Great insight into the Blood & Fire catalogue. Like yourself I collected all the releases from 1994 on CD & some on vinyl, & being a resident of Manchester, U.K. the base & then home of B & F records, I was fortunate to pick up promo copies of the mentioned releases. I can only think of the great "Pressure Sounds" records who rank alongside B & F, & have over taken them as the No.1 reissue label of obscure Jamaican roots & dub music. Much respect...
Cheers! Were you ever on the Blood & Fire message board? Lucky to have the "home court" advantage with those promo copies...such a great label, I feel very fortunate to have been able to follow as each new release came out, bringing this long forgotten music back in the light. I hope to do a similar spotlight on Pressure Sounds at some point, thanks for watching!
No, never on the B & F message board. I used to pass their home address on Ducie Street, in city centre Manchester regular but never gave them a call. Such a shame lack of financies ended their operation. I'm sure they would have released many more great releases such is the depth of Jamaican music. The 'Heart of the Congoes' album, which I have on original vinyl, I would rate as one of the greatest albums of all time in any genra of music. I purchased three times from B & F...One was the regular CD release, one was in a booklet form, the third was printed on a limited edition white cover. Looking forward to your 'Pressure Sounds' spotlight...
Going way back to the beginning of my channel here! Maybe one day I'll have to do an updated version, a big part of my future musical tastes and direction was formed with B&F...
@@FatCityVinyl I would love if u update it, above all, with B&F releases post 2014 til now...congrats for your work I love your channel, learn a lot with you!!
@@ivang.grajalesmelian7150 Thank you! Much appreciated 🙏Someday I will update it...does get a bit confusing in more recent years with B&F titles reissued but with new titles and artwork...was just listening to Dub In The Roots Tradition again yesterday, so good...
@@FatCityVinyl Understand perfectly, at least with just the new new ones, 'cause the reissues its too much...that Scientist album its the best above all!!!!
Wow love this video. I'm a huge fan of blood and fire and remember getting Heart of The Congos for Christmas when I was 14 and just loved it from the first listen. So many crucial releases and so many artists I deiscovered through their releases, I have a bunch on cd but unfortunately none on vinyl. Really sad when they stopped, and many thanks to Steve Barrow for all the work he did.
Wow, Heart Of The Congos at 14!!! I don't think I would have "gotten" it then. For a while I used to play it to see who would respond to it and who would be like "what is this stuff?"...I have been kicking myself for years for not buying the vinyl at the time, I don't see them often but pick them up when I do. Truly some groundbreaking work B&F did representing all this music for a whole new generation...thanks for your comment, cheers!
Yes B&F was a huge influence on the younger generation of the time, reintroducing some crucial roots and dub. I pratically feel I learn all about reggae through the well-written liner notes of Steve B. Plus the sound quality was flawless and the presentation was classy and modern. The Dennis brown Promised land was a big one for me as all that was available for us on cd at the time was some of his lesser 80's work. Their edition of Congo Ashanti off course. Yabby you Jesus Dread is one of the essentials. Another reissue label I will miss is Makasound, they did put out an impressive catalogue (winston mc anuff stuff from the 70's, Mighty trees, Inna de Yard series, ...). Auralux too did some great job with their releases. Hope to see a video on pressure sounds perhaps. Very happy to see a youtuber focusing on reggae with good taste and impecable knowledge on the subject. Thanks for your videos and looking forward to see some more of heavyweight stuff^^
Pressure Sounds is one of the labels I have in mind to do in future...a lot of records and CD's to pull out though! Yes I feel that was really a golden era of reggae reissues, so many labels putting out some top notch quality releases. Lots of good stuff now too, loads of rarities coming out but more on the singles side of things. As well as Steve's liner notes the Blood & Fire forum was a fountain of information as well and B&F management was very involved, they would pop in and make comments and keep the fans up to date on what was going on. Thanks for the comments, much more reggae content to come, cheers!
Great video, mate! I've found a couple more of releases from Blood and fire: "X-Ray music, a Blood and fire dub directory" released as promotional compilation in 1999 "Dubwise and otherwise, a Blood and fire audio catalogue" released 1997 BFCDS 903 Also there are one Cd and some 10" credited as "Select cuts from Blood and fire" including remixes of some classic tunes.
Thanks! Yes those were samplers - I showed the 2 Heavyweight one which I believe had some tracks not available on the regular releases but for the most part I wasn't too concerned with picking those up. I did see the Singerman CD used recently which I was tempted to buy as it was the last full length release but again as far as I'm aware it just included tracks culled from the existing B&F catalogue. Thanks for watching!
The "select cuts" albums were from the Select Cuts label (www.discogs.com/label/2482-Select-Cuts). That was the first time I'd heard of B&F and it compelled me to check out the original reissues (and the rest is history). I'd be curious about the B&F-Select Cuts arrangement (I haven't checked their message board).
