| Click pic to buy! |
|
Arise (Virgin, 1990 [orig. released 1978]) If you've never heard the Abyssinians, all I can say is "Shame on you." Their style is at once heavy and airy, deep and elegant. Their harmonies and melodies are both beyond measure. Their defining song is "Satta Massagana," the unofficial anthem for the Rastafarian faith. Following that legendary tune is a daunting task, but Arise does it pretty darn well. While the songwriting is not of the caliber of the material on the immaculate collection Satta Massagana, the cool-yet-emotional, holy-yet-funky pure roots sound is the same. Tracks like "Wicked Man," "South African Enlistment," and "Jah Loves" (a Rastafarian take on the jazz standard "Nature Boy") could easily fit on Satta. And while you'd be tempted to say that cuts like "Meditation," "Hey You," "Mightiest of All," and "Let My Days Be Long" would be weak links on Satta, it's somewhat unfair to view everything in the shadow of that album; there's little doubt that these are solid, solid album cuts that display the power of the mighty Abyssinians. |
| Track Listing 1. This Land Is For Everyone 2. Dem a Come 3. Meditation 4. Jah Loves 5. South African Enlistment 6. Hey You 7. Let My Days Be Long 8. Wicked Men 9. Mightiest of All 10. Oh Lord |
|
|
Click pic to buy! |
Satta Massagana (Heartbeat, 1993)
Easily one of the best reggae albums of all time, this set is so good, it's scary. Some beginning listeners may not be able to get into it fully because it's pretty heavy roots, but once you do, it's a wonderful thing. The song "Satta Massagana" is the centerpiece of this collection of the group's best work, the tune being a modern-day hymn whose appeal transcends the religion. As the liner notes state, if "the song is a hymn, then the album is a hymnal full of gorgeous, pious material." Don't let the thought of dry church music creep into your mind, though. These tracks are dynamic and emotion-packed with driving, funky bass lines and superior harmonies. Satta Massagana is a '90s compilation containing cuts from the original classic album Forward Onto Zion, plus the last 4 tracks. Some may say that Forward Onto Zion is better without these 4, but you shouldn't be denied the cool power and airy vocals and guitar of "There Is No End," nor the solid "Leggo Beast" and "Reason Time." It's difficult to pick greatness from greatness, but my favorites on Satta are the title track (natch), "Know Jah Today," the funky "Declaration of Rights," and "African Race," its simple, nursery rhyme-like melody contrasting fabulously with its serious message.
| Track Listing 1. Declaration of Rights 2. The Good Lord 3. Forward Unto Zion 4. Know Jah Today 5. Abendigo 6. Y Mas Gan 7. Black Man's Strain 8. Satta Massagana 9. I And I 10. African Race 11. Leggo Beast 12. Peculiar Number 13. Reason Time 14. There Is No End |
|
|
Click pic to buy! |
Forward (Musidisc, 1994)
Recorded around the same time as their immortal Satta Massagana material, Forward has the sound of a collection of rejected songs from that album. Indeed, the 3 best tunes here are from Satta: "Satta," "Forward Onto Zion," and "This Is Not the End." Even "Peculiar Number" is from Satta, but that is one of the weaker tracks on that great album. This leaves 6 tracks, one of which is a dub of "Peculiar Number" and another ("Mabrak") being a DJ toast (the first toast ever recorded, according to the liner notes). This leaves 4 -- count 'em 4 -- completely new songs ("new" in relation to Satta, that is), none -- count 'em none -- of which are really worthwhile. Thus, Forward -- despite having those 3 classic cuts -- is pretty much a waste of time, unless of course you don't have Satta. . . and you do have Satta, don't you?
| Track Listing 1. Forward Jah 2. Prophesy 3. This Is Not the End 4. Satta Amassa Gana 5. Mabrak 6. Forward Onto Zion 7. Praise Him 8. Peculiar Number 9. Peculiar Dub 10. Jerusalem |
|
|
Click pic to buy! |
Reunion (Artists Only!, 1998)
The Abyssinians FINALLY get together for another album after some 20 years, and they display surprisingly little rust. Of course, they know a good thing when they hear it, so they utilize the "Satta" rhythm on two tracks: "Power Over Evil" and the dub poem "The Right." More original is "$19.95 + Tax," the strongest song on the album, which features magnificently unified falsetto harmonies. The poignant "Ethiopia" too is very good, while "Smokey Joe" has an intriguing slow, bluesy feel to it. Conversely, "Child Abuse" is uncharacteristically u-ptempo with happy music, despite the serious message. Hopefully, we won't have to wait another 20 years for the Abyssinians' next original album.
| Track Listing 1. Power Over Evil 2. $19.95 + Tax 3. Ethiopia 4. Child Abuse 5. Smokey Joe 6. In a Kalda 7. Arise 8. Holyman 9. Wolves 10. Say It Again 11. The Right |
|
|
Click pic to buy! |
Declaration of Dub (Heartbeat, 1998)
How can you go wrong with any variation of Satta Massagana? While a great portion of the Abyssinians' power lies in their vocals, these dubs reveal the strength of the backing music. The music from "Satta" has been sampled and versioned too many times to mention, so we know its appeal, but the dub included here, "Thunderstorm," is one of the original mixes, so the sound quality diminishes the impact somewhat. Other cuts are much more impressive, particularly the "New Version" of "Declaration of Rights" (Note: The tracks on this album are arranged in the same order as their corresponding songs on Satta, as if you couldn't tell.), featuring an accentuated bass line that showcases just how funky the song is. The other dubs aren't quite as catchy as this one, so unlike "Declaration," they utilize the original vocals here and there -- as dubs generally do -- to liven them up. Like the title cut, "African Dub" and "Y Mas Gan Dub" flex funky bass lines to great effect, while "Good Lord Dub," "Mark of the Dub," and "Reasonable Dub" are all good. These tunes convert to dubs well, except maybe for "Zion I" ("Forward Unto Zion"), which is a bit too happy and fast for a dub.
| Track Listing 1. Declaration of Dub [New Version] 2. Good Lord Dub 3. Zion I 4. Know Jah Dub 5. Dub Abendigo 6. Y Mas Gan Dub 7. Meditation in Dub 8. Thunderstorm (Satta Massagana Dub) 9. I And I Dub 10. African Dub 11. Mark of the Dub 12. Peculiar Dub 13. Reasonable Dub 14. There Is No End |
 |
