Scorcher!
Rothadam aka Errol Gayle tried out for Bunny Lee before following his brothers from Trenchtown to Toronto in the early-1970s. Here, his fellow-welder Sid Lovejoy also ran a record shop, label and studio, at 917 Bathurst Street; and in 1975 the first iteration of Rebel was unleashed on Sid’s LMP imprint (cut a little slower than this reissue), featuring none other than Leroy Sibbles on bin-wobbling bass; and massive, rearing, swinging horns (and melodica). The brass brings to mind the Otravis crew on Skyjack Version, also with Sibbles, for Half Moon; the hi-hats tick with the same serious-mindedness as at the start of Joe Higgs’ Creation; Rothadam channels Horace Andy to full effect.
Then Gayle reprised the song at Half Moon itself, with the Super Eight Corporation. Producer Oswald Creary passed the second recording — side two here — onto Ron Lewis, to put out on Ron-Lew. It’s more Upsetters in style, with a lighter touch; more limber, smoke-filled and cosmic, with a vibesing spoken intro and tasty percussion.
Both sides are raw, intense, inspiring roots.
Neither came with a dub… so dream on, rudie.
Hotly recommended.