I don't remember hearing too much about the Select Cuts relationship - I knew they were samplers from the individual releases so I didn't pay them much mind at the time. First B&F I ever bought (which I probably mentioned in the video) was Heart Of The Congos, the cover art caught my eye in my local HMV - what an introduction to the label!
Great upload.. I'm really lucky to have collected most of the blood & fire catalogue over the years. Consistently brilliant releases.. Keep up the good work.. Best wishes from London, England
A fantastic catalogue of music, each successive release seemed to be something totally new to me in those days...first full length Yabby You music I heard was from their release of Prophecies Of Dub just for one example...cheers and thank you!
Appreciate all the work you put into each release Steve - those were great times indeed! Thanks for checking out my little tribute, cheers (PS. I was/am Ital Dokta on B&F)...
PANEEKS1960: in reply to question you asked below, all Yabby You's work was mixed at King Tubby's, either by KT himself [Prophecy of Dub for sure] and latterly by [then] Prince Jammy
Doug, I don't envy you the task of putting all those CD's back on the shelf. An excellent crash course in Blood and Fire. You and I have chatted about the Heart of the Congos before. I also have Horace Andy, King Tubby, Burning Spear, Max Romeo and Dennis Brown in my CD collection, though sadly nothing on vinyl. I kept pausing your video to go and price stuff up on Amazon, and a lot of the CD's you showed are very expensive...the Jabby You Jesus Dread album is priced at over £1000 on vinyl!! Guess I'll have to shop around if I want to fully explore this label! The Keith Hudson album Pick A Dub appears to now be available as a 2016 edition with a different cover (a Rasta sat under a palm tree smoking a bit spliff). I assume it's the same album? Nice work!
It was a bit of a job, I did have some second thoughts about the whole idea...just wait until I do my future videos on a couple of labels who had a much longer run! I may have to show only a representative selection. Cameron was mentioning the prices of some of those out of print titles - I haven't kept up with them as from Heart Of The Congos on I was buying most of them new. As I said to him, for several years many of those titles would show up at remaindered prices - sad to see them going for collectors prices which will in no way benefit the artists, a key point of Blood & Fire's business model was to ensure that the originators of the music they released were paid fairly, a rarity in the world of reggae. That amount for Yabby You seems truly out of this world, I'm sure Heart Of The Congos is more attainable. The palm tree cover on Pick A Dub is the original version - there have been a couple of reissues of it more recently including a new edition from VP Records including the vocal versions - I am somewhat tempted to pick that up though VP's reputation for quality is not great these days. Cheers James, thanks for watching!
I started watching this one this morning Doug and it got late so I had to split. Along with a few problems with my oil fired boiler it was not the greatest Monday morning to wake up to. I should add a brand new boiler that I just got a few weeks ago. I am praying that it is just a few tweaks that they have to correct. They do not make anything like they used to. Except for vinyl that is. {smile} What a great overall look at Blood & Fire. I have to tell you that I was familiar with Blood & Fire but never really looked into their catalog. So they basically release a lot of lost reggae gems that are now hard to find? What a great idea to release these albums again so that a lot of reggae fans both young and older can enjoy them. Are most of the these original albums hard to find on vinyl?.> Do you know if 'Dub Gone Crazy' was released on vinyl? > That King Tubby's Prophesy Of Dub / Yabby You sounds cool. Now is King Tubby on that album? I remember seeing quite a few artists that he teamed up with. I have 'Meets Rockers Uptown' which is killer. The Willie Williams must be good if you grabbed it on both formats. I tell you, this was one of your most essential videos for anyone who wants to see out some essential reggae music. Fantastic. I am heading over to check out their site now. Thanks so much for doing this one Doug. Man did I enjoy it~ Rob/Boston
I'm not sure they do make vinyl like they used to Rob, I see a lot of complaints in the VC about the quality of the newer pressings! Bummer about the boiler - these things always seem to break down in winter when you need them don't they. Yes, Blood & Fire was a reissue label where Steve Barrow - who had been a reggae collector and historian since the 1970's when many of these recordings came out - used his in depth knowledge to rerelease rare and hard to find albums and put together new compilations of old music with attention to sound quality, better artwork, liner notes and above all to pay the original artists and producers fairly for their work - many of these famous singers made their records and never saw more than a pittance if that at the time. As I said, a whole new generation of fans like myself got turned on to all this music we would never have heard of otherwise through Blood & Fire reissues. Yes both those dub sets are mixed by King Tubby and both on vinyl - unfortunately it is kind of rare to see ANY Blood & Fire titles for sale on vinyl. Many are online but sometimes for expensive prices - let me tell you I have been kicking myself for years for not buying both formats at the time they came out! A couple of the later titles like Willi Williams I was able to pick up relatively inexpensively on vinyl but I missed all the early ones except the odd one I have come across more recently at record fairs or what have you. Oh and by the way Rob - that reggae vinyl collection I mentioned missing out on in my comment on your last video - I totally misread the situation and last week I was able to pick up the whole haul! Some good stuff in there for sure - coming in a future video of course. Take care Rob!
