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I tend to write these entries based on current mood and/or when a certain record comes through the store. This past week or so there have a bunch of records that have had my attention and taken my lunch money and are all currently doing heavy rotation on the turntable.
Firstly, Professor Daniel, whilst working with me at the store the weekend before last, played the Australian X’s 1985 album At Home With You. I can’t recall having heard it before, although I do love the group’s debut, Aspirations, from five or so years earlier. Both albums have been kept in print by a variety of labels, and currently here at the store we have the Dirt Cult Records version of At Home With You. I really liked this second album; it has a bunch of good songs. Some venture into the art rock end of post punk and there’s even a ballad that initially made me ask, is this Pink Floyd? It isn’t, so don’t let that worry you. I believe Daniel’s favorite track was the very last song called She’s Gone (actually, it was “Half Way Round The World” —Daniel). The album was produced by the legendary Lobby Loyde, of Coloured Balls fame. As with their reissue of Aspirations, Dirt Cult choose to use alternative album art, but this reissue sounds good and comes with an insert of liner notes and won’t set you back as much as an import copy or original.
If you missed out on the first grip of copies that we got of the Beast Of Beast and Smog Marines albums, then you should try and snag one now as we just restocked. People have been rightly excited about these two reissues. They’re done well and finally bring to full exposure some great music that has remained unknown and unheard of by most up to now. If you have even a passing interest in the L.A. scene circa late 1970s-early 1980s, you owe it to yourself to give these recordings a listen. They both get thrown into the Death Rock genre, and that fits, but both bands offer a lot more musically and are worthy of your investigation.
I feel like a prize chump for not knowing more about Orquesta Akokan. They’re a fabulous contemporary Afro-Cuban band that blends classic mambo, salsa and boogaloo Latin rhythms and records for the Daptone Label. Couldn’t be more up my proverbial Calle. They’ve been around for almost ten years now. We have their terrific debut in stock, along with the group’s brand-new album, America! I can’t believe I don’t have these records in my collection already. The group has a couple more albums under their belt which I’ll be checking out also. It’s exciting to discover new-to-you music and these guys are playing 21st century mambo that sounds both classic and fresh simultaneously. I love it.
I’m going to keep in the tropics for my next three recommendations. Jamaica specifically and reggae music. Strictly speaking a couple of these records were not recorded there, but they’re still by Jamaicans in the reggae and dub genre. So that counts.
First up, I was delighted to be able to bring in a couple of copies of the last album that the great Lee “Scratch” Perry featured on before his passing. The album is credited to him along with Peter Harris and Fritz Catlin and is titled Mercy. It was released in 2025 on the UK label Dash The Henge. I hadn’t seen a copy in US shops and was happy to see it pop up on one of our distro’s available titles. I always try to wait until I get an actual copy of a record to listen to an album for the first time, so I can get to things a bit late. I was a little unsure of what to expect from this record. There have been some less than stellar Lee Perry-involved albums, unfortunately, over the years, where producers shove a mic in front of Scratch and record whatever he says and then add it to lack luster productions and milk as much as they can from the sessions. I’m happy to report that this album is nothing like those, and is in fact very good. There is a bit of a concept behind the record, going back to a first meeting between Scratch and Peter Harris in 2006. Harris was producing a film called Higher Powers, which was concerned with death and passing to the other side. Lee Perry briefly features in the film. Later in 2015 the pair got back together to record music as a potential soundtrack and several songs were recorded and over the next couple of years and more lyrics were captured. From these pieces, Harris added layers of sounds and mixing desk magic to form the songs that make up the finished album. Fritz Catlin, from 23 Skidoo fame, adds drums, percussion, melodica and other production touches to songs. I say it’s a great job done by all involved. It’s not a 70s Black Ark era sounding record, but it’s also not one of the more techno leaning albums Perry has made. You can tell it’s a UK dub album. Think somewhere between records released on the On-U Sound label and The Orb and you’ll be in the general ballpark for how it sounds. There’s a small nod to previous Lee Perry greatness in the first track Row Fisherman/Whale Song, which lifts from his legendary cut for The Congos on their classic Heart Of The Congos album. I’ve played the album three times since yesterday and each time more layers have been revealed. I am very happy to have finally heard it and have a copy. If you are a fan of Lee Perry and enjoy dub music and have not yet heard this one, dial it up and give it a listen.
Next up, Studio One Dub Plate Special, a mighty reissue from Soul Jazz Records. This one is part of the label’s Studio One reissues of releases that comprise rare dub plates that initially appeared as one-sided etched 12-inches available exclusively in their London store. The set later saw a very limited pressing as a 7-inch boxset for Record Store Day in 2018. That box is hard to get now. Thankfully, all ten dubs have been made available on an LP, and I am very glad to get myself a copy. There’s one in the store for someone else, and we’ll hopefully be able to restock it again in the future. It’s brilliant. Great stuff from the likes of Cedric Brooks, Jacob Miller, Brentford All Stars and more. Essential for reggae lovers and collectors of Studio One recordings, especially as these cuts were unreleased at the time. If you own just one Soul Jazz reissue, you’ll know the quality level is high, and you could buy this one blind. But money doesn’t come easy, so go check it out first. I think you’ll like it though. I mean? What’s not to like?
Lastly, before I sign off, the third of the reggae triple play. We got in a 7-inch single from the legend Sugar Minott called I’m Still Here. It’s on the Daptone label, so that fits in with the label mates Orquesta Akokan, who we talked about earlier. This single is a cover of song made famous by The Notations and is produced by key Daptone man Victor “Ticklah” Axelrod. I like it. Comes with a nice version on the flip.
Okay, deadline approaches and UPS just dropped a load of boxes that need attending to. Back to it. Thanks for reading and hopefully we’ve steered you towards something you’ll enjoy. Take care and see you here next time.
Cheers- Dom