Customer Reviews

Dread in Babylon

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U-Roy's Dread in Babylon is another in line of classics for the unorthadoxed singer/writer. Even though its a rather old cd, many of its songs are used in soundtracks for recent films. I.e. High Tension, After the Sunset, and City of God. For those of you unfamiliar with his style I caution you before buying this cd. Be prepared for elonggated scats and pseudo-harmonic melodies. The structure of the songs follow the traditional syncapation more familiar with reggae, but he primaraly talks the listener through each vocal journery, never jumping octaves or escalating in pitch. If you're expecting a Bob Marley, Ky-mani, Buju Bantu or I-Wanye sort of musician, this is not the cd for you. If on the other hand you enjoy "live" sounding bands, with improvised melodies, vocals and tunes then you'll defeniately want to buy this cd.

Mid-seventies toasting DJ U-Roy(not to be confused with I-Roy) Musical Shark Attack was at his peak when he created this classic. You may want to try the excellent Version of Wisdom that presents two of his best works on one disc. His style is unique to say the least. His ability to improvise over tacks, with his happy-go-lucky vocals is a real treat. Take a listen to "Chalice in the Palace." The backing vocals by the Soul Syndicate is a nice doo wop infusion to a crushing, toasting back beat, multi-layered musical experience. Part of beauty in these early reggae recordings are the spontaniety imposed over well crafted chorus backgrounds;it's really produced quite well. The whole disc is great but favorites are the chastising "The Great Psalms," that is part gospel, part blues, part reggae covered by a DJ who is possessed,"Runaway Girl" that has the simplicity of a pop song, drenched in reverb, presented in a R&B fashion, with a dash of toasting and a firm rock steady beat, the catchy all instrumental "Trench Town Rock" led by a melodious harmonica and the the deep echo sing in rhyme "Listen to the Teacher" with U-roy's taunting lyrical phrasing about the "teacher say you shouldn't do that" and "the golden rule between abrupt shrieks and a laid back back beat.If you are looking for something different in reggae this is it. Recommended for fans of classic roots reggae.

disya maan n i-roy beat any rappa, dem talk so fass, dat u can never ever rpt whadem say like speedy gonzalus, riva riva, homre......zzzzzz.
these two can 'light up your life'. juss too good. and yes, the back of the vinyl has four fotos, pullin on his coconut made chalice, next one blow thick smoke outta his nose, third one, out his mouth, but can still see his face, and last shot - no can see u-roy, him gowan! totally n absolutely, unda da smoke.
gotta dread inna babylon, got keep fightin 4 ur rights.

Many years ago, when I was working at a bar/restaurant, a transient bartender/DJ noticed that I was listening to a lot of reggae. One night he handed me this album and said "It is not for the faint-of-heart". He was right. For better or for worse, the roots of Rap are right here. It's a classic.
Note: The original LP is worth seeking-out for the backside sequence of photos which shows U-Roy disappearing behind a cloud of ganja smoke.

I'm not a reggae expert...though I've been a fan for nearly 30 years (yikes!), but there's one thing I'm sure of: this is not your father's nice, easy-going, Bob Marley-type of reggae.

U-roy is like being sucked into a swirling vortex of trippy acid-induced Rasta fervor. If you suspect that your kid likes to smoke LOTS of pot and is one step away from joining the Taliban (just to be REALLY different), this might not be the best record to have near the Cheese Doodles. But if you want to hear a facinating historical artifact that somehow fuses the peaceful, lilting beat with jarring reverb and other "interesting" production tricks, this just may be the record you've always been looking for.

Imagine Peter Tosh walking along the beach eating a Hershey bar. Now, picture the Strawberry Alarm Clock, same beach, eating peanut butter, and crashing into poor Mr. Tosh. I think you get the idea.