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An early tune for up coming producer Jo Jo Hookim(Joseph Hookim), and his Channel One studio, 'Woman is like a Shadow' gave the Meditations a big JA hit selling several 10,000's of copies. Their first tune for artist & producer Dobby Dobson, 'Babylon Trap Them', (Wild Flower) set the tone of Rasta vibes and 'Running from Jamaica' (Double D) saw 'Danny Clarke & the Mediations' recording at Lee Perry's Black Ark Studio. Clarke had previously recorded with Perry at the controls when he was part of The Flames, in 1971.
The group went onto cut three singles for Perry in the final year of the Black Ark: 1978. 'Houses of Parliament','Think So' and 'No Peace' surfaced on the fine Black Ark Disco Bum label, with 'No Peace' telling the story of the virtual war on Kingston's streets. 1979 saw the single 'Miracles' issued on the 56 Hope Road based Tuff Gong label: one of very few artists to have their music issued by Tuff Gong. Indeed the Mediations provided Bob with backing vocals on 'Blackman Redemption' and 'Rasta Man Live it Up!' Perry also used them for backing vocals on his original cut of 'Natural Mystic' by Bob. They also handled backing vocal duties on Perry's classic set from The Congos 'Heart of the Congos'. The Mediations were hard-core Rasta's who'd managed to keep recording at the Ark, despite the growing madness at the studio.
Their debut album, 'Message from the Meditations' was released in 1977 in Jamaica and in 1978 in the US. A second album for Dobby Dobson, 'Wake Up' also found international distribution and the group were one of the top flight of 'Righteous Rastaman' vocal groups, with a strong following - especially in the US. Their standing in Jamaica earned them a place on the legendary 1978 'One Love Peace Concert' bill.
Unlike many similar groups they were able to adapt to the arrival of the Dance Hall beat in the early 1980's and continued to release, often self-produced, singles and several solid albums over the next few years. Their 1983 album 'No More Friend', with Linval Thompson at the controls, carried a fine contemporary sound courtesy of the Roots Radics and featured a reggae chart smash 'Carpenter Rebuild'.
In true Jamaican style their singles surfaced on assorted labels in JA and the UK but unusually, thanks to their US popularity, their music also surfaced on many labels in the States – where they enjoyed loyal support. Despite one member leaving for a few years, further albums and tours into the 1990's saw The Mediations continue their career into a second decade: unlikely survivors from the age of Deep Roots music. |
| Feb 16, 2011 (Jan 31, 2018 Update) Text by Jeremy Collingwood
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