Bass Culture: Ska & Reggae Compilations

[Bazza]

Bass Culture: Volume 1. This Town Is Too Hot (Ska & Rocksteady) double CD is released on 24th September 2012

Bass Culture is a new reggae series celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Jamaican independence.

A mix of much-loved classics & tracks considered pivotal to the genre plus tracks that haven t appeared on many compilations, underground sound system hits and tracks that are becoming increasingly difficult and/or expensive to find on CD.

Whilst the biggest names in Jamaican music are represented Bass Culture have often opted for less-exposed material, such as b-sides, album tracks or 45s that were only ever released in Jamaica.

Mastered from the best quality masters available & chronologically sequenced mixing-up styles, tempos and artists

16 page booklet & 10,000 word notes telling the full story full story behind the music featured from Lloyd Bradley, author of Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King.

Rarities: Bob Marley & The Wailers 'One Love' (ska version), Delroy Wilson 'True Believer In Love', The Hamlins 'I Don t Care At All', The Paragons 'Riding On A High And Windy Day'.

Producers featured: Coxsone Dodd, King Edwards, Duke Reid, Prince Buster, Randy s, Lloyd Matador Daley, Bunny Lee, Joe Gibbs, Leslie Kong & Karl Sir JJ Johnson.

Inspired by Jamaican independence, ska was the first internationally acknowledged music to come about on the island and CD1 features a truly heavyweight selection.

By the mid-to-late 1960s Jamaica was ready for a break from ska s relentless beat and so the scene was set for rocksteady.

CD2 shows how ska morphed to rocksteady, a slower groove that was more conducive to slow couples dancing and that dominated Jamaican music at the end of the decade.

TRACKLISTING:

Disc One
1. Clancy Eccles - Freedom
2. Don Drummond - Man In The Street
3. Shenley Duffus - I'm A Lonely Boy
4. Tommy McCook & The Baba Brooks Band - Rocket Ship
5. Derrick Morgan & Buster s All-Stars - Miss Lulu
6. The Skatalites - Doctor Kildare
7. Justin Hinds & The Dominoes - Over The River
8. Ronald Wilson - Lonely Man
9. Prince Buster & His All-Stars - Al Capone
10. Roland Alphonso & The Soul Brothers - Miss Ska-Culation
11. Bob Marley & The Wailers - One Love (ska version)
12. The Baba Brooks Band - Teenage Ska
13. The Upsetters - So Bad
14. The Skatalites - Dick Tracy
15. Alton Ellis - Mouth A Massy
16. Sir Lord Comic & The King Edwards All-Stars - Four Seasons
17. Charlie Organaire & Randy s Group - Royal Charlie
18. The Techniques - Little Did You Know
19. Roland Alphonso & The Soul Brothers - Dr Ring A Ding
20. The Ethiopians - Free Man

Disc Two
1. Prince Buster & His All-Stars - Too Hot
2. Tony & Dennis - Folk Song
3. The Overtakers - Beware
4. Alton Ellis & The Flames - Ain t That Loving You
5. Ken Boothe - Thinking
6. The Sensations - Right On Time
7. Glen Adams - Hey There Lonely Girl
8. Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - Real Cool
9. The Uniques - Love & Devotion
10. Justin Hinds & The Dominoes - Once A Man (Twice A Child)
11. Keith Blake - Musically
12. The Paragons - Riding On A High and Windy Day
13. Delroy Wilson - True Believer In Love
14. The Conquerors - Lonely Street
15. Val Bennett - The Russians Are Coming (aka Take Five)
16. The Techniques - There Comes A Time
17. Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Fu Man Chu
18. The Ethiopians - Losing You
19. Errol Dunkley - Where Must I Go
20. The Hamlins - I Don't Care At All

[Bazza]

Bass Culture: Volume 2. Boss Sounds (early Reggae 1968-1972)


TRACKLISTING:

Disc One
1. Dave Barker with Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - Funky, Funky Reggae
2. Lord Creator - Come Down 68
3. Alton Ellis - Breaking-Up
4. Derrick Morgan - Hold You Jack
5. The Pioneers - Tickle Me For Days
6. Little Roy - Bongo Nyah
7. The Cannonball Bryan Trio - Jumping Jack
8. The Creations - Qua Kue Shut
9. Pat Kelly - I Am Coming Home
10. Bob Marley & The Wailers - You Can't Do That To Me
11. Boris Gardiner & The Love People - Don Juan
12. Delroy Wilson - This Life Makes Me Wonder
13. The Ethiopians - Well Red (aka Well Dread)
14. Ansell Collins - Bigger Boss
15. Toots & The Maytals - Pressure Drop
16. Justin Hinds & The Dominoes - Everywhere I go (Travel With Love)
17. Lloyd Charmers - Zylon
18. Max Romeo - A No Fi Mi Piccn'y
19. John Holt & The Paragons - Maybe Someday
20. Jackie Mittoo - 30-60-90

Disc Two
1. Vin Gordon & The Dynamics - The Burner
2. Lord Creator - Such Is Life
3. Derrick Morgan - River To The Bank
4. Ken Parker - It s Alright
5. Count Machukie & The Bunny Lee All-Stars - Warfare
6. Desmond Dekker - Problems
7. The Ebony Sisters - Each Time
8. Toots & The Maytals - Night And Day
9. Winston Samuel - Here I Come Again
10. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Treat You Right
11. The Upsetters - The Night Doctor
12. George Dekker - Foey Man
13. The Viceroys - Work It
14. The Gaylads - Wha She Do Now
15. Dave Barker - Your Love Is A Game
16. Sir JJ All-Stars - Dollar Of Soul
17. The Sensations - Every Day Is Just A Holiday
18. Ken Boothe - It's Gonna Take A Miracle
19. Randy s All-Stars - End Dust (aka End Us)
20. Cornell Campbell - Just One Kiss

[Bazza]

Bass Culture: Volume 3. When Reggae Was King (Roots, Rockers, DJ & Dub 1970-1980).

TRACKLISTING:

Disc One
1. Horace Andy - Every Tongue Shall Tell
2. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Caution
3. Roy Shirley - Israelites Leave Babylon
4. Tommy McCook & The Impact All-Stars - Jaro
5. African Brothers - Lead Us Father
6. Joe Higgs - Hard Times Don't Bother Me
7. Dillinger - Natty Kung Fu
8. Freddie McKay - I'm A Free Man
9. Psalms - Rolling Stone
10. Cedric IM Brooks & The Light Of Saba - Rebirth
11. Cornell Campbell - Give Me Love
12. Max Romeo - Tacko
13. Sweeny & The Wailers Band - Won t Come Easy
14. John Holt -Let The Wicked Run Away
15. Augustus Pablo - Dub Organiser
16. Gregory Isaacs - A Riot
17. The Mighty Diamonds - Have Mercy
18. Pablo Moses - Blood Money
19. Dennis Brown - Children Of Israel
20. Winston & Ansel - Zion I

Disc Two
1. Peter Tosh - Get Up Stand Up (Acoustic Version)
2. The Gladiators - Mix-Up
3. Johnny Clarke & The Aggrovators - Blood (Version)
4. Big Youth - Love We A Deal With
5. The Abyssinians - Dem A Come
6. Niney The Observer - Mutiny (Confusion In A Babylon)
7. Gregory Isaacs - One More Time
8. Prince Far I - Throw Away Your Gun
9. Israel Vibration - Prophet Has Arise
10. Sly Dunbar - Rasta Fiesta
11. Culture - Natty Never Get Weary
12. Dennis Brown - Deliverance Will Come
13. The Arabs - Suru (Lere Dub)
14. Burning Spear - African Teacher
15. I Roy - Fire In A Wire
16. Sugar Minott -The People Got To Know
17. The Twinkle Brothers - Free Africa
18. Black Uhuru - Plastic Smile
19. The Viceroys - My Mission Is Impossible
20. Horace Andy - Natty Dread A Weh She Want

