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Routinely passed over, King Edwards ska is for the gods, so a phase of Dub Store reissues is a mouth-watering prospect.
This opening salvo is low-slung, moody, trombone-led fire.
The leader usually goes by the diminutive Ron, reserving Ran and Rad for his Pantomine sides. He was an Alpha Boys alumnus, a Soul Brother after Don D’s departure, and an Upsetter for Blackboard Jungle.
Wayne and Larry Douglas’ flip is the A-side of the original Rio 45, from 1965: a stomper illumined with sweet lyrics about suffering, gratitude, and fidelity.
Available for the first time since its original release in 1980, this is compelling, funky, exploratory jazz from Melbourne, Australia.
The album opens with the floating Song For Bobby, a downtempo gem with the heartbeat aura of Herbie Hancock’s Butterfly; Orchestral Excerpts (From The Symphony Of Life), In The Basement and City Of Stone are high-grade fusion jams with one eye on Weather Report and Return to Forever, the other on the organic Australian sound of Alan Lee and John Sangster. The album closes out with the completely improvised Universal Suite, a 17-minute excursion which begins with a cinematic opening reminiscent of electric Miles at his most introspective before taking flight on passages of hard-driving Latin percussion, shimmering fusion and gritty funk. Slick, cultured and in close dialogue with the most advanced sounds of the era, Pyramid documents one of Australia’s great fusion bands at the height of their powers.
With a deadly, riding-east tang to the moody rhythm, sublime singing, murderous bass… Scorcher.
Stark, deranged, unmissable JA funk, mining Slippin’ Into Darkness, by War. Still totally knockout after nearly fifty years.
Plus Horace and Chinna on the flip, laying some calming homilies over a sobered-up version of the rhythm.
All-time-classic Stalag excursion.
A masterful, sublime cover of the Young Holt by the newly-formed Sound Dimension; backed with Roy Richards’ classic harmonica version of Summertime.
Dynamite, previously unissued rocksteady version of the monumental Skatalites scorcher from a few years earlier.
Unmistakable themes from the TV series soundtrack, in party-rocking style, with biff-boof organ.