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Five Star Review

The Mighty Diamonds: Deeper Roots (Back to the Channel)

Nothing brand new but "Back to the Roots":
One of the nicest and best Dub-Albums from the heyday of reggae were added to the original vocal album as a bonus LP over 40 years ago - Roots Reggae and Dubs par excellence. To be heard on: The Mighty Diamonds: "Deeper Roots“[Back to the Channel] (Virgin Records). Why Back to the Channel? The Mighty Diamonds have been almost inextricably linked with Channel One and the four Hookim brothers since their brilliant 1976 “Right Time” (aka Need a Roof). After the death of Paul Hookim, who was victim of a robbery in 1977, the remaining three Hookims (Joseph "Jojo", Ernest and Kenneth) withdrew from the music business and moved to America. A few months later they returned to Jamaica, enlarged the studio on Maxfield Avenue and brought it up to date in terms of sound technology.
The bloodiest election campaign with over 800 dead was just over and slowly something like "normality" returned to Jamaica.
After they had recorded a few weaker albums elsewhere, the Mighty Diamonds were there again and delivered an album to the Channel One Studio with lyrics that were in part heartfelt. The Mighty Diamonds have never been more militant. The lyrics reflect everything that made good Suffarah Roots Reggae back then. For me “Deeper Roots” is still one of the most beautiful albums from this glorious era. The riddims are still a real revelation - rockers in full flight. Carlton "Santa" Davis' "cymbal-heavy" beats and George "Fully" Fullwood's pulsating bass lines lay the foundation for these ingenious riddims. Earl "Chinna" Smith shines with tight guitar riffs and Winston "Jelly Belly" Wright delivers funky piano and organ passages. Not to forget the horn section, which makes wonderfully rich contributions, as if it just wanted to blow away the walls of Jericho. No matter how tight the arrangements were, Jojo “The Genius” Hookim on the controls enriched them all with beautiful melodies that actually all come from the Rocksteady era.
In short: Everything fits on “Deeper Roots” from start to finish, the entire opus was and still is a masterpiece and a great moment of reggae. It has easily stood the test of time. Jojo "The Genius" Hookim at the controls, who unfortunately passed away, delivered an exceptionally warm, loosely fluffy one Dub-Mix that still gives me real enthusiasm every time. Deeper Roots (Back to the Channel) is one of the albums that finally my thing for reggae and Dub cemented.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

23 replies to "The Mighty Diamonds: Deeper Roots (Back to the Channel)"

Mmmmh, I have to show my banausal side again. As an excuse I try to anticipate that I was around 1976 years old in 11 and although the reggae virus was already dormant in me, it hadn't broken out yet. Dub I also thought it was great, but without realizing that this is a music genre.
Mighty Diamonds… .. well, I like a few tunes too. I also liked to hear the "Right Time" but the Mighty Diamonds never really grabbed me. I think they always had a different target group. Maybe I only got to know the “weaker albums” that they probably “recorded elsewhere”.
The only thing I can agree with here are the riddims. Fully Fullwood knows how to do it! To Dub I didn't come personally and fully conscious (don't know if I ever was) around 1981. And especially about England first! Somehow, it was Dub technically a bit further and laid the foundation for my listening habits. There weren't that many rustling and flying cymbals around. The cymbals are really limited here with "Deeper Roots". Instead, something happens here that I unfortunately find very typical for Channel One. “The story has been told”…. I don't like this Raschel (wooden ring with what feels like 1000 small flying cymbals on it) and this instrument didn't get any better for me when Style Scott rustled it. Channel One has always been a bit like "Raschel music" (au waia Ras Vorbei, please don't hit me, I know you gave the part 5 stars but I really didn't want to post a white lie here). It's just my sense of taste, what should I do?
Yes, and the cover irritates me a little in certain areas, I have to admit. Or maybe I just have to look a little longer. You get used to almost everything ;-)

“Diamonds are the girls best friend” …………………. lemmi

For those who can do a little more with the Mighty Diamonds, there are two more recommendations:

1. "Well Charged: Vital Dub“(1977), that Dub-Album for the "Right Time" album, produced and mixed by Jojo Hookim
2. "Icebreakers & Diamonds: Planet Mars Dub“(1978), that Dub-Album for the "Planet Earth" album from 1978, produced and mixed by Karl Pitterson

@lemmi: "I think they always had a different target group."

