Over 30 years ago, labels like Blood & Fire (1993) and Pressure Sounds (1994) reissued many highly sought-after classics from our favorite music genre in breathtaking quality. The struggle for survival of these two labels continued until around 2014, when they finally closed due to financial difficulties. It's all the more gratifying, then, to see other labels following in their footsteps. For example, 25 years after its last release, a true classic has finally been reissued…Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus: Rastafari in Dub“Re-released by Charly Records Ltd. An album originally released around 1977/78 exclusively in Jamaica on Tommy Cowan's "Top Ranking" label, whose original Jamaican pressings have been considered a holy grail among reggae and Dub-collectors. I wouldn't go that far, but with "Rastafari in Dub“is it already a Dub-Set with a rare Nyahbinghi atmosphere, best found on the "Herb Dub Collie Dub“of the Skatalites still to be found. In addition, “Rastafari in Dub“audible from the conventional Dub-albums of that era. Instead of relying solely on studio tricks, Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus Nyahbinghi fused drum sounds, chorus vocals, and deep roots rhythms into a stripped-down, meditative sound. Dub-aesthetics and thus created a uniquely spiritual and atmospheric listening experience. Thunderous, hypnotic percussion and echoing rhythms are fused into one of the most distinctive roots recordings of its time. At Cowan's suggestion, additional instruments were added to the Nyahbinghi Percussion, which made the album famous far beyond the "ethnic market." The first thing that catches the eye is Robbie Shakespeare on bass. Robbie doesn't just play; with his stoic, visceral bass lines, he gives the recordings the necessary cohesion. Then there's Chinna Smith on lead guitar and Peter Tosh, who plays clavinet and guitar. Well-measured saxophone sounds from David Madden and Glen Da Costa drift in like morning mist – not a single sax squeaks like an old watering can. All involved were not just session musicians; as architects of the sound, they were essential to the arrangements. The recordings were made at Dynamic Sounds Studios, Harry J's Recording Studio, and Joe Gibbs Studio. DubSix tracks from "Rastafari" were mixed, as well as two others. Dubs of “Kibir Am Lak” by Mervyn Williams, who is extremely rarely seen as Dub-Sound engineer appeared. The long overdue reissue faithfully restores the album's original design, including the distinctive cover art by Errol "Irie" Myrie, while also offering the best sound quality the album has ever received.
As already stated above: The “holy grail” of Dub is “Rastafari in Dub“In my opinion, definitely not, but at least a milestone that should be in every serious collection!”
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Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus: Rastafari in Dub (Re Release)
7 replies to “Ras Michael & The Sons of Negus: Rastafari in Dub (Re-release)”
Of course, I don't know the album from the 70s! It feels like I've only had a CD reissue with different cover art since the early 2000s. That's the price that "greenhorns like me" unfortunately often have to pay. But I have to be honest, I can live with it in this case too, because, yes, "the holy grail of Dub“It isn’t for me either. For me, it’s a bit more in the direction of LKJ IN.” DUB !
The anticipation and expectations generated by reading album titles simply create too much euphoria, which can then usually only lead to disappointment because one already thinks beforehand, "That's it! The holy grail of..." Dub !" But no, I simply expect more "studio tricks", although I'm looking at this from the perspective of someone who came to this field from another profession. Dub It arrived when it could already be produced using a future-oriented technology, and indeed it was. Good. DubEffects benefit any piece of music that was already recorded in a way that particularly appeals to the psyche. Must a DubTune always with the finest DubBlingBling appears when the riddim seems so exorbitant, extraordinary, and superior to any groove?!? I'd say yes, because it's definitely better. But when a riddim grooves like, for example, "None A JAH JAH Children No Cry," then I'm in the pool of the holy grail. I don't know! Was the bias line invented by Robbie Shakespeare?
If so, congratulations! The BiassLine is so simple that I could even play it myself on a bass right away. But that's exactly the point! We're all great at copying! But when it comes to inventing or finding those bass notes in that sequence and with that very specific timing, almost everyone is completely overwhelmed. Especially people like me who have a white butt.
Okay, I wasn't at all convinced by my "gaps collection" until now. I have a bit of almost everything and everyone, but often I only have one album out of ten or more, and that occasionally annoys me, but since the review of Ras VorbeiNow I know that my collection of reggae albums has the potential to be a serious collection ;-)
I firmly believe that we here in DubThe blog will present one or two more surprises. And everyone can look forward to them!
