Linton Kwesi Johnson - BBC 1979-1981

Back From The Dead... 
As requested by Mogulthrash 

Originally posted March 27, 2016

Linton Kwesi Johnson - Inglan Is A Bitch

BBC 1979-1981, FLAC, full artwork included

From the Dave Sez archive:
Time to reggae up our lives thanks to ArchiveVibes with his collection of BBC recordings by Linton Kwesi Johnson, Britain's veteran dub reggae poet who writes and recites in Jamaican patois*. Like pubrockers Dr. Feelgood, LKJ rose in the heat of the punk explosion, sharing its mood if not its style; like the Sex Pistols, his criticism of the UK was uncompromising: "Inglan Is A Bitch". In many ways, he was the counterpart to the "Bard of Salford", punk's very own poet, John Cooper Clarke.

Long associated with top reggae/dub producer and bassist Dennis Bovell and his band, LKJ first came to prominence in 1978 with his debut album "Dread Beat & Blood" under the name Poet and the Roots. That album and the next three - 1979's "Forces Of Victory" and 1980's "Bass Culture" and "LKJ In Dub" are the classic expression of militant black resistance to police oppression in Thatcher's Britain. LKJ is still recording and touring today, but unofficial recordings of his concerts are almost impossible to find - thanks therefore to archivevibes.blogspot.com for preserving this excellent package of vintage LKJ.

01 It Dread Inna Inglan
02 Want Fi Goh Rave
03 It Noh Funny
04 Five Nights of Bleeding
05 Independent Intavenshan
06 Reality Poem
07 Sonny's Lettah
(Paris Theatre, London, 1979)

08 It Dread Inna Inglan
09 Reality Poem
(John Peel 1979.05.01)

10 Inglan Is A Bitch
(Old Grey Whistle Test 1980.03.06)

11 All Wi' Doin Is Defendin
12 Independent Intavenshan
13 Reality Poem
14 Reggae Fi'peach
(John Peel 1981.10.03)
...

*Bonus: lyrics for all of the tracks here are included in a full scan of LKJ's third booklet of poetry, "Inglan Is A Bitch" (Race Today, 1980); "Five Nights" is taken from his first book "Voices" in 1974 and is worth quoting...

"the rhythm just bubbling and back firing
raging and rising when suddenly the music cut:
steel blade drinking blood in darkness."


pass - fbsvw

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