Reply from the man Steve Barrow himself Rob: "Steve B5 hours ago PANEEKS1960: in reply to question you asked below, all Yabby You's work was mixed at King Tubby's, either by KT himself [Prophecy of Dub for sure] and latterly by [then] Prince Jammy"
I was steadily collecting Blood and Fire CDs. I have most of the early ones. Including the 6 sampler CDs Heavyweight Sound /2/3 , Dubwise &Otherwise/2., and XRay Music. I should have got more of their CDs when i had the chance.
I never got too many of the sampler ones unless I heard afterward that there were exclusive tracks not found elsewhere...otherwise I was steadily buying each new release as they came out. Actually have the LP of U Brown - Train To Zion on the way now, still adding the odd vinyl version once in a while when the opportunity comes up. Someone sent me some original posters and ephemera a few years back as well, I should probably do an update to this video one day...
man o man... beauty. killed me Everytime u popped the accompanying vinyl out. BnF covers are all top notch..VP reissue covers a bit let down (Horace Andy's in the light).. and BNFs dedication to pay the artist .. respect! great vid Doug. now I just gotta dig out my BF releases n spin em
I've been kicking myself for years for buying the CD's and not the vinyl at the time! Picked up what I can on wax the last few years but you don't see them around too much. Haven't picked up any of the VP reissues yet but I can imagine they would be a bit cheaper looking. Think I will hold out for the B&F issues if possible (though that Pick A Dub/Vocal one has got me tempted)...
Another very informative and comprehensive video! I have the Go Beat vinyl version of Heart of the Congos - extra classic! That Yabby You looks like the one to get...I used to have the vinyl of Deliver Me..
Very nice Mark - a friend of mine in town has the original Upsetter edition - I've never even seen it, one of his "holy of holies" I think. I'd be more than happy with the B&F edition myself! The Yabby You is going for some shocking prices right now people are telling me. Did you have the original of Deliver Me? I was able to pick up the B&F issue quite reasonably priced when it was relatively recent. Cheers!
Blood & Fire Records: www.bloodandfire.co.uk/db/viewforum.php?f=1 Follow me on Facebook (facebook.com/fatcityvinylmusicblog/) and Instagram (instagram.com/fatcityvinyl/) for more updates!
Great video about the best reissue label for reggae. I have quite a few myself and really enjoyed your insights. My favourite release was Keith Hudson's Pick A Dub - sublime. Heart of the Congos is also a special release. I will show my LPs at some point. A sadly missed label and only Pressure Sounds came close. Steve Barrow has worked so hard to preserve the legacy of so many artists and always used to reply to my emails about the reissues. They had a great sound system as well with many artists appearing. Cool vid.
Pick A Dub was just recently reissued by VP Records in an expanded edition - building on Blood & Fire's work I'm sure as they have been doing with some other releases based on the B&F catalog. The great thing about the B&F guys was the accessibility, Steve in particular used to comment in the forum quite a bit and was always available for questions or info. Pressure Sounds while also a great label (and I'm past due in getting to a similar video on them) never had that close a relationship with their audience. Thanks for commenting, cheers!
Cheers - I think I will pick up the Keith Hudson reissue. There is so much great reggae that remains unissued - especially Heptones , Gaylads to name just a few. Go for it with your Pressure Sounds - I will dig mine out at some point. Lee Perry's Voodooism was a big fav of mine. Have good weekend.
Voodooism is terrific, one of the early Pressure Sounds releases I picked up. I will get going with a video soon I think. Heartbeat is another label I want to get to at some point. I have several by the Heptones on both CD and vinyl but just recently picked up my first Gaylads album on vinyl - I actually just filmed a video yesterday showing it. Cheers!
Your very informative video sent me to Amazon.ca to see what is available. I was surprised - and sad - to see that most CDs on the label are considered collectables that sell for 50 dollars and up. Thanks for sharing your collection with us!
That is strange and a little sad - considering much of Blood & Fire's raison d'etre was to promote fair business dealings in regard to the remuneration of the original artists and producers and those collectible prices will not benefit any of the music's originators. For years several of these titles would show up at discounted prices, as well. I'm still kicking myself for not picking up more on vinyl at the time, so now I grab them when I see them, which is not terribly often though...
Reggae is a bit of a mystery to me. I have a number of the Trojan boxsets, but they only cover Ska and Rock Steady, and Jimmy Cliff is a firm favourite. Sounds like Blood and Fire records are worth looking out for. As if I need another musical genre to start collecting. It's interesting that you've done a video focusing on a record label, my next one is going to be a love letter to the insurgent country label Bloodshot Records. Going to be a lot of CDs in that video!
