Sunday, January 29, 2012

Slip N Slide Yabass Yaba Radics


Slip N Slide
Yabass Yaba Radics
Early 1980s dub re visited
From the Come Fi Conquer Imprint 2 versions of the same album !
The Download Album 
The CD/Tape Album
Already at download stores is the first version of the album which features 2 spoof style radio mixes of 15 minutes each in length entitled The Gold Side and The Platinum Side put together by Springline's "Gibsy Rhodes" the album also features 2 bonus tracks

Coming early February is the CD and Tape version of the album which features 6 straight cuts only of which 3 feature on the download album version. Variety is the spice of life as they say and the Come Fi Conquer stable are putting every effort into keeping that philosophy alive and well!
Dub engineer and multi instrumentalist Yabass has been part of the underground reggae and dub scene since day one, considered by many as one of the foundation underground artists he's already released the album 'Back A Yard Dub' on Cherry Red Records which was followed recently with his 'Guns Down The Obeah At OK Corral Centrale' album on SpringlineRecords. This latest venture with Springline's Gibsy as producer has a heavily western themed vibe to the album.
Full website presentation of Slip N Slide will be arriving shortly at

Monday, January 23, 2012

Jimmy Castor


It is with deep sadness that we here at Springline have heard that Jimmy Castor the New York funk and soul saxophonist, singer and songwriter has died of apparent heart failure in a Las Vegas hospital.

He was born on the 23rd of June 1947 in New York and began his musical career as a doo-wop singer when he wrote and recorded "I Promise to Remember" in 1956. He then went on to replace Frankie Lymon in The Teenagers in 1957 before switching to the saxophone in 1960. It is with this instrument he is probably best known as he became leader of his own disco/funk band The Jimmy Castor Bunch with whom he scored his biggest hit single, 1972’s million seller, "Troglodyte (Cave Man)". Before then he also had a solo hit with "Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Callin' You" on Smash Records in 1966 and played sax on Dave "Baby" Cortez's hit "Rinky Dink."
As leader of The Jimmy Castor Bunch in the 1970s, and also as a solo artist, he released several successful albums and singles. The group reached the peak of their commercial success in 1972 with the release of their album, It's Just Begun, which featured two hit singles: title track and the afore mentioned "Troglodyte (Cave Man)," which peaked at #6 in the US Billboard Hot 100. The track stayed in the chart for 14 weeks and was a million seller by 30 June 1972, and received a gold disc award from the R.I.A.A.
Castor continued the trend in 1975 with "The Bertha Butt Boogie" and later recorded "E-Man Boogie," "King Kong," "Bom Bom," and "Potential”. The Castor band included keyboardist/trumpeter Gerry Thomas, bassist Doug Gibson, guitarist Harry Jensen, conga player Lenny Fridle, Jr., and drummer Bobby Manigault. Thomas, who simultaneously recorded with the Fatback Band, left in the '80's to exclusively record with them. Castor recorded as a solo performer from 1976 until 1988. He had one of his bigger hits in many years with a 1988 revival of "Love Makes a Woman," which paired him with disco diva Joyce Sims.
Many of the Castor Bunches tunes have been heavily sampled in films and in hip-hop with the saxophone hook and groove from "It's Just Begun" with the Jungle Brothers, ‘On The Run’ springing to mind  in particular as well as the spoken word intro from "Troglodyte" , namely “What we're gonna do right now is go back….”.


His son, Jimmy Castor Jr., 45, a filmmaker from Redondo Beach, California, told The Associated Press “he's seen instant recognition hundreds of times at the first sax chords of "It's Just Begun" - even before the lyrics begin. No matter what country you're in, no matter what language you speak, everyone knows it." 

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Ska Madness 2


Out Now!…. is 'Ska Madness 2'  another one of those collections of classic Ska and Rocksteady sounds that helped inspire the 2-Tone movement that rose to prominence in the UK in late 1979. 
As you will derive from the title this is the follow up to 2010’s 'Ska Madness!' which collected together a selection of the original tunes that the 2-Tone bands, such as The Specials, The Selecter and The (English) Beat had covered during their time. This time however the collection, compiled by Rhoda Dakar (The Special A.K.A and Bodysnatchers), focuses more on tracks which influenced the original bands, were favourites on the tour buses during the various Two Tone package tours and were used to fill the interludes between the bands at these gigs. Amongst the 20 tracks featured are 7 Top 10 UK Chart hits including Desmond Dekker’s #1 Israelitesfrom March 1969, a #9 from June 1970 Love Of The Common People by Nicky Thomas and from an artist who recently ventured some way back to his roots with his‘Sacred Fire’ E.P is Jimmy Cliff’s excellent Wonderful World, Beautiful People which surprisingly only peaked at #6 in October of ’69. Also there are some tunes that maybe aren’t so well known from these type of compilations such as Wear You To The Ballfrom The Paragons, Ali Baba by John Holt, The Jamaicans Ba Ba Boom Time and UK act Symarip’s Skinhead Girl.
This may just sound like more of the same to some but the original 'Ska Madness!' has now sold over 115,000 copies and was the 4th biggest selling budget album of that year and at last count was the 6th biggest selling budget album of 2011! So it just goes to show that there is still, thankfully, great interest in these old songs. So if you are one of the people who brought volume one then this is its must have companion and if you are new to these sounds then this is as good as place as any to start and explore what drove these great bands on….oh and don’t forget to give volume one ago while you’re at it!

Full Track list
01. Israelites – Desmond Dekker
02. Monkey Spanner – Dave & Ansell Collins
03. Pressure Drop – Toots & The Maytals
04. Elizabethan Reggae – Boris Gardiner
05. Cherry Oh Baby – Eric Donaldson
06. The Tide Is High – The Paragons
07. Sweet Sensation – The Melodians
 
08. Ba Ba Boom Time – The Jamaicans
09. Wear You To The Ball – The Paragons
10. Ali Baba – John Holt
11. Return Of Django – The Upsetters
12. Skinhead Girl – Symarip
13. Red Red Wine – Tony Tribe
14. Tighten Up – Untouchables
15. If It Don’t Work Out – Pat Kelley
16. Wonderful World, Beautiful People – Jimmy Cliff
17. Young Gifted And Black – Bob & Marcia
 
18. Love Of The Common People – Nicky Thomas
19. Black Pearl – Horace Faith
20. Wear You To The Ball – John Holt & U Roy


Available at AMAZON

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Dubmatix "Atomic Subsonic" Made Available For Free Download

As a great way to start the New Year Dubmatix has, for a limited time, made his 2006 follow up to Champion Sound Clash available for free download. 
This 12 track album features various reggae styles from straight roots and its dub to steppers and electro dub. It also features a host of artists including Freddie McGregor, Anthony B,  Howie Smart, Raffa Dean, Fredlocks, Rasta Rueben, Treson plus Treasure Chest Productions.




To get yourself a free copy of this album visit Soundcloud now

Monday, January 16, 2012

Mystic Soul - I Am The One


Released in the summer of last year Mystic Soul’s debut album 'I Am The One', is one of those albums that I’m surprised we didn’t get to hear more about.
Now I’ll admit this album is probably not going to go down to well with the hardened dancehall and roots crowd, but this album does I believe have huge crossover potential, as it, at times, slips into that reggae/pop/soul Bitty McLean territory sort of thing with its easy going vibe. The most striking thing about it all though is the great silky smooth vocals that Mystic Soul delivers with a very clean and vivacious delivery that coupled with his boyish good looks is sure to attract many female fans.

Read more and hear sound clips at ......