[ aquarius records — Reggae Dub ]

Showing results 651 through 699 of 699.

V/ATrojan Motor City Reggae Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 19.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. [/cat/compilationsplit80.html]

V/ATrojan Nyahbinghi Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 16.98

Okay, at the risk of sounding like a bunch of Trojan solipsists (which we're not, really), this new Trojan Box is super fucking great! Quite simply, the concept behind this anthology assembles reggae tracks with Nyahbinghi accompaniment. Nyahbinghi is the name of the original Rastafarian sect, and the African based drumming that accompanies virtually all of its ceremonies -- most Nyahbinghi grounations. While today Jamaican commercial music and Rastafarianism are virtually synonymous, the two haven't always been so cozy. In 1962 when Prince Buster brought Count Ossie and his drummers into the recording studio to back up the Folkes Brothers on their version of "Oh Carolina" it was considered a revolutionary concept -- Rastafarians being cultural pariahs at the time. It wasn't until the roots era of Jamaican reggae well into the seventies that everyone was dreading their hair in locks and going rasta. But even then, whether for commercial, aesthetic or logistic reasons, Nyahbinghi drumming didn't permeate the rhythm section of reggae the way rasta conscious lyrics took over the vocals. Nonetheless, there were still miles and miles of examples of Nyahbinghi drumming wed to reggae laid down on tape. With that in mind, Trojan has assembled a very nicely priced introduction to some of the more prolific users of the form -- such as Count Ossie and Ras Michael -- some classic commercial moments -- Jimmy Cliff's "Bongo Man" and plenty of rare tracks. With the exception of 6 tracks from the late sixties, the recordings on this set were made between 1970 and 1975, the golden era for roots reggae. Highly recommended!!

V/ATrojan Producer Series Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 16.98

The Trojan producer box set is a sampler introduction to the "producer series" re-issue program that was started in 1988 with popular success. The series focuses on six highly acclaimed Jamaican producers - Harry J, Joe Gibbs, Clancy Eccles, Alvin Ranglin, Niney and the inimitable Lee Perry - each of whom's work comprises half a disk's worth of material produced between 1968 and 1975.

V/ATrojan Ragga Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 19.98

Booyakasha! Been a long time since we've had any dancehall, ragga or no, to throw at you, beloved AQ customers. It's also been a while since Trojan has thrown us a box set we could count as more than a recycling gimmick. To their credit they've put out a hefty many top notch anthologies. We still sell tons of the Dub, Rocksteady, Ska, Nyahbinghi, X-Rated and Revival box sets. So when we saw that they had compiled an anthology of crucial raggamuffin tracks we had to check it out. When we put on the first disc we knew we had scored a fucking party smasher. It's fucking relentless. But it's not just the super fast tempo tracks with auctioneer style ribbity vocals that score the points for their aggressiveness. The slow numbers, like Simpleton's heavy "Pretty Little Angel" that have as much power and intensity as the fast tunes. Nearly every track on this first disc could be used as an example of ragga at its best: insane vocals with nutty production. This isn't the minimal dancehall of Wayne Smith's "Under Mi Sleng Teng" with his sole accompaniment a casio keyboard. Dirts Man's "Watch De Girl" is a perfect example with its synth power chords on every phrase ending and echoed vocals which make his already manic sounding toasting sound even more insane. The disc is well sequenced both between fast and slow tracks as well as between uber-digital productions and rootsy reworkings of older rhythms. Fans of Ward 21, like us, should take note on this one as it's filled with the entire bag of production tricks which they put to such good effect on all their recordings. That fucking heavy steamroller rhythm, like Ward 21 used on "Petrol"? All the fuck over this disc. So we're listening to this and just slobbering, and we think we're going to have a fucking aneurism by the time we made it through the third disc. So we put on the second disc... and... We just go flacid. Yep, nearly all 17 songs on the second disc are laden with suuuuper smooov "oooh girl, oooh", "three times one minus one's gonna make it 'aight" kind of stuff. Not really even that "conscious reggae" stuff, but just limp wristed pap. So with one more disc it looks like we're headed toward a split decision. Points for including Buju Banton & Tenor Saw's "Ring The Alarm Quick Quick" (we shit our pants way back in 2000 when we got turned onto this track through Soul Jazz's 400% Dynamite comp.), and FUCK!, Baby Wayne's "We Them A Defend" could well have been a bonus track on The Bug's Pressure and no one would have been the wiser, what with its super hard pile driver like rhythm, dirty production and even dirtier vocals. "Ring The Alarm Quick Quick" is an onion of a song and an essay on the Jamaican music industry in and of itself, what with Buju Banton roughing up Tenor Saw's "original" (an indictment on the state of music in Jamaica) which was recorded right over Ansel Collin's "Stalag 17" vocals and all. Throw in some madness from Capleton and a two fists worth of other hard, hard, hardcore ragga and you've got another disc as strong as the first. So you've got two great discs and one, well, you may get more mileage out of it than we did... Either way, for this price it's still a great fucking deal.