I think the humble, long denigrated CD is due for a reappraisal and revaluing. Shame the vinyl community doesn't seem too excited to see them, well not yet at least. Blood & Fire was founded on the principle of paying the original artists and producers fairly (something not always common in reggae), so you always knew your money was benefitting the originators directly. Trojan's glory years were largely in that ska/rocksteady/early reggae period so they have had a tendency to repackage the same material over and over. Cannot say I have heard of Bloodshot Records, I will have to look out for that video. Cheers Hedley!
I was interested to hear you say Mick Hucknall had a hand in the formation of the label. The blue eyed soul singer is widely derided for his bland pop-soul and his ginger dreads. I'm guilty of this myself, so it's embarassing to hear he is partly responsible for Reggae artists finally getting their dues. It reminds of UB40, they similarly are not looked at in the UK as having a musical integrity, but I understand that in Jamaica they are given far more respect. There are many artists who finally got royalties for their songs when they were covered by the band.
The artist Lord Creator reportedly was able to buy a house off the royalties from UB40 covering his song Kingston Town. They don't seem to get the same respect other British reggae groups of the time got, I'm not particularly a fan of the later, Red Red Wine material but I think their early efforts are pretty strong and credible releases. Hucknall helped start up Blood & Fire and provided a cash infusion that kept the company afloat on at least one occasion from what I recall when they were in dire financial straits; say what you like about either of these acts' own musical output but they were clearly true fans themselves who set out to give something back to their own inspirations.
I stumbled upon your video (and apparently I hit a gold mine - thanks!) while searching for Blood & Fire releases. The label is mentioned in the book about Mick Hucknall/Simply Red I'm reading. Yes, he started the label and supported it financially for all the reasons you already mentioned.
What book is that? I'd be interested to see what it says about his involvement in Blood & Fire. Still need to get organized and do a follow up video on the Pressure Sounds label...thanks for your comment!
Such a magnificent album...I would love to own an original one day but doubt it will happen the way prices are going...even the Blood & Fire edition is getting out of reach unfortunately...in a recent video I showed some old catalogues and memorabilia that someone sent me from Blood & Fire, Pressure Sounds etc., you could get Heart Of The Congos for $10 or so when new...I did pick up the Go Feet version a year or two back, listening to that really took me back to that magical moment of putting the B&F CD on for the first time!
Great label, so sad when they ended their operation, I also collected all their releases...Pressure Sounds are the only label currently who continue to release quality roots/dub & obscure jamaican releases, not on a regular basis, but when they do definiately worth collecting. Great video...
Thank you! Yes a great label that did a lot to raise the quality of reggae and make it more respected as a genre...big up to Pressure Sounds, I did do a video on them as well, they’ve slowed down in recent years but still putting things out, new release coming in October that looks nice...
@@jahlincoln3618 It's called When Jah Shall Come...70's Bunny Lee business...found an advance listing: www.clear-spot.nl/item/498510/various_when_jah_shall_come.html
Great vid, thanks for sharing your insights on the B&F label! I've been a collector (all CD) since the late 90s and have loved every release. Between the artwork, liner notes (historical perspectives, recent interviews), and superb remastering, B&F's (= Steve Barrow's) work hasn't been matched (as much as I enjoy the Pressure Sounds re-issues/compilations). For those on Spotify, I've attempted to compile as many of the B&F releases available there into a playlist: open.spotify.com/user/gc1975/playlist/2oUfKt5dsB1oY6goiqFR5j
Thanks for your comment! I am now finding myself in the position of buying the B&F releases (again!) on vinyl when I get the chance. If you are on Facebook Steve & Dom have started a new page (posting artwork, sound system flyers etc.), under the name Blood & Fire - Dub & Reggae. The official B&F site and message board are still active as well. Will have to check out that playlist, cheers!
They definitely had a good solid run, though sadly cut short too soon...think VP Records is still repackaging/retitling old B&F releases, they just put out an Aggrovators/King Tubby one for RSD as a double LP set which was originally from Blood & Fire I do believe...
I Loved Blood and Fire they really made the effort and sourced nice quality master, unlike some of those pathetic Trojan reissues that sound like shite!
Kevin Metcalfe who mastered most if not all of the Blood & Fire releases is retiring soon after a long and distinguished career dating back to when many of those recordings came out originally...yes Trojan (and other labels) can be a mixed bag!
Great insight into the Blood & Fire catalogue. Like yourself I collected all the releases from 1994 on CD & some on vinyl, & being a resident of Manchester, U.K. the base & then home of B & F records, I was fortunate to pick up promo copies of the mentioned releases. I can only think of the great "Pressure Sounds" records who rank alongside B & F, & have over taken them as the No.1 reissue label of obscure Jamaican roots & dub music. Much respect...
Cheers! Were you ever on the Blood & Fire message board? Lucky to have the "home court" advantage with those promo copies...such a great label, I feel very fortunate to have been able to follow as each new release came out, bringing this long forgotten music back in the light. I hope to do a similar spotlight on Pressure Sounds at some point, thanks for watching!
