The Phantom's Whisper

In the heat of 1976, deep in a Kingston studio, a legendary session unfolded—one that would become the stuff of myth and mysticism. Inspired after watching the chilling ghost story The Signalman, three electrifying female vocalists—Marcia "Honey" Lewis, Rita "Sun" Bailey, and Angela "Moon" Taylor—joined forces with enigmatic producer Darnell "Dubs" Kingston to conjure something truly otherworldly. Their voices intertwined like the spirits of the past, blending ethereal harmonies with cosmic vibrations that seemed to rise from the Jamaican soil itself. With Billy Noknees, the founding member of OBIISSS, at the helm, the group embarked on a haunting musical journey. Billy, entranced by their sound and enraptured by their energy, married Angela "Moon" Taylor during the week-long session and christened the trio The Brides of OBIISSS, sealing their bond in music and mysticism.

Over the course of seven days, with the eerie ghost stories of M. R. James as their reading material between takes, the group laid down 14 tracks, each one more haunting and mesmerizing than the last. The dark, spectral influence of stories like Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad and A Warning to the Curious seeped into the very fabric of their sound, weaving an atmosphere of dread and beauty into their reggae-dub fusion. Their music became a spectral dance of rhythm, soul, and shadow, with each track carrying the weight of ancient whispers and the chill of unseen presences.

For decades, these tapes were thought lost, swallowed by the sands of time and the mystery that surrounded The Brides of OBIISSS. But following the recent death of Angela Taylor, the last surviving Bride, the session tapes have miraculously resurfaced, sending shockwaves through the music world. The lost recordings, once considered a myth, have been carefully remastered and reissued, capturing the raw magic of that fateful week in Kingston. Now, the 14 tracks, drenched in supernatural energy and storytelling, are ready to be heard again, as powerful and otherworldly as they were in 1976.

This reissue is not just a collection of songs—it’s a resurrection of a forgotten chapter in music history. The ghostly vocals of Marcia, Rita, and Angela rise from the past, wrapped in the eerie echoes of their M. R. James-inspired week, casting a spectral light on the legacy of The Brides of OBIISSS. For those who dare to listen, this is a journey into the heart of mystery, music, and the supernatural.

A View From A Hill

Spell

The Mezzotint

A Warning To The Curious

Lost Hearts

The Stalls Of Barchester

The Signalman

Guardians of the flame

created to escape the future promised in the past

404 BEAT NOT FOUND

Long lost disco version of the classic track "Stay Cool" — finally rescued from the vaults!
Once believed to have been lost forever, this shimmering Billy Noknees Disco Demo emerges from the dust-covered archives like a neon ghost from Studio 54. Originally tracked during the legendary 1975 Atlantic Records demo sessions, the tape was quietly shelved after label execs shrugged and muttered, “nobody’s ready for this groove.” History proved them wrong.

Now, decades later, professionally remastered from the original reels, this rough-and-funky take reveals Noknees at his most experimental — loose basslines, swirling strings, handclaps that slap like chrome, and a vocal so smooth it could ice a cocktail. The world finally gets to hear what they missed. A time capsule. A fever dream. A disco comet blazing across the night.

The groove has returned. Stay cool — or get left behind.

Stay Cool (78)

OBIISSS

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