Dreaming Riddim

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Kool Jah - Sa Mazesté

The group formed in 1976 as the vocal trio of Joseph Hill (formerly a percussionist in Studio One house band the Soul Defenders), his cousin Albert "Ralph" Walker, and Roy "Kenneth" Dayes, initially using the name The African Disciples. They soon changed name to Culture, and auditioned successfully for the "Mighty Two" – producer Joe Gibbs and engineer Errol Thompson. While at Gibbs' studio, they recorded a series of powerful singles, starting with "See Dem a Come" and including the hugely successful "Two Sevens Clash" (which predicted the apocalypse on 7 July 1977), many of which ended up on their debut album Two Sevens Clash. The song was sufficiently influential that many in Kingston stayed indoors on 7 July, fearing that the prophecy would come true. A second Gibbs-produced album, Baldhead Bridge, followed in 1978, by which time the group had moved on to record for producer Sonia Pottinger. The group entered into a long-running dispute with Gibbs over royalties to the first album.

Two Sevens Clash meanwhile had become a big seller in the United Kingdom, popular with punk rock fans as well as reggae fans and boosted by the support of John Peel on his BBC Radio 1 show, and reached number 60 on the UK Albums Chart in April 1978. This prompted Virgin Records to sign the group to its Front Line label, releasing Harder than the Rest (1978) and International Herb (1979). Culture also released records on other labels in Jamaica, including a dub version of Harder than the Rest, Culture in Dub (1978, High Note), and an album of different recordings of the same album, Africa Stand Alone (April 1978). An album recorded for Pottinger in 1979 with a working title of Black Rose remained unreleased until tracks emerged in 1993 on Trod On.

Culture performed at the One Love Peace Concert in 1978.

In 1981 the three singers went their own ways. Hill carried on using the Culture name, and recorded the Lion Rock album, which was reissued in the United States by Heartbeat Records. Hill and his new band recorded a session for long time supporter John Peel in December 1982, and the group went on to record further studio sessions for Peel in 1998 and 2002, and their performance at the Royal Festival Hall in July 1998 was broadcast on his show. For their part, Walker and Dayes recorded a handful of songs on their own – a few of which turned up on an album titled Roots & Culture. Hill performed at the Reggae Sunsplash festival in 1985 and in 1986 the original line-up reformed to record two highly regarded albums – Culture in Culture and Culture at Work.

Joseph Hill, who came to symbolize the face of Culture, died (liver failure) in Berlin, Germany on 19 August 2006 while the group was on tour, after collapsing following a performance.  His son, Kenyatta Hill, who had acted as the group's sound engineer on tour, performed with his father's band at the Western Consciousness show in 2007, which was dedicated to Joseph Hill, and became the lead singer of Culture; Walker and Nelson continue to provide backing vocals.

In 2011, Live On was released, featuring Kenyatta's performances of his father's songs, including "Two Sevens Clash" and "International Herb".

Culture- Work On Natty

VP Records continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary with the definitive, deluxe reissue of an early title by Gregory Isaacs, one of Jamaican music’s icons and VP Records’ marquee catalog artists.
When it comes to sheer volume of output, Gregory Isaacs was one of Jamaica’s most prolific singers, with more than 125 albums to his credit in a 40-plus year career. His 13 albums with VP rival that of Dennis Brown. 

VP was the first to press and distribute the touchstone LP Mr. Isaacs, the singer’s third full-length release and one of the first LPs the company handled in the US. It was originally pressed on Ossie Hibbert’s Earthquake label and entitled simply, The Greatest. In Jamaica, the album was also pressed on Trevor “Leggo” Douglas’ Cash & Carry label. The current reissue pays homage to the first edition - and VP Records’ 40th anniversary - with the return to the original artwork and labels.

Remastered by Kevin Metcalfe, the album is reissued on vinyl concurrent with the closely related dub album, Leggo Dub, and also packaged together on an expanded 32-track, double CD, including bonus tracks such as the 12-inch mix of “Mr. Know It All.” These are housed in a 6-panel digipack with 16-page booklet. The 2019 edition is the most expansive since the 2001 reissue on Blood and Fire.

The album includes the enduring hit “Slave Master,” later popularized through the live performance in the film Rockers, as well as “Set The Captive Free,” and “Storm.” The latter would become a widely reused ‘riddim,’ a rhythmic framework that was the basis of dozens of versions by different artists, including hits by Tappa Zukie (“Oh Lord”); Tristan Palma (“Spliff Tail”); and Pinchers (“Bandelero”), among others. Also in conjunction with the full release, VP will issue “Storm” b/w “Leggo Dub” on 7-inch single for the first time.

Isaacs’ catalog would grow to well over one hundred albums by the time of his death in 2010. Released in over two dozen different editions, Mr. Isaacs is second only to his iconic Night Nurse album in terms of its influence. 

VP Records will celebrate the life and music of Mr. Isaacs at multiple events in 2019 in tandem with the label’s 40th Anniversary. Mr. Isaacs will be released on July 19. His 68th birthday would have been July 15.

Change in Me

Freddie McGregor