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The Capitol Session '73
Barnes and Noble
The Capitol Session '73
Current price: $14.99
Barnes and Noble
The Capitol Session '73
Current price: $14.99
Size: CD
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In America in 1973, unless you were a serious music obsessive, chances were good you were not familiar with reggae music and hadn't heard of
. That said, the critical acclaim that greeted their first two albums for
,
and
, and the buzz generated by their first U.S. tour was starting to change that. Producer
was ahead of the curve; he was a fan after hearing
's early Jamaican releases, and his label
gave
their first American release, a single of their
-produced classic "Duppy Conqueror" in 1971 (though the label misspelled it "Doppy Conqueror"). When
were wrapping up an American tour in October 1973 with a pair of concerts in San Francisco,
invited them to play a private show in Los Angeles, booking the
recording studio, bringing in a camera crew to videotape the set, and inviting friends and fans to cheer on the band.
gives this performance its first authorized release after the long-lost tapes were rediscovered. It also captures
in a unique moment:
had quit, and
, who had mentored
in their early days, joined the tour to fill his spot in the harmonies. And though
was still on board, within months he'd leave to go solo.
preserves an evening where the original
fading out and
's era as unquestioned leader would soon begin, and one of the things most striking about this material is how strong
were as a band.
clearly had the voice and the charisma to be a frontman, but here he's fully integrated with the other musicians, and the vocal spots from
bring a welcome contrast, with
's ominous cool complementing
's warmth and passion.
's guitar work is equally strong here, and
's keyboards support the melodies while turning up the tension. The peerless rhythm section of
and his brother
is a model of sinewy, efficient groove, and while it takes a few songs for the band to fully hit their mark, by the time they swing into "Burnin' and Lootin'" and "Midnight Ravers," they sound unstoppable, and the finale of "Get Up, Stand Up" tells you all you need to know about why this band became legendary. The set list is also a welcome corrective to the overly simplified image of
as a ganga-fortified merchant of sunny vibes; despite the veneer of Rasta calm, this is music of protest, and all the more powerful for its rebellious heart. While 1975's
remains the definitive document of
on-stage,
is a welcome reminder of the joyous power of
, not just
, and it's a valuable addition to their catalog. ~ Mark Deming