Bunny Wailer,-the original namber of The Wailers,The BlackheartMan, his everlasting masterpiecesto be releasesd in limited vinyl pressings for the first time.
"The music is a river of conviction, flowing past sadness, pain, oppression and rejection into the hope of the glorious kingdom of Jah Jah." Jean Fairweather
Dub Store come forward with a further selection of seriously beautiful and impossibly rare Solomonic recordings from the early seventies showcasing the indomitable talent of Neville 'Bunny Wailer' Livingston. His debut solo album 'Blackheart Man' from the mid seventies is rightly regarded as one of the all time classics of roots reggae music but, during the same period, Bunny also produced a series of seven inch singles for his own Solomonic label that were every bit as good... sometimes even better... and these records have never been re-released in their original format. Until now that is. Here, with the music lovingly restored and displayed in superb reproduction sleeves and labels, Dub Store proudly present Bunny Wailer & The Wailing Wailers and some of the greatest reggae records ever created.
Bunny Wailer Free Giveaway!! Get free Bunny Wailer x Dub Store poster. Choose your prefarable free gift(s) while checkout. >> Free Giveaways List * Limited
quantity available. Not for sale.
Bunny Wailer poster 360 x 482mm
Bunny Wailer and The Wailers
In 1963, Bunny Wailer made his first debut at Sir Coxsone's Studio One with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh as a group called the Wailing Wailers. He was commonly credited as Bunny Livingston at that time.
After graduating Studio One in 1966, they formed their own independent label called Wail'N Soul'M and basically handled their career themselves. Later, they renamed the group and the famous Wailers embarked. Their prolific recordings were produced with Lee Parry and it undoubtedly led them to achieve a major breakthrough in Jamaican music industry and establish a world well known label Tuff Gong.
In 1973, after signing with Island Records, [Catch A Fire] album was released by the label CEO Chris Blackwell for the international market. Soon, the group became a Reggae superstar icon and toured all over the world. However, Bunny Wailer returned to Jamaica because he was pining for the lifestyle of his home country.
After returning to Jamaica, he started his solo career and released some recordings from his Solomonic imprint periodically. Island Records released his debut sophomore [Blackheart Man] album and he gained the recognition internationally as a solo artist. Although his Solomonic imprint continued until around 1990, many artists from 70's faced much difficulty to carry on their career during the period of the digital revolution, which occurred 1985. However; as a pioneer of the Jamaican music industry, It was not hard task for him to create the shockwave to young Dancehall listeners with his song 'Rule Dancehall' in 1987. Truly, he is the original member of The Wailers who has been leading the Jamaican music scene.
Dub Store Records Wail N Soul M / Solomonic Selection
"My music is classically reggae. Seen? Every song has its own message. It have fe have the music to fit the song. Well I try to do that..." Bunny Wailer
Neville 'Bunny Wailer' Livingston, last surviving member of the original Wailers, is, to use a much overused and abused term, a living legend. In 1974, just as Bob Marley & The Wailers were on the brink of international fame, Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh left the group. This single minded determination to avoid the obvious would first shape and then ultimately define their solo careers. After the collapse of their Wail N Soul M label in the late sixties the trio had established Tuff Gong and Bob Marley's records with the new Wailers would continue to be released on the label. Peter Tosh's solo recordings were released on Intel Diplo H.I.M. (Intelligent Diplomat For His Imperial Majesty) and Bunny's were issued on the Solomonic label (as a mark of respect to the dynasty of Emperor Haile Selassie I) demonstrating their unwavering commitment to the Rastafarian faith.
Bunny had sung lead on a number of Wailers releases at Studio One including the ska into rocksteady classics 'Let Him Go (Rude Boy Get Bail)' and 'I Stand Predominate'. He continued to do so after leaving Brentford Road in 1966 when the Wailing Wailers established their short lived, artistically successful but economically disastrous, Wail N Soul M label. The Wailers then moved on to work with Lee 'Scratch' Perry, The Upsetter, and, once again Bunny sang lead on some of their most memorable songs including his adaptation of 'Dreamland'. When the Wailers were signed to Chris Blackwell's Island label Bunny came through with 'Pass It On' and 'Hallelujah Time' but it was not until he began recording for Solomonic that he was able to fully explore his own vision and his own highly individual artistic direction.
