Hugh Mundell – Book Of Life + Jah Levi – (Verse 2) + Book Of Dub

“Hugh Mundell wrote and sang the opening verses of ‘Day of Judgment’ when he was just fourteen years of age. The words hit hard – a one-two punch to capitalism and the vampire of Babylon. The words are especially relevant to the economic conditions the world’s been experiencing for the past six years – an unprecedented recession with little hope of significant recovery on the horizon. It’s the same story we’ve been hearing for more than 75 years in the folk songs of Woodie Guthrie, the soul spirituals of Stevie Wonder, the rootical vibrations of Bob Marley, and yes, the post-roots era reggae songs of Hugh Mundell. The rich get richer while the poor get poorer. Reggae is at its best when people are suffering the most. The great Rockers stalwart Junior Delgado describes him most appropriately as ‘a blessed singer, a blessed child’ because his gift was pure and true. What came to many Jamaican vocalists through years and years of relentless vocal rehearsal came to this “blessed youth’ like the sunrise that greets every day, almost as if he was divinely ordained to deliver the message. Like those who came before him – Marley, Garvey, Malcolm – this prophet and poet of the black struggle was given little time to deliver his message in this realm, however, he used every second, every minute, every hour of that time to speak directly and unapologetically to the injustices of his world. …”
“GREAT TRIBULATION”: The Life and Times of Hugh Mundell (Video)
YouTube: Hugh Mundell – Book Of Life + Jah Levi – (Verse 2) + Book Of Dub, “My, My” (Pablo International), Augustus Pablo & Hugh Mundell – Africa Dub

Hugh Mundell ‎- Tell I A Lie / Jah Music (1982)

“… For his next album, Mundell abandons the Rockers sound and vibe altogether, choosing instead to record with producer Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes and the mighty Roots Radics band at Channel One. Junjo Lawes rules the sound system circuit in the early ’80s, with a huge militant sound laid down by the Roots Radics. Lawes and the Radics are on a mission: to take the popular roots reggae sound, speed it up and play it harder. No apologies. Harder. Faster. Stronger. Lawes’ incendiary sound launches a new generation of toasters straight to the top of the charts. Unfortunately, this musical shift is accompanied by a thematic change as well, as the lyrics become less serious, less impactful, and at times border on ridiculous. Many roots artists are not willing, or are not able to adapt to this revolution in sound, however, Mundell is ready, willing, and able. …”
“GREAT TRIBULATION”: The Life and Times of Hugh Mundell
YouTube: Tell I A Lie / Jah Music

Hugh Mundell Featuring Lacksley Castell – Jah Fire (1980)

“Reissue of this excellent Prince Jammy produced combination LP between two youth singers of the day; Hugh Mundell, fresh from his classic work with Augustus Pablo, and cohort Lacksley Castell. Both their young lives were tragically cut short, Mundell in a shooting incident and Castell by natural causes, both in 1983, only two years after this album was originally released. Both singers are featured across a clutch of typical Jammy’s rhythms of the day, two or three originating with Striker Lee, with Mundell’s powerful title track, aka Bottomless Pit, on one of Jammy’s best rhythms, being the standout.”
Dub Vendor
YouTube: Be My Princess Lady, Jah Fire, Walk With Jah, King Of Israel, Million Miles, My Woman Can, You Over There, Black Sheep, Million Dub, King Pablo Dub, Pablo In Moonlight City Dub

Lacksley Castell (1959 – 1983)

