Cheers pal, I thought so too. Amazingly it goes for £50 mint - cost me a tenner and it's in great shape. Seen people bad-mouth the 4 Men With Beards repress (no surprises there) so to get this at the price I got it for is a bit of a steal. _________________ 'Reggae' & t'ing Folk 'n Stuff SHAMELESS RECORD DEALER PLUG
About 18 months ago I embarked on the rather foolhardy quest to own my Top 100 LPs on vinyl, which was made all the more tricky as my chart has changed since I started and I've bought records only to then find something else even more groovy that's booted it out of the chart. Having said that I'm now 3/4s of the way there with this gem:
So, once again it's baking in suburbia. Got mi a Red Stripe inna mi hand and what better time to go a'skankin' to the sweet dub vibes that are Scientist's 6 'cartoon-based' Greensleeves LPs. A bit of background to the uninitiated - these LPs date from '80-'82, a golden age for 'reggae' when the roots stylings of the late '70s met the proto-dancehall vibes of the likes of Junjo Lawes, Linval Thompson and others. These 6 LPs are all masterpieces in their own right and have all been recently repressed (though luckily I've managed to pick up a couple of originals over the years), but how does I and I go about putting them in any sort of order? Well, best give it a lickle shot innit:
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6. Encounters Pac-Man
To say this is the weakest of the 6 doesn't really do it any justice, as it's still a huge LP but doesn't have any of the jaw-droppers that the others in the series do. Call it 'solid' if you must, which it undoubtedly is, and in the grand scheme of t'ings it still beats a whole slew of other dub LPs into a cocked hat. It does feel a bit 'end of term' if you know what I mean - track titles referencing previous efforts in the series, for example. Nevertheless the echo and heavy reverb on World Cup Squad Lick The Wound, a dub of Linval's own Are You Ready, is fierce.
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5. Big Showdown
Marketed as a 'showcase' between Tubby's two disciples, this soundclash differs from other LPs in the series in so far as the riddims are all taken exclusively from early Barrington Levy tracks (found on LPs like Englishman, Bounty Hunter and Shaolin Temple). Whilst the Jammy cuts show a more subtle, Tubby-esque mastering of fade and silence, Scientist chucks everything into the mix from cosmic sound effects (as became a feature of the later LPs in this series) to those annoying wood scraping things that you muck about with in music class at school. Sure, it doesn't always stick, but when it does it makes the room thump.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
4. Wins The World Cup
Scientist as dub chemist starts here, at least where this list is concerned. Taking some of Junjo's best late-period cuts from albums such as Johnny Osbourne's Never Stop Fighting (the first track, a dub of Love Is Universal, is immense, as is the take on Over 31 Under 21) and Hugh Mundell's S/T Greensleeves LP, the riddims never let up, Scientist's trademark experimentation (the 'wakka-wakka' guitar chops, the elevation of echoing horns high up the mix and the squelchy bubbling undercurrent of melting malevolence) is here in abundance, on what perhaps marks his last truly great dub set before fannying about with toys and noises saw much of his later stuff end up as self-parody.
3. Heavyweight Dub Champion
In many ways you could directly compare this set to the Big Showdown soundclash higher up the list - more Junjo-produced Levy riddims, Roots Radics in full effect, but this time nothing but Scientist all the way. And in doing not only is this LP more coherent as a statement and adventure in dub (in so far as you haven't got the two different engineers' styles attempting to co-exist side-by-side), but also contains two absolute corkers of the genre. Knock Out, a dub of Barrington's The Letter Song. is sublime in its stripped-down simplicity, and is almost proto-drum 'n' bass. Upper Cut is perhaps my all-time favourite Scientist moment - just the right amount of ominous brooding accompanied by woozy horns and a bassnote that almost sounds like it's wailing trying to escape. Killer.
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2. Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires
Killer from start to finish, and the Scientist LP that got me into him in the first place. Those having read this far may already know this LP, but for the unschooled this is probably the best place to start if you have to pick any of these to listen to first off. Huge riddims from some of Junjo's finest moments with the Wailing Souls, Johnny Osbourne and especially Michael Prophet, whose Youthman is stripped, sandblasted, twisted and beamed into space by Scientist on Night Of The Living Dead. Plague Of Zombies is another standout - taking Osbourne's Love and Unity and squeezing it through a series of compressors before it comes out shiny, new and ready to register seismic activity. A great, great record... and only bettered by...
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1. Meets The Space Invaders
Before I get to jabbering on about my top Scientist pick, a quick word re. The Roots Radics, who apart from Scientist are the only constants among all these LPs. Jah's own house band, who even when Sly and Robbie buggered off were still 'pon di game. If there's a dancehall in Zion they'd be playing it.