V/ATrojan Rare Groove Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 16.98

Trojan records "Proudly presents 50 extremely hard to find, and expensive singles from the late sixties and early seventies. Intended as a companion to the Trojan Singles Box Set, which presents sides issued on Trojan, this set draws on no less than twenty two of the company's original subsidiary labels (of which there were more than fifty!) However, rarity value alone was not the over riding factor in the track selection. Instead, we have placed emphasis squarely on good music, from some of Jamaica's premier record producers. Whatever your personal taste, from rocksteady to hard reggae, you're sure to enjoy this sampler." [From the liner notes] Featuring rare tracks by Big Youth, The Aggrovators, Roland Alphonso, The Pioneers, Winston Heywood, Horace Andy, I Roy, Augustus Pablo and many others.

V/ATrojan Rastafari Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 26.00

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SORRY. "Although there have been several Roots collections on Trojan, there has never been a compilation dedicated solely to Rastafari. In this writer's opinion it was better to reserve the subject for a box set, so that the appropriate care could be taken over the selection of tracks, and due respect given to the presentation. With other releases in this series proving to be so successful, now it would seem the perfect time for such a retrospective... All tracks date from between the late seventies and mid-eighties, with the majority being recorded at Channel One studio on Maxfield Avenue in Kingston... Collectively, the sequence of cuts on Disc One highlight the many trials and tribulations faced by Rastafarians, mostly brought about by society's ignorance, prejudice and injustice... Disc Two concentrates more on the spiritual wealth gained from worshipping Jah (God), and living an upright life... The individual messages contained on [the] third disc may seem varied at first sight. However, they are bound together by a central theme of Armageddon. There is also a rich sub-text, which warns the wicked to prepare for the aformentioned, and repent while they still have an opportunity." --Chris Pete (from the liner notes.)

V/ATrojan Reggae Sisters Box(Trojan)3cd$ 26.00

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V/ATrojan Revive Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 15.98

At first glance this collection looked to be the sign of Trojan having completely run out of box set ideas, but fortunately this is not the case. The term 'Revive', according to the folks over at Trojan, refers to that period of Jamaican music that trails the rocksteady era and precedes reggae's eventual domination on the island (the tracks here were all recorded between 1968 and 1969.) And, unlike our expectations, the 50 cuts in this collection are really quite great. If you're a fan of rocksteady, or even ska and early reggae you should definitely take note of this collection: organ is the lead instrument of choice on at least a third of the set, but there's a heap of horns to be found here as well. Vocals are often taken by two lead vocalists, sometimes backed by a chorus and though firmly Jamaican in style, the soul influence is indelibly marked in these arrangements. There are quite a few excellent early roots tracks to boot, such as Al & the Vibrators "Going Back Home", and Count Ossie's "Blacker Black" (with some heavy nyabhinghi drumming.) What's better is that the tracks Trojan has unearthed here are all rare goodies that collectors of Jamaican 7"s salivate over. This might be the Trojan box to own if you have to choose only one.

