This exclusive vinyl compilation documents the West Country take on roots reggae from the second half of the 1970s until the end of the 1980s.
It draws heavily on the two earlier vinyl releases: 'The Bristol Reggae Explosion 1978-1983' and 'The Bristol Reggae Explosion 2 – The 1980s', both of which are due to be re-released on CD and as digital downloads.
With just nine songs - five on side A and 4 on side B - and a playing tine of just 38 minutes it feels way too short. Surely there were other tracks available to make a more exhaustive collection.
Two tracks are by the same band albeit working under different names - Revelation Rockers Culture precedes the group's later incarnation as Talisman who are represented her with a 7” mix of their Dole Age single first released in 1981.
The title of Bunny Marrett's Times Are Getting Harder and Joshua Moses' Africa (Is Our Land) speak for themselves. The latter was produced by Dennis Bovell and features some nice dubby riddims which, as is often the case, fade out much too quickly.
The manner in which the label highlight the difficulty of finding most of these tracks on vinyl illustrate that the target audience are seen as collectors and reggae aficionados. Ron Green's 3D Productions Riot lasts under three minutes but appears to merit inclusion primarily on the basis that it's so hard to find in its original 7” format.
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Curious listeners who come to the album without any prior knowledge of the scene in this part of the UK are likely to be more drawn to Bath band The Rhythmites and their stylish Nation Integration or to the dynamism of Restriction's more pop-orientated Calling For Mercy.
The vintage cover shot shows Popsy Curious on his bike outside what were the remains of Bristol's Bamboo Club; a tribute to a friend and supporter of the label who recently passed away.
This image gives the message that this release is a cultural document of a past era but the vibrancy of the tracks also means that it stands as a piece of living history with a contemporary resonance.
Bristol Archive Records' website
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