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LP
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GREL 038LP
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$27.00
PREORDER
RELEASE DATE: 5/16/2025
"The follow-up to Johnny Osbourne's 1980 Fally Lover album, and even though two years have passed, time seems to have stood still here, but that's not surprising considering this set was also overseen by Junjo Lawes and backed by the Roots Radics. Regardless, Never Stop Fighting has a brighter sound than its predecessor, especially on the first half of the disc. Across four love numbers the Radics offer up a series of breezy backings, or as breezy as the band can be when fired by Style Scott's militant beats and Errol "Flabba" Holt's thumping basslines. However, pianist Gladdy Gladstone and keyboardist Winston Wright keep the sound light and the melody flowing, reaching effervescent heights on the delightful 'Sister Mister.' Most of the album is themed around matters of the heart, and while numbers like the superb 'Curly Locks Girl' are declarations of love, there's also the emotional confusion of 'Over 31 Under 21' and the timeless romance of 'Love Is Universal.' In a totally different vein comes 'Baccara' (aka 'Backra'), a patois-heavy party piece with a carnival lilt. There's little for culture fans, but Osbourne makes up for quantity with quality, opening the set with the potent demand to end the violence of the title track, fueled by one of the Radics' most militant rhythms, and ending with the heartfelt sufferer's song 'Words of the Ghetto.' But the set's showcase is the extended 'Give a Little Love,' a soulful call to share the love, and boasting one of Scientist's most spectacularly militant mixes. The Radics are superb as always, Lawes' dubby production giving even the breeziest songs a deep roots feel, while Scientist gives every number the sharpest of edges. An excellent set." - Jo-Ann Greene
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LP
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GREL 012LP
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2022 repress. 2012 release, originally released in 1980. "Truth and Rights is rightfully considered Johnny Osbourne's masterpiece, a stellar album of resurrected Studio One rhythms wed to the singer's heartfelt new cultural lyrics. The album was a hit, but Osbourne was already off to work with other producers, starting with the up-and-coming Henry 'Junjo' Lawes. Lawes, the master of dread dancehall, launched Barrington Levy to fame, then introduced the world to Eek-A-Mouse, before giving everyone 'Diseases' via the Michigan & Smiley smash. If his deeply dubby productions fired the dancehalls, the Roots Radics fueled Lawes' sound with their militant, deep roots backings. Perhaps after the bouncy Studio One backings, the singer was overwhelmed by the Radics' stark arrangements, which Lawes and mixer Barnabus would often strip back to Style Scott's crashing beats and Flabba Holt's stealthy bass riff. Only snippets of melody remained, and with vast open vistas to fill, Osbourne choked. Most of Fally Lover's songs feature reiterated lyrics, simplistic choruses, and sophomoric sentiments, which reach nadirs on 'Ice Cream Love' and 'No Lollypop No Sweet So.' But that's almost a moot point, for it's not what he's saying, it's how he's saying it that actually matters. And playing off the dense atmospheres the Radics are conjuring up, Osbourne reaches new heights of soulfulness. The lovelorn title track is superb, 'You're Too Sexy' is just silly, but Osbourne delivers it with perfect aplomb, while 'Ice Cream Love' is even more ludicrous, but the singer offers it up with panache, which means that a true romantic number like 'Love So Strong' and a cultural cut like 'Man of Jehoviah,' ring with fervid emotional depths. Can a stellar album still sport substandard lyrics? In this case, yes: without a doubt." --AllMusic
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LP
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VPGSRL 7002LP
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2013 release. Reissue, originally released on Positive Sounds in 1980. Tracks: "Mr. Walker", "Jah Ovah", "Cool Down", "Trench Town School", "Fret You A Fret", "Folly Ranking", "Love Song", "Live Right", "Mr. Marshall", and "Time Is Getting Dread". "Over a decades-long career, Johnny Osbourne moved from soulful reggae to a massive dancehall catalog. His warm voice filled with conviction and yearning, he's one of the island's best, especially on standards like 'Ice Cream Love,' 'Water Pumping,' and countless rub-a-dub singles." --AllMusic
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LP
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CTLP 193LP
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2022 restock. Johnny Osbourne with Meets Roots Radics 1980-1981 "Vintage". Osbourne is one of the most popular Jamaican reggae and dancehall singers of all time. His nickname is the "Dancehall Godfather". Roots Radics band features Lincoln "Style" Scott, Errol "Flabba" Holt, Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont, and more. Green vinyl.
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CD
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AACD 193CD
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Johnny Osbourne joins forces with Roots Radics to record a heavy set of jams, with dub versions of several tracks included. As the title suggests, 1980-1981 Vintage was recorded in 1980-81, and features production by Linval Thompson and contributions from a huge cast of Studio One session musicians, including Errol Carter, Eric Lamont, and more.
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LP
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AALP 181LP
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2018 repress. Produced by Linval Thompson. Tracks: "Police and Soldier," "Call This Love," "My African Girl," "Kiss Somebody," "Try To Turn Me On," "Nightfall," "Dub In Niagara Falls," "Back Off," "Don't Give Up, Live Up," "Live Up," "Sensimilla (Grass)," "Jah Is For Me," "Poor Man's Time," "I'm A Struggler," "Don't Hold Me Back."
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