Which? The Mighty Diamonds, founded in 1969, are without a doubt one of the longest-lasting, most constant and best roots vocal trios from the beginning.
Their biggest hit “Pass the Kouchie” wasn't until many years later. The British teen band Musical Youth landed a mainstream hit with their “Pass the Dutchie” mockery and reaped the harvest. This is how it can go.

High Ras Vorbei !

I think (believing doesn't mean knowing) that the Mighty Diamonds are special
also "shot" at the female audience. I once interpreted it that way in an interview. Which is dubious again because I cannot give a source. Comparisons always lag a little, but I remember a summer jam where I ended up with about 12 women in one click. They raved so much about Glen Washington that I thought they only came because of this Schmalztyp. I really don't want to be bubbly as the great testosterone
Sound system come across as a nerd who only treats “tough reggae for adults
RudeBoys “pulls in. Basically, I'm a wimp. But that kind of singing with that kind of voice feels to me like someone is standing next to me and pulling lukewarm down my leg. I can't stand that and my guess is that I'm missing a lot of estrogen because my experience is that women have a much higher tolerance threshold than me. I even think that women deliberately look for music where they are piqued vocally and in terms of content by the artist
will. That's what women love. That's why I don't have any Romain Würgo discs (but one, just in case) and none of the one that sounds so similar to Glen Washington. I really don't come up with the name. And please stay away from me with Bitty. Sorry for my disrespect!
The Mighty Diamonds are nowhere near that bad. And that's why my comparison is rather limp, but I hope to have made "my faith" a little more understandable.
Yes (!) And with “PASS THE KOUCHIE” they explicitly turned to me! And everything fits! Text, riddim and sound are an “all time favorite” for me and are one of the tunes that I mentioned in the first comment above. For example, I think “Gang War” is really great.

Yes, it seems to myself that I have tried a little too hard to celebrate my manhood here. I can only say that this was or is a chain of circumstances and if you had not asked again and my explanation had not run in such a "special direction" (perhaps one can even take PROCEED literally here), my "sympathy values ​​would be “Maybe not so downstairs. Maybe I'm just imagining it all.

As I have already indicated, I am not the one who is always in control of my consciousness. This could also have been misinterpreted by me ......

Maybe my quality of sleep wasn’t that good tonight …………… .. lemmi

Ok lemmi, let's talk. ;-)
I thought you were targeting the voice of Donald "Tabby" Shaw. But it worked here in dubblog mainly about the Dubs.
The success of the Mighty Diamonds is mainly based on the combination of the unique voices in connection with the old Studio 1 riddims and the new rockers style just launched by Sly & Robbie. By the way, they did “Talk About It” with Scratch at Black Ark. In my opinion, the Mighty Diamonds are still miles away from today's American fabric softener lovers reggae.
If Tabby's singing already exceeds your tolerance limit, then you can completely forget the screeching of Congos Cedric Myton.

Not everyone has to like everything, that would be too boring for me. Great, if there is a little headwind. Basically we're pretty much in agreement, lemmi.

