Album: Two Bad D.J.
Year: 1981
Style: Dacnehall, Regaee/Ska
Similar Bands: English Beat, UB40
"One-Word" Review: Methodic-Slow Jam-Reggae
Based Out Of: Great Britian/Jamaica
Label: Greensleeve Records, Shanachie Records
Two Bad D.J. - Cover & Record
Two Bad D.J. - Back & RecordTwo Bad D.J. (1981)
- I Can't Take Another World War 3:19
- Another One Bites the Dust 3:46
- Talk About Run 4:18
- Sweet Sweet Matilda 4:07
- Special Request to All Prisoner 3:46/
- Dance It Have Fe Nice 3:31
- Gal Pon the Front Line 3:32
- Jack Spratt 2:59
- Tribute to General Echo 3:38
- Hey Mr D.J. 3:22
Members & Other Bands:
Producer : Chris Cracknell & Henry Junjo Lawes
Engineer : Scientist & Barnabas
Mixing Engineer : Mark Lusardi
Vocals : Clint Eastwood & General Saint (Inity Rockers)
Drums : Sly Dunbar & Style Scott & Santa Davis
Bass : Flabba Holt & Robbie Shakespeare
Lead Guitar : Sowell & Dwight Pickney & Chinna Smith & Bo-Peep Bowen
Rhythm Guitar : Sowell & Bingy Bunny
Keyboards : Ansel Collins & Winston Wright & Steelie & Delroy Donaldson & Gladdy Anderson
Horns : Hameed Taroghion & Dave Cummings & Mark Alder
Percussions : Sky Juice & Mikey Spratt, Skully
Mastered: Steve Angel
Cover: Tony McDermott
Photos: Tim O'Sullivan
Unknown-ness: I’ve never heard of these guys, and know nothing about them. But from one look of the cover and the colorful, playful imagery and song display on the back, I thought this might be some fun old school rap. Especially with one of the guys naming themselves Clint Eastwood.
Album Review: After reading about them, I am interested to hear how these two reggae/dancehall toasters/DJ’s come together to make, as they’ve been reviewed, novelty pop music in Jamaica.
“I Can't Take Another World War” is a slow bubbly groove. Lots of effects take turns resonating in the echoey background adding depth and style to the classic reggae beat.
“Another One Bites the Dust” is an upbeat, but still slow dancehall track, without me knowing too much of the style, I can easily equate this to the English Beat.
“Talk About Run” starts out with drums, but it is carried along with horns, and a slinky, dark bass groove. There is a new solo vocal used at the end of each verse that is much gruffer than the standard two vocals we’ve been accustom to.
“Sweet Sweet Matilda” features keys tat remind me of Madness, although this is all toasting, rather than Madness Ska. This too, is a nice slow head-bobbing grove. It borrows the lyric “down by the school yard” from the Paul Simon song.
“Special Request to All Prisoner” feels like the same song, as it too is minimal, with a simple drum and bass beat, slow to the same tempo as before.
“Dance It Have Fe Nice” is a more mixed song; the vocals possess a more direct attacking rhythm. There are more effects mixed in that give it a dance-floor feel.
“Gal Pon the Front Line” is a stripped down beat, driven by the vocals more than anything else. The drum keeps it going and the bass mimics the vocal melody. There is also some back and forth girl guy communication.
“Jack Spratt” is a more funky, nursery rhyme based song. The vocals are steady and verge on standard melodic singing at times.
“Tribute to General Echo” is a tribute to a famous deejay who was shot and killed by Jamaican police without sufficient explanation or reason. The melody is sullen and honorable.
“Hey Mr D.J.” is just a beckoning from the singers for the deejay to play their favorite song. It is the final song with a slow, methodical drum n bass rhythm.
Stand Out Track: Another One Bites the Dust
Links:
Roots Archive
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G.S. Allmusic
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