels on the Dime cover photo--and that this punk-hardcore-art rock-jazz masterpiece contains 45(!) tracks on two LPs filled with left-wing commentary on racism, war, working-class life, and more. Like that Minutemen album, the tracks on DRKGB's For Babylon's Head deal with the gentrification and destruction of a diverse, working-class neighborhood and tangling with lawless, racist cops (the one big difference between Danny Rebel's painting and the Minutemen's photo is that in the former, we see the police car lights in the VW Bug's rear view mirror, while in the latter, it's bassist Mike Watt's smiling eyes; also, note how Rebel has artfully snuck in references to his band's first two albums!).

With its Old Testament echos of the Israelite siege and destruction of Jericho and its wicked inhabitants, "St Henri Wall" is part rocksteady track, part spiritual aimed at the predatory capitalist developers and gentrifiers in this Montreal neighborhood who are representative of Babylon's evildoers: "This wall is bound to fall/St Henri Wall is gonna come a tumbling down/I don't think they know/How we gonna break this wall down/I don't think they know/How we're gonna fizz the fire/Babylon better run/Run, run, run Babylon." This incredible track is versioned in "Wall Dub."

"Another Song About You" is a sparse but positively seething acoustic cut about police racial profiling, harassment, and murder (they're Babylon's enforcers) that's powerful and emotionally devastating in its musical simplicity and lyrical directness:

Another song about you, Mr. Man
Another death in the streets from your hands
Another scream of anger
In the end, it's all noise

Lights of blue and red
Once again, in my car
Another random check
That's the third time, so far
"I'm not supposed to feel you"
Yes, that's what you're trained to do

Feeling paranoia walking down my street
Your hands around my neck
And I feel that it's so hard to breathe
If I was a criminal
You would see a bullet through those eyes

It's another verse
Another melody
The words are rearranged
To sound like new
I felt inspired as you look at me
It's just another song about you

Maybe it's the color of these eyes
That you want me to die
Maybe it is written in the Book of Rules
Who to call
About the cause of all this murder?
If I was a criminal
You would see a bullet through those eyes

Both of these songs are protest music at its finest (deeply meaningful messages delivered within exceedingly catchy tunes). We're all living through some truly awful times, but Danny Rebel and the KGB are helping to provide a soundtrack for the downtrodden and oppressed that pushes back against the powers that be--and maybe even provides some hope for better days.

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Duff Review: Flying Vipers "Cuttings"

Music ADD Records
Digital (July 3, 2020)/LP and cassette (Fall 2020, Jump Up Records)
2020

(Review by Steve Shafer)

Back in the mid-nineties when I ran the Moon Records promo department out of a bedroom in my apartment (with my assistant and an intern or two), I often played dub albums (loads of Lee "Scratch" Perry after reading an extensive overview/ranking of his recordings in the Beastie Boys' magazine "Grand Royale"), as the rhythms and melodies would help keep us working at a steady pace without being too intrusive or overpowering. While I'm certainly not implying that dub is akin to background music a la Muzak, it is great music to play either while doing something else or when taking the time to do nothing but be alone with your thoughts. If Flying Vipers' Cuttings had been available back then, it would have been in heavy rotation on the office stereo, as well as during the off hours.

After releasing a series of superb cassettes (The Green Tape, The Copper Tape), and physical and digital singles ("Highest Region," "Nervous Breakdub (Pandemic Version)" b/w "PMA Calling") over the past few years, Flying Vipers have finally issued their first long-player Cuttings, which, as one would expect, is crammed with incredibly hooky, dubby roots reggae instrumentals reminiscent of Dennis Bovell's magnificent productions and Perry's recent and awesome collaborations with Adrian Sherwood and Daniel Boyle.

Cuttings, of course, refers not only to the leaves that have been harvested from cannabis plants, but these musical fruits of the band's labors in the studio--and they have one bounteous crop here. Highlights include "Leaf Miner," which has a wonderful interplay between a rigid and relentless bass riff and a series of answering free flowing Rhodes piano lines; the prescient, apocalyptic "Two Twenties Clash" (and people thought things were bad back in '77!); the Bunny "Striker" Lee tribute "Flight of the Gorgon" with its majestic, panoramic horns; the bad-ass "Scorpio Son" and its version "Son of Scorpio"; and the supremely confident and untouchable "Puff Adder" (many of the cuts on this album are ripe for being versioned by deejays and singers--and becoming well-known riddims in their own right).

Flying Vipers are comprised of the devastatingly good rhythm section of Marc and John Beaudette (Destroy Babylon, The Macrotones), the gifted Zack Brines (Pressure Cooker) on keys, and Jay Champany (10 Ft. Ganja Plant) on percussion and the master at the analogue controls (plus ace guests on horns, sax, flute, clarinet, and binghi).

If you haven't been paying attention to this band, Cuttings is a brilliant introduction to the mighty Flying Vipers; and if you have, you're going to love this album,

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