Yo, we need to talk ;-)

It's actually not even the voice of the "tabby". I can even take stick figures. It's probably the overall style of Mighty Diamonds. Basically, I was just trying to explain for myself. Then I wandered a bit again and found my abyss in the depths of my soul. On the other hand, 99% of all men only make music for (you know) afterwards anyway. We all probably just breathe for that. But I digress again, exaggerate and generalize about head and neck.
But you also know exactly where to "poke" me so that I completely freak out
;-) ……… ..
Cedric Mytons and Sizzla's squeak is the height of the unbearable for me. I see it as a real satisfaction and also as a little revenge in the sense of “Pay It All Back” to be able to really let it go. It's called falsetto as far as I know and the only people in the world who were allowed to do that were for me the BG's. But only because my ears could still tolerate these frequencies in my youth.
Cedric Myton has the milestone for me with his “Falschett” “In The Heart
Of The Congos ”into a ridiculous album. Sorry, I'm exaggerating once again. I would also listen to “Row Fishermann Row” at the riddim by Helene Fischer in a duet with Autotune by Romain Würgo.
Since the DubVersion also doesn't "rustle" (I think Lee Perry only rarely let it "rustle" like that, if at all). but are completely in agreement ;-)
If not, then you have to look for the reasons for this in the depths of your (!) Soul ;-)
And yes, you all already know me a little ... I hope so.
I could also have written, “I like it”. Even when it rustles, I like the riddims and I can turn a ear to them every now and then.
It's just that if I find a fly in the ointment, even if it's just a tiny little hair, then I fish it out and send it to the Outa Space. All of which only depends on how I am on the day.
Incidentally, I don't know a single Mighty Diamonds tune on one
Riddim built in Studio One. At least not consciously. I have probably already expanded my consciousness so much that the essentials sometimes slip through me. Even if I sometimes consider myself a real expert, I always find that in the end I am just hiring
I'm a “connoisseur” ;-) ……… but at least, the Master Of gave me this “title” DubBlog personally (from my point of view completely right) and I still proudly carry it on my chest.

I hate (although not supposed to hate) tattoos, but it won't be long before I have “On-U.Sound” on my left cheek and “The Dub Connoisseur ”tattooed on the other cheek in the middle of the face. The right
There is no page at. Even though I'm right-handed, I'm considering retraining to left-handed for social reasons.

"Are you ready for Reggae On The River, Beautiful Children Of The Most High JAH"? !!!!!! ………………… .. in all modesty …………… lemmi

"By the way, I don't know a single tune from the Mighty Diamonds on a riddim built in Studio One."

Jamaican producers have never been that particular about copyrights. Everyone steals from everyone without blushing in the least. The Hookims didn't give a damn about it either and simply re-recorded old Studio 1 riddims. Coxonne Dodd is said to have been thrilled - irony! But don't ask me now which titles have actually been messed up again. I'm not that firm with Studio 1 tracks either.

With “Row Fisherman” you are always on the safe side with me. From my side, “Congoman” is thrown into the balance. I love that stoic bassline that Winston Wright - yes, the keyboardist - is supposed to have played. At the "Heart of the Congos" the overall result is so stunning that even Cedric Myton's squeaking couldn't do much to the end product. Watty Burnett's dark voice as a counterpart could level off the vocal disaster a little.

Then I can think of someone whose albums I generally appreciate very much, but whose voice I always struggle with - Prince Lincoln Thompson & The Royal Rasses.
Tip: The Dub-Albums like z. B. “Harder Na Rass” (Jammy Mix) or “God Sent Dub“Are still great. Rich bass lines and very nice guitar licks.

Agree with you Mentioned above DubI have practically never heard of disc (is still on the shelf). The planet Mars Dub but always. The vital Dub I don't know yet

Hi Hugo,

compared to planet Mars or Deeper Roots Dub is vital Dub much more stripped to the bone. Donald “Tabby” Shaw's voice appears briefly on “Cell Block 11”. Vital Dub is one of the first Dub-Albums that were pretty easy to get in Germany at the time thanks to Virgin Records. Basically it's an early Revolutionaries album.
We have Frontline to thank Virgin Records for the Planet Mars release from 1978. Virgin was releasing stuff at the time that Island Records would never have dared to do.
You'll laugh, Planet Mars was also heard from me very often, until Deeper Roots plus Dubs was published. Deeper Roots Dub is this Dub-Album, which I most often dubbed onto cassette for non-reggae fans at the end of the 70s.
I'm curious to see you Vital Dub like.