V/ATrojan Rocksteady Box(Trojan)3lp$ 28.00

The consistently popular Trojan box sets are now being issued on LP at long last. The sets all appear to be identical to their cd counterparts in design and content, only being slightly more pricey. A collection of tracks from the relatively brief, but fruitful Rocksteady era (1966 - 1969), a genre sandwiched betwixt the end of ska and the beginning of reggae. Known for its down tempo rhythms, smooth soulful vocals, and the rise of the keyboard (organ) as lead instrument. The artists here speak for themselves: Alton Ellis, Desmond Dekker, The Melodians, The Maytals, Justin Hinds & the Dominos, The Ethiopians, Phyllis Dillon, Lee Perry, Tommy McCook, and much more.

V/ATrojan Rocksteady Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 26.00

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. A collection of tracks from the relatively brief, but fruitful Rocksteady era (1966 - 1969), a genre sandwiched betwixt the end of ska and the beginning of reggae. Known for its down tempo rhythms, smooth soulful vocals, and the rise of the keyboard (organ) as lead instrument. The artists here speak for themselves: Alton Ellis, Desmond Dekker, The Melodians, The Maytals, Justin Hinds & the Dominos, The Ethiopians, Phyllis Dillon, Lee Perry, Tommy McCook, and much more.

V/ATrojan Roots Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 26.00

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SORRY. This set features 50 tracks of Roots Rastafarian music from the seventies, the golden era of Roots music. Featuring Sugar Minott, Johnny Osbourne, Horace Andy, Big Youth, Peter Tosh, The Ethiopians, Linval Thompson, The Abyssinians, and more.

V/ATrojan Rude Boy Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 16.98

Speaking out on social issues and healthy debates (or downright rhetorical battles) have both been long standing hallmarks of lyrical tradition in Jamaican music. Any number of dialectics in the form of a compilation could be eeked from the material streaming out of Jamaica over the last four decades. For its part, the Rude Boy phenomenon is as good a topic as any. The term applies to neer-do-well youths who began showing up to dances in the mid sixties to pick fights and otherwise spoil the fun of those out to have a good time. Their presence was troublesome in the least and tragic at their worst, as some innocent bystanders even lost their lives when shootouts erupted on the dancefloor. It's even been mythologized that the Rocksteady's formation came about as a direct result from the practice of Rude Boys intentionally dancing slow during the fast paced ska tunes; their aim to cause some unwitting couple to collide with them, giving them a reason to pick a fight. All claims to the myth's validity aside, it underscores the effect the Rude Boys had on Jamaica's musical climate. So it should come as no surprise that Rude Boys were weighed in on by just about everyone in the business: pro and con. On the one hand they were touted as heroes: likened to modern day Robin Hoods. But on the other, they were ruthless trouble makers who's victims were other poor black Jamaicans. Trojan puts together (once again exactly) 50 tracks from as far back as 1965 from just about everyone who was anyone weighing in on the issue: Alton Ellis, The Heptones, Baba Brooks, Desmond Dekker, Justin Hinds, Derrick Morgan, Lee Perry, Peter Tosh, John Holt, Johnny Clarke and more. I say "just about" everyone, because there is one name that is conspicuously absent from the list: Prince Buster. It was Prince Buster after all who started the -- as we would call it now -- flame war that makes up at least one disc full of songs on this three disc set. In 1967 Prince Buster recorded his notorious "Judge Dread", in which Buster holds court to sentence Rude Boys (aptly played by his band) to "400 years". The reason for this crucial song's absence (not to mention Prince Buster's follow ups "The Appeal" and "Barrister Pardon") I suspect is because Trojan records is too cheap to pay the licensing fee to include it on this comp (remember the Trojan Mod Reggae Box? Same deal), so an otherwise definitive collection becomes a bit of a half-assed attempt. Still, there are some great tracks on this set, and if you really want to hear all sides of the story, we've managed to get more copies of the Judge Dread album by Prince Buster on CD. RealAudio clip: BABA BROOKS & HIS BAND "Guns Fever" [/audio/bababrooksgunsfever.rm]

V/ATrojan Selecta: Volume 4(Trojan)cd$ 8.98

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SORRY.

