reggae Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

Bob Marley and the Wailers “Rebel Music”

sfilzen — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 18:34:09 +0000

Bob Marley and the Wailers “Rebel Music” 1986. Island Records. Compilation of Bob Marley’s recordings from 1973-1979. Groovy roots reggae, always with class and political commentary. Most of the tracks appear on other album releases, though the title and opening track “Rebel Music (3 O’Clock Roadblock)” is a comp-exclusive remix by Paul “Groucho” Smykle, different than the version that is on Marley’s 1974 Natty Dread. The song “Roots” has its first LP appearance here; it was the b-side for the 1977 single “Waiting in Vain” (#27 UK singles chart, #54 US r&b chart) which was originally on Exodus. It’s a great overview of some of Marley’s best work (and I’m pretty sure one of my friends made me a dubbed cassette of the record in the 80’s). I particularly like “Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)” from Natty Dread, the aforementioned “Roots,” and the Peter Tosh collaboration “Get Up, Stand Up,” originally on the 1973 record Burnin’ ; it was also released as a single, inducted in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. The version on this comp is the live recording from July 17th, 1975 concert at the Lyceum Theatre in London that also appears on Marley’s Live! album (also ’75).

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UB40 “Labour of Love II”

sfilzen — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 17:02:36 +0000

UB40 “Labour of Love II” 1989. 80’s reggae via the UK, the band’s 9th LP, all cover songs. I just got this record yesterday, for free, from an old friend whose cousin’s husband does crime-scene and hoarder house cleanups for a living. You can’t make this shit up. Anyway, he had a couple crates of records to unload so I got the call. This was the only one I scooped (we had pretty much everything else already that was worth having), and mostly for the UB40’s cover of “Here I Am (Come and Take Me)”, originally by Al Green (’73). It’s my all-time favorite UB40 track and reminds me both of freshman year of college (’89-’90) as well as a trip to the Bahamas (’08) when this track was on heavy rotation while I lounged for endless hours beside the pool. Really excellent memories all around. Their version of “Here I Am” went to #7 in the US and to #46 in the UK. UB40 had a couple of other singles from Labour Of Love II: “Kingston Town,” originally by Lord Creator (’70) went to #4 in the UK but didn’t chart in the US. Better received was their cover of the The Temptations‘ “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” which went to #6 in the US but only to #49 in the UK. While not released as a single in the US, “Homely Girl” became a hit in Europe, going to #6 in the UK. The original soul single was by The Chi-Lites (’73). Also pretty great on the album is “Groovin’” originally by Byron Lee (who introduced the electric bass guitar to Jamaica; he and his band The Dragonaires appear in the James Bond movie Dr. No and he owned Dynamic Sounds at which musicians like The Rolling Stones recorded).

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UB40 “Geffery Morgan”

sfilzen — Wed, 21 May 2025 18:05:43 +0000

UB40 “Geffery Morgan” 1984. 80’s UK reggae, the band’s fifth LP. I need a dose of island flavor today – it’s the end of May, below 50 degrees and has been raining nonstop for what feels like days. It’s a smooth and groovy, sunny record filled entirely with original material, unlike their ’83 album Labour of Love which was all covers. My top track is the single “If It Happens Again” which went to #9 in the UK. It also charted on the US dance chart at #69 and I’m fairly certain got at least a bit of radio and/or MTV play as I totally remember hearing it back in the day. That single’s b-side “Nkomo-A-Go-Go” is great – a relentlessly deep groovy beat, a tight horn section and an undercurrent of dark danger. The opener “Riddle Me” was also released as a single, going to #59 in the UK and is pretty good, as is the bright and boppy rap-goes-reggae “You’re Not an Army” and the slow burner “I’m Not Fooled So Easily.”

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UB40 “1980-1983”

sfilzen — Sat, 04 Jan 2025 19:36:46 +0000

UB40 “1980-1983” 1983. Early comp of singles from the British pop/reggae band that they recorded, obviously, between 1980-1983. Their debut release was the double A-side single “King” and “Food for Thought,” which appear on the 1980 LP Signing Off (the album version of “King” is on this comp); the single hit #4 in the UK. From their second album, Present Arms (1981) is the single “One in Ten” (a really excellent protest song about the inequities under Thatcher) which went to #7 in the UK, plus two non-single tracks “Present Arms” and “Silent Witness.” From 1982’s UB44 the tracks “So Here I Am, ” “I Won’t Close My Eyes,” and “Don’t Do the Crime” appear on 1980-1983 (can’t find any info about chart performance for these). Two non-album tracks are also on this comp: from 1983 the extended version of “I’ve Got Mine” and its b-side, the upbeat “Dubmobile.” 1980-1983 is a decent enough overview of UB40’s early material but not captivating enough to hang onto – think this one is going to go.