No, never on the B & F message board. I used to pass their home address on Ducie Street, in city centre Manchester regular but never gave them a call. Such a shame lack of financies ended their operation. I'm sure they would have released many more great releases such is the depth of Jamaican music. The 'Heart of the Congoes' album, which I have on original vinyl, I would rate as one of the greatest albums of all time in any genra of music. I purchased three times from B & F...One was the regular CD release, one was in a booklet form, the third was printed on a limited edition white cover. Looking forward to your 'Pressure Sounds' spotlight...
Had a few CDs and Vinyls from that label. Definitely worth a listen! Thanks for preparing, and telling a lot about the background of it.
Going way back to the beginning of my channel here! Maybe one day I'll have to do an updated version, a big part of my future musical tastes and direction was formed with B&F...
@@FatCityVinyl I would love if u update it, above all, with B&F releases post 2014 til now...congrats for your work I love your channel, learn a lot with you!!
@@ivang.grajalesmelian7150 Thank you! Much appreciated 🙏Someday I will update it...does get a bit confusing in more recent years with B&F titles reissued but with new titles and artwork...was just listening to Dub In The Roots Tradition again yesterday, so good...
@@FatCityVinyl Understand perfectly, at least with just the new new ones, 'cause the reissues its too much...that Scientist album its the best above all!!!!
It sounds like Blood & Fire albums are ones to look out for.
Some of the later titles can be hit and miss but there is very little filler in the early releases. Thanks for watching Rich!
Wow love this video.
I'm a huge fan of blood and fire and remember getting Heart of The Congos for Christmas when I was 14 and just loved it from the first listen. So many crucial releases and so many artists I deiscovered through their releases, I have a bunch on cd but unfortunately none on vinyl. Really sad when they stopped, and many thanks to Steve Barrow for all the work he did.
Wow, Heart Of The Congos at 14!!! I don't think I would have "gotten" it then. For a while I used to play it to see who would respond to it and who would be like "what is this stuff?"...I have been kicking myself for years for not buying the vinyl at the time, I don't see them often but pick them up when I do. Truly some groundbreaking work B&F did representing all this music for a whole new generation...thanks for your comment, cheers!
Yes B&F was a huge influence on the younger generation of the time, reintroducing some crucial roots and dub. I pratically feel I learn all about reggae through the well-written liner notes of Steve B. Plus the sound quality was flawless and the presentation was classy and modern.
The Dennis brown Promised land was a big one for me as all that was available for us on cd at the time was some of his lesser 80's work. Their edition of Congo Ashanti off course. Yabby you Jesus Dread is one of the essentials.
Another reissue label I will miss is Makasound, they did put out an impressive catalogue (winston mc anuff stuff from the 70's, Mighty trees, Inna de Yard series, ...). Auralux too did some great job with their releases.
Hope to see a video on pressure sounds perhaps.
Very happy to see a youtuber focusing on reggae with good taste and impecable knowledge on the subject.
Thanks for your videos and looking forward to see some more of heavyweight stuff^^
Pressure Sounds is one of the labels I have in mind to do in future...a lot of records and CD's to pull out though! Yes I feel that was really a golden era of reggae reissues, so many labels putting out some top notch quality releases. Lots of good stuff now too, loads of rarities coming out but more on the singles side of things. As well as Steve's liner notes the Blood & Fire forum was a fountain of information as well and B&F management was very involved, they would pop in and make comments and keep the fans up to date on what was going on. Thanks for the comments, much more reggae content to come, cheers!
Alot of those cds are wicked , top picks nice collection
Cheers, thanks for watching!
Great video, mate!
I've found a couple more of releases from Blood and fire:
"X-Ray music, a Blood and fire dub directory" released as promotional compilation in 1999
"Dubwise and otherwise, a Blood and fire audio catalogue" released 1997 BFCDS 903
Also there are one Cd and some 10" credited as "Select cuts from Blood and fire" including remixes of some classic tunes.
Thanks! Yes those were samplers - I showed the 2 Heavyweight one which I believe had some tracks not available on the regular releases but for the most part I wasn't too concerned with picking those up. I did see the Singerman CD used recently which I was tempted to buy as it was the last full length release but again as far as I'm aware it just included tracks culled from the existing B&F catalogue. Thanks for watching!
The "select cuts" albums were from the Select Cuts label (www.discogs.com/label/2482-Select-Cuts). That was the first time I'd heard of B&F and it compelled me to check out the original reissues (and the rest is history). I'd be curious about the B&F-Select Cuts arrangement (I haven't checked their message board).
I don't remember hearing too much about the Select Cuts relationship - I knew they were samplers from the individual releases so I didn't pay them much mind at the time. First B&F I ever bought (which I probably mentioned in the video) was Heart Of The Congos, the cover art caught my eye in my local HMV - what an introduction to the label!
Great upload.. I'm really lucky to have collected most of the blood & fire catalogue over the years. Consistently brilliant releases.. Keep up the good work.. Best wishes from London, England
A fantastic catalogue of music, each successive release seemed to be something totally new to me in those days...first full length Yabby You music I heard was from their release of Prophecies Of Dub just for one example...cheers and thank you!