V/ATrojan Singles Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 26.00

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SORRY. The Trojan label was originally launched in the UK by the B&C/Island partnership, as an outlet for the production work of Duke Reid. Following B&C's descision to split away from Island, and the latter's decision to withdraw from Jamaican music, a new company called Trojan Records was set up. In 1968 the Trojan label was relaunched, with a batch of UK recordings produced by Robert Thompson, who used the name Dandy (and Brother Dan) for his work. Before long, Jamaican produced releases replaced the UK sides, and a string of high quality records hit the shops. Most of the top Jamaican producers saw their work issued here on Trojan... By the end of 1969, a little over a year since the relaunch, Trojan penetrated the UK singles chart for the first time, scoring hits with discs by the Pioneers, Harry J All Stars, and Jimmy Cliff." [from the liner notes.] The fifty rock-steady and reggae tracks in this box range from 1968 to 1978 and include several songs never before released on LP or CD by noted luminaries as: Derrick Morgan, The Melodians, The Maytals, The Pioneers, Derrick Harriot, Donna Hinds and more.

V/ATrojan Ska Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 26.00

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SORRY. The genre that saw Jamaican music move from the heavily Rhythm & Blues and Soul influenced Blues Beat into its own unqiue and beutiful form - up tempo, punchy, and loaded with horns. Featuring tracks by: Lord Tanamo, Baba Brooks, Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, Roland Alphonso, Derrick Morgan, Don Drummond, The Ethiopians, The Techniques, Jimmy Cliff, Clancy Eccles, Lee Perry and much more.

V/ATrojan Ska Box Volume 1(Trojan)3lp$ 28.00

The consistently popular Trojan box sets are now being issued on LP at long last. The sets all appear to be identical to their cd counterparts in design and content, only being slightly more pricey. The genre that saw Jamaican music move from the heavily Rhythm & Blues and Soul influenced Blues Beat into its own unqiue and beautiful form - up tempo, punchy, and loaded with horns. Featuring tracks by: Lord Tanamo, Baba Brooks, Desmond Dekker, The Skatalites, Roland Alphonso, Derrick Morgan, Don Drummond, The Ethiopians, The Techniques, Jimmy Cliff, Clancy Eccles, Lee Perry and much more.

V/ATrojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 15.98

For those thinking that maybe there's some sort of contradiction in terms with the words "skinhead" and "reggae" used in the same breath, it is Trojan's job to educate as well as tittilate. Way back in the late sixties, before any of the current breed of

V/ATrojan Soulful Reggae Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 16.98

This collection from Trojan emphasizes the close ties Jamaican artists have had with Americans through music, presenting 50 tracks of soul, R&B, and funk covers from the island recorded in the late sixties through mid-seventies. There are quite a few excellent tracks here (Motown being well represented) including: "Tears of a Clown", "Let's Get It On", "I'll Be There", "Just My Imagination", "Ooh Child", "People Make the World Go Round" (not the Hortence Ellis version), "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", and much, much more.

V/ATrojan Tribute To Bob Marley(Trojan)3cd$ 26.00

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SORRY. Three cds featuring an amazing assortment of artists, honoring (and covering) Bob Marley, perhaps the most important figure in the history of reggae. Includes: Prince Far I, Judy Mowatt, Derrick Morgan, Tommy McCook, U Roy, The Upsetters, Augustus Pablo, Big Youth, Phyllis Dillon, Dennis Brown, Tappa Zukie, Jackie Mittoo and much more.

