Big Youth – Natty Universal Dread 1973 1979

Big Youth's debut full-length album, 1972's Gussie Clark-produced Screaming Target, was an instant classic, showcasing Youth's uncanny ability to transfer the vitality and energy of Jamaica's dancehall sound to the studio setting. But Youth did more than that. Recognizing that if one is given the chance to say something, then one ought to have something useful to say, he lifted the art of DJ toasting to the level of art by intelligently incorporating bits of Rastafarian wisdom, pop-culture references (frequently connected to the world of cinema), children's rhymes and key lines from traditional Jamaican mento folk tunes into his toasts to create a music that both drew from and added to the classic island rhythms he used, ultimately creating a template that allowed constructive cultural themes to be reintroduced into the frequently slack dancehall scene. An essential Jamaican album in its original ten-song incarnation, Trojan has here reissued it with fourteen bonus tracks that include the original vocal cuts Youth used for his versions, along with some marvelous dub versions.

A multi-disc CD + blu-ray box set, In Search Of Hades, containing Tangerine Dream’s trailblazing 1970s recordings for Virgin Records is set for release through UMC/Virgin on 31 May.

Séga is the traditional music of Mauritius (a small island off the coast of Madagascar) and is known as the “blues” of the Indian Ocean. The music was born during the 17th to 19th centuries by African slaves seeking relief from harsh conditions in sugar cane fields and on colonial land by dancing to improvised music incorporating rhythms from their homelands in West Africa, Mozambique, Zanzibar or Madagascar. From these diverse African influences sprang a new, insular dance and music, the séga.

In April Chrysalis Records will issue The Rock Box 1973-1979: The Complete Recordings, a 7CD+DVD collection of Suzi Quatro’s ‘70s output. Featuring six studio albums, a live album and a DVD with promos and rare footage.

Geoff Love was a musical director, arranger, composer and one of the UK’s most popular easy-listening music personalities. His father, Kid Love, was World Champion sand dancer, and came to the UK from the USA. Geoff Love learned to play the trombone in his local brass band and made his first broadcast in 1937 on Radio Normandy. He moved to the south of England, and played with violinist Jan Ralfini’s Dance Orchestra in London and with the Alan Green Band in Hastings. After six years in the army during World War II, he joined Harry Gold’s Pieces Of Eight in 1946, and stayed with them until 1949, providing the vocal on their successful record, ‘Blue Ribbon Gal’. In 1955, Love formed his own band for the television show On The Town, and soon afterwards started recording for Columbia Records with his Orchestra and Concert Orchestra…

In April Chrysalis Records will issue The Rock Box 1973-1979: The Complete Recordings, a 7CD+DVD collection of Suzi Quatro’s ‘70s output. Featuring six studio albums, a live album and a DVD with promos and rare footage.

For those of you that remember the music and song-craft of Barry White, you remember a performer that could touch the heart of an emotion, and make it stand out with a unique, often breathy, bass vocal. In the ’70s, almost everything Barry White released became an instant hit. In fact, there’s a collection of singles that achieved gold and platinum status. Of course, his albums did quite well. But most of us remember him primarily by his string of radio hits that still resonate because his voice and delivery was never replicated. Barry White’s first song, “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby” opened the door to his fame. It seemed effortless for his talent to move forward with songs like “Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up”, “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe”, “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything”, and the beautiful “Love’s Theme” instrumental hit. Those are but a few of his classic hits.

For those of you that remember the music and song-craft of Barry White, you remember a performer that could touch the heart of an emotion, and make it stand out with a unique, often breathy, bass vocal. In the ’70s, almost everything Barry White released became an instant hit. In fact, there’s a collection of singles that achieved gold and platinum status. Of course, his albums did quite well. But most of us remember him primarily by his string of radio hits that still resonate because his voice and delivery was never replicated. Barry White’s first song, “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby” opened the door to his fame. It seemed effortless for his talent to move forward with songs like “Never, Never Gonna Give Ya Up”, “Can’t Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe”, “You’re The First, The Last, My Everything”, and the beautiful “Love’s Theme” instrumental hit. Those are but a few of his classic hits.