Thanks for the props Doug - it was my pleasure to do that work....
Appreciate all the work you put into each release Steve - those were great times indeed! Thanks for checking out my little tribute, cheers (PS. I was/am Ital Dokta on B&F)...
PANEEKS1960: in reply to question you asked below, all Yabby You's work was mixed at King Tubby's, either by KT himself [Prophecy of Dub for sure] and latterly by [then] Prince Jammy
Superb spotlight - great video Doug. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers Ben - hope there was enough dub in this one for you, all these recommended and some now available again through VP Records...
Nice collection 🎼🎵🎶🎵🎵🎵🎼
Bless up...foundation of my collection...
Doug, I don't envy you the task of putting all those CD's back on the shelf. An excellent crash course in Blood and Fire. You and I have chatted about the Heart of the Congos before. I also have Horace Andy, King Tubby, Burning Spear, Max Romeo and Dennis Brown in my CD collection, though sadly nothing on vinyl. I kept pausing your video to go and price stuff up on Amazon, and a lot of the CD's you showed are very expensive...the Jabby You Jesus Dread album is priced at over £1000 on vinyl!! Guess I'll have to shop around if I want to fully explore this label! The Keith Hudson album Pick A Dub appears to now be available as a 2016 edition with a different cover (a Rasta sat under a palm tree smoking a bit spliff). I assume it's the same album? Nice work!
It was a bit of a job, I did have some second thoughts about the whole idea...just wait until I do my future videos on a couple of labels who had a much longer run! I may have to show only a representative selection. Cameron was mentioning the prices of some of those out of print titles - I haven't kept up with them as from Heart Of The Congos on I was buying most of them new. As I said to him, for several years many of those titles would show up at remaindered prices - sad to see them going for collectors prices which will in no way benefit the artists, a key point of Blood & Fire's business model was to ensure that the originators of the music they released were paid fairly, a rarity in the world of reggae. That amount for Yabby You seems truly out of this world, I'm sure Heart Of The Congos is more attainable. The palm tree cover on Pick A Dub is the original version - there have been a couple of reissues of it more recently including a new edition from VP Records including the vocal versions - I am somewhat tempted to pick that up though VP's reputation for quality is not great these days. Cheers James, thanks for watching!
I started watching this one this morning Doug and it got late so I had to split. Along with a few problems with my oil fired boiler it was not the greatest Monday morning to wake up to. I should add a brand new boiler that I just got a few weeks ago. I am praying that it is just a few tweaks that they have to correct. They do not make anything like they used to. Except for vinyl that is. {smile}
What a great overall look at Blood & Fire. I have to tell you that I was familiar with Blood & Fire but never really looked into their catalog. So they basically release a lot of lost reggae gems that are now hard to find? What a great idea to release these albums again so that a lot of reggae fans both young and older can enjoy them. Are most of the these original albums hard to find on vinyl?.> Do you know if 'Dub Gone Crazy' was released on vinyl? > That King Tubby's Prophesy Of Dub / Yabby You sounds cool. Now is King Tubby on that album?
I remember seeing quite a few artists that he teamed up with. I have 'Meets Rockers Uptown' which is killer.
The Willie Williams must be good if you grabbed it on both formats. I tell you, this was one of your most essential videos for anyone who wants to see out some essential reggae music. Fantastic. I am heading over to check out their site now.
Thanks so much for doing this one Doug. Man did I enjoy it~
Rob/Boston
I'm not sure they do make vinyl like they used to Rob, I see a lot of complaints in the VC about the quality of the newer pressings! Bummer about the boiler - these things always seem to break down in winter when you need them don't they.
Yes, Blood & Fire was a reissue label where Steve Barrow - who had been a reggae collector and historian since the 1970's when many of these recordings came out - used his in depth knowledge to rerelease rare and hard to find albums and put together new compilations of old music with attention to sound quality, better artwork, liner notes and above all to pay the original artists and producers fairly for their work - many of these famous singers made their records and never saw more than a pittance if that at the time. As I said, a whole new generation of fans like myself got turned on to all this music we would never have heard of otherwise through Blood & Fire reissues.
Yes both those dub sets are mixed by King Tubby and both on vinyl - unfortunately it is kind of rare to see ANY Blood & Fire titles for sale on vinyl. Many are online but sometimes for expensive prices - let me tell you I have been kicking myself for years for not buying both formats at the time they came out! A couple of the later titles like Willi Williams I was able to pick up relatively inexpensively on vinyl but I missed all the early ones except the odd one I have come across more recently at record fairs or what have you.
Oh and by the way Rob - that reggae vinyl collection I mentioned missing out on in my comment on your last video - I totally misread the situation and last week I was able to pick up the whole haul! Some good stuff in there for sure - coming in a future video of course. Take care Rob!
