From the Dread Depths of Despair and LYLE Their Songs, and Benny Blames British Music Publishers
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Page 30 NEW MUSICAL EXPRESS February 7, 1976 la From previous page GALLAGHER From the Dread Depths of Despair AND LYLE their songs, and Benny blames British music publishers. "I The anguished career don't think the contact between JUNIOR BYLES emerg- the songwriter, the publisher ed as the supreme talent of JUNIOR BYLES and the artist is very good in of the year. if not of the this country. You'd think in a decade. His moving "Bur business sense there'd be so traced by PENNY REEL 0 Boy" was without peer. much economic value in having In a previous incarnation. the best contacts possible." sions, and even had the distinc here, said that they were all lies. manifest as adread, dread one- While at Apple, they were tion of topping the Time Out Then -Bur 0 Boy" was eye man. Junior Byles urged all asked — on McCartney's re- other singles charts in this released in Jamaica on Lloyd sufferers, youth and rasta commendation — to write for a country, some nine months aft- Campbell's Ting label, with bretheren to overwhelm Baby- projected musical about the er its original release. It also spiritual advice from Jah Print- lon the wicked and slaughter its Profumo affair, the early 60s displayed Junior Byles' new er. The nearest equations are iniquitous disciples. More scandal in which ex-Tory mi- direction: salvation through Dylan of "Blonde On Blonde"; recently, his resentment has niser John Profumo was involv- personal choice. Lennon at the time of his primal been self-directed; his music. ed with prostitute Christine "The Long Way". a snarl therapy; John Clare penning drained of vanity, an anguish; Keeler. from the abyss, was his follow- despair- from the confines of the his personal life, a bleak confu- Journalist Quentin Crewe up to "Curly Locks". and also Bethlehem — Bedlam — hospi sion. was involved in the script writ- his last record for Lee Perry. tal. .. Last spring. rumour estab- ing, but like so many other Ap- Carl Gayle, reviewing the disc lished Junior in an institution "One more life has gone, so ple projects the idea never in Black Music, recommended uselessly. Poor people in the for the mentally afflicted, and reached fruition. It did, howev- it, but said that Junior sounded ghetto still fighting to be free. further embellished itself with er, train Benny and Graham to stoned and confused. But there Tell me one more thing, aren't stories of racist catharsis, pa- write in a workman-like fa- was more to "The Long Way" ranoia and artistic withdrawal. we all God's children, «veeaah? shion, and so today they can than a hovering on the brink of What is your meaning of equal One account described a man work for two or three months insanity; between the lines there uy when you're giving guns to confounded by an inability to and write somewhere in the re- was an optimistic strength, a mi breddas? When will this reconcile creation in spirit with gion of 30 songs, as they did light at the end of the dark, con- violence ever cease?" actual creation. Tormented immediately before going into torted tunnel. bettween impulsion and corn pu- In naked print the impact is the studio to record the A part of the answer was lion. lost. It was the singer's sus- "Breakaway" album (which, in- contained in his next British tained despair that carried the His first success came with cidentally, they would have release. "Fade Away", pro- song into the realms of — dare preferred to have, titled some- Lee Perry and the tune "Beat duced by the Mighty Diam- Isay it? — genius. thing else to avoid confusion Down Babylon", back in 1972. onds' engineer Joe Joe Hookin. Of late, we have witnessed with Garfunkel's elpee). It was a huge JA hit, and by a "The man who's always acting the long road to recovery. Two Gallagher and Lyle are fairly curious irony won the Song of smart, and don't carry no love releases from top import spe- critical of their own song-writ- the Year award. Subsequent ef- in his heart, shall fade away." cialist Lasco's Music Den, sel- ing, Lyle even going as far to forts such as "Pharoah Hid- One of the first releases on ling at pre-release prices. say that he considers some of ing", "Place Called Africa", the lama subsidiary. Eagle. it "Remember Me" and "Chant the lyrics they've written in the "Chubby", and later -Rasta No sank virtually without trace. An Down Dabylon", illustrate this past to be on the trite side. Pick Pocket", all Upsetter