And so we come back on the same wavelength shortly before (my) weekend, right on time Ras Vorbei. Watty Burnett's voice is balm for my soul.
He sings far too seldom with the Congos. In general, the Congos have delivered such great music that it “stinks” so much for that very reason that Mr. Myton often sounds like a braking train is pulling into a large station. For example, I think “Live Is No Bed Of Roses” is so crazy that I grudgingly accept his voice. And if he doesn't sing in “Falschett”, he's great! I named the "Heart Of The Congos" because, like almost everyone who likes reggae, I think they are really terrific.
About Prince Loncoln Thompson I have already "given one for the best" here. The Royal Rasses play so well that I regret never having seen them live and direct. (Is the sentence so correct?) But the Prince demands everything from me in terms of tolerance that I have to offer.
And since you seem to know exactly my mouse activities here and everywhere on the net, you probably also threw the "Harder Na Rass" into the balance. I only bought it a few months ago as vinyl. I believe the “God Sent Dub“Is even better because I don't have it. Is also one of my psychological illnesses. Everything I don't have or don't have yet is always better than what I already have at home ………… .. and what I have at home is really "great stuff"! Maybe I should get the book
Read “To have and to be” as often as I want to “have” something. Until then, “I have, so I am” but I think (again) I also mixed up a small thing.
I also always thought I was an animal-friendly pacifist. For a long time I (have) a problem with pigeons, which I prefer and especially like on Sunday mornings
between the “bells of the Inquisition” that drive me insane, with their completely unmusical cooing to make me an “enemy of life”. My thoughts
imagine not only grilling these stupid critters, but turning them completely into flying pigeon feathers with a gun. Lo and behold, there is already a song for that.

"Guru Guru Guru ... ..
Three white pigeons on our roof
Three white doves keep me awake
Three white pigeons make me weak
Three white doves and a rifle
three white pigeons, they never shit again
Guru Guru Guru "

I'd rather go into the gate or do the morels ………………… .. lemmi

"I believe the" God Sent Dub"Is even better ..."

Lemmi, the “God Sent Dub", the Dub-Album for "Natural Wild" is much more vocal than the "Harder Na Rass". It certainly also has the nimbus of the very special because it is so extremely rare. In 1980 only 300 pressings were made and published as a white label. Ten years ago I only held that on a record exchange Dub-Album in my hands, the price of over 100 DM was too high for me for a "pig in a poke". The CD release of “Natural Wild” finally became “God Sent Dub“Enclosed as a limited bonus CD and I took it with thanks.
So, my recommendation: listen first, it doesn't hurt in general.

Because we were talking about Cedric Myton and Prince Lincoln's vocal parts, a question: Did you know that the two of them were actually the backing vocals of the "Tartans" when they first started out?

And at this point my Tidal-Rant again: not only does the “God Sent Dub“Here only six tracks, it just comes in a more compressed form: / and the Mighty Diamonds album, which this is actually about, sounds bad too. Bloodless, the dirt is missing ... maybe, as is so often the case, a moderately preserved vinyl was digitized and so heavily de-noised that half the music falls by the wayside.

On the semi-illegal, frustrated online search for better versions, I don't find what I'm looking for, but a Soljie-Dub-Album from 1982 which sounds fantastic and is almost worth a separate review. The opener “Charge” is practically the riddim of Barrington Levy's “Black Roses”: D

Hi rop up,

yes on the “God Sent Dub"Actually became" Smiling Dub“Just left out for a moment - for whatever reason.

It used to be written on the back of the LPs under a cassette-crossed bone symbol: “Home Taping Is Killing Music. And It's Illegal ". Which logo would you have to give to streaming services today? When an LP was properly copied to tape, the dynamics were much better preserved, there was only some background noise to be heard.
I have the Mighty Diamonds on vinyl and unfortunately I have no say in the poor quality of the streaming. In any case, the whole thing is extremely unfortunate and annoying.