Reply from the man Steve Barrow himself Rob:
"Steve B5 hours ago
PANEEKS1960: in reply to question you asked below, all Yabby You's work was mixed at King Tubby's, either by KT himself [Prophecy of Dub for sure] and latterly by [then] Prince Jammy"
cool man.........you got them all............i bet that you will try to get them all on vinyl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
my regards
Ha ha, you already know me too well ;-) I pick them up on vinyl when I see them, which is not often...maybe some day I will have them all...
I was steadily collecting Blood and Fire CDs. I have most of the early ones. Including the 6 sampler CDs Heavyweight Sound /2/3 , Dubwise &Otherwise/2., and XRay Music. I should have got more of their CDs when i had the chance.
I never got too many of the sampler ones unless I heard afterward that there were exclusive tracks not found elsewhere...otherwise I was steadily buying each new release as they came out. Actually have the LP of U Brown - Train To Zion on the way now, still adding the odd vinyl version once in a while when the opportunity comes up. Someone sent me some original posters and ephemera a few years back as well, I should probably do an update to this video one day...
Great video, Doug. I'd heard of Blood & Fire, but didn't know the whole story. I'll be sure to keep an eye out for this label as I dig.
Cheers! They don't show up often but grab them when they do. Thanks for watching!
Dope video. Thanks for sharing the info! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
Thanks Terry, take care!
man o man... beauty. killed me Everytime u popped the accompanying vinyl out. BnF covers are all top notch..VP reissue covers a bit let down (Horace Andy's in the light).. and BNFs dedication to pay the artist .. respect! great vid Doug. now I just gotta dig out my BF releases n spin em
I've been kicking myself for years for buying the CD's and not the vinyl at the time! Picked up what I can on wax the last few years but you don't see them around too much. Haven't picked up any of the VP reissues yet but I can imagine they would be a bit cheaper looking. Think I will hold out for the B&F issues if possible (though that Pick A Dub/Vocal one has got me tempted)...
Another very informative and comprehensive video! I have the Go Beat vinyl version of Heart of the Congos - extra classic! That Yabby You looks like the one to get...I used to have the vinyl of Deliver Me..
Very nice Mark - a friend of mine in town has the original Upsetter edition - I've never even seen it, one of his "holy of holies" I think. I'd be more than happy with the B&F edition myself! The Yabby You is going for some shocking prices right now people are telling me. Did you have the original of Deliver Me? I was able to pick up the B&F issue quite reasonably priced when it was relatively recent. Cheers!
I did have the OG! I think I traded it in the early 80's - what a fool!
Blood & Fire Records: www.bloodandfire.co.uk/db/viewforum.php?f=1
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Great video about the best reissue label for reggae. I have quite a few myself and really enjoyed your insights. My favourite release was Keith Hudson's Pick A Dub - sublime. Heart of the Congos is also a special release. I will show my LPs at some point. A sadly missed label and only Pressure Sounds came close. Steve Barrow has worked so hard to preserve the legacy of so many artists and always used to reply to my emails about the reissues. They had a great sound system as well with many artists appearing. Cool vid.
Pick A Dub was just recently reissued by VP Records in an expanded edition - building on Blood & Fire's work I'm sure as they have been doing with some other releases based on the B&F catalog. The great thing about the B&F guys was the accessibility, Steve in particular used to comment in the forum quite a bit and was always available for questions or info. Pressure Sounds while also a great label (and I'm past due in getting to a similar video on them) never had that close a relationship with their audience. Thanks for commenting, cheers!
Cheers - I think I will pick up the Keith Hudson reissue. There is so much great reggae that remains unissued - especially Heptones , Gaylads to name just a few. Go for it with your Pressure Sounds - I will dig mine out at some point. Lee Perry's Voodooism was a big fav of mine. Have good weekend.
Voodooism is terrific, one of the early Pressure Sounds releases I picked up. I will get going with a video soon I think. Heartbeat is another label I want to get to at some point. I have several by the Heptones on both CD and vinyl but just recently picked up my first Gaylads album on vinyl - I actually just filmed a video yesterday showing it. Cheers!
Your very informative video sent me to Amazon.ca to see what is available. I was surprised - and sad - to see that most CDs on the label are considered collectables that sell for 50 dollars and up. Thanks for sharing your collection with us!
That is strange and a little sad - considering much of Blood & Fire's raison d'etre was to promote fair business dealings in regard to the remuneration of the original artists and producers and those collectible prices will not benefit any of the music's originators. For years several of these titles would show up at discounted prices, as well. I'm still kicking myself for not picking up more on vinyl at the time, so now I grab them when I see them, which is not terribly often though...
Reggae is a bit of a mystery to me. I have a number of the Trojan boxsets, but they only cover Ska and Rock Steady, and Jimmy Cliff is a firm favourite. Sounds like Blood and Fire records are worth looking out for. As if I need another musical genre to start collecting. It's interesting that you've done a video focusing on a record label, my next one is going to be a love letter to the insurgent country label Bloodshot Records. Going to be a lot of CDs in that video!
