WAILERS, THE Catch A Fire (Tuff Gong / Island) 2cd 27.00
Remastered version of Bob Marley & The Wailers major label debut. This, deluxe, version not only contains the remastered album that put Bob Marley on the map internationally, but also contains a second disc of the original Jamaican version of the album -- previously unreleased outside of Jamaica -- which not only contains different versions of the songs on Catch A Fire, but is sequenced differently and includes extra tracks that never made it to the European release. Comes handsomely packaged in a fold out case in a slip cover that features the original (Jamaican) artwork. This edition also includes extensive annotation on all the tracks, photos and an essay

WARD 21 Mentally Disturbed (Greensleeves) cd 15.98
At last we've got our paws on a dancehall album that we can recommend from start to finish. Jamaica's highly fertile music scene still seems geared towards the single and the majority of dancehall that we've been excited about in the past has been in the form of 7"s, which rules out the majority of the music buying public here (who apparently no longer even own record players tsk, tsk). What's more, those singles that we've been most enthused about are not even the original mixes, but "hip hop" remixes in which dancehall a cappellas are mixed in with the current Timbaland hits or other popular hip hop track*. But like we said, here is a dancehall record with practically NO DUDS (and it's available on cd for you folks with no record player).
Ward 21 is unlike most of the dancehall acts coming out of Jamaica in that they are a group and not an individual. Apprenticing under the legendary King Jammy, the group exists as a collection of four producers -and- d.j.'s who have made their mark on the Jamaican music industry by producing tracks and albums for some of the island's top vocalists like Elephant Man (who makes a guest appearance on this album) and Beenie Man, and creating some of the most popular rhythms in dancehall. After working behind the scenes for years the group has finally pooled their engineering and producing prowess to put together 22 tracks of insane dancehall. Along with being consistently top notch in the production department throughout, the vocals on "Mentally Disturbed" are a case study in how to sing dancehall right.... in the humble opinion of AQ's dancehall heads. For the most part the lyrics are grumbled, not sung, in gruff voice -- almost forced into a lower octave than the singer's range -- and the lyrics themselves are long winded, stream of conscious like rants. This stuff is crazy. Relentless repeated rhythms hammer away while the vocalists growl about sushi and Kurt Cobain and 'Hoochieland' and assorted other weirdness. Catchy and funky and funny and if you have a boomin' system in your ride this is way more suitable for window rattling than whatever Miami Bass or MTV flavor of the moment you happen to be listening to. The hip hop vibe is definitely present, in some of the beats, and some of the toasting is definitely practically rapping, but this is dancehall through and through. Byram and Andee have been listening to this non stop for a week now. No higher recommendation than that (well, at least until Allan starts playing it, taking up otherwise valuable Slough Feg listening time!).
*** By doing an Exact Keyword Search on the Aquarius website for "hip hop remix" (without quotes) you'll see a list of all such 7" singles we've stocked and cataloged to date with the rhythms that they use.
RealAudio clip: "Da Pum (Brain Damage)"
RealAudio clip: "President Hoochie Land"
RealAudio clip: "The Illness"

WARD 21 Mentally Disturbed (Greensleeves) 2lp 16.98
At last we've got our paws on a dancehall album that we can recommend from start to finish. Jamaica's highly fertile music scene still seems geared towards the single and the majority of dancehall that we've been excited about in the past has been in the form of 7"s, which rules out the majority of the music buying public here (who apparently no longer even own record players tsk, tsk). What's more, those singles that we've been most enthused about are not even the original mixes, but "hip hop" remixes in which dancehall a cappellas are mixed in with the current Timbaland hits or other popular hip hop track*. But like we said, here is a dancehall record with practically NO DUDS (and it's available on cd for you folks with no record player).
Ward 21 is unlike most of the dancehall acts coming out of Jamaica in that they are a group and not an individual. Apprenticing under the legendary King Jammy, the group exists as a collection of four producers -and- d.j.'s who have made their mark on the Jamaican music industry by producing tracks and albums for some of the island's top vocalists like Elephant Man (who makes a guest appearance on this album) and Beenie Man, and creating some of the most popular rhythms in dancehall. After working behind the scenes for years the group has finally pooled their engineering and producing prowess to put together 22 tracks of insane dancehall. Along with being consistently top notch in the production department throughout, the vocals on "Mentally Disturbed" are a case study in how to sing dancehall right.... in the humble opinion of AQ's dancehall heads. For the most part the lyrics are grumbled, not sung, in gruff voice -- almost forced into a lower octave than the singer's range -- and the lyrics themselves are long winded, stream of conscious like rants. This stuff is crazy. Relentless repeated rhythms hammer away while the vocalists growl about sushi and Kurt Cobain and 'Hoochieland' and assorted other weirdness. Catchy and funky and funny and if you have a boomin' system in your ride this is way more suitable for window rattling than whatever Miami Bass or MTV flavor of the moment you happen to be listening to. The hip hop vibe is definitely present, in some of the beats, and some of the toasting is definitely practically rapping, but this is dancehall through and through. Byram and Andee have been listening to this non stop for a week now. No higher recommendation than that (well, at least until Allan starts playing it, taking up otherwise valuable Slough Feg listening time!).
*** By doing an Exact Keyword Search on the Aquarius website for "hip hop remix" (without quotes) you'll see a list of all such 7" singles we've stocked and cataloged to date with the rhythms that they use.