It's always wonderful to be alive! ………… lemmi
"Of course I don't know the album from the 70s!"
hi lemmi,
Me neither. Around the mid-80s, I was incredibly lucky that my buddy Jürgen – the one with the record store – bought the album secondhand. So at least I could record a cassette, which I was already incredibly proud of. In the 70s and 80s, as a reggae/DubAs an enthusiast, I used to read more about (rare) albums than I actually listened to them. That's simply unimaginable today. Now everything is just a mouse click away, and it's easy to listen to and buy an album. Only absolute "exotics" are still very rare to find online. But otherwise, I personally find the current situation to be a land of plenty. Back then, we (mostly) bought albums sight unseen, on a hunch. If you happened to find a long-sought-after album at Phora or somewhere else, you had to snap it up immediately, otherwise it would be gone again. That was the way it was with records from relatively small labels – hesitation, because you were a bit strapped for cash, as was common during your student days, was usually fatal.
High Ras Vorbei !
I understand you and everyone else who's comfortable with computers and all that stuff. I just keep getting the feeling that it's creating an additional dependency for me. And it seems this dependency is only going to increase. The time will come when you're not a complete person without apps. I think that's already the case in China. Whether it's one more dependency or not isn't really important to me, but I'm used to being dependent on electricity and gas providers, as well as supermarket chains. Now, becoming dependent on streaming services and AI information on top of that is giving me reflux. Spotify has already gone up from €10 to €12 per month. And I'm sure that's just the beginning.
You can also download it, then you have it on your hard drive. But that's all way too modern for me ;-)
I like it “old school” …………….. lemmi
I love the almost religious, meditative atmosphere. Amazing sound!
The album "Peace & Love," which he released under the name Dadawah, also has a similarly deep mood. But it goes much deeper, almost like a live Rastafari jam session. I still enjoy listening to it regularly.
Oh yes!
"Dadawah"!!! This isn't just music! It's like a Sermon on the Mount! Anyone who doesn't want to convert to Rastafari after hearing this probably feels nothing at all when listening to music. Muslims and Christians should experience this for themselves, because no one has ever been massacred in the name of YAH!
Unfortunately, the situation is quite different when it comes to the terms "God" or "Allah".
So put on "Dadawah / PEACE AND LOVE"! Really listen and feel the music, don't just hear it. After that, everyone should be able to become a good person. Sounds crazy, I know. But it wouldn't be if everyone felt the way I do.
Sometimes a new perspective, or even the truth, is needed.
Many people today don't even know that there was once a wall that imprisoned a large part of the German population. They only had limited freedom of movement into the more easterly zones of the former Soviet Union. And the biggest irony is that apparently many people long to go back to that time.
Even there, a little consciousness expansion through "Dadawah" certainly wouldn't hurt. Yes, it still sounds like crazy stuff, but the crazy ones are at the Ballermann (a popular party area in Mallorca) celebrating Icke Hüftgold and his ilk.
Okay, it just came over me again... Lemmi
Because it has an almost fairytale-like quality for me and perhaps some others, I would like to share this with all those who have a really deep-seated
Those of you with Reggae Emitis, I couldn't resist sharing this special link. And of course, I can't leave out a little story, which naturally begins with "Once upon a time." So, here goes.
Once upon a time, long ago, I learned during a phone call that there was an album on which Lee Perry and Ras Michael, together with a very carefully selected group of musicians, had produced something supernatural and truly magical. Ras Michael AND (!) Lee Perry had
With the album "Love Thy Neighbour," they've created something that you'd gladly reserve for truly sensual moments. Moments when the sun, moon, and stars are perfectly aligned. Doing the dishes at home during such a time, for example, would be a sin, in my opinion. You can only truly experience it if you listen not just with your ears, but with every cell in your body. Luckily, I was able to buy the album on CD a short time later. But since I learned from a descendant of Abbé Faria during that very phone call that this was only half the treasure and that there was a much greater treasure hidden away, I was, of course, once again very close to the "madness." There were two recording sessions for this album, and, as is unfortunately my custom, I "only" had the somewhat less intense version of the session, the one that most of us probably have, if any at all. I don't usually have a problem with missing out on things, but that mainly refers to technical jargon in professional life and similar stuff that doesn't really interest me anyway. I found this gap almost as bad as a large gap between my teeth. But thankfully, it wasn't as bad as the toothache that always precedes such a gap. Now the gap at least has a temporary filling, and I can listen to the entire piece on YouTube. And anyone who follows this link can now do the same.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rgK7sb2uAE&list=RD9rgK7sb2uAE&start_radio=1
All clear so far. I could have written, "Check out the link," but in my opinion, that wouldn't have done the event justice. Fairy tales, after all, require fairy-tale storytelling, and in my case, the theatricality comes free of charge.
So then: "Check out the link" …………………… lemmi
To me, 'Rastafari in Dub' is one of the best and basic dub records ever.
I got this album in the early 80's on cassette and somewhere in the 90's on vinyl, as a re-release on ROIR.
Like many early Ras Michael records it feels like a Rastafarian ceremony, a kind of mystical experience to go through.
After nearly half a century this classic dub has not lost any of its magic.
Let Jah Be Praised!