Anyway, why Space Invaders instead of Vampires? Firstly, the riddims - all killer, probably the best cuts that Linval Thompson ever produced, especially the Sammy Dread ones (Beam Down, Red Shift). Secondly, the mix - and it kicks. The bass thumps, the drums penetrate into your gut, sounds whoosh around like the Kingston wind - even with Vampires as competition it immerses you, swallows you whole and spits you out right on the dancefloor. It's a skankers paradise, a drum 'n' bass for your waist and in the hypnotic De-Materalize a twisted worm hole of dub which if you've smoked something too strong you might not emerge from for a while. Ital, irie and totally indispensable.
So, once again it's baking in suburbia. Got mi a Red Stripe inna mi hand and what better time to go a'skankin' to the sweet dub vibes that are Scientist's 6 'cartoon-based' Greensleeves LPs. A bit of background to the uninitiated - these LPs date from '80-'82, a golden age for 'reggae' when the roots stylings of the late '70s met the proto-dancehall vibes of the likes of Junjo Lawes, Linval Thompson and others. These 6 LPs are all masterpieces in their own right and have all been recently repressed (though luckily I've managed to pick up a couple of originals over the years), but how does I and I go about putting them in any sort of order? Well, best give it a lickle shot innit:
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
6. Encounters Pac-Man
To say this is the weakest of the 6 doesn't really do it any justice, as it's still a huge LP but doesn't have any of the jaw-droppers that the others in the series do. Call it 'solid' if you must, which it undoubtedly is, and in the grand scheme of t'ings it still beats a whole slew of other dub LPs into a cocked hat. It does feel a bit 'end of term' if you know what I mean - track titles referencing previous efforts in the series, for example. Nevertheless the echo and heavy reverb on World Cup Squad Lick The Wound, a dub of Linval's own Are You Ready, is fierce.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
5. Big Showdown
Marketed as a 'showcase' between Tubby's two disciples, this soundclash differs from other LPs in the series in so far as the riddims are all taken exclusively from early Barrington Levy tracks (found on LPs like Englishman, Bounty Hunter and Shaolin Temple). Whilst the Jammy cuts show a more subtle, Tubby-esque mastering of fade and silence, Scientist chucks everything into the mix from cosmic sound effects (as became a feature of the later LPs in this series) to those annoying wood scraping things that you muck about with in music class at school. Sure, it doesn't always stick, but when it does it makes the room thump.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
4. Wins The World Cup
Scientist as dub chemist starts here, at least where this list is concerned. Taking some of Junjo's best late-period cuts from albums such as Johnny Osbourne's Never Stop Fighting (the first track, a dub of Love Is Universal, is immense, as is the take on Over 31 Under 21) and Hugh Mundell's S/T Greensleeves LP, the riddims never let up, Scientist's trademark experimentation (the 'wakka-wakka' guitar chops, the elevation of echoing horns high up the mix and the squelchy bubbling undercurrent of melting malevolence) is here in abundance, on what perhaps marks his last truly great dub set before fannying about with toys and noises saw much of his later stuff end up as self-parody.
3. Heavyweight Dub Champion
In many ways you could directly compare this set to the Big Showdown soundclash higher up the list - more Junjo-produced Levy riddims, Roots Radics in full effect, but this time nothing but Scientist all the way. And in doing not only is this LP more coherent as a statement and adventure in dub (in so far as you haven't got the two different engineers' styles attempting to co-exist side-by-side), but also contains two absolute corkers of the genre. Knock Out, a dub of Barrington's The Letter Song. is sublime in its stripped-down simplicity, and is almost proto-drum 'n' bass. Upper Cut is perhaps my all-time favourite Scientist moment - just the right amount of ominous brooding accompanied by woozy horns and a bassnote that almost sounds like it's wailing trying to escape. Killer.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
2. Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires
Killer from start to finish, and the Scientist LP that got me into him in the first place. Those having read this far may already know this LP, but for the unschooled this is probably the best place to start if you have to pick any of these to listen to first off. Huge riddims from some of Junjo's finest moments with the Wailing Souls, Johnny Osbourne and especially Michael Prophet, whose Youthman is stripped, sandblasted, twisted and beamed into space by Scientist on Night Of The Living Dead. Plague Of Zombies is another standout - taking Osbourne's Love and Unity and squeezing it through a series of compressors before it comes out shiny, new and ready to register seismic activity. A great, great record... and only bettered by...
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
1. Meets The Space Invaders
Before I get to jabbering on about my top Scientist pick, a quick word re. The Roots Radics, who apart from Scientist are the only constants among all these LPs. Jah's own house band, who even when Sly and Robbie buggered off were still 'pon di game. If there's a dancehall in Zion they'd be playing it.
