Third World - Rock the World

Name: Third World
Album: Rock the World
Year: 1981
Style: R&B, Soul, Reggae
Similar Bands: Stylistics, Inner Circle, Wailers
"One-Word" Review: Free Love Soul Disco
Based Out Of: Jamaica
Label: Columbia

Cover, Sleeve, Record

Back, Lyrics, Record

Rock the World (1981)

1. Rock the World 3:46
2. Spiritual Revolution 5:11
3. Who Gave You (Jah Rastafari)  4:26
4. Dubb Music 3:37
5. Shine Like a Blazing Fire 3:47 /
6. Dancing on the Floor (Hooked On Love) 5:32(single)
7. There's No Need to Question Why 3:48
8. Peace and Love 4:14
9. Standing In The Rain 3:10 (single)
10. Hug It Up 4:45

Album Rating (1-10): 6.0

Members & Other Bands:

• Michael Cooper - Recording & Mixing
• Bruce Hensal - Recording & Mixing
• Patrice Carroll - Asst Engineer
• Robert Stweart - Asst Engineer
• Vishwaka Wadinambiaratchi - Asst. Engineer
• Bobby Bootheel - Album Art Concept
• Mark Diamond - Photos
• Mark Paternostro - Cover Art
• Bob Heimall - Art Direction
• Michael "Ibo" Cooper - Clavinet, Keys, Prophet 5, Vox, Funde Drum (The Alley Cats, Inner Circle, more)
• Stephen "Cat" Coore - Bass, Vox, Harmonica, Guitar, Synth, Tubular Bells (The Alley Cats, Inner Circle more )
• Richie Daley - Guitar, Cowbell, Backing Vox, Bass (Tomorrow's Children, Blaze, Derrick Harriott, Ras Eliebank, Black Market Rhythm Band, Jimmy Tucker, AJ Brown, Foundation, Earth Messengers, Bob Marley & Wailers, Candy McKenzi)
• Irvin "Carrot" Jarrett - Golbell, Conga, Cowbell, Backing Vox, Akete drum, Bell Chimes, Tambarine, Quaker Drum, Open End Spanners, Bongas, Bell of Three, Wood Claps (Inner Circle, The Wailers Band, NDTC Singers, Bob Andy, I Kong, Jimmy Tucker, AJ Brown, Judy Mowatt, Joe Higgs, Peter Broggs, Jampara, National Dance Theater Co of Jamica, Toots & the Maytals, Candy McKenzie, Bunny Rugs)
• Willie Stewart - Drums, Wood-ago-go-bell, Roaring Thunder, Tympani, Traps, Funde Drum, Timbales, Bottle of Green, Wood Claps, (Inner Circle, Blaze, Barry Biggs, T. Brothers, Pablo Moses, Jimmy Tucker, Cynthia Schloss, Gregory Isaacs, Lloyd Parks, Man of Nobility Ensemble, Marcia Griffiths, Earth Messengers, Ras Elibank, Karen Smith, Dawn Penn, Wailing Souls, Natalia Beylis, Paula Clarke, Delroy Wilson, The Jamaicans)
• William "Bunny Rugs" Clarke - Vox, Guitar, Cabassa (Inner Circle, Bunny & Ricky, Bush Weed & Corn Trash, Hugh Hendricks & the Buccaneers, Candy McKenzie)
• Valerie Von Pechy - Whitcup-Harp (Rosewater Blue, Billion Dollar Band, Peter Brown, KC & the Sunshine Band, Passion, Michael Blate, Raul Di Blasio)

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, but it looks like it will be straight up Reggae made to heal the world. Like the matching white outfits.

Album Review: While the album does have many reggae vibes, much of the production, sound and vocal performances are more in line with straight up smooth R&B, and dip a toe into disco on some of the tracks (Dancing on the Floor). "Who Gave You" sounds a little like Elvis Costello's "Ship Building" or "Almost Blue."
With  over 47 years (1973 formation) and 9 Grammy nominations, Third World is one of the longest lasting reggae bands of all time, often blending/fusing reggae with R&B, Funk, Pop and Rap, giving them cross-genre appreciation. Their biggest success was in '78 with their cover of the O'Jays "Now That We Found Love," which was the basis for the Heavy D's 1991 cover. This album was their first with Columbia after leaving Island records. Both Rugs & Carrot have passed away in 2014 & 2018 respectively, but the band still records and performs.

