Rhythm Shower

Last updated
Rhythm Shower
Rhythm Shower.jpg
Studio album by
Released1973
Genre Reggae
Length35' 59"
Label Upsetter
Producer Lee Perry
The Upsetters chronology
Cloak and Dagger
(1973)
Rhythm Shower
(1973)
Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle
(1973)

Rhythm Shower is a studio album by The Upsetters, released in 1973. Originally released in a very limited Jamaican pressing with no sleeve, it became better known when re-released by the Trojan label as part of its originally 3 LP, later 2-CD set The Upsetter Collection, first issued in 1986.

Contents

Many of the rhythms on the album are known as those done by Lee "Scratch" Perry. "Double Power" versions "Give Me Power" by the Stingers, "Lover Version" features Perry's production of Chenley Duffus covering William Bell's "I Forgot to Be Your Lover" (he later gifted the rhythm to Winston "Niney" Holness, who passed it on to producer A Folder who enjoyed massive success with cuts of it by Delroy Wilson, Augustus Pablo, Tommy McCook and Jah Lloyd in 1975 and 1976), "Connection" versions the "Space Flight" rhythm, and "Kuchy Skank" is an Augustus Pablo version to "Words of My Mouth" by Sangie Davis and the Gatherers. "Operation" is an early example of the then-experimental technique of cutting together parts of different backing tracks to create a single track - it opens with a different dub of "Give Me Power", which then segues into a dub of The Ethiopians "Love and Respect", then a dub of Junior Byles "Fever", ending with the bass melodica cut to "Give Me Power", released in its own right on 45 as "Tipper Special".

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Tighten Up" – Dillinger
  2. "Django Shoots First" – Sir Lord Comic
  3. "Uncle Charley"
  4. "Sokup"
  5. "Double Power"
  6. "Lover Version"

Side two

  1. "Rumpelsteelkin"
  2. "Skanking" – Dillinger
  3. "Kuchy Skank"
  4. "Connection" – Dillinger
  5. "Operation"


Related Research Articles

Horace Michael Swaby, known as Augustus Pablo, was a Jamaican roots reggae and dub record producer and a multi-instrumentalist, active from the 1970s until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Tubby</span> Jamaican sound engineer

Osbourne Ruddock, better known as King Tubby, was a Jamaican sound engineer who influenced the development of dub in the 1960s and 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee "Scratch" Perry</span> Jamaican reggae producer (1936–2021)

Lee "Scratch" Perry was a Jamaican record producer, composer and singer noted for his innovative studio techniques and production style. Perry was a pioneer in the 1970s development of dub music with his early adoption of remixing and studio effects to create new instrumental or vocal versions of existing reggae tracks. He worked with and produced for a wide variety of artists, including Bob Marley and the Wailers, Junior Murvin, The Congos, Max Romeo, Adrian Sherwood, Beastie Boys, Ari Up, The Clash, The Orb, and many others.

Dub is an electronic musical style that grew out of reggae in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It is commonly considered a subgenre of reggae, though it has developed to extend beyond that style. Generally, dub consists of remixes of existing recordings created by significantly manipulating the original, usually through the removal of vocal parts, emphasis of the rhythm section, the application of studio effects such as echo and reverb, and the occasional dubbing of vocal or instrumental snippets from the original version or other works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Youth</span> Musical artist

Manley Augustus Buchanan, better known as Big Youth, is a Jamaican deejay, mostly known for his work during the 1970s.

<i>Dont Go 2 Sleep</i> 2001 EP by Makaveli and Daz Dillinger

Don't Go 2 Sleep is a compilation EP by American rappers Makaveli and Daz Dillinger. It has eight tracks. There are two other (bootleg) versions of the EP, but the original has only eight tracks. It was released December 24, 2001, on D.P.G. Recordz. The tracks were recorded at Death Row Records between 1995–96 for Tupac's and Boot Camp Clik's project "One Nation". Later when Daz left Death Row, he stole an unknown amount of Tupac's unreleased masters, some of which can be heard on this EP. The only track left untouched by Daz is "They Don't Give a Fuck About Us", all other tracks were remixed and Daz also added himself onto tracks he originally didn't appear on, despite Dillinger marketing the EP as an original collaboration album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">King Jammy</span> Musical artist

Lloyd Woodrowe James, better known as Prince Jammy or King Jammy, is a Jamaican dub mixer and record producer. He began his musical career as a dub master at King Tubby's recording studio. His dubs are known for their clear sound and use of effects.

