Well, while there's no doubt that the Culture set is indeed a classic, the Gladiators album can hardly be called a classic, but more of that later....
Culture's Harder Than The Rest has a special significance for me which makes me an inappropriate candidate to judge it unbiased.
I bought a cassette version of this in Ghana several years ago and it blasted from my car speakers for several summers. This was before the internet and mp3s - a time when one still had a relation to an album as a physical object, be it a vinyl record or a tape. I had no source to learn that this was their second album and that the first, "Two Sevens Clash" is generally considered their greatest effort. I just felt that this is awesome stuff - perfect roots reggae with a positive message i could relate to:
"This world is like a mirror
reflecting what you do,
and if you face it smiling
it'll smile right back to you"
The cassette cover didn't tell me that some of the best Jamaican musicians were playing on this - Sly & Robby, Willie Lindo, Cedric "Im" Brooks - nor that it was produced by Jamaican's first female producer, Sonia Pottinger, who's known for productions that were especially suited to vocals.
As great as it is, to have all these infos easily at hand thanks to the internet today, sometimes i'm missing these times, when there was far less music easily available and one really took the time to explore an album, even if you didn't like it on first (or second) listen. But hey, call me an old fart, if you will.
When browsing through fleamarkets and thrift stores there's still no source at hand to tell me if an album is worth picking up or not. One could check the internet even on the fleamarket, but that would kill the last bit of fun, i think.
I guess i wouldn't have bought the Gladiators album had i checked it online before.
AMG:
"Even as the Gladiators were virtually untouchable in Jamaica (in the late 1970s), they'd yet to really break out abroad, and thus in 1980, the trio joined with the king of crossover Eddy Grant, who oversaw the group's eponymous album. It was a major mistake, and won the group few fans, and lost them many of their older followers."
Seems the effort to crossover went wrong, so much so, that the album (seemingly) wasn't even reissued on cd. Grant himself would of course be one of the few reggae artists to reach pop mainstream in the 1980s and you'll find hints of his trademark sound on this Gladiators production.
But even with production from Eddy Grant and songtitles like "Disco Reggae" this album isn't a total flop. If you don't set the bar too high and accept that these are mostly love songs, you'll find something to enjoy here. Tracks like Oh What A Joy, Feel Like A Star, A Man Who's Strong or Marley's Dubby Conqueror are pretty nice indeed.
Culture: Harder Than The Rest
Front Line Records / Virgin FL 1016
UK, 1978
A1 Behold
A2 Holy Mount Zion
A3 Stop The Fussing And Fighting
A4 Iron Sharpening Iron
A5 Vacancy
B1 Tell Me Where You Get It
B2 Free Again
B3 Work On Natty
B4 Love Shine Bright
B5 Play Skilfully
Recorded At – Treasure Isle Recording Studio
Producer – S. E. Pottinger
Lead Vocals – Joseph Hill
Vocals [Harmony] – Albert Walker, Kenneth Paley
Guitar – Ranchie, Willie Lindo
Organ, Piano – Ansel Collins, Wire Lindo
Saxophone [Alto] – Cedric "Im" Brooks
Saxophone [Tenor] – Felix "Deadly" Headley
Trombone – Vin Gordon
Trumpet – David Madden
Bass – Robbie Shakespeare
Drums – Sly Dunbar
Percussion – Sticky
The Gladiators: Gladiators
Virgin 202 382-320, Germany, 1980
other: State Line (JAM) V2161 / Virgin (UK) V2161
A1 Oh What A Joy
A2 Good Music
A3 Hello Carol
A4 Feel Like A Star
A5 Dubby Conqueror
B1 Disco Reggae
B2 Come Take My Hand
B3 Behind Closed Doors
B4 Mine For All Time
B5 A Man Who`s Strong
You can listen to the whole Culture album on youtube. Here's "Behold":
and the Gladiator's "Oh What A Joy":
6 comments:
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thanks mon
I'm on my second listen of the Culture album and I too appreciate the positive outlook reflected in the songs here. Musically, it's extremely likeable as well. With Shakespeare and Dunbar holding down the bottom end it would be remarkable if this wasn't a good session. It may not cut the wide swath that Marley's better albums do but it's quite a nice platter nonetheless. I can see why it got repeated listenings on your car speakers. It makes me feel good and smile too and many times that's no small feat. Thanks for the 411 on Ms. Pottinger as well. I had never heard of her or that she was a Jamaican trailblazer. Thank you! This is a very nice addition to the Reggae section of the record bins.
It's my special pleasure to make you smile, Kris ;-)
I just listened to the Gladiators album as well and I agree with the general feeling that it was a bit of a hit and miss affair. Thanks for the introduction to this band and thanks for sharing it!
Culture were always a reliable group, and though this period in the group's history was particularly fruitful, every album they made generally contained a number of nuggets.....As for the Gladiators, the least said about their last days with Virgin, the better....to catch 'em at the height of their powers, you have to check 1) Trenchtown Mix Up and 2) Proverbial Reggae, both of which were on Virgin and should not be difficult to find (although somehow I've misplaced my own copy of Trenchtown Mix Up). Sublime and recommended without the least hesitation
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