Health and Strength

Last updated
Health and Strength
PFI HealthStrength.jpg
Studio album by
Released1998
Recorded1978–1979
Studio Channel One, Kingston, Jamaica
Genre Reggae
Length36:18
Label Pressure Sounds
Producer Prince Far I
Prince Far I chronology
Umkhonto We Sizwe (Spear of the Nation)
(1984)
Health and Strength
(1998)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [2]

Health and Strength is an album by Prince Far I recorded in the late 1970s but not released until 1998.

Contents

Recording

It was recorded for Virgin Records' Front Line label between 1978 and 1979 but the master tapes were lost en route to Virgin's offices. [3] In 1997, a former staff member for Hit Run records (the label run by Adrian Sherwood, with whom Prince Far I worked for several years) discovered a cassette that he had made from the master tapes, and the album was finally released by Pressure Sounds. [3]

The album features several tracks based on Gregory Isaacs songs - "Brother Joe", "Health Warning" (which uses Isaacs' "Sacrifice" as its basis), and "House of Jah" (which is based on "Handcuff"). The album also features DJ Blackskin Prophet (on "When the King Comes to Earth"), and includes the Jamaican singles "Frontline Speech" and "Weatherman Tam". The album is unusual as it features Prince Far I singing as well as chanting, and is regarded as one of Far I's strongest albums. [1] [3]

Track listing

  1. "Frontline Speech"
  2. "Brother Joe"
  3. "House Of Jah"
  4. "Health Warning"
  5. "Weatherman Tam"
  6. "When The King Comes"
  7. "Easy Squeeze"
  8. "Solomon´s Wisdom"
  9. "The Will To Win"
  10. "Clean Hands Pure Heart"
  11. "Leave Babylon"

Personnel

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References

  1. 1 2 Anderson, Rick "Health and Strength Review", Allmusic , Macrovision Corporation
  2. Colin Larkin (1998). "Prince Far I". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music . Vol. VI (3rd ed.). Muze. p. 4334–5. ISBN   0-333-74134-X.
  3. 1 2 3 Thompson, Dave (2002) Reggae & Caribbean Music, Backbeat Books, ISBN   0-87930-655-6, p.224