pro- indifferent rhythm could not succintly. On the former he Also they appear to realise ductions. established him in the have exactly endeared the disc sings, "remember me when you their own limitations. They do. front line of rebel-dread artists. to the youth hanging out for reach Mount Zion I. Remember however, think that their song- In 1974 he recorded the bass and percussive ecstasy. me when you get to the other writing is getting better all the perennial "Curly Locks" — Byles' message of Franciscan side." "Chant Down Babylon" time. "I think fairly recently "Curly locks, now that I'm a moderation fell on deaf ears. contained the lyric: "We have we've made a big jump," says dreadlocks, your daddy says It was about this time, last come along way, still got along Graham. "Our approach to it sou shouldn't play with me/cur- summer, that the rumours be- .way to go." hasn't been, we'll just write a ly locks two roads before you, gan. People on the reggae scene Both Swaby/Hollett produc- JUNIOR BYLES: thelbsta talent qf last year? song about the first thing that which one will be your choice? talked of Junior's complete ner- tions, released at the tail end of comes into our mind and once — a stunning single that en- vous breakdown; although 1975, they indicate that howev- it gets to a presentable stage couraged a whole spate of ver - Scratch, during his stay over nate to find it anywhere. Per- "Beat Down Babylon", an ex- we'll leave it at that. That's a er far Junior Byles does in fact haps some record company will cellent early rebel-dread set, is natural attitude to have, but have left to go, he indeed al- get their finger out and release it still available on Trojan. now we write with something RIGHT NOW mi 'ave a In tune to many readers' re- ready has come along way. here in the near future. The two On availability: "Curly more specific in mind." turn-on I'er, rhythm rock- quests for the 1975 sounds that Lasco sides are available from SHORT CUT fe draw blood: Locks" and "The Long Way" the Music Den direct (01-986 Ethnic/Fight are back in busi- Benny: "It's like an appren- er, as Ipresent this music- lead the way, as Iand Ispoken ticeship. You go on learning all unto you would play them, I were both issued in this country 9441). or from any shop that ness once again, and have just al version called Ital the time because if you didn't give you the top twenty-five on the Dip label, and you may deals in pre-releases. Daddy released Leo Graham's "Big we'd have died long ago as writ- Shank with a flick of my musical discs of the year. Come be lucky enough to find them in Kool of Hanway Street, WC!; Tongue Buster", Scratch's ers." wrist. let Itell you the truth: your local reggae dealers, al- Lozells in Brum; Intone in "Black Candle" rhythm for the To write a song one of them though the lady at Dip tells me Peckham. Although officially nth time: adefinite must. must first get an idea about 1 Bur 0 Boy Junior Byles (Thing) that both tunes have been delet- released, they won't come any Winston Jarrett and the ed from their catalogue. something outside of them- 2 Step Forward Youth cheaper than £1.15 apiece. Flames seem stuck in a Bob Likewise with "Fade Away"; selves. For instance, "Breaka- Prince Jazzbo (Count Shelly) One odd note. Another Marley rut; their latest Grouna- either your man's got afew odd way" was inspired by Gra- 3 Jah Jah Children Howard Isaac (H. Shot)* recent Junior Byles tune has tion waxing "Slaving In" copies left, or it's down to the ham's sister-in-law moving 4 Another Moses The Ethiopians (Tropical) been the old Barbara George sounds like a mixture of about second-hand bins. Ibought my away to France. "King Of the 5 IMan A Grasshopper .... Pablo Moses (Treble C) clssic "I Know", on the pre- half-a-dozen Wailers' tunes. If pre copy of "Bur 0 Boy" from Silence", a song about a silent 6 Babylon Wrong Jah Ted (Living Music Inc) release label Top Secret, pro- you like that kind of sound, it is Ethnic's Larry Lawrence, and a movie actor who's convinced 7 Beggar Round Town duced by "King" Watty Bur- worth getting. Ifind it immense friend got his from the same that the talkies are just a pass- Gladstone & Duncanes (Dip) nett. My advice is forget it and ly pleasant. Also Marley's own source a week later. Ihaven't ing phase, was inspired by avis- 8 Slavery Days Burning Spear (Fox)* look for his Little Joe sides on "Jah Live" (Island) of course: it to Charlie Chaplin's old stu- 9 Bring The Chochie Come seen it other than that, and con- the Zima Saw label instead.