Taken from Pressure Sounds excellent Eart and Stone compilation called Kool...(More)

Taken from Pressure Sounds excellent Eart and Stone compilation called Kool Roots. Pressure Sounds, 1996 orig. released 1978. http://www.reggae-reviews.com/earthstone.html It's hard to see why a talented group like Earth & Stone never achieved the level of success and notoriety that they deserved. Unique in the fact that they were a harmony duo (instead of a trio) who interchanged between lead and harmony vocals, Albert Bailey and Clifton Howell make their mark on the listener with heartfelt singing and well-crafted roots melodies. In this collection of tunes recorded at Channel One Studio for JoJo Hookim between 1973 and 1978, Earth & Stone display the range of their wonderful, emotive vocals, crooning militant tunes like "False Ruler" intermingled with dreamy, hopeful numbers like the "Satta Amassagana"-like "Holy Land of Home," alongside sorrowful tracks like the all-time classic "Jail House Set Me Free" (AKA "Jah Will Cut You Down," featured on Reggae's Greatest Hits Volume 4) and love songs like "That's the Way You Feel." Dub versions of all 10 tracks are included, and while they are solid, they aren't particularly necessary; the vocals are what make Earth and Stone stand out. Although, as the liner notes of Kool Roots state, little is known about Earth & Stone and what happened to them after 1978, fans of more legendary roots harmony groups of the '70s like The Mighty Diamonds, The Wailing Souls, and The Abyssinians should certainly check this album out. 1.False Ruler 2.Holy Land Of Home 3.Devil Must Of Made Of You 4.Free Black Man 5.Jail House Set Me Free 6.That's The Way You Feel 7.Don't Let Them Fool You 8.*In Time To Come 9.Three Wise Men 10.Once Bitten Twice Shy 11.Dub Ruler 12.Holy Land 13.Devil Wise 14.Black Roots 15.House Of Dub 16.Feelings 17.Jester Not 18.Future 19.Knowledge 20.Wiser Dub http://www.pressure.co.uk/item/PS11/ In the last half century the rapid development of Jamaican music has been subject to many different forces - social, political, cultural, and political, cultural and musical. Of all these influences that of American popular music has been one of the most signifigant. And so the sway of American popular music has continued through until the present day, with Jamaica mirroring many of the movements, innovations, styles and concerns of its larger neighbour. One such a movement was the emergence of the sound of Philadelphia, the musical bridge between Motown and disco, a brand of soul which tends not to receive proper critical respect-no doubt partly, but perversely, due to its commercial success. If the engine of the Philly sound was session band M.F.S.B. so the rhythm was driven for Channel One by the immortal Revolutionaries. And the sweet harmonies of ballad groups such as the Delphonics and the Stylistics surely had a direct effect on the Jamaican vocal groups of the same era, as is evidenced by the Channel One output of the Mighty Diamonds, the Rolands, the Wailing Souls, the Meditations, Black Uhuru, the Jays and Earth & Stone. In 1972 Earth & Stone made their way, like so many other Jamaican artists, down to Brentford Road to work up their skills at Studio One. In 1973 they progressed to Channel One where they began to record for Jo Jo and Ernest Hoo Kim. As was common for the time their material was a mix of lovers and roots but with the balance tipped to the cultural side. Between 1973 and 1978 tunes such as "Jah Will Cut You Down" and "Three Wise Men" became popular on Channel One's Hitbound imprint. The duo of Albert Bailey and Clifton Howell created their own unique vocal interchange sound, each taking turn at lead and harmony. The "Kool Roots" set was out initally in1978 and collates most of the group's songs for the label. It's unusual for the time in that the vocal and dub sets were released together in the UK by Cha Cha containing both albums within a gatefold sleeve, an expense not usually afforded for reggae release and even the artwork was above the usual standard. The Pressure Sounds re-issue of this reggae classic has the customary sleeve notes by Steve Barker and certain elements of the original artwork are utilised. There is an eight page full colour booklet with photographs from the period of both Earth & Stone and the Channel One studio.(Less)