V/ATrojan Upsetter Box Set(Trojan)cd$ 15.98

Well you've got to hand it to Trojan since they cut the price on these box sets it's hard to go wrong. But with this new Upsetter Box, if you have any of the many Perry / Upsetter collections already (especially any of the trojan anthologies), you'll be getting a whole lot of redundant material. Disc one covers Perry's pre-Black Ark days, with tracks dating back to 1968, recorded Randy's and Dynamic Sounds. This disc is contains not only the best material in the set but, unfortunately, also the most oft released tracks. Disc two contains tracks from Perry's Black Ark period and collaborations with King Tubby dating up to 1978. The third disc would be a great disc, containing several rare extended mixes of some of Perry's late seventies work including the Congo's "Neckodeemus", but it's soured by the addition of some of recently recorded tracks, including one from this year's awful 'Jamaican E.T.' album.

V/ATrojan X-Rated Box Set(Trojan)3cd$ 16.98

Trojan now has a contest on their website in which you can make a suggestion for upcoming box set releases. You can choose just the theme, or even go as far as picking out the tracks. And though I wish I could lay claim to the concept that's been floating around to make the Trojan Overlap Box Set, I can't -- somebody else already brilliantly suggested that Trojan release a box set of tracks everyone already has on at least three other Trojan compilations. And if Trojan's sense of humor is at least half the size of their opportunistic abilities, they might just release it. So now you're probably wondering whether or not you should get this. Well, truth is, this is actually a fucking great copulation... err, I mean compilation. Taken from bewteen 1966 and 1975, the tracks range from the subtle double entendre style reminiscent of early mento and calypso artists to the quite overt x-rated. It's the former that by far are the most entertaining as it demonstrates the lyricist's skills in avoiding the wrath of censors, and yet some of the naughtier x-rated cuts can be equally hilarious. Not to mention the Monty Python-esque tracks where two men sing both the male and female parts... strange. It seems as though the production on much of the tracks here is a bit more loose, for lack of a better word, which lends to stranger arrangements at times. I imagine that many of the tracks were not intended for any wide scale release and as such the artists and producers both had more fun in the recording studio. And these aren't obscure producers and singers featured here either. You've got Lee Perry (he's all over this one). Max Romeo (you've never heard Max until you hear him sing "Play With Your Pussy"), Augustus Pablo, U Roy, Niney the Observer, Phyllis Dillon, Derrick Morgan, Lloyd Charmers to name a few. Trojan insures us that a great deal of these tracks have never before been released on CD. So, as Trojan boxes go, we give this one the thumbs up, but don't go playing this one around the family over the holidays.

V/ATrojan: A Jamaican Story Box Set(Trojan)30cd$ 150.00

The monster box set from Trojan has arrived. 30 cds, totalling in at 500 tracks, available for a reasonable price. This box contains the first 10 boxes in the Trojan Box series: Ska, Dub, Rocksteady, DJ, Lovers, Tribute To Bob Marley, Instrumentals,

V/AWackies Sampler Vol. 3(Wackies)cd$ 17.98

Another awesome sampler highlighting some of the best tracks that Rhythm & Sound / Basic Channel have unearthed in their continuing series of vinyl reissues of the premier '80s label for reggae sounds, Wackies, produced in the legendary Black Arc studio with Lloyd Barnes behind the board. While Soul Jazz has done a great job of sharing the wealth of the amazing sounds that came from Studio One in the '60s and '70s, there hasn't been as much reissue action documenting all the great warm and rich reggae that came out of the '80s. However, this compilation improves matters, including gems by some well known artists like Horace Andy (whose voice could melt an iceberg), Johnny Clark, and Sugar Minott, as well as more obscure yet totally great artists like Itopia, Jah Carlos, Max Romeo and Bullwackies All Stars (whose dub sounds we've fallen in love with - we hope to review their great recently reissued full length very soon!). Such a nice mixture of dub delights, lovers rock, and soulful reggae. All these tracks were only released on 12"s which are pretty hard to find and this marks the first time that any of them are on cd. Great stuff!