<i>Soul Revolution Part II</i> 1971 studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Soul Revolution Part II is the third album by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. While the name on the album cover for all the original releases was Soul Revolution Part II, some releases had the name Soul Revolution printed on the album label, leading to uncertainty over what name was intended. A "dub" version with the vocals removed was released as Soul Revolution Part II Dub; both versions were released as one set in 1988. The album was repackaged with additional material as African Herbsman in 1973.

<i>King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown</i> 1976 studio album by Augustus Pablo

King Tubbys Meets Rockers Uptown is a dub studio album by Augustus Pablo and King Tubby, released in 1976. It features Carlton Barrett on drums, Robbie Shakespeare and Aston Barrett on bass guitar, and Earl "Chinna" Smith on guitar. Pablo produced the album and played melodica, piano, organ and clavinet. The album was recorded at Randy's in Kingston, Jamaica. A distinctly different mix of the title song with vocals and dub, titled "Baby I Love You So", can be found on the Jacob Miller and Augustus Pablo 1975 album, Who Say Jah No Dread.

<i>Upsetters 14 Dub Blackboard Jungle</i> 1973 studio album by Upsetters 14 Dub

Black Board Jungle, often called Blackboard Jungle Dub, is a studio album by The Upsetters. The album, originally released in 1973 under artist name "Upsetters 14 Dub", was pressed in only 300 copies and issued only in Jamaica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pressure Sounds</span> British record label

Pressure Sounds is a British DIY record label, specialising in releasing reggae music. Run by Pete Holdsworth, it is one of the most enduring reggae labels in the UK, specialising in reissuing obsolete tunes. It was originally a subsidiary of On-U Sound.

Culture Press is an independent record label from UK specialized in Jamaican music.

Keith Hudson, was a Jamaican reggae artist and record producer. He is known for his influence on the dub movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Earl "Chinna" Smith</span> Musical artist

Earl "Chinna" Smith, a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest, is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late 1960s. He is most well known for his work with the Soul Syndicate band and as guitarist for Bob Marley & the Wailers, among others, and has recorded with many reggae artists, appearing on more than 500 albums.

Carlton "Santa" Davis is a musician from Jamaica, primarily known for his drumming with bands such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Aggrovators, Soul Syndicate and Roots Radics. He has worked with reggae artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru, Burning Spear, Big Youth, The Wailers, Peter Tosh, Andrew Tosh, Wailing Souls, Ini Kamoze, Big Mountain, Michael Rose, and Ziggy Marley.

<i>Pick a Dub</i> 1974 remix album by Keith Hudson

Pick a Dub is a 1974 album by Jamaican producer and musician Keith Hudson. Critically well received, it is widely regarded as an important work in the dub music genre which evolved out of reggae. Featuring remixes of earlier material, it focuses on heavy drums and bass guitar, with echoing vocals to underscore the intense percussive rhythm. Carlton and Aston Barrett and Augustus Pablo contributed music, while vocal fragments include Hudson, Horace Andy and Big Youth. The album was originally released under the labels of Klik and Atra, with a 1994 reissue by Blood and Fire.

<i>Original Rockers</i> 1979 compilation album by Augustus Pablo

Original Rockers is a reggae album by Augustus Pablo and is a compilation of singles, all recorded between 1972 and 1975. It was originally released in 1979 on Greensleeves Records and was compiled by journalist and photographer Dave Hendley.

"To Be a Lover" is a song written by William Bell and Booker T. Jones originally as "I Forgot to Be Your Lover", but best known as a cover by Billy Idol on his third studio album Whiplash Smile (1986). As the album's lead single, it became Idol's second top ten hit in the US, peaking at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 22 on the UK Singles Chart.

Leo Graham was a Jamaican singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cow Thief Skank</span> 1973 single by The Upsetters

"Cow Thief Skank" is a 1973 single written and produced by Jamaican reggae musician Lee Perry and credited to his studio band the Upsetters. Released in Jamaica through Justice League and in the United Kingdom through Upsetter Records, it is one of Perry's series of 'skank' singles and is a duet between him and deejay Charlie Ace. The song was written as a diss track against fellow producer Niney the Observer, mocking an incident in Niney's youth where his thumb was cut off by a farmer after he attempted to steal one of his cows.

References