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After gaining exposure with producer Clement Dodd between 1969-1975, Burning Spear (aka Winston Rodney) and singing partners Rupert Willington and Delroy Hinds cut a handful of stunning albums for Island over the next three years. The first two releases, Garvey's Ghost and Man in the Hills, were produced by Jack Ruby and introduced Jamaicans and eventually a much wider audience to the trio's stark mix of rasta/social themes, chant-like vocalizing, and sophisticated take on the islands' raw nyabinghi drumming tradition. The next two studio albums, Dry and Heavy and Social Living, were produced by Rodney and maintained the group's cultural stance while also sporting a slicker sound, thanks in part to some jazz-tinged horn arrangements. This roundup includes highlights from these releases, plus one track from the dub version of the Marcus Garvey LP, "Garvey's Ghost." And while the expansive and somewhat more accessible sound of later tracks like "Throw Down Your Arms" and "Social Living" might stand out at first, early bedrock cuts such as "Marcus Garvey" and "Slavery Days" remain the most compelling numbers here. Featuring such Jamaican studio luminaries as the Barrett Brothers, Sly and Robbie, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Vin Gordon, Bobby Ellis, and Earl "Chinna" Smith, Harder Than the Best qualifies as a solid introductory disc for the curious listener.
© Stephen Cook /TiVo
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Burning Spear, MainArtist - Winston Rodney, ComposerLyricist - Jack Ruby, Producer - Laurence Lindo, Producer
℗ 1975 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Bernard Harvey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Burning Spear, MainArtist - Earl Chinna Smith, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - RICHARD HALL, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Robbie Shakespeare, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sylvan Morris, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Bobby Ellis, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Winston Rodney, Producer, Percussion, Vocals, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Aston Barrett, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Don Taylor, Producer, Executive Producer - Leroy Wallace, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Earl "Wire" Lindo, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Herman Marquis, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bertram McLean, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Uziah Thompson, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Noel Simms, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Vincent Gordon, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1977 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Bernard Harvey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Burning Spear, MainArtist - Earl Chinna Smith, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - RICHARD HALL, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Robbie Shakespeare, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sylvan Morris, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Bobby Ellis, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Winston Rodney, Producer, Percussion, Vocals, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Aston Barrett, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Don Taylor, Producer, Executive Producer - Leroy Wallace, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Earl "Wire" Lindo, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Herman Marquis, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bertram McLean, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Uziah Thompson, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Noel Simms, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Vincent Gordon, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1977 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Burning Spear, MainArtist - Karl Pitterson, Producer - Winston Rodney, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1978 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Burning Spear, MainArtist - Phillip J. Fullwood, ComposerLyricist - Winston Rodney, ComposerLyricist - C. Paisley, ComposerLyricist - Jack Ruby, Producer - Laurence Lindo, Producer
℗ 1975 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Burning Spear, MainArtist - Phillip J. Fullwood, ComposerLyricist - Winston Rodney, ComposerLyricist - Jack Ruby, Producer - Laurence Lindo, Producer
℗ 1976 Island Records, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited
Burning Spear, MainArtist - Winston Rodney, ComposerLyricist - Jack Ruby, Producer - Laurence Lindo, Producer
℗ 1991 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Bernard Harvey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Burning Spear, MainArtist - Earl Chinna Smith, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - RICHARD HALL, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Tyrone Downie, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Tony Chin, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Robbie Shakespeare, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Bobby Ellis, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Winston Rodney, Percussion, Vocals, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Aston Barrett, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Leroy Wallace, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Earl "Wire" Lindo, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Herman Marquis, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Lawrence Lindo, Producer - Vincent Gordon, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1976 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Bernard Harvey, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Burning Spear, MainArtist - Earl Chinna Smith, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - RICHARD HALL, Tenor Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Robbie Shakespeare, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Sylvan Morris, Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Bobby Ellis, Trumpet, AssociatedPerformer - Phillip J. Fullwood, ComposerLyricist - Winston Rodney, Producer, Percussion, Vocals, Recording Arranger, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Aston Barrett, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Don Taylor, Producer, Executive Producer, ComposerLyricist - Leroy Wallace, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Earl "Wire" Lindo, Keyboards, AssociatedPerformer - Herman Marquis, Alto Saxophone, AssociatedPerformer - Bertram McLean, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Uziah Thompson, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Noel Simms, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Vincent Gordon, Trombone, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 1977 UMG Recordings, Inc.
Burning Spear, MainArtist - Karl Pitterson, Producer - Winston Rodney, Producer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 1978 The Island Def Jam Music Group
Album review
After gaining exposure with producer Clement Dodd between 1969-1975, Burning Spear (aka Winston Rodney) and singing partners Rupert Willington and Delroy Hinds cut a handful of stunning albums for Island over the next three years. The first two releases, Garvey's Ghost and Man in the Hills, were produced by Jack Ruby and introduced Jamaicans and eventually a much wider audience to the trio's stark mix of rasta/social themes, chant-like vocalizing, and sophisticated take on the islands' raw nyabinghi drumming tradition. The next two studio albums, Dry and Heavy and Social Living, were produced by Rodney and maintained the group's cultural stance while also sporting a slicker sound, thanks in part to some jazz-tinged horn arrangements. This roundup includes highlights from these releases, plus one track from the dub version of the Marcus Garvey LP, "Garvey's Ghost." And while the expansive and somewhat more accessible sound of later tracks like "Throw Down Your Arms" and "Social Living" might stand out at first, early bedrock cuts such as "Marcus Garvey" and "Slavery Days" remain the most compelling numbers here. Featuring such Jamaican studio luminaries as the Barrett Brothers, Sly and Robbie, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Vin Gordon, Bobby Ellis, and Earl "Chinna" Smith, Harder Than the Best qualifies as a solid introductory disc for the curious listener.
© Stephen Cook /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 10 track(s)
- Total length: 00:39:51
- Main artists: Burning Spear
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Island Records
- Genre: Reggae
© 1979 UMG Recordings, Inc. This Compilation ℗ 1979 UMG Recordings, Inc.
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