V/AWatch How The People Dancing: Unity Sounds From The London Dancehall, 1986-1989(Honest Jon's)cd$ 17.98

Another fantastic collection from Honest John's, this one documenting Unity Hi-Power a London Sound System in the eighties, Jamaican dancehall, reggae and raga, influenced by US hip hop, but more importantly, a unique sound, the result of inner city life in the UK in the eighties, and while the lyrics occasionally discuss inner city problems, life on the streets, poverty, immigration and other similarly pressing issues of the time, the vibe was never that far removed from more earthly pleasures, smoking and partying, dancing in the streets and of course the sheer joy of music making. And the music is what it's all about here, and the sound is super unique, not that different really from On-U Sound, Bush Chemists, and other purveyors of modern electronic dub, but the instrumentation sounds almost like old Casio keyboards, raw, and primitive and super lo-fi, which definitely gives it a special vibe, the dubs especially, most of the tracks here are paired with a dub version, and with the vocals removed, the keyboards and programmed rhythms really shine, bleeps and bloops, and super lo-fi synthy basslines, plenty of reverbed guitar, echo and delay, of course, but the core sounds are stripped down and skeletal, lo-fi and in some cases almost 8-bit sounding. The tracks with vocals are soulful and jubilant, expressive and emotional, and really fantastic, but we're sort of partial to the dubs, and their weirdly warbly, DIY lo-fi take on classic reggae and dub. So cool.

V/AWild Dub(Select Cuts)cd$ 16.98

Subtitled "Dread Meets Punk Rocker Downtown" this is a brilliant collection of dubbed out and reggaefied punk and new wave b-sides circa '77-'81, demonstrating the Jamaican dub influence on the youth culture of music and rebellion in England and elsewhere, back in the day. The underground dancefloor avantgardists of today can cop these styles, but this is the real deal, with tracks from well-known acts like The Pop Group, Killing Joke, The Slits, PIL, The Clash, Grace Jones and Stiff Little Fingers, plus some more obscure bands as well, like Red Beat, 4 Be 2, and Basement 5. Some cuts are actual echoey dubs, others are more about the Jamaican influence, and the dub concept of studio as instrument. All are pretty cool. The Ruts' "Jah War" starts things off in deceptively ordinary fashion, pretty much straight up reggae (not a dub), though it does succesfully demonstrate this comp's thesis regarding the influence of reggae on punk (with The Ruts eventually becoming Ruts DC, subject of an anthology on Select Cuts we recommended a while back)... That's followed by Mikey Dread's dub version of The Clash's "Bank Robber" which of course sounds pretty much like The Clash, but dubbier. It's with track three, "Wild Dub" from Generation X, purportedly the first punk dub ever cut, that the punk-dub collision starts to get really interesting. And if Billy Idol's old band's dub attempt is cool, you can only imagine what more some of the more out-there groups came up with. For instance, dig the bizarre sounds of The Slits, whose disjointed dub of "Typical Girls" comes off like Italian 'rock concrete' deconstructionists Starfuckers by way of Jamaica, all cut-up and sparse and loopy. Definitely a highlight. Meanwhile, you've got The Pop Group setting an example for current acts like Out Hud/!!! to emulate, 4 Be 2's weird Irish hoedown skank, the throbbing "Turn To Red" by Killing Joke (from a super-rare 9" record), and Grace Jones' 1980 Chrissie Hynde penned dance classic "Private Life" with bass and drums from Sly & Robbie. And more... Former Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten is a ubiquitous presence, in addition to PIL's quintessential "Death Disco", there's a bunch of other John Lydon productions on here, including a great track from Vivien Goldman ("Private Armies") dubbed up by Lydon and Adrian Sherwood. Goldman, former singer with the Flying Lizards and reggae writer for the punk weekly Sounds, contributes the disc's liner notes, with an enthusiastic, informed, she-was-there-then-and-cares-deeply-about-it-now perspective. So, totally, recommended -- everyone who loved those great Disco Not Disco and/or In The Beginning There Was Rhythm compilations will want to check this out for sure!

