Great Vintage Volume 1 (On-U Sound, 1989)

Upon my initial listening of this album -- which collects select tracks from the group's first two albums, 1981's My Life in a Hole in the Ground and 1982's Environmental Studies -- I had flashbacks to Count Ossie's legendary Grounation, but this is more musical than that minimalist album.  Still, there are definite similarities between the two styles, the heavy reliance on African percussion being the largest.   Some of the tunes on Great Vintage Volume 1 are, like Grounation, little more than repetitive, monotonous drums, but most of the tracks here throw at least something in to spice it up.  Sometimes these spices work, sometimes they don't, but at least they try.  Some tracks -- like "Stebeni's Theme" and "Primitive" -- rely heavily on African rhythms, while others -- "Family Doctoring" and "Breeding Space" -- have an Eastern/Asian feel, while others -- "Hole in the Roof" and "Beriberi" -- are more like Western jazz fusion.  For the most part, the unifying element in these disparate styles is the African drum, present in most of the songs.  Although this album is categorized as reggae (well, dub, to be specific), you'll have a hard time defining many of these tunes as such.  Still, there are tracks like "Far Away Chant" that feature reggae elements.  This cut, with its cool warped vocals over African drums and a reggae bass line, is the best on the collection.  But even the not-so-much-like-reggae songs are occasionally enjoyable -- like the funk of "Snakeskin Tracksuit" and "Primal One Drop" or the echoing strings of "Dinosaur's Lament."  Great Vintage Volume 1 pushes the envelope of sound, stretching the definition of dub to intriguing new realms that are not wholly enjoyable, but promising.

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Great Vintage Volume 2 (On-U Sound, 1989)

This volume -- featuring tracks from African Head Charge's third and fourth albums, 1983's Drastic Season and 1986's Off the Beaten Track -- is less musical than the first, which is sort of like saying that Sylvester Stallone can't sing as well as Frank Stallone.  While neither volume is terribly musical, some of the tracks here, like "I Want Water," sound like just plain noise.  This second volume has the same general sound as the first -- African drums with Indian/Asian elements, chanting, and various other non-Western elements -- but it lacks the aesthetically pleasing aspect that some (I reiterate, some) of the tunes on Volume 1 had.  Some of this has to do with the fact that the moderately enjoyable jazz fusion experiments of the first collection are absent here, while some of it has to do with the mere fact that the songs here are generally weaker, less complex, and less aesthetically pleasing.  It's not completely without interesting tracks, however: "Off the Beaten Track" is nice, with its Indian strings, African drums, and funky bass, while the horn and drum-driven "Fruit Market" is also somewhat enjoyable.  A couple of other songs are particularly unique: "Language and Mentality" features a slow, airy rhythm backing some German professor-type guy giving a lecture on language, and "African Hedge Hog" combines an assortment of odd sounds -- snippets of horns, drums, whistles, cymbals, bells, crashes, etc. -- into a cohesive (well, cohesive enough) tune.

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Songs of Praise (On-U Sound, 1991)

After a 5-year hiatus, African Head Charge returns with a revamped and rejuvenated sound on Songs of Praise.  The second I pushed "Play" for the first time with this album, it blew me away.  The sound was so unique and entrancing, with its electric mix of ancient chants and modern rhythms, it simply floored me.  Once I got up off the floor, I tried to explain to people what it sounds like, but to little effect.  Imagine someone coming up to you, showing you the cover, and saying, "Yo man, 'Free Chant (Churchical Chant of the Iyabinghi)' is the jam!"   Indeed, I'd imagine that there's not a big market for religious African chanting, but Songs of Praise is easily more accessible than African Head Charge's earlier albums, as it incorporates a tighter, more cohesive, more musical sound.  Much more than just African drums or chants, these songs are alternately funky, catchy, and beautiful.  "Free Chant" is the first song you hear on the album, its drums and vocals doling out a great solemn melody backed by an unexpected Western piano and guitar.  Following it is "Orderliness, Godliness, Discipline and Dignity," a funky East Indian-esque chant peppered with digital blips.  "Hold Some More" and "Healing Father" are similarly funky, with the former actually containing coherent lyrics!  "Dervish Chant," My God," "Chant for the Spirits," and "God Is Great" are also quite enjoyable and fun in their own way.  Songs of Praise, like African Head Charge's previous albums, is a diaspora of sound, incorporating the feel of African, East Indian, reggae, dub, and Native American music rolled into one (The jazz fusion sound is relatively absent.), but this album is more suited to a mainstream audience (not that it's terribly accessible still).

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In Pursuit of Shashamane Land (On-U Sound, 1993)

Thankfully, African Head Charge continues the cohesive Afro-dub fusion that made Songs of Praise so great.  Unfortunately, the material on Shashamane Land isn't as strong or as refreshing as that album, but nonetheless, there is some of that same magic to find here.  The best song on Shashamane Land -- and the one that most makes me hearken back  to Songs of Praise -- is "Heading to Glory," a rousing instant classic combining inspirational African chanting with a funky guitar riff as only African Head Charge can do.  Almost as stirring is the funky digital bass and African drum mix of "Animal Law," a song that actually makes you want to get up and dance.  "Fever Pitch" (both versions) is likewise boogie-inducing, bringing a further element to the group's appeal.  The complexly layered chanting and drum sound of "Pursuit" is more typical, while "Learning" and "On the Off Beat" are similarly solid.  On the other hand, two mixes of the bland "No, Don't Follow Fashion" are unnecessary (Even a second mix of "Fever Pitch," which I like, isn't completely warranted.   The mediocrity of songs like this and "Kumasee" draw distracting attention to the "non-reggae-ness" of African Head Charge's music.

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Shrunken Head(On-U Sound, 2003)

*GUEST REVIEW*
Is this a reggae album?  Well, possibly, as it was produced by Adrian Sherwood, is released by On-U Sound and is rather rootsy and dubby.  It’s a compilation of tracks that AHC recorded between 1981 and 2003.  Not exactly a greatest hits; more like hidden gems by a band with an interesting name.  Two new tracks are also included on this compilation as a teaser for a future release.  The music on this album is a strange combination of Rasta roots, African chanting and loads of other little things.  It can be dubby, trance-like, haunting, psychedelic and very repetitive, as with most music that includes chanting.  If you are a fan of Nyabinghi, Asian Dub Foundation, left field dub, African music, Future Sound of London or Fundamental you will certainly want to grab a listen.  AHC have managed to get some interesting guests, including the vocal talents of Prince Far I and Albert Einstein.  Ghetto Priest and Skip McDonald appear on many tracks and add to the African blues feel of the album.  Many of the beats and vocals used here could and perhaps should be sampled by budding turntablists and as well as being enjoyed by broadminded roots followers.  This compilation is streets ahead of the African reggae of Lucky Dube despite its distorted vocals, loops and general eccentricity. If there is ever a degree in Andy Kershaw studies this will have to be studied in depth.

- ragudave