Abstract Index Playlist - August 15/07

Any time new material surfaces claiming to be "a missing piece of the Black Ark" legacy, it's best viewed with suspicion. Certainly the vast majority of the good stuff from the years 1976-79 has been available for some time. Compilations like Heartbeat's "Cutting Razor" contain so-so alternate mixes with a few previously unissued and unimpressive tracks. So when Pressure Sounds dedicates a whole disc to the sounds of "Native" at Scratch central (and a few other studios), some dread eyebrows are going to be raised. This is no great surprise sonically, but it's full of that Afro-techno-reverso-futurism that made this period so great. Certainly one or two of these tracks would enliven any Perry compilation.

The Upsetter house band is led by singer/guitarist Wayne Jobson, now a reggae DJ in Los Angeles, but Jamaican-born and a one-time associate of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. At best, his songs bring a new lyrical dimension to the Black Ark rhythmic juggernaut, but being a demo, others lapse into bad high-school poetry. Some tunes never come together into coherent rhythms at all and should have stayed in the can. But on the whole, this flawed but compelling disc is well worth listening to.

As for more bio information on Mr. Jobson, why not spend five minutes googling him.

Native - "Late September In May (Version)"

living peace - kidd jordan (aum fidelity)
transformation - chicago underground trio (delmark)
aufbau - a dontigny (no type)
banjo insult - pau torres (testing ground)
trafelato - ennio morricone (ipecac)
yamabushi - john mayer (vocalion)
ipperwash - geordie haley delta east trio (indie)
lam plern chawiwan - chawiwen damungen (sublime frequencies)
angoma franoas - oyikwan internationals (otrabanda)
sounds like... - bugz in the attic (united)
peace dub - prince jammy feat sly and robbie (csa)
mystical cosmic harakiri - pecker (ROIR)
johnny why you bad so 12" mix - lone ranger (greensleeves)
wa do dem - eek a mouse (greensleeves)
war in the asteroid belt - prince jammy (greensleeves)
drive by dub (live) - dub trio (ROIR)
in a strange land - native/little madness (pressure sounds)
equal rights - heptones (heartbeat)
pretty looks - heptones (heartbeat) MA