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Bad Brains “Live at CBGB 1982”

sfilzen — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 18:22:54 +0000

Bad Brains “Live at CBGB 1982” 2006/2014 reissue on limited edition yellow vinyl. MVD Audio/Zia Records. An OK quality recording from the December ’82 show at CBGBs. The reissue takes (and edits down from 19 to 14) tracks from the 2006 DVD/CD release. The performance is a mix of reggae and hardcore punk, mostly songs found on Black Dots, Bad Brains and Rock for Light. Of the reggae selections I particularly like their performance of “Unity Dub” which is hypnotic and a bit psychedelic with electronic effects. Immediately after “Unity,” Bad Brains launches into a cacophonous “Banned in DC” – the energy is amazing even if the sound takes a muddied dip on the recording. The other hardcore tracks: the fast and short (like less than 30 seconds) “Joshua’s Song,” “Destroy Babylon” (which is just slightly longer and arguably faster) and “Riot Squad” also suffer from subpar recording equipment unable to keep up with Dr. Know’s shredding, which sounds extra-tinny unfortunately on “Right Brigade.” The quality is much better on the more mellow songs like “I and I Rasta.” That said, it’s an epic performance and absolutely worth listening to – and viewing – the insanity of a Bad Brains show.

You can watch the entire show here:

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Bad Brains “I Against I”

sfilzen — Sat, 29 Oct 2022 22:51:00 +0000

Bad Brains “I Against I” 1986. SST Records. Released just about 36 years ago (Nov. 21st, ’86), the third record from the pioneering hardcore 80’s punks is one of my favorite punk records of all-time and definitely one of my most listened to of 1987. This past week we caught Bad Brains’ singer H.R. perform at Shank Hall in Milwaukee and while he didn’t play any Bad Brains songs – it was all super-chill reggae – it was amazing to finally see the legend in-person. He looks great and sounded even better.

H.R. at Shank Hall

I Against I was Bad Brains most successful LP and is included in many underground/alternative “best-of” lists, including Alternative Press and Blender. I know this record backwards and forwards and back again so picking out top tracks is next to impossible. From the shredding, thunderous “Intro” to the funky “Secret 77” to the closer “Return to Heaven” that has H.R. growling, rapping and yelping, it’s just incredible. I guess if I have to choose, tops would include the burning title track “I Against I” (its video directed by American Hardcore‘s Paul Rachman), the slinky-punked and funked “Re-Ignition” and “She’s Calling You,” the hardcore-meets-metal-guitar “Let Me Help,” and “Sacred Love” which H.R. recorded over the phone from prison where he was serving time for selling pot. I’ve just listed pretty close to every track. It’s that good.

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“Scandal Ska”

sfilzen — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 17:54:26 +0000

“Scandal Ska” 1989. Mango Records. Compilation by various artists’ ska recordings from 1960-1962. While it’s not the soundtrack to the 1989 film Scandal (starring Joanne Whalley and John Hurt, the movie is “a fictionalized account of the Profumo affair” that brought “down the U.K. government when it was revealed that high-class hooker Christine Keeler was simultaneously servicing both the British Minister of War and a Soviet naval attaché”), a couple of the songs on Scandal Ska are featured in the movie to highlight the contemporary popular music of post-independent Jamaica in England. A couple of the numbers directly address the political scandal including the title track/opener “Scandal” by Skatalites founder/tromboonist Don Drummond, “Christine Keeler” by saxophonist Roland Alphonso, the bluesy-ska “Mr. Kruschev” by Skitter (Noel Simms, considered as one of Jamaica’s most gifted percussionists) and “Russian Roulette” by King Edwards. Also of note on Scandal Ska are Bob Marley’s (going by Robert Marley) first recorded single “Judge Not,” Jimmy Cliff’s “Miss Jamaica” and Desmond Dekker’s (the first “superstar” of reggae) debut single “Honor Your Mother & Father.” It’s an interesting comp overall but not necessarily a record I need to have in our collection (it came to us as a part of a larger vinyl acquisition) so I’m totally willing to let this one go.

