Customer Reviews

Staggering Heights

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This disc by Singers & Players, the rotating amalgamation of the finest S & P's in the incredible On-U talent stable, showcases not only the amazing abilities of these performers, but stands as a tribute to the unparallelled mixmaster touch of label founder/producer Adrian Sherwood as well. Sherwood's touch is as distinctive as ever -- and it's easy to hear why he is so highly regarded by afficianados of roots music. His love of the form, coupled with his studio instincts, elevate his role from producer to a level with that of the performers themselves -- for without him, even with their considerable talents, they would not wind up sounding like this.

The vocalists on this release are some of the finest Jamaican music has offered to the world -- all have released fine recordings of their own. Congo Ashanti Roy peforms his compositions 'African blood' (a perfect opener for the set) and 'Snipers in the street', his great voice delivering lyrics crying for an end to violence that can destroy a people. Prince Far I, in his own inimitable style, delivers to the listener the (true) story of 'Bedward the flying preacher' (about a man whom, shall we say, overstepped his own earthly boundaries), and treats us to a condensed 'Autobiography' (in which he relates his own musical history). Mikey Dread gives us 'School days', recalling what seems to be instead an overabundance of corporal punishment inflicted on him as 'education'. Bim Sherman, who regrettably passed away in November of 2000, one of the finest vocalists ever to open his soul to his listeners, performs the beautiful 'A matter of time' and 'Socca' (one of the strangest tracks he ever recorded). The set concludes with the instrumental dub-fest 'This assembly', allowing the players to step out a bit.

And speaking of the players...the roster on this recording reads like a who's who of the UK roots scene -- listing and commenting on all of the fine players on this disc would take up an enormous amout of space. Suffice to say that if you've been lucky enough to experience any of the great releases from On-U Sounds, you know them well. The trademark bass lines, thundering but gentle at the same time -- the rock-steady drumming and percussion -- the rhythm guitars that could dice vegetables -- the relentless horns (sorry, I've GOT to mention Deadly Headley!) and foundation-building keyboards -- all the components that we have come to expect and admire in the On-U mix, lovingly combined and swirling about us courtesy of the knob-twiddling Mr. Sherwood -- all of these elements add up to an amazing album.

This is not Bob Marley reggae -- and that's NOT to say that there's anything wrong with Bob Marley's music (his talent and contributions to the form are without question) -- this is reggae/roots on the fringe, heartbeating wild and dangerous, deepsoul breathing and spiritual. This is the Lion purring in Babylon, strong and alert. This is Singers & Players doing what they do best. The result is On-U, my friend.

There are many fine recordings available on this label through amazon.com -- check out other albums by Singers & Players, plus releases by Bim Sherman, Noah House of Dread, Creation Rebel, African Head Charge and New Age Steppers, to name but a few. They each have their own unique personality, and they all have Adrian Sherwood's magic touch.

I call myself a lucky man as i have managed to acquire the original release on vinyl (1983 -red.)
I first heard this album at a friends place, and i went searching for it ever since. This extremely obscure (atleast in the Netherlands) album offers the best of the best. This means the "dream team" of reggae:
"Style" Scott
Eek-a-Roo
"Crucial" Tony
Lizard
Errol "Flabba" Holt
George Oban

As well as the following extremely gifted artists:
Bingy/Dwight/Martin Frederix/Ashanti Roy/Bloodvessel/Bonjo I/Mikey Dread/Prince Far i (a.k.a. Prince Cry Cry)/Bim Sherman/Vyris/Valerie/Fatfingers/Dr. Pablo/Bubblers/Nick Plytas/Martin Frederix/Eskimo/Vin Gordon/Bammy/Deadly Headly/Flash.

Some other albums i'm proud to call mine, and similar in style:
Bim Sherman - Across the Red Sea
Singers & Players - War of Words
Creation Rebel - Lows & Highs
New Age Steppers - Foundation Steppers

From other labels:
Israel Vibrations - Forever
Steel Pulse - earth crisis
Sugar Minott - Time Longer than Rope
Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse
Morgan Heritage - Live in europe
Bim Sherman - Too Hot
Black Uhuru - Positive
Prince Far I - Umkhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation)
Buro
Burning Spear - Rocking Time (Second & Last Album on Studio One Records!)

WAR OF WORDS/ REVENGE OF THE UNDERDOG/ STAGGERING HEIGHTS: Three must-have selections from the extensive On-U Sound back catalogue, all originally released in the early eighties and featuring the rotating collective of vocalists and musicians (i.e. the Singers & Players) rounded up and recorded by UK-based producer and On-U founder, Adrian Sherwood. Featured artists include Style Scott and Eskimo Fox on drums, Lizard on bass, Crucial Tony on guitar, Dr. Pablo's keys and melodica, and percussion from Bonjo I and Mr. Magoo, as well as vocals from mainstay On-U collaborators Bim Sherman and the "Voice of Thunder", deejay Prince Far I -- these and many others.