The early releases on Solomonic were not easy to locate at the time of first release and have become the stuff of legend over the ensuing thirty five years. They are now highly prized (and consequently highly priced) collectors items. Up until Dub Store Records' remarkable coup in licensing this selection for re-release none were available on any format.
Harry Hawks 2009 August, London
Part 3 Releases 2013.12.00 Releases!
DSR-NL7-012
Battering Down Sentence - Wailers
Version - Wailers
Battering Down Sentence - Wailers
Version - Wailers
One of the many spiritual and cultural classic lyrics that Bunny Wailer has written, and this is an exclusive single take.
The lyrics - written soon after he was arrested due to the possession of Marijuana, can be heard as “Fight Against Conviction” on one of the most important roots reggae album to date, Blackheart Man, although this recording is an early take released in 1974 by the Wailers.
A classic Rasta Man song sung by Bunny Wailer, the most devoted Rastafarian out of all the Wailers.
This unforgettable Rasta Man Anthem was released just before one of the most important roots reggae album to date, Blackheart Man dropped.
Unlike the original release, this single take is backed with a dub cut.
In 1966, Bunny Wailer started singing spiritual lyrics before anyone else, and this masterpiece he sung about returning to Africa was written while he was still recording for Studio One.
Although it was originally recorded for Studio One, it has never seen the day of light.
Then Lee Perry recorded it again and released in 1971.
This particular take was recorded especially for the album in 1976 and released from Island Records UK as a single.
'Life Line' a gentle, haunting love song showcasing Bunny's sublime vocals over a subtle, restrained rhythm encapsulates in just over two minutes more than many lesser artists manage to express over an entire double album.
Big Youth’s plea for tolerance and understanding, one of his two essential cuts of Bunny’s 'Bide Up', was originally released as a double sided single and is one of the hardest to find records on the Solomonic label.
Search no more…
Prophetic, thought provoking and deeply disturbing Bunny pulls no punches on this release… nearly thirty five years later very little has changed.
The chilling version echoes and expands the theme.
A radically different take to one of the standout tracks on 'Burnin' the final Wailers album to feature the original line up of Bob, Peter & Bunny.
The lyrics are profound without a hint of pretension "Be not selfish in your doing…" and the rhythm runs at a sprightlier pace than the album version.
A third version exists with Bob Marley taking the opening verse but this is surely the definitive cut of a truly classic song.
"Live for yourself you will live in vain…"
Tread Along Version - Bunny Wailer, Wailing Wailers
Tread Along - Bunny Wailer, Wailing Wailers
Tread Along Version - Bunny Wailer, Wailing Wailers
One of the rarest records on the Wail N Soul M label and one that Bunny in later years would interpret as a conscious rather than a lascivious lyric.
The first and only release on the label to acknowledge a late sixties trend and come replete with an instrumental 'version' on the B-side where the rhythm, with its subtle nyahbinghi drums, stands proud.
'Feel Alright', a tune that charts the transition from rocksteady into reggae, is a version to James Brown's 'There Was A Time' adopted and adapted for Jamaican audiences over a dense choppy rhythm.
James Brown's influence on reggae has seldom been acknowledged but the 'hardest working man in show business' knew and understood all about the power of the groove and the importance of a strong rhythm track.
The B-side 'Instrumental' has caused Wailers scholars many a sleepless night as they strain to catch the snatches of vocals that have leaked on to the piano led rhythm for the full vocal to this backing track has never been released.
Now it's your chance to do the same!
Bunny Wailer, respectfully called “The Blackheart Man”, produced Johnny Scar’s one-off recording ‘United Africa’.
The mystic singer wrote this heavy roots song and sang with his unique chant like a voice of the roots reggae icon, Burning Spear.
