My Top Ten Reggae 2004

[Donovan]

A few 2003 releases slipped in because there is SO MUCH reggae issued that it's pretty impossible to keep up.

1. Roy Shirley - Music Is The Key (Trojan)
2. Dezarie & Midnite - Gracious Mama Africa (African Roots Lab)
3. Phyllis Dillon - Love Was All I Had (Trojan)
4. Burning Spear - Creation Rebel (Heartbeat)
5. Robbie Valentine - Jah Is My Defender (Blakamix)
6. Wayne Jarrett - Showcase aka Bubble Up (Wackies)
7. Slim Smith - Keep That Love Light Shining (Trojan)
8. Various - Doctor's Darling (VP)
9. Nicky Thomas - Love Of The Common People, Best Of (Trojan)
10. Various - Here Comes That Feeling, Hit Songs Jamaican Style (Trojan)

A few things I noticed:
Except #8 they are all vocalists
70% are reissues, 30% brand new
Trojan has 6 out of the 10 (sorry but I call them as I see them)
Purists will choke on #10 but let them - Reggae is for the entertainment of The People!

[gryffe]

1. Burning Spear- Creation Rebel/At Studio 1 (yes bought em both!!)
2. Wailing Souls - At Channel 1.
3. Various Artists: Barry Myers Presents Scratchy Sounds
4. Keith Hudson Presents - Shades Of Hudson Anthology
5. Sugar Minnott - Black Roots
6. Upsetters - Blackboard Jungle Dub
7. Herman Chin Loy - Aquarius Rock
8. The Wailers - Burnin (deluxe)
9. Keith Hudson - Flesh of my Skin.....
10. Sly and Robbie - Unmetered Taxi

Just 10 of approx 50 reissues I bought that were released in 2004.

[Grumpy]

May I restrict myself to five:

1. Various - Gaz Mayall's Top Ska Tunes
2. Wailing Souls at Channel One
3. Burning Spear at Studio One
4. Various - Mento Madness
5. Various - Tree of Satta

Bubbling under: the Slim Smith anthology on Trojan, Upsetters Dub Triptych, Sly and Robbie's Unmetered Taxi.

Possible late contender: received but not listened to yet: the new 2 CD anthology of Keith Hudson stuff.

[informer]

havn't bought too much this year but from the mentioned
titles i second the following which i bought myself:


Keith Hudson Presents - Shades Of Hudson Anthology
Herman Chin Loy - Aquarius Rock

now still waiting for king jammy in roots -
maybe thhe german distributor (efa is dead) mangaes to
bring it to germany in 2005.

my comment for this: see title of a michael smith lp ..........

[Ekki]

Mindblowing:

Keith Hudson - Hudson Affair (Trojan)
Herman Chin Loy - Aquarius Rock (PS)
Burning Spear at Studio One (Soul Jazz)

Excellent:

Various - Gaz Mayall's Top Ska Tunes (Trojan)
Wailing Souls at Channel One (PS)
Slim Smith - Keep That Love Light Shining (Trojan)

[ephteeay]

not that im proud of myself but i havent bought any souljazz/trojan/pressure sounds this year.. been mostly getting 7s & 12s from ebay/set sale lists or 7" represses.. (studio 1 !!!!) only LPs i got were from secondhand shops ..oops just remembered i got jah batta - argument and listened to 10 seconds of each tune except for 1 which i liked. good deejay but weak imo riddims (nothing like style & fashion 10"..bside of westbound d train)
(probably sugar minott's fault that the riddims are not to my liking.)

[Kas]

My Top Ten would include:

Tapper Zukie Presents: Proud To Be Black (Trojan)
Sly & Robbie: Unmetered Taxi (PS)
Mento Madness (V2)
Phillip Fraser: Blood Of The Saint (Silver Kamel)
Slim Smith: Keep That Love Light Shining (Trojan)
Lee Perry: Dub Triptych (Trojan)
Sounds From Burning Spear (Soul Jazz)
Phylllis Dillon: Love Was All I Had (Trojan)
Rough Guide To Ska (World Music Network)
Knowledge: Straight Out Of Trenchtown (Makasound)

The Rough Guide album is actually from 2003, but I discovered during this year and I wanted to give it a recommendation: all tracks produced by Vincent Chin, compiled by Steve Barrow and Clive Chin.
And of course, in a better world I would have the money to grab all the interesting reissues as they are released and I would have the time to give them a listen as well.