V/AWorth The Weight: Bristol Dubstep Classics(Punch Drunk)2cd$ 16.98

Yet another killer dubstep comp, this one focusing on the Bristol scene, which may not mean anything to you, until you get a gander of the folks on this comp: Pinch, Peverelist, Appleblim, Joker, Guido, RSD, Headhunter, Gatekeeper, names anyone into dubstep is familiar with, but a whole bunch of lesser knowns like Hyetal, Dubkasm, Gemmy, Jakes, Forsaken, Shortstuff, Wedge, Shadz, Dubboy, Komonazmuk, Atki2 and more. There are extensive liner notes about the scene, and one of our favorite quotes, courtesy of Pinch,which pretty much sums up what's so awesome about dubstep, the Bristol strain specifically: "I knew straight away that this was a sound that would fit perfectly in Bristol. There is a lot of tension in the music that carries a satisfactory darkness with it but it's also lazy music. You don't have to dance hard to move with it. It was born with a reefer in its gob." No need to dance, just sit back, bliss out, and let the music wash over you. And this comp is full of the perfect sounds. Dark and minimal, skeletal and skittery, for dubstep obsessive, you probably already have a handful of these, but there are probably plenty you don't. Moody and mysterious, dark and haunting, some of the tracks are hushed and muted and murky, others are fully dubbed out and drenched in reverb and echo, while still others, our favorites, and thick, and buzzy, with huge warbly bass, and minimal stuttery beats, Headhunter's "7th Curse" is a killer, a sort of grim sci-fi slow motion groove, RSD gets all jungle-y with his "Pretty Bright Light", Smith And Mighty unleash some serious ragga dubstep on "B Line Fi Blo", Joker lays down some synthy buzz and big ass bass warble on "Holly Brook Park" and Hyetal gets all videogame electro, weaving 8bit melodies and swirling synths into a seriously cinematic sprawl of futuristic stutter and pulse, throb and buzz. So good. Pretty much every track here slays, another unanimous AQ fave for sure, getting crazy play in the store...

V/AX-rated Gang 3(Runn Records)cd$ 14.98

VEGASHard(RMC)7"$ 2.98

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. Hip hop remix.

VULCANSStar Trek(Trojan)cd$ 14.98

First things first, we know some folks have strong feelings both positive and negative for all things 'Star Trek'. So if you fall into either camp you might wanna disregard this band's name and the album's title completely! We found the music to reveal very little connection to Star Trek and/or Vulcans. In fact, we sensed very little overt sci-fi action here at all. Well aside from the song titles... and the galactic analog synth action that accompanies the reggae riddims. While the name choices did successfully grab out attention, we were subsequently a bit disappointed by this discovery, however, the music quickly won us over anew in surprisingly different ways! This album is sooo awesome and sooo perfect for baking in the (late) summer sun! Imagine this... what if Os Mutantes lived in Jamaica? And had a rendezvous with Perry & Kingsley, Joe Meek and an Arp 2600 synthesizer? Or how 'bout some kick-ass psychedelic prog dudes getting their reggae on while sipping fresh fruit cocktails? Got you hooked yet? Well, here's the skinny... The Vulcans were actually not a band in the traditional sense, although after hearing this cd we sure wish they were! As legend tells it, back in the early '70s some session musicians including Ken Elliot of UK prog-psych band Second Hand got together and recorded these songs. They group were dubbed The Vulcans by Trojan Records when the smart decision was made to release an album. We have to stress once again that despite what the title and band name suggest this is far from a novelty album. You can drift off, trip out or sink right into this generous serving of Vulcans tunes - there's two albums on one cd, 1972's Star Trek and perhaps slightly heavier and edgier Interstellar Reggae Drive (the latter originally released under the wacky moniker Colonel Elliot & The Lunatics). Recommended!

