Africa Stand Alone
Encyclopedia
Africa Stand Alone is a 1978 album by Jamaica
n roots reggae
band Culture
(see 1978 in music
). It was recorded with engineer Sylvan Morris at Harry J's Studios, Kingston, Jamaica
, in the interim between the band's sessions with producers Joe Gibbs
and Sonia Pottinger
, and produced by Jamie Hatcher and Seymour Cummings.
The album was never fully completed, and the extant version was released without the band's permission or involvement by U.S. label
April Records in 1978, making it effectively a bootleg
. As such, most of its tracks were re-recorded with Sonia Pottinger for release on the Harder Than the Rest album shortly afterwards. It remains the only Culture release to feature the track "Dog Ago Nyam Dog" in its original form, though a dub
version appeared as "Dog Eat Dub" on the Culture in Dub album later the same year.
Neither the backing group (christened the Sons of Jah
by Culture's lead singer Joseph Hill
) nor the producers of Africa Stand Alone had appeared on record before. Perhaps for this reason, the versions here of the tracks that also appear on Harder Than the Rest are renowned for being rawer and less disciplined. The musical backing tracks are also known for being more minimal, thus allowing the vocals to take a more central rôle. The import of copies of Africa Stand Alone from the U.S. at roughly the same time as Harder Than the Rest was released had the ultimate effect of stimulating interest in the latter, and for a while each record boosted the other's sales.
Africa Stand Alone was voted the 5th best album of 1978 in NME
's annual Top 50 albums poll.
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n roots reggae
Roots reggae
Roots reggae is a subgenre of reggae that deals with the everyday lives and aspirations of the artists concerned, including the spiritual side of Rastafari and with the honoring of God, called Jah by rastafarians. It also is identified with the life of the ghetto sufferer, and the rural poor...
band Culture
Culture (band)
Culture was a Jamaican roots reggae group founded in 1976. Originally they were known as the African Disciples.The members of the trio were Joseph Hill , Albert Walker and Kenneth Dayes ....
(see 1978 in music
1978 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1978.-January–April:*January 14 – The Sex Pistols play their final show at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom....
). It was recorded with engineer Sylvan Morris at Harry J's Studios, Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, in the interim between the band's sessions with producers Joe Gibbs
Joe Gibbs (record producer)
Joe Gibbs born Joel A. Gibson was a Jamaican reggae producer.-Biography:Joe Gibbs worked as an electronics engineer in the United States before his career in music started. Gibbs eventually returned to Kingston, Jamaica and opened an electrical repair shop with television repairs and sales as its...
and Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Pottinger
Sonia Eloise Pottinger OD was a Jamaican reggae record producer.The most important Jamaican woman involved in music business, Sonia Pottinger was the first female Jamaican record producer and produced artists from the mid 1960s until the mid 1980s.Married to music producer Lyndon Pottinger, she...
, and produced by Jamie Hatcher and Seymour Cummings.
The album was never fully completed, and the extant version was released without the band's permission or involvement by U.S. label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
April Records in 1978, making it effectively a bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
. As such, most of its tracks were re-recorded with Sonia Pottinger for release on the Harder Than the Rest album shortly afterwards. It remains the only Culture release to feature the track "Dog Ago Nyam Dog" in its original form, though a dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
version appeared as "Dog Eat Dub" on the Culture in Dub album later the same year.
Neither the backing group (christened the Sons of Jah
Sons of Jah
Sons of Jah were a Jamaican reggae band. They made at least four records including the album Bankrupt Morality in 1978, which was co-produced by Mikey Dread....
by Culture's lead singer Joseph Hill
Joseph Hill
Joseph Hill was the lead singer and songwriter for the roots reggae group Culture whose other members were Kenneth Dayes and Hill's cousin Albert Walker, most famous for their 1977 hit "Two Sevens Clash", but also well known for their "International Herb" single...
) nor the producers of Africa Stand Alone had appeared on record before. Perhaps for this reason, the versions here of the tracks that also appear on Harder Than the Rest are renowned for being rawer and less disciplined. The musical backing tracks are also known for being more minimal, thus allowing the vocals to take a more central rôle. The import of copies of Africa Stand Alone from the U.S. at roughly the same time as Harder Than the Rest was released had the ultimate effect of stimulating interest in the latter, and for a while each record boosted the other's sales.
Africa Stand Alone was voted the 5th best album of 1978 in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
's annual Top 50 albums poll.
Track listing
- "Love Shines Brighter"
- "This Train"
- "Dog Ago Nyam Dog"
- "Tell Me Where You Get It"
- "More Vacancy"
- "Iron Sharpen Iron"
- "GarveyMarcus GarveyMarcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League...
Rock" - "Innocent Blood"
- "Behold The Land"
Personnel
- Joseph HillJoseph HillJoseph Hill was the lead singer and songwriter for the roots reggae group Culture whose other members were Kenneth Dayes and Hill's cousin Albert Walker, most famous for their 1977 hit "Two Sevens Clash", but also well known for their "International Herb" single...
– lead vocals - Albert Walker – vocals
- Kenneth Dayes – vocals
- Clynton Rowe – bass
- Glen Washington – drums
- Marrick Dyer – guitars
- Phillip Williams – keyboardsElectronic keyboardAn electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
- Bernard Shaw – percussion
- George Subratie – percussion