MOG

An England Story
From Dancehall To Grime: 25 Years Of The MC In The UK
1983-2008

 

The title of this beautiful collection is the first sign that we're dealing with a well-researched music anthology. I half expected it to come with its own Dewey Decimal code or Library of Congress number! Besides being a historic document, An England Story is clearly a labor of love for the music contained within and the rich musical heritage represented by this collection. I bought it on vinyl — 2 Volumes, each with 2 records wrapped inside of gatefold sleeves — a real treasure! Each sleeve opens to a full 25-inch width, filled with photos, interviews, lyrics, stories and more. The liner notes tell a tale of musical influences passed from the streets of Jamaica to the transplanted studios in England and back again to the island, with an endless volley of hits that broke on both sides of the pond.

The liner notes (and the compilation itself) are like a giant "thank you" card composed by Gervase de Wilde and Gabriel "Heatwave" Myddelton to their musical heroes. The music spans about 25 years or so and includes tracks by Roots Manuva, Estelle, Riko, Warrior Queen, Tippa Irie, General Levy, and Heatwave, all of whom I've been posting about in '08; plus London Posse, Suncycle, Top Cat, Tenor Fly, Papa Levi, Jah Screechy, Joni Rewind, Blak Twang and more!! (Wait til you hear "Uptown Top Rankin' " with Estelle and Joni Rewind - soooo sweet!)

Because of the ground this compilation covers and the diversity of artists, I decided to write this review in 2 parts, one for each volume. Here is Volume 1:

The album starts off strong with one of the most IRIE songs I've ever heard. The title track, "England Story" by YT, sums up the spirit of the compilation: a tribute to Jamaican-British musicians and their influence on England's music scene for a few generations. In just under five minutes, YT pays respect to Top Cat, Jah Shaka ("The mighty Jah Shaka in a class of his own"), David Rodigan, General Levy, Saxon 5 (Tippa Irie, Papa Levi, Daddy Colonel, Rusty, Sandy), Macka B, Tenor Fly, Ragga Twins, Smiley Culture, Asher Senator, Coxsone posse, and more! For an idea of what YT sounds like, I'd say Jahdan from Brooklyn has a similar sounding voice and style, especially in "Brooklyn Anthem" with 77Klash and Matt Shadetek. (And as further proof of how deep the influence goes, there's also a jungle remix of "England Story" here.)

This is the closest thing to the raw audio I could find:

"A lot of big sound come out of England, me have to Big Up each and every foundation."

Next up, Suncycle with "Somebody" on the Coolie Riddim, one of the most famous and recognizable riddims around the world:



I'd heard "I Am Somebody" plenty of times before, but I'd always thought it was a riddim melody — different cuts on the same riddim played smoothly in succession; common with dancehall riddims. (And there are a LOT of different tunes on the Coolie riddim!) "Somebody" (as it's called on this album) is followed by an old skool style grime riddim with straight dancehall vocals by Doctor & Davinche titled "Gotta Man," despite the fact neither actually say the phrase in the song. You know the story: guy hits on girl, girl blows him off, guy points out girl isn't wearing a ring, girl says she's happy with the man she has, guy says he'd make her happier and put a ring on that finger, girl still blows him off, guy tries to convince girl that she can't stand the stress, girl goes home to the man she has. If you didn't speak English at all, "Gotta Man" would sound similar to Dizzee Rascal's duet "I Luv You" but the story is opposite (gyal says she got no man, guy says he got no gyal, it's a match made in heaven once they finally convince each other there's no other men/gyals). There's no Youtube for Doctor & Davinche's tune, but you can hear Dizzee's hit here.

Beep - Flip over Record 1 now.

Listening to the tracks in order doesn't offer a smooth transition, neither sonically nor chronologically as far as I can tell. I'm not sure what the order is, or if there needs to be one. This album works just as well on shuffle as straight through from what I can tell. The older tunes have a certain smoothness and conservatism that sets them apart from the newer, bolder, more bass-heavy tunes. The Jamaican patois that was so distinctive in tunes of the ‘70s and ‘80s becomes less prevalent in the hits of the ‘80s and ‘90s which bear a more consistent mix of British, patois and street dialect that's been acquired by later generations of MCs. This follows other transitions as well, particularly in the late ‘80s as studios incorporated more digital instrumentation and all kinds of technology became more accessible to the average kid. These days, it's pretty easy to find a working computer on the curb, free to anyone willing to carry it off. Those computers are more than able to run a music program and record at the same time. I bet most of them even have CD burners these days, so it's not too shocking that the voice of the urban youth in England developed its own sound that grew stronger and stronger. Not to mention, those kids — growing up in the ‘80s and ‘90s — were part of the first generation of British-born Jamaicans, imbued with a rich Caribbean heritage but fully immersed in English culture. Tricky addresses this directly with Massive Attack's "Blue Lines" when he says, "English upbringing, background Caribbean" (quoted in the liner notes of this album). These kids grew up listening to Jamaican deejays and Jamaican-English MCs alike; they attended dances called "shebeens" (or "shebang"?) which would be the blueprint for raves, music festivals and soundsystem culture of the ‘90s and ‘00s, up to today.

Unlike the liner notes, I should keep this as brief as possible! On to side 2 of Volume 1:

Ty & Roots Manuva open up side 2 with "So U Want Morre (Refix)," which is Ty's 2004 hit, "Oh You Want More" with a new twist. Here's the refix, as heard on the album:



Then it's back to roots for a moment, with Papa Levi's BIG CHUNE — "My God My King" on a heavy riddim featuring bass guitar and dubbed out drums, Sly & Robbie style! This is the kind of tune you want to hear on the biggest, bassiest speakers you can, coz that bass guitar is so sultry. One of England's most notorious MCs meets us halfway between roots and grime on the final track of Volume 1: "Bump and Grind." The Tenor Fly tune was first released in 1994, but features oh-so-‘80s synthesizers on a dancehall beat, with an RnB-tinged chorus. Tenor Fly's accent is a bit more English than Jamaican, but he has a "Ruff Neck Fashion" like Burro Banton or Buju. Plus, he cut his teeth with Coxsone before cutting tunes alongside dubplate killas Super Cat, Barrington Levy and Daddy Freddy. Tenor Fly was one of the first MCs to record vocals specifically for jungle tunes (after General Levy of course) and he's still on fire in '08, voicing hits on reggae riddims, drum and bass bangers and anything he wants I suppose. In 2005, the mega-smash-hit "Tarantula" turned Pendulum's expertly-crafted drum-n-bass sound into a SCORCHING club anthem and turned Tenor Fly into a household name, as well as a highly sought-after MC. "Tarantula" was HUGE on dancefloors around the globe and still causes mayhem in the dance to this day! Tenor Fly also continues to walk with one foot in heavy reggae roots and the other in the latest bass craze. No matter how far I look online, I can't find audio for "Bump and Grind," a song as sweet and homegrown as Jamaican sugarcane. So, in the spirit of England Story and the conclusion of Part 1 of this review, here is Tenor Fly and Pendulum with one of the finest bangers of the decade. After all, this review is as much about the music implied and referenced by this album as it is about the incredible selections actually included...

"Tarantula" (no official vid):


Damn I love how that intro turns into PURE FIYAH!! Songs like this make the transition from reggae to grime easier to comprehend too.

 

Here is the official album page on Soul Jazz Records

 

Here is Gabriel Heatwave's site with further background info and an audio mix of music from the album

Posted on 07/10/2008