LP VG+

 

Jacket NM

 

Artist Biography by Jo-Ann Greene

The singer who put the rude in rude boy,  was responsible for launching an entirely new sub-genre of reggae, whose overtly suggestive lyrics caused an outcry but took a massive hold of the music scene regardless. Yet innuendo was the least of the singer's stylings, previous to the release of his infamous "Wet Dream,"  had garnered a string of sweet hits with the vocal trio . And once the nocturnal naughtiness faded, the singer established himself as one of the most important figures in the roots scene.

 was born  on November 22, 1947, in St D'Acre, Jamaica. His prospects initially seemed dim; at 14 he left home and found a menial job cleaning out irrigation ditches on a sugar plantation. And there he might have stayed, if he hadn't won a local talent contest. With all the wide-eyed optimism of youth, the 18-year-old now made his way to Kingston, determined to become a star. Once in the capital, he hooked up with two other hopefuls, Kenneth Knight and Lloyd Shakespeare, and  were born. Their 1966 debut, "(Buy You) A Rainbow," produced by Ken Lack, was an immediate hit and over the next two years, the trio amassed an impressive list of successful singles.

In 1968, the singer, now dubbed , was confident enough to launch a solo career. Working with producer, the young star recorded a number of love ballads and sweet singles, but none made much of an impression on the charts. The singer admitted defeat and returned to . Simultaneously, he formed the Hippy Boys, with whom he did some recording (the band eventually evolved into ), while also working as a sales rep for . Later that year,  penned new lyrics to the rhythm track of 's "Hold You Jack" and handed them over to .  was penciled in for the recording but opted to give it a miss, as did a couple of other vocalists, until finally the exasperated producer bullied  into taking the mic.

The result was "Wet Dream," an instant smash in Jamaica, although it was far from the first island single to feature suggestive lyrics. It was, however, a bit more obvious than most, so much so that even the British had no difficulty discerning its real meaning. Across the Atlantic, the single was heating up the charts, although not the airwaves. The British censors, not known for their stupidity, gave short shrift to 's rather lame explanation that the song was actually about a leaky roof and immediately banned it. This had the reverse effect and helped push the single up the chart into the Top Ten.

A bucketload of less-than-furtive follow-up singles now ran rampant across the chart, both from  himself and other equally lasciviously minded artists, with 1970's A Dream boasting an entire album's worth of 's own offerings. In the U.K., this mini-movement took on a life of its own, culminating with the phenomenal success of the homegrown talent  and his string of naughty nursery rhyme hits. Back in Jamaica,  attempted to launch his own label (Romax) and sound system in 1970, but unfortunately the venture was a failure. The following year, he hooked back up with  and began recording a clutch of singles based on the producer's own rocksteady classic rhythms. One of the most intriguing was "Watch This Sound," which combined a rocksteady backing with the lyrics to the Buffalo Springfield classic "For What It's Worth." Branching out,  also cut numerous singles with a number of other producers, including , , and . Many of these releases were culturally themed, as the singer shifted into a more roots-fired mode. Some of the most striking were recorded with the young Niney Holness, including "Beardman Feast," "The Coming of Jah," and the apocalyptic "Babylon Burning," which was co-written by .

A sense of an impending apocalypse was inherent to Rastafarianism as all of Jamaica was caught in its grip in the run-up to the 1972 election. Democracy has always carried a price tag of political violence on the island, but this year was particularly expensive. The conservative JLP party, which had run the country since independence a decade earlier, now for the first time faced serious opposition from the socialist PNP party. The result was an outbreak of violence across the island, as the opposing party supporters squared off on the streets. Both the urban poor and Rastafarians flocked to the PNP banner, while artists, too, made their preferences plain, although it may not seem that way to the uninitiated. Virtually all Old Testament references alluded to politics, with PNP leader Michael Manley personified by biblical heroes (normally Joshua, the nickname he was given by supporters), while JLP Prime Minister was consigned to the role of villain.

, an ardent PNP proponent, released numerous political singles at this time, including "Press Along Joshua," a message of support for Manley and "Pharaoh," where he denigrates . However, it was "Let the Power Fall on I," an infectious cover of the old Rastafarian spiritual produced by  that had the greatest impact. PNP chose it as their campaign theme song, while the singer himself joined the campaign trail with numerous other artists, including , performing in rural areas to help drum up support for the party. 1972's Let the Power Fall album includes many of these fiercely political singles and must have come as quite a shock to any U.K. purchasers who mistakenly thought this was the follow-up to A Dream.  released one final political song later in the year, after the PNP romped to an overwhelming victory. "No Joshua No" is an open musical letter to "my friend Joshua," wherein the singer gently chides the new prime minister about the continued plight of the poor, the PNP's most fervid supporters. Manley took the song to heart and proceeded to institute a series of major social programs and land reform.

At this point, the singer bowed out of the political arena and began focusing on more devotional material. 1975's gathered up many of the deeply dread and gospel-inspired singles  recorded with a variety of producers during this period. However, events conspired to pull  back into political consciousness the following year. The oil embargo and resulting world recession had played havoc with Jamaica's economy and with another election looming, Kingston descended into chaos. The spark was lit by the IMF conference held in the capital that January, shades of the two in Seattle, but the rioting did not stop with the departure of the delegates.

