I remember at the time of its release that many reviewers considered Bass Culture a slight disappointment because it didn't reach the highs of Forces of Victory. Granted, following up a record as great as Forces of Victory is no easy task, but all these years later I wonder what were people thinking. Bass Culture is tremendous, another successful collaboration between Johnson and Bovell with songs that are, at times, even more confrontational (e.g., "Inglan is a Bitch") than anything he   [ read more ]

CD $14.23

Probably the least essential of Linton Kwesi Johnson's recordings. It is what it says it is, an album of dub versions of songs from Forces of Victory and Bass Culture. As dub goes it's very good; Bovell acquits himself nicely as mixer and producer. This would be the last LKJ release for four years. ~ John Dougan, All Music Guide

CD $14.23

Between 1979 and 1984, Linton Kwesi Johnson unleashed four seminal albums on the Island label -- Forces of Victory, Bass Culture, LKJ in Dub, and Making History. This compilation draws crucial tracks from all four sets, as well songs off 12" singles. 1979's Forces and 1980's Bass are heavily represented, with their superb companion dubs appearing immediately after the vocal tracks. During these years Johnson's sound evolved, shifting from militant roots through an experimental    [ read more ]

CD $18.95

It's impossible to overestimate the impact that Dread Beat an' Blood had on the British scene. Its arrival had all the explosive power of a hydrogen bomb, detonating across the reggae, punk, and political scenes alike. By the time of its release in 1978, Linton Kwesi Johnson was already a major force within the West Indian community. A poet, with two books of collected poems to his credit, a respected journalist, and an ardent activist, Johnson had been involved in politics since his college   [ read more ]

CD $11.38

This single-disc, 13-song compilation is taken from Linton Kwesi Johnson's four 1979-1984 Island albums -- the same body of material, as it happens, that was the foundation of the far more extensive two-CD 1998 collection Independant Intavenshan: The Island Anthology. So the previous compilation is a sounder investment if you're heavily into the man, particularly as it has all but two of the tracks ("Action Line" and "Straight to Madray's Head," both of which are instrumentals) on {^Straight    [ read more ]

CD $14.23