A. Bunny Wailer – Conqueror
B. Solomonic Players – Version
Solomonic – BWD 015
This edition of Double 12″ Spin celebrates two reggae legends. One, sadly, is the late Bunny Wailer (born Neville O’Riley Livingston, 1947). The other, a genuine living legend, is the singer and producer Linval Thompson, who will be discussed further below.
Bunny Wailer is, of course, renowned for his pivotal role in The Wailers, Jamaica’s most celebrated vocal group, instrumental in bringing reggae to an international audience. Formed in 1963 with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, the group, initially known as The Wailing Wailers, achieved a breakthrough in 1964 with the anti-rude boy anthem Simmer Down, recorded for Coxsone Dodd. During Bob’s temporary relocation to the US, Bunny Wailer’s role within The Wailers grew in prominence, building upon his established contributions as a songwriter.
Under the guidance of producers Lee “Scratch” Perry and Leslie Kong, The Wailers continued to evolve. Their international breakthrough came with Chris Blackwell and Island Records, who released Catch a Fire and Burnin’. Following disagreements with Blackwell, both Tosh and Bunny Wailer departed the group in 1974. Bunny Wailer’s solo career took off with the critically acclaimed 1976 album Blackheart Man, a powerful expression of his deeply held Rastafarian beliefs. While subsequent albums were of high quality, they often suffered in comparison to Blackheart Man, perhaps unfairly so. A notable example is the 1981 dancehall album Rock ‘n’ Groove, a vibrant showcase featuring Bunny Wailer and The Roots Radics, capturing the energy and exuberance of the dancehall scene of that era.
In pursuit of broader international recognition, he explored pop-oriented styles, notably with the 1982 album Hook Line & Sinker. While he continued to release albums regularly and several well-received compilations were issued, his influence within the Jamaican music scene diminished somewhat in the 1980s. He garnered three Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album: in 1991 for Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley, in 1995 for Crucial! Roots Classics, and in 1997 for Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley’s 50th Anniversary.
In the new millennium, Bunny Wailer received numerous awards recognizing his substantial contributions to reggae music. His health began to decline in 2018, and he passed away on March 2, 2021, at the age of 73. His 1981 12-inch single, Conqueror, released on his own Solomonic label, was also featured on the 1983 compilation Roots Radics Rockers Reggae. The B-side features a dub version credited to the Solomonic Players, likely a pseudonym for The Roots Radics.
A. Linval Thompson – Brown Skin Girl
B. Ranking Trevor – Brown Skin Gal A Rub A Dub
Black Joy – DH 804
The second 12″ single features the work of Linval Thompson (born October 12, 1954, in Kingston), a respected and influential Jamaican artist and producer. Thompson’s musical career began in New York with the release of his first song, No Other Woman. Upon returning to Kingston, his collaboration with the legendary Lee “Scratch” Perry on Kung Fu Man brought him significant attention. A long-standing friendship with Johnny Clarke led to an association with esteemed producer Bunny “Striker” Lee, who produced Thompson’s 1976 debut album, Don’t Cut Off Your Dreadlocks. This marked the beginning of Thompson’s dual career as a singer and producer, culminating in the self-produced albums I Love Marijuana and Rocking Vibration.
Following his early successes, Thompson maintained a prolific output of high-quality singles and albums, also establishing the Thompson Sounds and Strong Like Sampson record labels. While his singing career began to wane in the mid-1980s, he flourished as a producer, collaborating with renowned artists such as The Wailing Souls, Freddie McGregor, Eek-A-Mouse, Johnny Osbourne, The Viceroys, Barrington Levy, and deejay Trinity. His characteristically bass-heavy productions continue to be highly regarded. Demonstrating his versatility, he also achieved success in the lovers rock genre. Several of his productions provided the foundation for acclaimed dub albums mixed by prominent engineers like Scientist and King Tubby. This true reggae veteran remains active and successful as both an artist and producer, as exemplified by his recent album, Ganja Man.
Linval’s 12-inch single Brown Skin Girl, released on the UK’s Black Joy label in 1980, features a notable B-side DJ version by Ranking Trevor. A prominent figure in the early Jamaican music scene, Ranking Trevor achieved success with 1977 hits like Cave Man Skank and Three Piece Chicken and Chips. His career, which included work with influential producers like Channel One and Joe Gibbs, continued until the mid-1980s, after which he gradually withdrew from the music industry. Tragically, he died in a motorcycle accident in 2012.
[All tracks were ripped straight from vinyl using SoundForge. They’re in high-quality WAV format (24-bit/96kHz). I used a Technics SL-1210MK2 turntable with an Ortofon cartridge.]