In fact, it was merely the warm-up for a year-long convulsion of violence, as JLP agitators attempted to make the city, and by extension, the island, ungovernable. It was only after the PNP were convincingly re-elected that the violence finally sputtered to an end. During this time,  released a clutch of seminal singles all fired by the 's deep roots production. The conflagrant "Sipple out Deh," the melancholy "One Step Forward," the stepper classic "Chase the Devil," and the revolutionary nursery rhyme "Three Blind Mice" all reverberated across the desolate landscape.

It was at this point that Island signed , and for his U.K. debut, remixed "Sipple," and released it under the title of "War in a Babylon." The single had the same impact in Britain as on the island, reverberating across a nation experiencing its own political turmoil. The single would also title 's new album. War in a Babylon was a masterpiece, the apex of 's career, as well as one of 's most superlative productions in his own equally illustrious career. Tragically, the pair had a permanent falling out soon after, depriving the world of who knows how many more great records. 's next album,  was self-produced and suffered accordingly. Without, the singer seemed to have lost his bearings, and in 1978, he left Jamaica for the U.S.

Having moved to New York City, things initially went well.  co-wrote the Broadway musical Reggae and starred in it as well, quite a coup, even though the play only had a short run. He was feted by  and guested on backing vocals on 's "Dancing." Two years later in 1981,  co-produced the singer's  album, with  laying down the rhythms. The record was a few notches above its predecessors, 1979's I Love My Music and 1980's Rondos, but contained nothing coming close to the quality of War. In fact, his best album of the decade was 1984's Max Romeo Meets Owen Gray at King Tubby's Studio, a split album of  productions dating back to a decade earlier.

And then the artist simply faded from view. He had no desire to return to a Jamaica, especially considering that the JLP had wrestled back control of the government in late 1980 after a bloody campaign that left almost 700 dead. recorded a mere two more albums by the end of the decade, both with producer , but both disappeared without a trace.

At the end of the '80s, a shift in the scene brought roots back into fashion, albeit within a dancehall context. In response,  returned to Jamaica in 1990 and began touring regularly. His profile was heightened by the U.K. release of The Many Moods of Max Romeo, which gathered up a diverse group of tracks cut between 1967 and 1971. It was on a resulting trip to Britain that he met up with , whose own sound system was responsible for keeping roots alive in the U.K. Having moved into production,  eschewed fashion, with his style remaining defiantly steppers rhythm based. But that was precisely what  was waiting for and the two set to work. Far I Captain of My Ship and Our Rights were both released in 1992 and were fine sets, returning the singer to something nearing his former glory.

1995's Cross or the Gun was even better. Produced by , whose own innate understanding of roots rivaled's, Zukie has a better ear for contemporary rhythms and thus gave Cross a more modern feel while retaining a rootsy sound.

Producers  own unique style heavily flavored 's next album, 1999's , and while the pair are electronic-based, the collaboration worked better than many expected. The following year brought yet another compilation, Pray for Me: The Best of 1967-1973, which nicely compliments the earlier Many Moods sets.

 has continued touring and recording, while compilations of his older material now litter the landscape. The singer's prolific output for so many different labels and producers, and his widely varied styles, has made his career a minefield for collectors and compilers alike. However, readers are encouraged to always take a chance, for rarely released a total clinker and it's unlikely you'll be truly disappointed.

All Lps are sight graded   Note: I Do Not Grade inner sleeves, If these are Important to you then you may e-mail me)

 

RECORD GRADING

Based On Goldmine Grading Standards:

Near Mint (NM): A nearly perfect record. There may be one or two small inaudible defects. The record should show no obvious signs of wear. A 45 RPM or EP sleeve should have no more than the most minor defects, such as almost invisible ring wear or other sights of slight handling. An LP jacket should have no creases, folds, seam splits or any other noticeable similar defect. No cut-out holes, either.

Near Mint Minus (NM-): A record that should play mint but has a few slight visible marks. The album will have as much luster as an NM, there just may be some superficial scuffs from the sleeve or very light hairlines that shouldn't be audible. An NM- album cover subjectively fits somewhere in between VG+ and NM.

Very Good Plus (VG+): A Very Good Plus record will show some signs that it was played and otherwise handled by a previous owner who took good care of it. Record surfaces may show some slight signs of wear and may have slight scuffs or very light scratches that don t significantly affect play. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. The label may have some ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. The center hole will not have been misshapen by repeated play. 45 Picture sleeves will have some slight wear, lightly turned-up corners, or a slight seam-split. An LP jacket may have slight signs of wear also and may be marred by a cut-out hole, indentation or corner indicating it was taken out of print and sold at a discount.

Very Good (VG): Many of the defects found in a VG+ record will be more pronounced in a VG disc. Surface noise will be evident upon playing, especially in soft passages and during a song s intro and fade, but will not overpower the music otherwise. Groove wear will start to be noticeable, as will light scratches (deep enough to feel with a fingernail) that will affect the sound. Labels may be marred by writing, or have tape or stickers (or their residue) attached. The same will be true of picture sleeves or LP covers. However, it will not have all of these problems at the same time, just two or three of them.

Good (G), Good Plus (G+): Good does not mean Bad! A record in Good or Good Plus condition can be put onto a turntable and will play though without skipping. But it will have significant surface noise and scratches and visible groove wear. A jacket or sleeve will have seam splits, especially at the bottom or on the spine. Tape, writing, ring wear or other defects will start to overwhelm the subject.

Poor (P), Fair (F): Below good. imperfections will be described.

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