Anyway, why Space Invaders instead of Vampires? Firstly, the riddims - all killer, probably the best cuts that Linval Thompson ever produced, especially the Sammy Dread ones (Beam Down, Red Shift). Secondly, the mix - and it kicks. The bass thumps, the drums penetrate into your gut, sounds whoosh around like the Kingston wind - even with Vampires as competition it immerses you, swallows you whole and spits you out right on the dancefloor. It's a skankers paradise, a drum 'n' bass for your waist and in the hypnotic De-Materalize a twisted worm hole of dub which if you've smoked something too strong you might not emerge from for a while. Ital, irie and totally indispensable.
One love.
Just asked my dad, whose well-thumbed vinyl copies I first heard this records via, which was his favourite Scientist album on Greensleeves. His answer, of course, was, "Space Invaders, followed by Vampires". I still bat for the latter, but can't argue with this order. What a run. _________________ 2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.
Scientist's Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires is probably my favourite. Mind you, haven't heard Big Showdown or Heavyweight Dub Champion yet. _________________ Doubles & Conch
Jimmy DreadOld skool like Happy ShopperModeratorProfile 555 Dub Street
Scientist's Rids The World Of The Evil Curse Of The Vampires is probably my favourite. Mind you, haven't heard Big Showdown or Heavyweight Dub Champion yet.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
Rastamouse, 'im seh yuh a bumboclaat.
I and I seh you really should give HDC a listen, even if just for Upper Cut which is a killer track. ..Vampires is stellar, don't get me wrong - in fact I think back to the days of playing GTA3, listening to K-JAH (which was essentially half of ...Vampires) and falling for dancehall big time as a result. But Invaders feels to me, y'know... more complete a piece of work, less gimmicky and more interesting sonically speaking. Either way they're both vital. _________________ 'Reggae' & t'ing Folk 'n Stuff SHAMELESS RECORD DEALER PLUG
Jimmy DreadOld skool like Happy ShopperModeratorProfile 555 Dub Street
As those who chat to me in Plug may be aware, I've been seriously considering jacking BEA in for some time now. As a compromise I'm no longer bothering posting in any other forum threads apart from this one, purely and simply as I figured that those who genuinely care about my tastes/opinions will come and flick through mi diaree occasionally and might actually find something of interest without wading through the countless drivel spouted by Dad-Rockers and idiots. So any new acquisitions will sit here snugly alongside pontifications about dub, folk, twee shit and other associated bollocks. Such as today's haul:
Brazilian copy from the 70s on Philips, gatefold sleeve (not the trifold of the first press mind you), bought for a relatively fair price off eBay from some Italian fella. Amazing how much some of the 2010s represses go for, especially the one on Vinyl Lovers which is a bootleg. Why bother when you can get an (almost) original Brazilian copy? Fabbo LP - cheers to Bruno for the heads-up and to Gabe for spinning "Nine Out Of Ten" in Plug once to reinforce the issue. Walking down the Portobello Road to the sound of reggae does indeed make me feel alive... _________________ 'Reggae' & t'ing Folk 'n Stuff SHAMELESS RECORD DEALER PLUG
Jimmy DreadOld skool like Happy ShopperModeratorProfile 555 Dub Street
Unbelievably I haven't updated mi reggae chart for some time - about 6 months to be exact. So not only have I sorted that out (check it) but I've realised I've been sitting on this for a bit and not bothered telling anyone about it:
There seems to be a heck of love for Dadawah's Peace and Love on BEA and I've never for the life of me understood why. To these ears it sounds dull as ditch-water, and to coin a phrase 'reggae for people who don't like reggae' (or fans of Yes). I might get shot down in flames for that, but I don't really care. Fact is, the Jamaican music I enjoy has always made my limbs go all skewiff and bust the occasional shape (normally whilst sitting at traffic lights driving through South West London), and when he wasn't making prog-reggae snore-fests Ras Michael (as Dadawah was known on practically all his records apart from P&L) had a one-way ticket to the funkier side of Zion. Drenched in the drippy goo and haze that only the Black Ark could muster (and although no production credit for Scratch, it's eerily reminiscent of some of the vibes of Heart Of The Congos), this is everything that Peace and Love isn't - spontaneous, hypnotic, exciting, erratic, triumphant, anthemic. There's a deep, deep spirituality going on here that you can't help but get swept up in as Ras Michael chants down Babylon (literally, and at times sounding like a cross between a lion, a jackdaw, someone possessed and a Pokemon player whose 1000CP Blastoise just escaped) from high up on the Warrika hills with Jah's own Nyabinghi drummers by his side.
Think of it as reggae meets Sun Ra meets Exuma - perhaps even how Animal Collective might sound if they became natty dreads. One of the best things I've heard in ages. _________________ 'Reggae' & t'ing Folk 'n Stuff SHAMELESS RECORD DEALER PLUG
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