WARD 21 U Know How We Roll (Greensleeves) cd 15.98
They're back! Aquarius' favorite nut-ball dancehall crew Ward 21 return with another great album. The producer crew (studying under King Jammy) turned, err... don't know how you'd call it... "dancehall group"(?) pretty much took us by storm with their first full length release way back at the beginning of 2001. Their fusion of hip hop and hardcore dancehall was seamless, and their production values kick ass, so you can imagine how excited we were to find out they'd just released a new record. And it seems like the hip hop world is starting to take notice to their talents as well. They were not only interviewed in the most recent issue of Murder Dog, but grace the cover as well. So it was a bit of a shock to read that they still see themselves intimitely connected to hip hop, 'cos they have moved their production back to a more strictly dancehall sound. But fear not fans of Mentally Disturbed, their newest release is equally great, if not even more rock solid. While their rhythms are indeed like old school dancehall, they're tweaked to the highest intensity by the crew. What may sound tinny and crippled in more incapable hands, sounds heavy and pummeling in theirs. For one thing, they just can't go wrong with that fucking backwards bass line they always use, the one that goes WoooOOOp WoooOOOp and feels like someone beating you silly with a monster truck inner-tube filled with glue. Then there's their vocals: the deep baritone murmuring paired up with the tenor mile-a-minute motormouth. You just can't go wrong. But what probably gives them such a great overall album batting average is due to the fact that they never attempt the faux-soul slow jam crap that destroys so many dancehall albums. Along with 19 new tracks, there's the awesome "Petrol" cut which we creamed over this last summer in our Nice Up The Dance: Two Worlds Collide review. Highly recommended!
MPEG Stream: "Petrol"
MPEG Stream: "Nah Climb"
MPEG Stream: "Badda Than Dat"

WARD 21 U Know How We Roll (Greensleeves) 2lp 16.98
They're back! Aquarius' favorite nut-ball dancehall crew Ward 21 return with another great album. The producer crew (studying under King Jammy) turned, err... don't know how you'd call it... "dancehall group"(?) pretty much took us by storm with their first full length release way back at the beginning of 2001. Their fusion of hip hop and hardcore dancehall was seamless, and their production values kick ass, so you can imagine how excited we were to find out they'd just released a new record. And it seems like the hip hop world is starting to take notice to their talents as well. They were not only interviewed in the most recent issue of Murder Dog, but grace the cover as well. So it was a bit of a shock to read that they still see themselves intimitely connected to hip hop, 'cos they have moved their production back to a more strictly dancehall sound. But fear not fans of Mentally Disturbed, their newest release is equally great, if not even more rock solid. While their rhythms are indeed like old school dancehall, they're tweaked to the highest intensity by the crew. What may sound tinny and crippled in more incapable hands, sounds heavy and pummeling in theirs. For one thing, they just can't go wrong with that fucking backwards bass line they always use, the one that goes WoooOOOp WoooOOOp and feels like someone beating you silly with a monster truck inner-tube filled with glue. Then there's their vocals: the deep baritone murmuring paired up with the tenor mile-a-minute motormouth. You just can't go wrong. But what probably gives them such a great overall album batting average is due to the fact that they never attempt the faux-soul slow jam crap that destroys so many dancehall albums. Along with 19 new tracks, there's the awesome "Petrol" cut which we creamed over this last summer in our Nice Up The Dance: Two Worlds Collide review. Highly recommended!

