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Click pic to buy! |
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In
a Dance Hall Style (Corner Stone, 1990?) I'd
like to give Phillip Frazer (or Phillip Fraser or Philip Frazer or Phillip
Frazier or, well, you get the idea…) the nickname "Old Shoe" because he is
just that: unspectacular and not something you'd use to blow people away, but
utterly comfortable, reliable, and something that has grown to become a part of
you. He reminds me somewhat of the
similarly overshadowed Rod Taylor, both singers
coming from the vibrating, ethereal Horace Andy
school of vocalizing (and both recording for the Freedom Sounds label -- see Freedom
Sounds in Dub). Frazer has
popped up here and there on compilations like Roots
Tradition From the Vineyard, Dancehall Explosion, 2
Heavyweight: Another Blood & Fire Sampler, Roots
Rasta Party, and Roots Dancehall Party,
but In a Dance Hall Style is one of the precious few dedicated to him
alone. This set collects tracks
recorded between 1980 and 1984, featuring what else but a dancehall style
(before the dominance of computerized riddims) buoyed by heavy, propulsive
bass lines and crashing drums. Four of the tracks here -- "Moses," "Blood of the
Saint," "Bad Boy," and "Mr. Wicked Man" -- are taken from one of the
only other Frazer albums I've seen available on CD, Blood of the Saint,
two of which are also featured on the Silver Kamel release Roots Rasta Party. Nothing here is likely to knock your socks off, but in
typical Phillip Frazer fashion, it's all solid, highlighted by "Sleepless
Night," "Moses," "When I Run Out," "Bad Boy," and decent remakes of Alton
Ellis' "Breaking Up," Jackie Edwards'
"Let Me Go Girl" ("Girl You Hold Me"), and Ken Boothe's
"Moving
Away" ("In Every Part of Me") -- although these latter trio might be a
bit too familiar for veteran listeners to thoroughly enjoy. |
| Track Listing 1. Breaking Up 2. Moses 3. When I Run Out 4. Sleepless Night 5. Girl You Hold Me 6. Please Stay 7. Life Is So Funny 8. Blood of the Saint 9. Mr. Wicked Man 10. Bad Boy 11. In Every Part of Me |
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Blood of the Saint (Silver Kamel, 2004)
Silver Kamel (silverkamel.com) continues to re-release its catalogue of overlooked early dancehall with the woefully underexposed Phillip Fraser. True to Fraser's reliable form, Blood of the Saint is a magnetic, invigorating showcase of early dancehall (mixed with some more rootsy stuff) featuring somewhat familiar riddims enlivened with thundering bass lines and crisp, echoing drums, all topped off by Fraser's sweet vocals and humble style. Although the name of this album is the same as a Silver Camel release from 1982, that earlier set had only 4 tracks -- "Blood of the Saint," "Bad Boys," "Writing On the Wall," and "Mr. Wicked Man" -- while this one adds 9 additional tunes from around the same time. "Bad Boys," "Moses," "Mr. Wicked Man," and the title track are also on Fraser's In a Dance Hall Style album (and a couple are on the excellent Roots Rasta Party compilation), but you also get standout tunes like the funky, inspirational "This World" (with a sensational organ line), the Dillinger duet "Fussing and Fighting," "Writing on the Wall" (whose opening sax riff sounds like the inspiration for Luciano's "Sweep Over My Soul"), and a nice dub of "Mr. Wicked Man." The crowning jewel here for me, however, is the escapist "Send Us Home," a transcendent call for release from social ills driven by a compelling horn line and liberally peppered with dub-like digital blips; it draws favorable comparison in my mind to Lloyd Jones' immortal, similarly themed "Rome" (see Sufferer's Choice). Unfortunately, there's precious little Phillip Fraser material readily available to the public, but luckily Silver Kamel has presented listeners with this valuable option.
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Listing 1. This World 2. Good Morning Mr. Officer 3. Bad Boys 4. Mr. Wicked Man 5. Wicked Man Dub 6. Fussing and Fighting 7. Fuss and Fight Dub 8. Moses 9. Blood of the Saint 10. Silver and Gold 11. Golden Dub 12. Writing On the Wall 13. Send Us Home |
Dancing Time (Silver Kamel, 2007)
As experienced a twosome as singer Phillip Fraser and producer Jah Thomas are, it's surprising to think that they've recorded collaborations that have yet to be released, but lo and behold, here's Dancing Time. Except for the bubbly classic title track and its dub, "Work Is Over Dub," which were released on the Silver Kamel compilation Roots Dancehall Party (as well as on Total Recall Vol. 7 way back in 1993), all of the tunes here are previously unreleased. The liner notes don't offer a whole lot of information, but the songs sound like they were recorded between the late '70s -- when the bass- and drum-heavy dancehall sound began to hold sway -- and the mid-'80s, when the digital revolution began, turning dancehall into a computer-driven force (and becoming known as "ragga" in the UK). As such, the tracks range from pre-digital to post-digital dancehall, the former sound working much better than the latter. The tracks with a more modern style -- namely, "Far Away" and covers of The Temptations' "My Girl" ("I've Got Sunshine") and The Heptones' "Fatty Fatty" ("I Need a Fat Girl") -- bog the album down in a sterile, tinny computer sound -- but thankfully, most of the album has a more organic, pre-digital dancehall flavor. The easygoing ganja anthem "Give Me Sensimena," the fun love song "High School Girl," and the searing political tune "Them a Gun Man" in particular are fine examples of the rocking old-school, pre-digital dancehall sound that should appeal to fans of Barrington Levy, Johnny Osbourne, and Michael Prophet. Take a listen at CD Baby.
| Track Listing 1. Dancing Time 2. Work Is Over Dub 3. I've Got Sunshine 4. Sunshine Dub 5. I Need a Fat Girl featuring Double Ugly 6. Come Give Me Your Loving 7. Give Me Your Loving Dub 8. High School Girl 9. Far Away 10. Laser Beam featuring Joe Lickshot 11. Them a Gun Man 12. Badness No Pay Dub 13. Give Me Sensimena 14. Inna Chalwa Dub 15. Don't Close the Door |
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