SHOK WAVE is your weekly new REGGAE music blog. SHOK WAVE finds music that is out there in the form of Reggae, Dancehall, Soca, Ska, Dub, Reggae Rock & anything else musical with a Caribbean origin and in any language.
Here is what we found this week.......Enjoy!
REGGAE
Max Romeo "Open The Iron Gate"
"Open the Iron Gate" consists of another album Revelation Time, from1975 and adding four songs recorded between 1973 and 1977: "Every Man Ought to Know", "Valley of Jehosaphat", "Fire Fe the Vatican" and "Melt Away."
So it's like a re-issue within another re-issue. By all means it's a great album. Look at this list of players. It is an all star cast:
- Max Romeo – vocals
- Aston Barrett – bass
- Carlton "Carlie" Barrett – drums
- Tony Chin – guitar
- Geoffrey Chung – bass, keyboards
- Glen DaCosta – tenor saxophone
- Carlton "Santa" Davis – drums
- Tyrone Downie – keyboards, harmonica
- Bobby Ellis – flugelhorn
- George Fullwood – bass
- Vin Gordon – trombone
- "Dirty" Harry Hall – horns
- Bernard "Touter" Harvey – keyboards
- Clive "Azul" Hunt – bass, percussion, keyboards
- Earl Lindo – organ, clavinet
- Robert Lyn – keyboards
- David Madden – trumpet
- Lee "Scratch" Perry – percussion
- Ernest Ranglin – guitar
- Earl "Chinna" Smith – guitar
- Keith Sterling – piano
- Uziah "Sticky" Thompson – percussion
- Winston Wright – keyboards
- Derrick Stewart – drums
- Mike Murray – guitar, percussion
This album & the one included helped define Max as a top singer of the times. His 'War Inna Babylon' is what got him the attention before these albums. This album helped solidify him. The album starts with one of the four songs not on the original album so it catches you as 'Every Man Ought To Know." This is the new title track. The albums original title track speaks how they couldn't trim the dreadlocks of prisoners and comes with an extended dub. There will never be 'No Peace' down here in babylon. Max loves to talk about the inequalities and the difference things it causes as in these last two tunes. 'Tacko' is such a great tune lyrically and how Max sings it. Them is Tacko its almost like wacko. Please just go listen to it....again. Link is below. I and I have done no wrong especially in the 'Blood Of The Prophet.' This also has an extended dub track just as the next one does. I wonder if this tune 'Warning, Warning' could be the originator for the name of Bahamian music called rack & scrape as its the only time I can recall hearing those two words together other than when talking about that musical style. A true rastaman needs 'A Quarter Pound Of I'cense' to get their high. The classic 'Three Blind Mice' track is there as well. The new title track is next and refers to repatriation. Down in the 'Valley Of Jehosaphat' is going to be red hot so it's either repatriation or 'Fire Fe The Vatican,' which is the 'War Inna Babylon.'Lastly the only 12" is the one that is like ice cream as they will 'Melt Away.'Another with an extended dub and a great way to end the album.
There are a few videos missing from the album on youtube so in the order they are missing I have them in order below the album link
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