WAR OF WORDS was Singers & Players first album release, the most balanced and for me, the best, a mind-expanding merger of rootswise reggae and Adrian Sherwood's far-out studio sorcery. WAR OF WORDS kicks off with Bim Sherman's bewitching DEVIOUS WOMAN and continues with the murderous extended mix of Far I's almighty QUANTÉ JUBILA, with the Prince's vocal track backed up in reverse at the end of the opening segment and then fed directly back into the jaws of a menacing, heavyweight dub workout. Bim Sherman covers vocal duties on the remaining tracks. Sherman made several recordings of his brilliant SIT & WONDER, but this rockers-style extended version with deejaying from Jah Woosh is easily the best. His FIT TO SURVIVE is a haunting, mournful meditation on captivity and the struggle for freedom. It's followed by the eight minutes-plus pressure-cooker intensity of REACHING THE BAD MAN and then an excellent version of his WORLD OF DISPENSATION, another track that he revisited on numerous occasions throughout his career. WAR OF WORDS closes with the mostly instrumental 91 VIBRATION, but for the most part it's a showcase for the very special relationship that evolved between Bim Sherman and Adrian Sherwood. A stunning debut!

REVENGE OF THE UNDERDOG from 1982 is the least accessible of the three. Sherwood's signature mix is dense and muddy with rhythms that tend toward the sort of avant garde experimentalism more often associated with On-U's African Headcharge project. The strangely spliced trio of DUNGEON, MERCHANT SHIP and JAH ARMY BAND opens UNDERDOG in a reasonably straightforward fashion, with Lizard, Far I and Bim Sherman voicing on the successive backing tracks. That's followed by another fairly traditional vocal from Sherman on the nice TOO MUCH WORKLOAD, but UNDERDOG really belongs to Prince Far I as he provides the majority of the vocal cuts, including his excellent WATER THE GARDEN and the cryptic CHA-RIS-MA. At times though, REVENGE OF THE UNDERDOG veers right off the road, covering some rough terrain with tracks like FOLLOWER with its chaotic, crashing percussion and bizarre sound effects, or the strange, subterranean reworking of the Jamaican rub-a-dub classic ENTERTAINMENT as THING CALLED LOVE. This is the sort of stuff that made - and for some listeners I suppose, broke - On-U's reputation, a cutting edge combination of the post-punk, do-it-yourself ethic with the stripped-down, super heavyweight sound of Jamaica's Roots Radics band (via Style Scott), plus elements of free jazz, electro and other assorted sonic experiments, all coalescing in a spiraling gravity whirlpool of sound -- hardly what you'd call easy listening.

1983's STAGGERING HEIGHTS returned to a far more traditional reggae sound. Vocals from the Congos' Ashanti Roy on AFRICAN BLOOD and the beautifully harmonised SNIPERS IN THE STREET - both excellent selections - set the tone, and they're matched by Bim Sherman's brilliant A MATTER OF TIME - another career highlight for the singer - as well as Far I's now classic BEDWARD THE FLYING PREACHER and Mikey Dread's guest spot on SCHOOL DAYS. Of course, this is "Another On-U Sound Production" so you can expect at least one or two detours into the left field. Sure enough, Sherman's SOCCA is, as Steve Barker mentions in his sleevenotes for the Master Recordings edition, "one of the strangest [tracks] he ever cut...". Overall though, STAGGERING HEIGHTS is a very rootsy, very accessible record, and probably the most obvious entry point for On-U newcomers.

These three classic On-U Sound recordings have been in and out of print - mostly out though, it seems - for a good part of three decades now, and at the time of writing they seem to be once again unavailable. All three are definitely worth seeking out though. There's something almost timeless about these productions, and they sound as fresh and as vital today as they did when I first heard them twenty-some years ago. Prince Far I and Bim Sherman have since passed away, but these recordings clearly capture each at the peak of his powers, and though both artists recorded extensively before teaming with On-U, no producer seemed to understand or appreciate either as deeply as the very talented Adrian Sherwood.

Equally excellent was the fourth and final Singers & Players album, LEAPS & BOUNDS, another roots-oriented collection, which featured the same vocal lineup as STAGGERING HEIGHTS. Needless to say, it also seems to be out of print right now, but keep an ear to the ground. Also look out for Bim Sherman's ACROSS THE RED SEA, his first solo selection with On-U as well as his work with veteran sessioneer Deadly Headley on the sax player's underrated 35 YEARS FROM ALPHA set. Finally, for a nicely updated overview of the entire On-U Sound catalogue, check out Adrian Sherwood's recent mix tape project, ON-U SOUND: SLASH & MIX.