Rebel Souls

Rebel Souls
Studio album by Aswad
Released	1984
Genre	Reggae
Label	Island
Producer	Aswad, Michael "Reuben" Campbell
Aswad chronology
Live and Direct (1983) Rebel Souls (1984) Jah Shaka Meets Aswad in Addis Ababa Studio (1985)

Rebel Souls is an album by the British band Aswad, released in 1984. ^{[1] [2]} They supported the album with UK and North American tours. ^{[3] [4]} Rebel Souls peaked at No. 48 on the UK Albums Chart. ^[5]

Production

Rebel Souls was recorded in Jamaica. ^[6] The band's cover of Marvin Gaye's "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)" includes backing vocals by the London Community Gospel Choir. ^[7] "54–46 (Was My Number)" is a cover of the Toots and the Maytals song. ^[8] "Need Your Love (Each and Every Day)" is performed in a lovers rock style. ^[9] "Rainfall, Sunshine" is about the exploited working class. ^[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
The Baltimore Sun	[12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[13]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide	[14]
Rolling Stone	[10]

The Los Angeles Times opined that the album "offers well-crafted reggae with a pop slant, but it pales beside the powerful 1983 concert captured on Live and Direct." ^[15] The Wycombe Midweek noted that "when the rhythms gel and the horns punch, there is a sparkle that even West Indies-based artists find hard to touch." ^[16] The Birmingham Post & Mail called Rebel Souls "less strident and more soulful than recent albums." ^[17]

The Baltimore Sun concluded that the album "manages to combine the easy melodicism of Jamaican pop with the down-to-business intensity of the best of Black Uhuru." ^[12] LA Weekly labeled it "another crucial mix of hard rhythms, spaced by the blistering horns of the most requested brass section in London." ^[18] The Daily Telegraph listed it among the 10 best "rock" albums of 1984. ^[19]

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"In My Father's House"
2.	"Rebel"
3.	"54–46 (Was My Number)"
4.	"Just a Little Herb"
5.	"Rainfall, Sunshine"
6.	"Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)"
7.	"You Can't Show Me"
8.	"Gave You My Love"
9.	"I Asked a Question"
10.	"Need Your Love (Each and Every Day)"
11.	"Chasing for the Breeze"

References

1. Moskowitz, David V. (2005). Caribbean Popular Music: An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall. ABC-CLIO. p. 16.
2. Denselow, Robin (23 October 1984). "Dominion". The Guardian. p. 11.
3. "Aswad are parking their might in Harlow". The Herts and Essex Observer. No. 6639. 23 June 1988. p. 32.
4. The Rock Yearbook. Vol. 6. Virgin Books. 1985. p. 22.
5. "Aswad". Official Charts. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
6. The Encyclopedia of Reggae : The Golden Age of Roots Reggae. Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. 2012. p. 9.
7. Clover, Charles (23 October 1984). "Aswad's home-grown reggae". The Daily Telegraph. p. 9.
8. O'Neill, Lee (25 April 1985). "Records". Calendar. The Boston Globe. p. 9.
9. Walker, Klive (2005). Dubwise : Reasoning from the Reggae Underground. Insomniac Press. p. 194.
10. "Recordings". Wisconsin State Journal. Rolling Stone. 17 March 1985. p. 8.3.
11. "Rebel Souls Review by Ron Wynn". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
12. Considine, J.D. (3 March 1985). "Aswad's 'Rebel Souls' moves with reggae beat". The Baltimore Sun. p. 12D.
13. Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 1. MUZE. p. 265.
14. MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide (2nd ed.). Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 48.
15. Snowden, Don (14 July 1985). "Reggae—Brit Style". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 55.
16. Masuda, Neil (20 November 1984). "Slipping discs...". Wycombe Midweek. No. 822. p. 22.
17. "On Release". The Birmingham Post & Mail. 24 November 1984. p. 19.
18. Sutton-Smith, John (21 March 1985). "The Critical List". LA Weekly. p. 39.
19. Clover, Charles (17 December 1984). "Records of the Year". The Daily Telegraph. p. 8.