[tim p]

Herman Chin Loy - Aquarius Rock (PS)
Burning Spear at Studio One (Soul Jazz)
Tanya Stephens - Gangster Blues (VP)
Various - Studio One Funk - (Soul Jazz)
Various - Gaz Mayall's Top Ska Tunes (Trojan)
Various - Shades Of Hudson (Trojan)

[Ash]

Dunno whether its a re-issue,i hadn't seen it before i bought it, but my top buy this year was The Wailing Souls - Wild Suspense, and a special mention for The Wailing Souls - At Channel 1...MUSIC!

[yellowdog]

In no particular order...

African Brothers - Mysterious Nature
Delroy Williams - I Stand Black
Lightman - Spring Time
Wailing Souls - Square Deal
Sugar Minott - Leave Out A Babylon
Daweh Congo - Jah Children
Version City Rockers - Darker Roots
Abja - Inna Red I Hour
Jah Mason - Never Give Up
Calling All Jah Children: Lustre Kings Meets Project Groundation

[DrSuperlove]

excellent 2004 releases not yet mentioned in here

The Skatalites - Phoenix City (Trojan)
Various - Studio One Classics/Disco Mix (Soul Jazz)
Alton Ellis - Be True to Yourself (Trojan)
King Tubby - In Fine Style (Trojan)
Dillinger - Cocaine in My Brain (Trojan)
Various - Is It Rolling, Bob?

top money wasters 2004, or: what was i thinking
Beginner's Guide to Reggae
Young, Gifted & Black Vol. 2

[dots69]

On Bond Street / BITTY McLEAN / Peckings
Studio One Funk / VARIOUS / Soul Jazz
Studio One Disco Mix / VARIOUS / Soul Jazz
Roots of Dancehall / VARIOUS (LINVAL THOMPSON) / Auralux
Argument / JAH BATTA / Wackies

being a 45 kinda guy the above are in fact the only LPs i bought this year !

respect
Dots

[DMc]

Author: Jackie Pablo (---.server.ntli.net)
Date: 10-23-04 18:12

Studio One Funk

Reply To This Message

Re: LP of the Year
Author: the voice in bmd's head (---.cable.ubr01.gate.blueyonder.co.uk)
Date: 10-23-04 18:38

On Bond Street - Bitty

Reply To This Message

Re: LP of the Year
Author: ymS (---.cable.ubr01.gate.blueyonder.co.uk)
Date: 10-23-04 18:41

oops.

Reply To This Message

Re: LP of the Year
Author: Thomas P (---.in-addr.btopenworld.com)
Date: 10-24-04 01:46

just discovered divine madness from lee perry and it's my fav this year (even though its about 3 years old)

yet to hear the bitty mclean, although know it's gonna be Gordy's lp of the yaer

Thomas P

Reply To This Message

Re: LP of the Year
Author: Gordon (---.plus.com)
Date: 10-24-04 01:54

Aaah, well it's certainly one of my albums of the year BUT THE album of the year IMO has to be the Jackie Mittoo tribute, Interpretations and Improvisations on VP.

Respect

Gordon

Reply To This Message

Re: LP of the Year
Author: Thomas P (---.in-addr.btopenworld.com)
Date: 10-24-04 03:02

Worth getting Gordon?

Thomas P

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Re: LP of the Year
Author: Dr. McCoy (---.accesswest.com)
Date: 10-24-04 04:53

Phyllis Dillon- Love Was All I Had (Trojan)

Reply To This Message

Re: LP of the Year
Author: Grumpy (---.cable.ubr03.brad.blueyonder.co.uk)
Date: 10-24-04 12:44

Still two months to go (and the Bitty McLean, Studio 1 Funk and Soul Jazz Burning Spear yet to hear) but my release of the year to date remains Gaz Mayall's Top Ska Tunes. (Wailing Souls at Channel 1 is the runner-up so far).

Reply To This Message

Re: LP of the Year
Author: Thomas P (---.in-addr.btopenworld.com)
Date: 10-24-04 13:23

Forgot about Wailing Souls, agree with grumpy, a class set

Thomas P

Reply To This Message

Re: LP of the Year
Author: Gordon (---.plus.com)
Date: 10-24-04 17:03

The Jackie Mittoo tribute is a must Thomas.

Respect

Gordon

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Re: LP of the Year
Author: Ekki (---.arcor-ip.net)
Date: 10-24-04 20:49

I agree with Gordon, that's a wicked tribute!

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Re: LP of the Year
Author: informer (162.61.76.---)
Date: 10-25-04 08:22

AQUARIUS ROCK could be the winner .....

[DMc]

Yes, bits of the old board survive...

[Grumpy]

Just as a matter of interest, DMc, if that cut and paste is off the old board - which judging by the dates it must be - how did you access it?