Now when I’ve almost used up all of my 200 free scans at flickr I’ve started to realise that I’ve missed so many fantastic albums in my collection that I’d wanted to put on here. Many because there was so long ago I listened to them they slipped through the radar. Haile I Hymn being one of them. One of the best roots albums ever recorded in my opinion – but one I draw too rarely. Stellar spiritual vibes.

The cover art, done by Tony Wright, perfectly suits the spiritual and sublime compositions on which Ijahmans serene vocals intertwine with. How many times haven’t those hands forming the trinity been reused in other album covers, flyers, posters and reggae art work? I might even dare to say that this cover is one of the most defining for the genre.

Haile I Hymn is one of those perfect musical visions that can change your musical direction for a lifetime. I’m going to be so bold and claim that there isn’t a reggae collection that is complete without this album.

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Does a deejay album get more dread than this? Remembering listening to this as a teenager at a friends house, licking chalice (no weed in it!) and chatting about the dread runnings of teenage boys (ie. girls, girls and girls). I still love girls, licking chalice (still without weed) and this album.

Productions are of by Lee Perry and for those who might not know, the one Jah Lion is also known as Jah Lloyd.

The cover art is by the artist Witter Dread.

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Weltons was a fantastic deejay and in my opinion this is his tour de force. The rhythms are heavy and the chatting is really the best you could expect from Welton.

The cover art is also very cool! Productions are by Lone Ranger and Clive Phillips with the album being released on Clives imprint Dynamite.

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In my opinion Super Cat has released only two really good albums. Boops on Skengdon and this one, his debut, that also includes boops in the title.

The productions are split between Winston Riley (the album being released on his Techniques label) and Prince Jammy. The album includes classics such as »Boops«, »Cry Fi Di Youth« and »Trash & Ready«.

I’ve always been under the impression that a deejay of Super Cats class should have released at least two more albums of this calibre.

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I love Tradition (this is my third dub album by them). Reading the liner notes to their albums they seem to be a blast to hang with. Always humorous details included everywhere. Just read the title on this bad ass! I mean … it must have started as a joke!

True to its futuristic concept the mixing is very out there to say the least. Often placing itself in the interstellar just to break the illusion by including perhaps a rooster crowing or anything else entirely mundane. I love this set!

The art work is one of the coolest I’ve got in my collection. There’s no name on the artist though which is unfortunate. Respect to you anyway!

UPDATE: At Chatty Mouth I asked reggae journalist Snoopy who the artist was and this is the answer I got. »Kalcidis – the artist is Steve Fountain of the now defunct Fountain Graphics. At the time, they also created covers for the albums LOVERS DUB and HIGH RISK DUB, the logo for lovers rock group Natural Mystic and various reggae record label logos such as Time, Venture, Pentagon and D.S.O.. «

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Black Roots is as the name implies a roots rocking group with cultural influences. A very slow and dread English sound which for me is fantastic. This together with their second release was rounded up by Makasound and released as a fantastic compilation.

Just love how the group is relaxing an getting ready to record in the studio on the cover photo. Awesome album indeed.

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I Am The Gorgon! posted a photo:

Continuing the outer space theme set by Tradition in my previous post – here we have Cry Tuff Dub Encounter.

A juggernaut type of dub set. Check the opening track Plant Up which is a stripped down mix of Far I’s vocals (and thus not a dub track per se).

Really love the comic styled cover art on this one. The most beautiful of his Dub Encounters. This release is on Daddy Kool.

This being my 200th scan on flick means I’ve run out of space (ironic when thinking of the last album title) and this will be my last post. Hope you’ve enjoyed this likkle cover art adventure so far. I might create something similar like this on my own by with a slightly different focus. If so I’ll keep you updated.

Ribbit mi hand, ribbit mi foot! Ribbit mi eye cah outta it mi feh look! Animout!

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Mellow Yellow also known as Yellow Hands was only marginally as known as Yellowman or even Purpleman/Peter Yellow. Still he is a deejay that could contest with any of them (as he also did on the clash album with King Yellowman).

This is his only solo album and it is of course together with his parring partner Youngie Rankin’. The two deejays have great styles and the rhythms are bubbling dancehall of the greatest kind.

People might have noticed that the cover on Lazerbeam – Purplemans split album with Sister Candy – is based on this photo of Mellow Yellow.

This untitled album is a great set and was released on the Jam Rock imprint.

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I was once devoted to The Clash. In USA, I saw them play 5 times. The first time was one of the best, the last time was . . . . . . . depressing. www.thedailyswarm.com/watch/clash-pressure-drop-nissan/

The Rolling Stones plied the Blues, while The Clash emulated everything, and perhaps, tried to do too much. The Clash had better dub (“One More Time” with Mikey Dread), but The Stones have the better riff. Even Mick Jones says the first Clash album was the best.

Yet, Mick Jones still makes the grade:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=37MENt8cvRg

These two 45 rpms flatten the distinction between “Punk Rock” and “Classic Rock” as both sides of the fray try “the new stuff”, with neither attempt really coming off.
In fact the two songs are “oldies”, canonical Reggae for the connoisseur or the totally clueless.

Continuing the dissolution of genres, on a later reissue of “Run Rudolph Run” (the above single’s flipside) Richards replaced “The Harder They Come” with “Pressure Drop”.

I’ll give Keith the final word (on Reggae covers) as it is his single above (not The Rolling Stones): “I was convinced that (Start Me Up) was a reggae song. Everybody else was convinced of that. “It’s reggae, man.” We did 45 takes like that. But then on a break I just played that guitar riff, not even really thinking much about it; we did a take rocking away and then went back to work and did another 15 reggae takes. Five years later, Mick discovered that one rock take in the middle of the tape and realized how good it was. The fact that I missed “Start Me Up” for five years is one of my disappointments. It just went straight over my head. But you can’t catch everything.”www.guitarworld.com/article/keith_richards_hot_stuff