[Bazza]

Bass Culture: Volume 4. Mash You Down (The Birth Of Dancehall 1978-1985)

As the 1970s rolled into the 1980s Dancehall returned reggae to its sound system origins. 'Gun Shot' by Anthony Johnson, Barrington Levy s 'Jah Black' , John Holt s 'Fat She Fa't, 'Ababa John I' by Don Carlos and Sugar Minott s 'Move Up' are vibrant examples of dancehall roots with Nitty Gritty s 'Run Down The World' and Wayne Smith's 'Time Is A Moment In Space' showing a romantic lover s rock side to dancehall. Elsewhere, Pad Anthony s 'See Them A Come' is a glorious mix up of gunshot snares and digital percussion whilst Cocoa Tea puts his plaintive style to good use on 'Rocking Dolly' .


TRACKLISTING:

Disc One
1. Black Uhuru - Shine Eye Gal
2. Cornell Campbell - Mash You Down
3. Ranking Trevor - Rub A Dub Style
4. The Fantails - Name Of The Game
5. Junior Murvin - Cool Out Son
6. Don Carlos - Ababa John I
7. Noel Phillips - Youth Man
8. Gregory Isaacs - Soon Forward
9. Eek-A-Mouse - Bubble Up Yu Hip
10. Wayne Smith - Time Is A Moment In Space
11. Lee Van Cleef - Gone Water Gone
12. John Holt - Fat She Fat
13. Lone Ranger - Rub 'n' Scrub
14. The Viceroys - Can't Stop Us Now
15. Nicodemus - Boneman Connection
16. Anthony Johnson - Gun Shot
17. Clint Eastwood & General Saint - Banana Export
18. Wayne Wade - Poor and Humble
19. Papa Bruce - No Time To Waste
20. Roots Radics - Roots Man Dubbing

Disc Two
1. Yellowman - Mr Chin
2. Al Campbell - Fight I Down
3. Sugar Minott - Move Up
4. Ringo - I Can't Stand It
5. Tristian Palmer - No Shot Nuh Fire
6. Rankin Toyan - Gwan A Dance
7. Charlie Chaplin - Bubbling Telephone (Chalice)
8. Sister Nancy - Bang Belly
9. Barrington Levy - Jah Black
10. Josey Wales - Woola Woop
11. Madoo - Hands In The Air Girl
12. Cocoa Tea - Rocking Dolly
13. Jah Batta - Argument
14. Early B - History Of Jamaica
15. Michael Palmer - Pull It Up Now
16. Ini Kamoze - World A Music
17. Little John - Bubbling Style
18. Pad Anthony - See Them A Come
19. Tenor Saw - Ring The Alarm
20. Nitty Gritty - Run Down The World

[Bazza]

Please note that the above 3 compilations have been delayed.
They will now be released on 28th January 2013 at around £6 per comp.

[Bazza]

I did start to wonder what had happened to these comps as they still have not been released.

Anyway, I contacted the record label only to be told that all the Bass Culture comps have all been withdrawn due to licensing issues. Shame as there were some good tunes on those comps especially the first 2 volumes.

[Bazza]

Apr 17, 2013 9:08:37 GMT Bazza said:

I did start to wonder what had happened to these comps as they still have not been released.

Anyway, I contacted the record label only to be told that all the Bass Culture comps have all been withdrawn due to licensing issues. Shame as there were some good tunes on those comps especially the first 2 volumes.

Well, it looks like some of the CD's in this series did get out after all and currently Volumes 2, 3 & 4 are listed for sale on Amazon market place. I managed to pick up the last 2 volumes for under £10 each. But I've still to hear of anyone owning a copy of volume 1.

[Bazza]

Finally managed to get hold of volume 1 which it turned out was a 'promotional copy'. I just need volume 2 now to complete the set in the bass culture series.

[Bazza]

I finally completed the set!
So although still unreleased all 4 volumes are out there. It's just a case of tracking them down. Happy hunting!