A. Al Campbell – Try My Love
B. Massive Horns – Official Fashion
Fashion Records – FAD 039
Our first 12″ features the smooth and unmistakable voice of Al Campbell. Al started out singing in his father’s church choir before he formed The Thrillers as a teenager back in the late sixties. By the time the seventies rolled around, his solo career was in full swing. He worked with the absolute best in the business, including giants like Phil Pratt, Bunny ‘Striker’ Lee, and even Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
What’s so impressive about Al is his range. He could deliver a deep, spiritual roots tune and then pivot perfectly to a romantic lovers rock track. His 1975 hit Gee Baby really put him on the map in both Jamaica and the UK. While many artists from his era struggled when music went digital in the eighties, Al just kept moving forward. He stayed relevant with top-tier productions like the Road Block album, which he did with Phillip ‘Fattis’ Burrell. Al isn’t just a survivor of the industry; he’s a foundation artist who still brings that same fire to the stage today.
The track we’re spinning is Try My Love, a perfect example of his mastery of the lovers rock vibe. It was released on Fashion Records, a label that truly shaped the British reggae scene. They launched in the summer of 1980 and became famous for their A-Class Studio in Clapham. Fashion was unique because they produced almost everything in-house, which gave them a distinct, polished sound that few other UK labels could match at the time.
A. Natural Ites – Cry For You
B. Realistic Band – Version
Realistics Record – RR06
On the second disc, we’re moving to 1987 with the Nottingham-based band Natural Ites. Most heads will know them for Picture On The Wall, which is an absolute anthem. The track we have here is Cry For You, one of the band’s last major hits before they went their separate ways. You can find this one on their second album, Marvellous.
The band came together in late 1982, centered around the vocals of Ossie Samms (who you might know as Ossie Gad), Percy ‘Dread’ McLeod, and Neil Foster. They were backed by The Realistics, a group that saw quite a few lineup changes over the years. Their debut single Picture On The Wall was a massive statement of their Rastafarian faith. It had such a heavy, authentic roots feel that it even caught the ear of John Peel, who gave it plenty of airtime on his shows.
By 1985, they dropped their debut album, also titled Picture On The Wall. It was produced by their manager Johnny White and released on his own Realistic Records label. But by the time they released Marvellous in 1987, Neil Foster had left, leaving Ossie Gad and Percy ‘Dread’ to handle the harmonies. They released one more album in 1989 called Naturalites In Ites before calling it quits to focus on solo projects. There was often talk about a reunion over the years, but sadly, it never happened.
[These tracks were digitized directly from vinyl using a Technics SL-1210MK2 turntable equipped with an Ortofon cartridge. The recordings were captured in 24-bit/96kHz WAV format via SoundForge]