The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two, by Various Artists

The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two

by Various Artists

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suec23 Amazing collection of tracks. And great (!!) delivery.super fast. Thanks a lot from Catalonia
*LOVE Linton Haughton's track Favorite track: Hustling Man.

Aloha Got Soul If you haven't heard the first volume, no worries — both stand just as strong on their own as they do a pair. Favorite track: Immigration.

Papa Jay (Radio Smorgasbord) Not quite as good as Volume 1 but still worth every cent... Favorite track: Immigration.

Barry Whalley If you love Reggae this is a piece of history worth having Favorite track: The Midlands Roots Explosion Vol Two (Compendulum DJ Mix).

Christakis Evripidou (DJ Monday) thumbnail

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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Exceptional product with comprehensive sleeve notes by Martin Langford.
Includes a print of the album cove. Photograph (c) Chris Steel-Perkins

Includes unlimited streaming of The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Includes unlimited streaming of The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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Full Digital Discography

19

releases

Get all 19 Reggae Archive Records releases available on Bandcamp and save 50%.

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Feel It, Menelik, Political / Generals, Mark of Slavery / Slow Down (New Stock), The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two, Black Symbol presents The Complete Handsworth Explosion, The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume One, Black Symbol, and 11 more. , and , .

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1.	Bun Dem 05:08	buy track
2.	Generals 03:16	buy track
3.	Mark of Slavery 04:31	buy track
4.	Generals 04:05	buy track
5.	Sweet Melody 07:01	buy track
6.	Africans 04:57	buy track
7.	Hustling Man 06:32	buy track
8.	Rebel 04:14	buy track
9.	Ruled by The Stone 03:56	buy track
10.	Cannot Take it Away 05:57	buy track
11.	Right Time Coming 05:21	buy track
12.	Equalisation 03:53	buy track
13.	Immigration 03:26	buy track
14.	None A Jah Jah Children 04:19	buy track
15.	Run and Hide 04:57	buy track
16.	The Midlands Roots Explosion Vol Two (Compendulum DJ Mix) 10:46	buy track

about

VARIOUS ARTISTS
‘The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two’
Released on 2xLP (Deluxe Gatefold sleeve), CD and Digital 20th May 2016

2016 sees the release of the most eagerly awaited sequel since “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, when Reggae Archive Records release “The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two” showcasing some genuine rebels in the guise of musicians, playing the finest in English reggae. Last year's release of “The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume One”, saw the culmination of many years work spent tracking down artists and tapes to shine a light on one of England's greatest, yet most overlooked musical scenes; the home grown take on reggae that briefly flourished from the mid-seventies and had almost disappeared little more than a decade later.

Mixing themes of struggle, resistance, justice, equality, identity and Rastafari played and sung from the heart with both conviction and skill, our first volume received a rapturous reception from critics and purchasers alike. Now we return with more of the same, but if anything we've surpassed Volume One with an even stronger selection.

With so many great bands and so much great music coming out of the Midlands, it was always our intent to release enough volumes to properly document the stories of the bands, singers, musicians and labels as well as adding historical context with sleeve notes by people who were there.

The success of Volume One has certainly helped raise the profile of our mission, opened doors and brought even more bands on board meaning Volume Two not only carries over plenty of familiar names, but five of the fifteen tracks are from bands making their debut in the series.

Volume Two starts off in exactly the same way as its predecessor with Handsworth's biggest musical exports, the legendary Steel Pulse and “Bun Dem”, originally released in 1977 on the Tempus label and produced by the legendary Dennis Bovell; it's a track that deserves wider exposure. Our first act new to the series are Natural Mystique with their 1982 single “Generals” whilst tracks 3, 4 and 5 round off the missing A and B sides from some of the most popular artists we included last time with Iganda's “Mark Of Slavery”, Carnastoan's “Sweet Melody” and yet another Generals, this one from Musical Youth featuring the same line up that caused so much surprise and positive feedback with their inclusion on Volume One.

“Africans” from Bass Dance featuring a second appearance from former Steel Pulse guitarist/vocalist Basil Gabbidon, is the first of four previously unreleased tracks. The other three that we've managed to track down on long forgotten tapes, are Leicester's Groundation with “Rebel” recorded a few years before “Fa Ward” which we included last time, “Cannot Take It Away”; another lost gem from Handsworth's Mystic Foundation and “Equalisation” another lost slice of early eighties roots from Wolverhampton's Capital Letters.