And the song appeared as 12”on the Solomonic Production imprint in 1986.
Recorded in 1973 accompanied by the Wailers, this truly rare masterpiece was fronted by Don Hutson, an executive of the severe Rastafarian organization, Twelve Tribes of Israel.
Produced by former Jamaican National Football Team player, Allan ‘Skill’ Cole, it was released by Tuff Gong in 1973 and known as an extremely rare shot that collectors have been searching for all over the place.
This beautifully sparkling classic spiritual reggae piece is undoubtedly one of the top 10s released in 1973.
If you love reggae, we presume that you won’t be able to avoid this masterpiece.
The first release on Bunny's Solomonic label was the reflective and ambitious 'Search For Love' credited to 'Heat, Air & Water'.
Bunny sings this yearning song beautifully, the mournful horns play a variant on the traditional 'Waltzing Matilda' melody and an early incarnation of the I Threes provide the harmonious backing vocals.
Bunny followed 'Search For Love' with 'Bide Up' another emotional tour de force and with a message so different that it takes a while to fully assimilate.
He would later recut the song for his classic solo debut album 'Black Heart Man' but this is the original cut in all its glory.
The B-side features one of the two Big Youth versions to the song and the Youth is at his peak here as he reinforces Bunny's message with own his plea for greater understanding: "Be unto one another like a man to a brother…"
Anti-Apartheid - Peter Tosh, Solomonic Reggae Star
Solidarity - Solomonic Reggae Star
Anti-Apartheid - Peter Tosh, Solomonic Reggae Star
Solidarity - Solomonic Reggae Star
Peter Tosh was the first reggae artist to realise the limitless possibilities of the melodica (listen to the Wailers' first Tuff Gong release 'Sun Is Shining') and here he adds its haunting power to one of Bunny's best ever rhythms the prophetic 'Amagideon' from 'Black Heart Man'.
The melodica phrases and the subtle, restrained mixing on both sides of this single bring out all the brooding introspection and mystery in the track.
Bunny produced a string of hits during the dance hall explosion of eighties where, backed by The Roots Radics, he continued to show the new generation how it should be done.
The greatest of his dance hall style records was the self explanatory 'Rule Dance Hall' from 1987 originally released on the album of the same name and subsequently issued as a seven inch single.
"East, west north and south I rule the land.
I play original style while others play version…"
Bunny continued to release records throughout the seventies that were never less than excellent and, as the new decade got underway, he came forward with one of his best ever releases: the militant clarion call 'Rise And Shine'.
Stretched over two momentous sides of a UK twelve inch release, the record was a huge hit, but has been unavailable ever since.
Bunny returned to the song on his superb 'Liberation' album at the close of the decade but the original cut has remained one of the most in-demand records on the 'revival' circuit.
Briefly available on a 12" Island single in the UK to promote Bunny's 'Black Heart Man' album but this is the first time it has been coupled with the awesome Sylvan Morris and Karl Pitterson mixed dub version that first appeared on Bunny's criminally neglected 'Dub D'sco' album.
Here we have a totally different mix demonstrating the strength and ability of this authoritative rhythm to take any amount of interpretations.
'Amagideon' was also versioned by Augustus Pablo for his seven inch Message release 'Pablo's Armageddon'.
1. Anti-Apartheid
2. Solidarity
3. Arab Oil Weapon (12" Disco Mix)
4. Love Fire
5. Love's Version
At the same time that Neville ‘Bunny Wailer’ Livingston recorded his debut solo long playing masterpiece, ‘Blackheart Man’, he was also creating a series of singles for his own Solomonic label.
These records were every bit as good, at times even better, but they have never been released outside of Jamaica.
Until now…
1. Tread Along
2. Bide Up
3. Searching For Love
4. Must Skank
5. Life Line
At the same time that Neville ‘Bunny Wailer’ Livingston recorded his debut solo long playing masterpiece, ‘Blackheart Man’, he was also creating a series of singles for his own Solomonic label.
These records were every bit as good, at times even better, but they have never been released outside of Jamaica.
Until now…