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Here's a rule of thumb regarding modern ska bands: in general, the more reggae they play, the more fun their ska is. Maybe it's because too many modern ska bands are just rock & rollers with guitars chopping out the off-beats -- if the group can pull off a solid reggae groove, it means its members have done their homework and know how to bring more to the table than a superficial rhythmic gimmick. That's certainly the case with Freetown, a London-based trio smart enough to evoke the 1950s American soul music that was such an influence on early ska musicians (listen to the group's bouncy ska&B arrangement of "Tick Tock") but also smart enough not to make all that influence-showing feel academic. "Come Down" has all the sweaty good humor of the Bluebeat original, while "Seize the Day" is old-fashioned one-drop reggae. Most of the originals are great -- "Skinhead Girl" could have been a collaboration between Desmond Dekker and Paul McCartney, and "Skaffic Jam" is a very fine instrumental featuring the legendary Rico Rodriguez on trombone. In fact, the only clear disappointment anywhere on this album is "To Be Mine," a rather limp slab of lover's rock with a weird ska coda. Apart from that, this album is a delight from beginning to end. ~ Rick Anderson
London-Based Band
Audio Mixers: Derrick Litchmore; Mad Professor.
Recording information: Mad Professor's Ariwa Sounds.
Photographer: Paul Worthen.
Freetown: Steve Harris (vocals, guitar); Tony Gethin (guitar, keyboards, bass, background vocals); Jah Bunny (drums).
Personnel: Steve Harris (vocals, guitar); Tony Gethin (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, background vocals); Colin Humphries (flute, tenor saxophone); Rico Rodriguez (trombone); Nick Bandy (keyboards); Jah Bunny (drums, percussion, background vocals); Nana (background vocals).
Painless Music | Category | Rock/Pop Albums, Rock CDs, Alternative, Reggae/Ska/Calypso, Ska | | Label | Beatville | | Orig Year | 1999 | | All Time Sales Rank |  451386  | | CD Universe Part number | 1210295 | | Discs | 1 | | Release Date | Aug 06, 2002 | | Studio/Live | Studio | | Mono/Stereo | Stereo | | Producer | Jah Bunny; Steve Harris | | Engineer | Derrick Litchmore | | Personnel | Steve Harris - vocals, guitar
Rico Rodriguez - trombone
Jah Bunny - drums
Nana - background vocals
Nick Bandy - keyboards
Tony Gethin - guitar, keyboards, bass, background vocals
Colin Humphries - flute, tenor saxophone
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Freetown Painless Songs | 1. | She's a Natural |
| 2. | Star |
| 3. | Tick Tock |
| 4. | Come Down |
| 5. | Seize the Day |
| 6. | Skinhead Girl |
| 7. | Skaffic Jam |
| 8. | Come Away |
| 9. | Painless Potter |
| 10. | To Be Mine |
| 11. | Don't Go Lonely |
| 12. | Funny Man, The |
| 13. | Long Way from Home |
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Painless Review
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Purchase Painless CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Gregory Isaacs Night Nurse CD (1982) Remastered
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A classic release from one of Jamaica's greats, NIGHT NURSE shows the Cool Ruler at his best--performing melodic, chilled reggae such as the title track and "Hot Stepper." The title track was a hit for Simply Red when they covered it in 1997. Although at his most prolific in the mid '80s, when he was beset by financial problems, Isaacs managed to maintain the quality of his material as this album proves. The Roots Radics provide excellent backing for Isaacs' smooth vocals. Perhaps a bit too mellow for fans of more militant reggae such as that purveyed by the Revolutionaries, time has nevertheless proved this to be a classic reggae album--the epitome of the feel-good Jamaican sound.
Although his 1981 album, More Gregory, was picked up for international distribution, Gregory Isaacs' 1982 release, Night Nurse, was his first to be designed for an audience ...
| | Steel Pulse True Democracy CD (1982) Bonus Tracks; Remastered
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This 1982 release, Steel Pulse's first for Elektra, marks the band's move toward a more buoyant, pop-inflected sound. TRUE DEMOCRACY does not have the edgy roots feel of albums like HANDSWORTH REVOLUTION; instead, it demonstrates the group's synthesis of reggae rhythms with high production values and well-crafted melodies. But while the album's stylistic corners may be sanded for radio-ready accessibility, TRUE DEMOCRACY contains some of the band's boldest, most explicitly political songwriting.
The opener, "Chant a Psalm," invokes the names of biblical figures and puts the listener on notice of the album's conscious, spiritually minded ...
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| | Augustus Pablo King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown CD (1976) Deluxe Edition
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KING TUBBY MEETS ROCKERS UPTOWN compiles King Tubby's dubwise mixes of twelve classic Augustus Pablo-produced tracks.
According to the Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae, this is "regarded by many as one of the greatest dub albums of all time." Such regard is doubtless thanks to the stature of the individual ...
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| | Pato Banton Collections CD (1995)
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This compilation grabs the best of Pato Banton, sweeping back to the DJ's debut in 1988 and bringing it forward with cuts recorded in 1994. There's 14 tracks in all, nicely weighted between earlier cultural material, uplifting anthems, and the humor-laced numbers. From the militant "Never Give In" to the unifying "One World (Not Three)" and on to the seminal comic routine of "Don't Sniff Coke," the listener is treated to every facet of the performer. Banton's music has changed dramatically over the years, beginning with solid roots and diversifying from there. Flashes of funk, sophisticated R&B, dancehall, and rap would ...
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| | Trojan Ska Revival CD (2004) (Import) United Kingdom
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| | Best Of Lydia Mendoza CD (2008)
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An American music legend on a par with Robert Johnson and the Carter Family, Lydia Mendoza was the undisputed Queen of Tejano and a pioneering figure in the music industry as ...
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