Early K. Hudson gets re-release
justin d. baron | joplin, mo | 01/17/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a Trojan Fan Club release of Keith Hudson's long player entitled Entering the Dragon. If I remember right, this is his third LP following Furnace and Class and Subject.
Trojan's Fan Club series is focused on rare, obscure, and otherwise difficult-to-find releases. Most of Keith Hudson's output would have fallen into this category up until recently; fortunately there have been a steady stream of K. Hudson re-issues in recent memory, perhaps even contributing to the reissuing of the present album. It is preceded in the Trojan catalogue by the excellent "The Hudson Affair," a two-disc retrospective of K. Hudson sides.
Entering the Dragon will sound very familiar to listeners already familiar with K. Hudson productions. The practice of recycling rhythms is ubiquitous in Jamaican music, no more so than in Hudson's catalogue: present on this disc are many re-worked versions of his classics, demonstrating once again that a lot of mileage can be derived from even just one excellent groove.
Trojan has supplemented the thirteen tracks of the original release by filling the rest of the CD with tracks not previously compiled elsewhere. Among these, too, are some great songs (and further re-workings of classic Hudson rhythms).
The tracks on Entering the Dragon seem reflective of Hudson's earlier, Jamaican period of recording (i.e. pre- "Flesh of My Skin"). There are examples of the darker, more introspective Hudson productions to come, but also represented are songs in a classic Jamaican pop tradition. It is difficult to think of any Hudson vocal performances as "traditional"; it might be better to say that some of these vocals are as traditional as Keith Hudson can get. Filling it out are plenty of guest vocalists, providing some interesting moments (Bunny Gale's "In the Burning Sun" comes to mind).
For the Hudson fan or completist, this is essential. For those unfamiliar with Hudson, Trojan's "The Hudson Affair" or Basic Replay's "Flesh of my Skin" release would probably serve as a better introduction (not forgetting Blood and Fire's release of the excellent "Pick a Dub" for instrumental versions of many rhythms heard here!).
This may be difficult to obtain through Amazon, one would be better served to search via Trojan's site or through a reputable reggae distributor...."
PATCHY -- BUT HAS ITS MOMENTS
Red Eyes | 05/05/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"
"Entering the Dragon" is another release in the Trojan Fan Club Limited Edition Series.
"Rage of Love" sounds like an Impulse jazz label tune,fused with early Tubby's and a little soul. The mix is primitive, deep, with spiralling snare crack tone, and an eerie spliced vocal fading in and out of the mix.
"Man From Shooter's Hill" versions the vocal "Big Bad Boy", but with some quasi hard rock guitar floating through the mix, and the original jazz horns melody cutting in and out.
"War War" is yet another cut to the wondrous , dreamlike "Don't Think About Me/AKA I'm Alright/Melody Maker" -- the harmonica takes on a Delta blues heated swamp guise, the rhythm driven by a psychedelic ambience.
"You are Still a Little Girl Dub" sounds very similar to Dub Syndicate's "Pounding Systems: Ambience in Dub". The influence Keith Hudson had on early ONU Sound is apparent here in the massively amplified bass drum,roto tom, rim shots, spliced cymbal crashes and contrasting highs and lows.
The album features about sixteen bonus tracks -- The Viceroys "Jah Ho" with its pugnacious garage dub bass line is a high point, replete with its haunting folk history lyrics evoking imagery of horror, recounting the slave master's deeds in the burning sun.
On the down side, some of the vocals really grate on the senses,particularly on the sentimental soul tunes, and much of the DJ work here is fairly generic and unremarkable. However, these tunes represent the creative insights of mid to late 70's Rockers styles, and without these innovations, later dub wise would have had nothing to build on. The debt ONU owes to these tunes is particularly obvious.
True, "Entering the Dragon" is not as intense and fully realised as "Brand" or "Pick A Dub," neither does it reach the heights of "Flesh of My Skin", but it is still, in places, quite essential, innovative music.
"
Track Listings (30) - Disc #1