The late Linton Haughton is another new name with his scarce Shield label 12” cut “Hustling Man”. Also making their first appearances, are Afrikan Star with “Run And Hide” originally issued in 1980 on Black Vinyl Records and from the Crucial Music stable, Sledge Hammer with “Ruled By The Stone” released as a 7” single on the Crucial Music Inc. label. The remaining three tracks are provided by label favourites and key players in the Birmingham scene, Black Symbol, Sceptre and Eclipse and showcase songs from the individual albums we've previously released by each band.

This album is British roots reggae at its finest, steering its own course and not looking over its shoulder at what was happening in Jamaica. It's the perfect complement to Volume One adding another chapter to the story of British reggae and how it developed in its Midlands heartland, a story we will be continuing to explore and expand with future volumes.

“The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two” is released by Reggae Archive Records on high quality double vinyl in a luxurious gatefold sleeve, CD and digital download on May 20th 2016 available from all good retailers worldwide.

ARTIST: Various Artists
TITLE: “The Midlands Roots Explosion Volume Two”
RELEASE DATE: 20th May 2016
LABEL: Reggae Archive Records
DISTRIBUTION: Shellshock / SRD
FORMAT: 2xLP (Deluxe Gatefold Sleeve), CD and Digital Download
CAT NO: RARC019V / RARC019CD
BARCODE: 5052571066010 / 5052571066027
GENRE: Reggae, Dub
WEBSITE: www.reggaearchiverecords.com
PRESS CONTACT: Mike Darby, E: mike@reggaearchiverecords.com / T: 07885 498 402

credits

released May 20, 2016

1. Steel Pulse - "Bun Dem"
Written by B Gabbidon. Published by Impact Music.
Originally released on Tempus Records in 1977. Produced by Dennis Bovell

2. Natural Mystique - "Generals"
Written by Natural Mystique. Published by Copyright Control
Originally released on Dune Records in 1982

3. Iganda - "Mark of Slavery"
Written by Iganda. Published by Copyright Control
Originally released on 021 Records in 1979

4. Musical Youth - "Generals"
Written by Musical Youth. Published by Copyright Control
Originally released on 021 Records in 1981

5. Carnastoan - "Sweet Melody"
Written by Carnastoan. Published by Copyright Control.
Originally released on Carna Stoan Records circa 1979/1980
Produced by Dennis Bovell

6. Bass Dance - "Africans"
Written by B Gabbidon. Published by Copyright Control
Previously unreleased. Recorded circa 1985

7. Linton Haughton - "Hustling Man"
Written by Humphrey Silvester. Published by Shield Music
Originally released on Shield Records in 1979

8. Groundation - "Rebel"
Written by Groundation. Published by Archive Publishing Ltd
Previously unreleased. Recorded circa 1980

9. Sledge Hammer - "Ruled By The Stone"
Written by W Johnson. Published by Crucial Music
Originally released on Crucial Music Inc circa 1985

10. Mystic Foundation - "Cannot Take It Away"
Written by Mystic Foundation. Published by Copyright Control
Previously unreleased. Recorded circa 1982

11. Sceptre - "Right Time Coming"
Written by Lenford March. Published by Copyright Control.
Originally released on Grey Diamond Records in 1984

12. Capital Letters - "Equalisation"
Written by Capital Letters. Published by Archive Publishing Ltd
Recorded for a live session at Beacon Radio, Wolverhampton
Previously unreleased circa 1980

13. Eclipse - "Immigration"
Written by Eclipse. Published by Archive Publishing Ltd.
Originally released on Baal Records in 1978

14. Black Symbol - "None A Jah Jah Children"
Written by Black Symbol. Published by Archive Publishing Ltd
Originally released on Black Symbol Records circa 1983

15. Afrikan Star - "Run And Hide"
Written by Afrikan Star. Published by Copyright Control
Originally released on Black Vinyl Records 1980

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Reggae Archive Records UK

Reggae Archive Records is a record label dealing in British Reggae from the 70's, 80's and 90's.

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