Two big early digital 45's crossed off the wantlist. Both found cheap too, compared to online prices. I guess if you spend dozens of hours in Japanese record shops you're bound to come across a bargain or two (though most of my haul was more in line with going rates). These are personal favorites of mine, take a listen.

Here are a couple of nice rub a dub tunes from my recent trip to Japan. Nuff reggae shops all over the place there, I'll be posting some more clips and pictures soon . . .

One good thing about delving into digital tunes is discovering some of the great unheralded singers of reggae. Carl Meeks may be appreciated by soundsystem selectors and hardcore fans, but his talent deserves a bigger audience. Like all good Jamaican singers, he had a really original style to fit with his times. He takes the flattened Waterhouse-type vocal made famous by the likes of Don Carlos and Tenor Saw, and seems to stretch it out. He gives a chilling performance on perhaps his biggest tune, "We Dem Fah". On this "World And Its Problem", he is in a more conscious mode, but still sounds well bleak about the issues facing mankind. Even the scriptural reference is dark - "We're living in a world of Soddom and Gomorr - ow."

Which brings us to the powerful Wayne Smith tune, E20. The alpha-numeric title of the tune seems to go right along with the bleeps and blips depicted on the cover of the lp and lacing the album. Wayne Smith of course is most famous for coming up with the first computer riddim with his friend Tiger. Though best known for that achievement, his full-length lp featuring Sleng-Teng has several other wicked tracks to recommend it, including this one. Wayne busily quotes chapters from the good book while fending off heathens and badmen with the help of a frantic and catchy riddim. Here's proof that Wayne Smith deserves to be remembered for more than the one tune, Sleng-Teng, which helped launch the computerized era.

Summer's a good time for a pair of songs about, well, Young Gal Business, as Shaka puts it. I'm putting these up, especially Shabba's and Lovindeer's tune, as a cautionary tale to a certain friend who has recently met an overeager young woman. They also happen to be nice late 80's digi tunes built on heavy riddims (Mud Up in the case of Shaka). Woman a hunt!

Up this week are selections from two essential reggae albums, Joe Higgs' "Life Of Contradiction" and Tetrack's "Let's Get Started". Higgs labored quite a bit in the 70's in the background of numerous bigger stars, including Bob Marley, singing backup and writing songs. He never got the acclaim of someone like Toots Hibbert, who shares a similar rough-hewn voice and sound. He did manage to release this record in 1975 on Micron which serves as a monument to his talents.

Tetrack's "Let's Get Started" is a masterpiece of minor chords and perfect harmonizing over fiery Augustus Pablo riddims. It was released in 1980.

It was difficult to choose one track each from these lp's, but these two are among the best from two outstanding collections of tunes.

My favorite Prince Allah tune, produced by Bertram Brown of Freedom Sounds. Paired with a wicked Robert Ffrench Tune on Joe Gibbs that I just found. Each on 12" single followed by dubs.