Winston Rodney, aka Burning Spear, came from a rural Jamaica parish called Saint Anns Bay. The same Saint Anns Bay that gave us Marcus Garvey by the way. A connection that would play heavily into Burning Spear's music. Burning Spear began his recording career at Studio One Studios. According to Burning Spear himself he was introduced to Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, the owner of Studio One, by Bob Marley. Burning Spear had already acquired a local following and his recording sessions were eagerly awaited by the whole Studio One posse. Burning Spear's first single, "Door Peeper", begins with him speaking, "I and I, the son of the most high, Jah Rasta Fari, whose heart shall correspond and beat in one harmony, sounds from the Burning Spear" and then the drums kick in and the band starts playing. And far away, in a little apartment in Los Angeles I listened, transfixed to the stereo speakers, some 45 years ago and man-o-man what a moment.
Burning Spear released two albums on the Studio One label. The self-titled "Burning Spear" and then the album "Rocking Time." Those first two albums... I can't tell you how many times I played them. I always dreamed that there would be a third Burning Spear Studio One album, but that third album never came. Coxsone did release a few singles not included on the albums, "Zion Higher", "New Civilization" and "This Population" all of which I found after much searching. Also, Coxsone released a bunch of singles form the albums and I bought as many as I could find just to hear the version sides. But that third album, that third Burning Spear Studio One album, never happened.
When it came time for me to move to the Philippines, I recorded all my Burning Spear singles and at some point, as the ganja smoke gently rose up over my computer screen a wonderful idea came to me....
album: Burning Spear Studio One Showcase
label: Little Red
tracks:
01 This Population ( The Burning Spear)
02 This Population version (The New Establishment)
03 Get Ready (Burning Spear)
04 Get Ready Dub (Winston & The Brentford Rockers)
05 Wala Wala (single version credited to Owen Right)
06 Creation Rebel (Burning Spear)
07 Creation (Version) (Winston & The Brentford Rockers)
08 Door Peeper (Single Version)
09 Ethiopians live it out (Burning Spear)
10 Live it out (Burning Spear with Sound Dimension)
11 Rocking Time (Burning Spear (Coxsone single version))
12 Zion Higher (Burning Spear)
13 Zion (Ver.) (Sound Dimension)
14 The Avenue Pt2 (Hubert Lee with Sound Dimension)
01 This Population ( The Burning Spear)
02 This Population version (The New Establishment)
03 Get Ready (Burning Spear)
04 Get Ready Dub (Winston & The Brentford Rockers)
05 Wala Wala (single version credited to Owen Right)
06 Creation Rebel (Burning Spear)
07 Creation (Version) (Winston & The Brentford Rockers)
08 Door Peeper (Single Version)
09 Ethiopians live it out (Burning Spear)
10 Live it out (Burning Spear with Sound Dimension)
11 Rocking Time (Burning Spear (Coxsone single version))
12 Zion Higher (Burning Spear)
13 Zion (Ver.) (Sound Dimension)
14 The Avenue Pt2 (Hubert Lee with Sound Dimension)
Burning Spear at Studio One
Afterword: You may have noticed that the single "New Civilization" was not included on this Showcase album. I did in fact find that record after much searching but folks, the copy I got in the mail was totally trashed. Filled with pops and skips and I decided to leave it off the album just out of respect. I suppose I could have lifted the file from a YouTube video but, I didn't. Maybe that tune will have to wait for the fourth Burning Spear Studio One album. Or maybe I'll redo it... we'll see. In the meantime here it is.
Cheers:
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