"Rebel Soldier" from 1982 is Soljie's first and only album. It sounds dry, like a classic Roots Radics / Junjo Lawes album from the time. Oops, I just see that the cover doesn't say Soljie, but Sojie. I just say: "Boys smoke less, nothing is too stoned - obviously the concentration suffers." ;-))

“It sounds dry, like a classic Roots Radics / Junjo Lawes album from that time. "
Sorry, I forgot the punch line: only this time Anthony Hamilton (Soljie) and Sly & Robbie arranged and produced the album.

MoinMoin Ras Vorbei !

now you make me sick again on Monday morning!
Who were or are the "tartans"? I can only say, never heard of it!
In any case, you have my curiosity about “God sent Dub“Decreased significantly. I'm happy because I don't have to know everything. Anyway, I've just come back from a weekend full of music and I'm completely satisfied. I was practically in the cave of Ali Baba and only have slices (!), Real, real, crisp slices from my system, without any sh…. Enjoyed streaming compressions and all the little baffles that babylon has built in. For me, everything always takes a little longer and that's why I only have the album “Kalimba Is My Telefone In Dub"
heard up and down properly. For me there is nothing like "Rapso Music" anyway!

DUB IT! …………………. lemmi

hi lemmi,

The Tartans, also known as Devon and the Tartans, were a rocksteady vocal quartet. They were founded in Kingston in 1967. Members at the beginning were: Prince Lincoln Thompson, Cedric Myton, Devon Russell and Lindberg Lewis.
Well, I can only say that Devon Russell - although always treated as an "insider tip" - never reached and convinced me with his singing skills.

As far as I know, you can read the “God Sent Dub“Easily listen to it on the portal, where almost everything can be found.

Well, if that's the case, I haven't missed anything. that must have sounded horrible when this "pitch" was also brought across as "three times". The only thing missing is Cornel Campbell as lead singer ;-)
Yes, all this singing is not for everyone, probably we also and especially, that's why we all like to hear Dub.
But I'm not going to write a list of singers, toasters, poets and DJs who have conquered my heart and purged my soul with their singing. This list would be really long.
"God Sent Dub"Is OK but" Harder Na Rass ", especially the B-side is much more off. And yes, you are absolutely right, the sound is really pretty weak. Sounds almost as if he was initially made of vinyl with a mono microphone
was "burned" on cassette and then would have been sold to Spotify for an apple and an egg.

"Rapso Music" ………………………. lemmi

Thanks for the tip Ras Vorbei. I bought the album and I can only agree with your description. Really a great record!

Again very sad news for all friends of cultivated reggae. On the evening of March 29.03.2022, 67, the (lead) singer of one of the last active singing trios in Jamaica, Donald "Tabby" Shaw, was brutally murdered. The XNUMX-year-old was sitting with a group of people in St. Andrews/Jamaica on Tuesday evening when the unbelievable happened. Donald "Tabby" Shaw and two other people were killed in the drive-by shooting and several others were injured. The perpetrators have not yet been identified.
RIP Donald "Tabby" Shaw

What's the matter? The Russians are shooting at defenseless mothers and children! The Jamaicans are shooting at old men! How am I supposed to find strength for my belief that people are children of God. I can hardly believe that.
I really hope the "thing" about the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God isn't just silly babble. May all our dreams come true there. Here on earth, "all" nightmares become brutal reality.

RIP Donald "Tabby" Shaw

Strange but true:
On April 01.04.2022, XNUMX, another founding member of the Mighty Diamonds, Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson, passed away. "Bunny" died just four days after the murder of Donald "Tabby" Shaw in a Kingston hospital from complications of diabetes, which had been diagnosed for several years. Given his failing health, it is currently uncertain whether Simpson has yet to be notified of Tabby's death. RIP Fitzroy "Bunny" Simpson!
Lloyd "Judge" Ferguson is now the only surviving member of the Mighty Diamonds.

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