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Bad Brains “The Youth Are Getting Restless”

sfilzen — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 22:27:25 +0000

Bad Brains “The Youth Are Getting Restless” 1990. Caroline Records. Recorded live at the Paradiso Theater, Amsterdam on May 28th, 1987 while on tour for their album I Against I (released late ‘86, an album I had on repeat throughout most of ‘87). Hardcore punk mixed with alt-metal, reggae and a dose of funk, Bad Brains was one of the best and most creative punk bands in the 80′s. The Youth Are Getting Restless plays like a greatest hit LP with live versions of tracks from I Against I like “House of Suffering,” “Sacred Love,” “Re-ignition” and “Let Me Help.” From their ‘82 debut album Bad Brains (some also appearing, re-recorded, on their second LP in ‘83 Rock for Light, produced by The Cars’ Ric Ocasek): “I,” “Coptic Times,” “Big Takeover,” “Fearless Vampire Killer,” “Sailin’ On,” “Banned in DC” (about being banned from performing at almost all clubs in Washington, DC) and, of course, “Pay to Cum,” their 1980 debut single which is “one of the fastest, most furious songs ever recorded.” That song was also my gateway to Bad Brains: it’s on the ‘81 Alternative Tentacles punk comp Let Them Eat Jellybeans! which was one of my first punk vinyl comp LP purchases. The Youth Are Getting Restless has two covers: a mellow reggae’d mashup of The Beatles’ “Day Tripper” with The Rolling Stones “She’s a Rainbow” and “Revolution (dub)” originally by Dennis Brown.

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The English Beat “Wha’ppen?”

sfilzen — Wed, 27 Mar 2019 01:02:04 +0000

The English Beat “Wha’ppen?” 1981. Ranking Roger, The Beat’s vocalist and deejay/toaster, died today, March 26th at age 56 (b. Roger Charlery, 1963). I loved English Beat, especially their first album I Just Can’t Stop It which I’ve had on heavy rotation since the mid-80′s, but since I’ve already written about it, I’m spinning their second album Wha’ppen? today in tribute. The LP went to #3 on the UK charts with a more dialed-back reggae/ska sound than their first release. NME ranked Wha’ppen? at number 4 on their top ten “Albums of the Year” in 1981. It’s got a lot of blended world beat flavors: steel drums paired with saxophone, marimbas mixed with trumpets. I like the groovier, upbeat tracks the best: “All Out to Get You,” “French Toast,” “Over and Over” and “Get-a-Job” though the chill island vibes of “Drowning,” “Dream Home in NZ” and “The Limits We Set” are pretty great, too. I never got the chance to see English Beat Ranking Roger iteration – in recent years he toured with a version of the band that included his son, while Dave Wakeling toured with a different iteration and that was the one we saw a couple of years ago as part of an 80′s retrospective.

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Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers “Tomorrow People”

sfilzen — Mon, 17 Oct 2016 15:42:08 +0000

Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers “Tomorrow People” b/w “We A Guh Some Weh” 1988. Today, October 17th, is Ziggy Marley’s birthday (b. David Nesta Marley, 1968). Son of reggae legend Bob Marley, Ziggy got his nickname from his dad – it means “little spliff” – but he reworked the story later, stating Ziggy came from his love of David Bowie (it always comes back to Bowie for everyone, doesn’t it?!).

“Tomorrow People” appears on Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers’ third album, Conscious Party, which won a Grammy for Best Reggae album in 1989. Talking Heads’ Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth produced the record; Weymouth also provided background vocals and Heads’ Jerry Harrison played organ. “Tomorrow People” peaked at #39 on the US charts and VH1 rated it at #85 on its Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80′s (even though a second single from Conscious Party, “Tumblin’ Down,” also charted in ‘88). I’m not sure that I ever heard “Tomorrow People” on the radio in ‘88 but I heard the song a lot that year because my friend Jim included it on a truly bizarre mix tape which featured, among others, Peter Frampton, The Ramones, Sinead O’Connor and Pink Floyd. Even my mix tapes were never that weird.

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