Stand Out Track: Rock the World

Links:

Youtube full album

Website
Wiki

Discogs

Allmusic

Facebook

Jamaicans.com

Caribbean National Weekly
William Clarke Obit
S. FL Caribbean News
Third World Sound Cloud

Pinchers With Pliers - s/t

Name: Pinchers with Pliers
Album: s/t
Year: 1988
Style: Reggae
Similar Bands: Marley, Black Stalin, Peter Tosh
"One-Word" Review: Smooth Breezy Relaxation
Based Out Of: Kingston, Jamaica
Label: Black Scorpio Records, VP Records

Cover & Record

Back & Record

Pinchers with Pliers (1988)

1. Increase Your Knowledge 3:36 (listed as track 2)
2. The Sun is Shining in My Life 3:36
3. Rise and Fall 3:48 (listed as track 5)
4. Crazy 3:35 (listed as track 3)
5.  Here I Come Again 3:31  (listed as track 4)/ 
6. Sweet Sweet 3:30
7. Who's There 3:56
8. Whispers in the Dark 3:51
9. Love Up Mi Bonify 3:46
10. Bias Them Bias 3:09

Album Rating (1-10): 6.5

Members & Other Bands:

• Pinchers (Delroy Thompson)- Vox (Sly & Robbie, Jackie Mittoo, Robbie Lyn)
• Pliers (Everton -Bonner) - Vox (Chaka Demus, Blues Melody)
• Jack Scorpio
• Maurice Johnson - Arranged and Produced
• Clieve Brownie - Rhythm Tracks, Drums, Bass (Steely & Clevie, The In Crowd, The Music Works Crew)
• Winston Wright - Bass, Drums (many) 
• Steele (Wycliffe Johnson) - Bass (many)
• Dwight Pinkney - Lead Guitar (Gifted Roots band, Singers & Players, Ring Craft Posse, Roots Radics, Sharks, Yardbeat, Zap Pow)
• Lascelles Beckford - Guitar (Gregory Isaacs, General Trees)
• Asher (Tony Brissett) - Synth (Hi-Times Band/Players)
• Robbie Lyn - Synth (Sound Dimension, Music Works Crew, Now Generation, Ring Craft Posse, Word, Sound & Power)
• Scully (Noel Simms) - Percussion (many)
• Sky Juice (Christopher Blake) - Percussion (Channel One All Stars, Roots Radics)
• Junior - Engineer
• Mikey Riley - Engineer
• Chris - Engineer
• Mervin - Engineer
• Bagga Case - Design & Art

Unknown-ness: Never heard of this band, but i am guessing it is going to be some reggae / calypso based on the pics  and addresses on the back.

Album Review: So this is basically a Reggae split, with Pinchers on the A side, and Pliers on the B side. Neither artist had huge success, but this is a nice, relaxing & pleasant record.

Stand Out Track: Here I Come Again - Pinchers
Love Up Mi Bonify - Pliers

Links:
Discogs
Pinchers WIKI
Pliers WIKI

Clint Eastwood & General Saint - Two Bad D.J.

Name: Clint Eastwood & General Saint
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 & Record

Two Bad D.J. (1981)

1. I Can't Take Another World War 3:19
2. Another One Bites the Dust 3:46
3. Talk About Run 4:18
4. Sweet Sweet Matilda 4:07
5. Special Request to All Prisoner 3:46/
6. Dance It Have Fe Nice 3:31
7. Gal Pon the Front Line 3:32
8. Jack Spratt 2:59
9. Tribute to General Echo 3:38
10. Hey Mr D.J. 3:22

Album Review (1-10): 6.5

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
Allmusic album
C.E. Allmusic
G.S. Allmusic
Reggae CD Shop
Strictly Vibes
Wiki
reunited announcement
Myspace