I think the humble, long denigrated CD is due for a reappraisal and revaluing. Shame the vinyl community doesn't seem too excited to see them, well not yet at least. Blood & Fire was founded on the principle of paying the original artists and producers fairly (something not always common in reggae), so you always knew your money was benefitting the originators directly. Trojan's glory years were largely in that ska/rocksteady/early reggae period so they have had a tendency to repackage the same material over and over. Cannot say I have heard of Bloodshot Records, I will have to look out for that video. Cheers Hedley!
I was interested to hear you say Mick Hucknall had a hand in the formation of the label. The blue eyed soul singer is widely derided for his bland pop-soul and his ginger dreads. I'm guilty of this myself, so it's embarassing to hear he is partly responsible for Reggae artists finally getting their dues. It reminds of UB40, they similarly are not looked at in the UK as having a musical integrity, but I understand that in Jamaica they are given far more respect. There are many artists who finally got royalties for their songs when they were covered by the band.
The artist Lord Creator reportedly was able to buy a house off the royalties from UB40 covering his song Kingston Town. They don't seem to get the same respect other British reggae groups of the time got, I'm not particularly a fan of the later, Red Red Wine material but I think their early efforts are pretty strong and credible releases. Hucknall helped start up Blood & Fire and provided a cash infusion that kept the company afloat on at least one occasion from what I recall when they were in dire financial straits; say what you like about either of these acts' own musical output but they were clearly true fans themselves who set out to give something back to their own inspirations.
I stumbled upon your video (and apparently I hit a gold mine - thanks!) while searching for Blood & Fire releases. The label is mentioned in the book about Mick Hucknall/Simply Red I'm reading. Yes, he started the label and supported it financially for all the reasons you already mentioned.
What book is that? I'd be interested to see what it says about his involvement in Blood & Fire. Still need to get organized and do a follow up video on the Pressure Sounds label...thanks for your comment!
Your version of The Heart of Congos is diffrent to mine. I have the 1996 "book" version. An essential album whatever the packaging.
Such a magnificent album...I would love to own an original one day but doubt it will happen the way prices are going...even the Blood & Fire edition is getting out of reach unfortunately...in a recent video I showed some old catalogues and memorabilia that someone sent me from Blood & Fire, Pressure Sounds etc., you could get Heart Of The Congos for $10 or so when new...I did pick up the Go Feet version a year or two back, listening to that really took me back to that magical moment of putting the B&F CD on for the first time!
I have that 2 CD version, beautiful. crucial .
Nice work.
Thanks for watching, cheers!
Great label, so sad when they ended their operation, I also collected all their releases...Pressure Sounds are the only label currently who continue to release quality roots/dub & obscure jamaican releases, not on a regular basis, but when they do definiately worth collecting. Great video...
Thank you! Yes a great label that did a lot to raise the quality of reggae and make it more respected as a genre...big up to Pressure Sounds, I did do a video on them as well, they’ve slowed down in recent years but still putting things out, new release coming in October that looks nice...
@@FatCityVinyl Great to hear a new P.S. release in the pipeline. Would you know the title & artist of their latest release ?
@@jahlincoln3618 It's called When Jah Shall Come...70's Bunny Lee business...found an advance listing: www.clear-spot.nl/item/498510/various_when_jah_shall_come.html
Great vid, thanks for sharing your insights on the B&F label! I've been a collector (all CD) since the late 90s and have loved every release. Between the artwork, liner notes (historical perspectives, recent interviews), and superb remastering, B&F's (= Steve Barrow's) work hasn't been matched (as much as I enjoy the Pressure Sounds re-issues/compilations).
For those on Spotify, I've attempted to compile as many of the B&F releases available there into a playlist:
open.spotify.com/user/gc1975/playlist/2oUfKt5dsB1oY6goiqFR5j
Thanks for your comment! I am now finding myself in the position of buying the B&F releases (again!) on vinyl when I get the chance. If you are on Facebook Steve & Dom have started a new page (posting artwork, sound system flyers etc.), under the name Blood & Fire - Dub & Reggae. The official B&F site and message board are still active as well. Will have to check out that playlist, cheers!
Thought they'd released like 20 albums or so. Surprised to see the plenty records you're presenting here......
They definitely had a good solid run, though sadly cut short too soon...think VP Records is still repackaging/retitling old B&F releases, they just put out an Aggrovators/King Tubby one for RSD as a double LP set which was originally from Blood & Fire I do believe...
Nice one mate!
Thank you!
I Loved Blood and Fire they really made the effort and sourced nice quality master, unlike some of those pathetic Trojan reissues that sound like shite!
Kevin Metcalfe who mastered most if not all of the Blood & Fire releases is retiring soon after a long and distinguished career dating back to when many of those recordings came out originally...yes Trojan (and other labels) can be a mixed bag!