WAREIKA HILL SOUNDS s/t (Honest Jons) cd 18.98
Our Reggae section is by no means gigantic but we like to think that what we lack in quantity we make up in quality. But one thing that is apparent about our reggae section is that it's all about the classics and it's very rare that we hear newly recorded reggae that sounds as good to our ears as the old stuff. Sadly most new reggae (even by those who once delivered the good stuff) is riddled with cheesy keyboards and ultra-slick production while most newer dub is plagued by a generic paint-by-numbers ambience that lacks the grit and guts of what makes roots reggae and classic dub so special. So we were super psyched to find out that this Wareika Hill Sounds record we've been falling in love with was not some classic reissue as we first thought because of its totally warm and authentic sound, but is in fact a brand new recording by Calvin Cameron, who has played with the likes of Count Ossie's Mystic Revelation and Light of Saba. Smoking dubwise roots reggae that can not be denied! With an element of afrobeat in the fold (Tony Allen even makes an appearance!), there is a warmth and strength in these songs that has kept us coming back to this record over and over again. By far our favorite new reggae recording in a long time!
MPEG Stream: "Coconut Head Special"
MPEG Stream: "Uhuru Pujama"
MPEG Stream: "One People"

WAREIKA HILL SOUNDS s/t (Honest Jons) lp 19.98
Now available on vinyl!!!
Our Reggae section is by no means gigantic but we like to think that what we lack in quantity we make up in quality. But one thing that is apparent about our reggae section is that it's all about the classics and it's very rare that we hear newly recorded reggae that sounds as good to our ears as the old stuff. Sadly most new reggae (even by those who once delivered the good stuff) is riddled with cheesy keyboards and ultra-slick production while most newer dub is plagued by a generic paint-by-numbers ambience that lacks the grit and guts of what makes roots reggae and classic dub so special. So we were super psyched to find out that this Wareika Hill Sounds record we've been falling in love with was not some classic reissue as we first thought because of its totally warm and authentic sound, but is in fact a brand new recording by Calvin Cameron, who has played with the likes of Count Ossie's Mystic Revelation and Light of Saba. Smoking dubwise roots reggae that can not be denied! With an element of afrobeat in the fold (Tony Allen even makes an appearance!), there is a warmth and strength in these songs that has kept us coming back to this record over and over again. By far our favorite new reggae recording in a long time!
MPEG Stream: "Coconut Head Special"
MPEG Stream: "Uhuru Pujama"
MPEG Stream: "One People"

WARRIOR QUEEN & THE HEATWAVE Things Change (Soul Jazz) 12" 12.98

WONDER Can't Stand It 12" (Dumpvalve) 12" 11.98

WONDER & SWAY Call My 12" (Dumpvalve) 12" 11.98

XI G Funk-3000 / Lucky (LoDubs) 12" 4.98

YABBY YOU Dub It To The Top (Blood & Fire) cd 16.98
Another fine collection from Blood & Fire. 'Dub It To the Top' contains not only the entire 1977 Yabby You LP 'Yabby You Meets Michael Prophet: Vocal & Dub' plus 7 b-side dubs from singles he released between 1976 and 1979. All but one track (recorded at Perry's Black Ark Studio) were recorded at the fabulous Channel 1 studio and all were mixed at King Tubby's studio by Tubby himself or Prince Jammy. Stellar performances from all aside, the production quality is excellent to boot: if the tracks haven't come directly from the master tapes, they might as well have with the nice remastering job that's been done here.
RealAudio clip: "Zambia"
RealAudio clip: "Turn Me Loose Dub"

YABBY YOU Jesus Dread 1972-1977 (Blood & Fire) 2cd 24.00

YABBY YOU Rally Dub (Select Cuts) 10" 11.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Limited edition 10" from the second volume of Select Cuts From Blood & Fire. Features a dub mix by Lee Perry on one side (not included on the album) and, apparently, an alternate remix by Apollo 440 of the track that was featured on the album -- though if there's any difference other than a small time difference between Apollo 440's two remixes it's got me stumped cuz they both sound the same to me G.

ZUKIE, TAPPA Dub Em Zukie (Jamaican Recordings) cd 14.98

ZUKIE, TAPPA Escape From Hell (Dub) Limited Edition (Trojan) cd 18.98

ZUKIE, TAPPA Horns Up! Dubbing With Horns (Jamaican Recordings) cd 14.98

ZUKIE, TAPPA Horns Up! Dubbing With Horns (Jamaican Recordings) lp 14.98

ZUKIE, TAPPER Man Ah Warrior (Trojan) cd 14.98

ZUKIE, TAPPER Tapper Roots (Virgin) cd 14.98