WAILERS, THECatch 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

WARD 21Mentally Disturbed(Greensleeves)cd$ 14.98

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 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 21U Know How We Roll(Greensleeves)cd$ 14.98

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 SOUNDSKumina(Honest Jon's)10"$ 12.98

WAREIKA HILL SOUNDSs/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!

WARRIOR QUEEN & THE HEATWAVEThings Change(Soul Jazz)12"$ 12.98

WILD MAGNOLIAS, THEs/t(Get On Down)cd$ 16.98

WINER, LESLIEWitch(Superior Viaduct)lp$ 17.98

Why it has taken so long for this to be reissued is baffling, but we're just so glad it's finally here. We have raved about Leslie Winer's musical work on two previous archival releases from Tapeworm and its offshoot label Wormhole, but those really only hinted at the genius of Witch, her only previously released record, from 1993 (though much of it was recorded in the late eighties). Records don't get more cult than this. Released on a white label, using the copyright symbol as her moniker, here designed as a circle of Ourobouros that was originally hand stamped onto blank white sleeves. Even the album and song titles with their alphanumerical wordplay ("N1ear", "1nce Upon A Time") would fit right at home with the obscurant syntax of witch house, even though this was recorded nearly 20 years before. Witch has been labeled as "proto-trip-hop", which it sort of is, as this record predates what Massive Attack, Portishead and Tricky were doing just a year or two later, and even Winer herself has been called by NME "The Grandmother of Trip Hop", a label she has rejected and rightly so. "Grandmother" doesn't have the same aura of respect as what the music press names male musical innovators such as "Godfather" or "King", and Winer, a poet and formal model with a chic androgynous style who was close friends with both William S. Burroughs and Jean-Michel Basquiat is hardly a little old lady. Witch is both a product of its time and far ahead of it. On the surface, it's not that far removed from Sinead O'Connor, especially her song "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" with its James Brown drum sample and spoken intonations, but Witch is much darker, cooler and more subdued. It has a very London feel to it, a feeling of frustrated action against cultural stagnation and trying to create something new out of nearly nothing. Winer doesn't necessarily sing as much as observe and respond with cool detachment, a sort of soundtrack of her experiences relayed poetically to an unknown listener as beats, dub rhythms (from Jah Wobble no less), and musical samples and snippets of dialogue coalesce around her. It's a heady mixture, definitely dreamy and druggy, but she refreshingly doesn't try to endear the listener to her own personal entanglements and positions on gender, beauty and social norms. It's more like she's having a searching complicated conversation with herself. Musically, what Witch really predates is the contemporary woozy and warped electronica of Peaking Lights and Maria Minerva, especially in the layering of breezy dub rhythms in hazy reverb and abstract murk. It's a beautifully extraordinary work that continually rewards the more we listen. Big thanks to Superior Viaduct for making this more widely available. Incredible and soooo recommended!

WONDERCan't Stand It 12"(Dumpvalve)12"$ 11.98

WONDER & SWAYCall My 12"(Dumpvalve)12"$ 11.98

XIG Funk-3000 / Lucky(LoDubs)12"$ 4.98

YABBY YOUDub It To The Top(Blood & Fire)cd$ 14.98

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

YABBY YOUJesus Dread 1972-1977(Blood & Fire)2cd$ 24.00

YABBY YOURally Dub(Select Cuts)10"$ 11.98

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

ZUKIE, TAPPADub Em Zukie(Jamaican Recordings)cd$ 14.98

ZUKIE, TAPPAEscape From Hell (Dub) Limited Edition(Trojan)cd$ 18.98

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

ZUKIE, TAPPERM.P.L.A. Sessions(Jamaican Recordings)lp$ 23.00

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY.

ZUKIE, TAPPERMan Ah Warrior(Trojan)cd$ 14.98

ZUKIE, TAPPERTapper Roots(Virgin)cd$ 14.98