Roots Vibration Belgium レコード& CD

Review: Released in 1983 with backing from Undivided Roots, Vivian Jones made a real statement with his debut album. It's a slow, steady, spacious one with heavy rhythms and keys that seem to float. The simmering vocals from the UK artist are also key to elevating each tune and also to the fact that Jones went on to work with mainstays such as Jah Shaka, Bobby Digital, Junior Reid and many others. Vivian started as a DJ in the 70s and was a member of a number of different UK roots bands, but grew disillusioned so went to Jamaica in 1982 and has turned out more than 130 tunes since. This record includes well-know gems 'Flash It And Gwan' and 'Third World Man'.

Review: In 1979, dub legend Lee 'Scratch' Perry "adopted" a pair of musicians from Zaire who had been left stranded on Jamaica, put them together with his regular session players in the Black Ark studio he later burned down in a fit of psychosis, and recorded an album, "Roots From The Congo". As this fine reissue proves, the resultant music - a vibrant mix of Perry's particular brand of dub reggae and soukous music - was magical and unlike almost anything that had come before. For some reason it was only ever released on small labels in France and Belgium at the time, meaning that original copies are extremely hard to find. This reissue, then, is long overdue. Do yourself a favour and snap them up before they all disappear.