Wikipedia – “Lacksley Castell, sometimes misspelled Laxley, Lacksly, Lasky or Locksley Castel (1959 – 1983) was a Jamaican reggae singer best known for his work in the early 1980s. Lacksley Castell was born in 1959, although some sources claim 1962. Growing up in Kingston‘s Waterhouse district, along with artists such as Black Uhuru and The Travellers, Lacksley recorded in what was known as the ‘Waterhouse style’. Castell became friends with Hugh Mundell who helped both him and his friend Junior Reid to get started in the music business. That resulted in Castell’s first single releases in 1978, ‘Babylon World’ and ‘Love in Your Heart’, recorded with Augustus Pablo. In 1979, he recorded ‘Jah Love Is Sweeter’ at Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry‘s Black Ark Studios, which was a pre-release reggae chart hit in the United Kingdom in August 1979, with ‘What a Great Day’ (produced by Prince Jammy) making the top five of the reggae 12-inch singles chart the same month. …”
Wikipedia
Discogs
YouTube: “Babylon World” and “Babylon Fall (version)”, Love In Your Heart, What a Great Day (& dub), Jah Love Is Sweeter + King Tubby’s Mix, My Collie Tree, African Queen, Unkind To Myself + Dub (NEGUS ROOTS), Jah Is Watching You, Government Man + Sly & Robbie – Dub The Government, Speak Softly, Tug A War Games, Johnny Brown + Version, Jah-Children (& Dub), Mother Mitchell (Far East Riddim), & Gregory Isaacs – Clash 12inch

Hugh Mundell – Africa Must Be Free by 1983 (1975)

“The teenaged Hugh Mundell cut Africa Must Be Free by 1983 under the tutelage of the legendary producer Augustus Pablo in the mid-’70s, and had a Jamaican hit with the title track. Mundell’s artlessly fervent singing is attractive far out of proportion to his technical skill. It’s the sincerity and devotion in his voice that make successes of songs like ‘Let’s All Unite’ and ‘My Mind’ — that and the rock-solid instrumental backing of Pablo’s studio band, which at this time included bassist and trombonist Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Wallace and guitarists Earl ‘Chinna’ Smith and Jeffrey Chung. The CD issue of this album includes dub versions of six of the original album’s eight tracks, as well as several other miscellaneous dub tracks. Like too many of Jamaica’s best reggae musicians, Mundell died young — in an almost creepy irony (given the title of his hit song), he was shot and killed in 1983 at the age of 21.”
allmusic

“Mundell was born in 1962 to a middle-class family; His father was a lawyer. He attended Ardenne High School before pursuing a career in music. Mundell was introduced to reggae by reggae performer and producer Boris Gardiner who was a friend of the family (but did not live next door to Hugh, contrary to popular rumor). With Gardiner’s assistance, Mundell recorded his first single ‘Where Is Natty Dread?’ with producer Joe Gibbs at the age of 13. In 1978, at the age of 16, he recorded the album Africa Must Be Free By 1983, produced by Augustus Pablo, with Mundell writing all the songs. It included two Black Ark-recorded titles: ‘Let’s All Unite’ and ‘Why Do Black Man Fuss & Fight’, both supervised and mixed by Lee Perry.”
Wikipedia

YouTube: Africa Must Be Free, Why Do Black Man Fuss & Fight, My Mind

YouTube: Africa Must Be Free by 1983 Dub. 1 – unity dub 03:26 – 2 – africa dub 06:20 – 3 – my mind dub 10:15 – 4 – western kington style 13:53 – 5 – levi dub 17:32 – 6 – revolution dub 21:06 – 7 – judgement dub 23:40 – 8 – sufferer dub

Hugh Mundell – Blackman’s Foundation (1983)

“Many reggae fans have long been aware that the tragic death of singer Hugh Mundell at age 21, severed what promised to be a highly successful career. Under the great Augustus Pablo and on his own, Mundell recorded a small, but impressive body of roots material beginning when he was in his early teens. Though the greatest triumph of his five years in music was undoubtedly the 1978 set Africa Must Be Free By 1983, his subsequent releases were nearly as stunning. Shanachie’s Blackman’s Foundation selects five tracks from Time and Place (1981), adding four cuts from the same period. Mundell’s voice is already deeply expressive at this very young age, and his lyrics carry a series of heavyweight reality themes. The rhythms are equally solid and include a handful of Pablo’s best-loved Rockers-style creations.”
allmusic

YouTube: Stop Them Jah/Blackman’s Foundation, 12-inch, Great Tribulation, Hugh Mundell & Jah Bull – Blackman’s Foundation / Push Dawta Push – Reggae Roots, Don’t Stay Away, One Jah, One Aim, One Destiny, Rastafari’s Call