Q: Listening to the Burning Sounds albums, sometimes I get the feel they were a bit rushed, with lyrics that recycle old themes and riddims not being up to standard, even though they certainly have their moments. But it's a puzzle. A: I think you have a point, yunno. Well, you see I do it state by state. That time was a different state, y'know. If you listen back the Greensleeves record, you hear a difference, right. Q: Right. A: Wrong? Q: No, no. A: I think so. That's why I'm interested to really put out those songs back. I think nuff a dem a go false lyrics, like. I think so. Q: There's one track on the 'Rocking Vibration' using the same riddim as Niney's 'Sufferation' with Tyrone Taylor, this was a relick you had, or Niney gave you another one of his mixes? A: Maybe that's the way it go. Ca' we was in England that time, when I voiced maybe three or four tracks, maybe I get riddim from Niney friend. It was Ras Coote (?), I dunno if you ever hear about him? Q: Yeah, he's dead now? A: Right, right. Me and him used to spar in England, early. Ca' maybe that's the way it go fe true. Maybe you have a point there. Q: You moved basically to England in the late seventies? A: Yeah man! I was based in London, man. In a house there. Q: Then you came to a halt somewhat, at least you slowed down, and came back with the Roots Radics some years after. A: Big time slow down, yeah. Yes, yes, yes. Slowed down. Q: Then you focused more on being based in JA, working out of Channel One. You focused more on working with other artists than your own career? How come? A: (Chuckles) Well, you dunno, sometime it gets rough during that time. It get tough, all of that lyric, y'know: 'Sometime it get rough, sometime it get tough...'. But you have to hold on, yeah, until it come your way again. Every day is not the same, y'know. Must be a change, you dunno, time change... even that time change.

Q: What's the hardest part being a producer? Is it boiling down to the gathering of the right people and then get them to listen, greedy labels overseas, ignorant artists, whatever? A: Yeah (laughs)! Problem artists! Well, first thing, you have to have your money, ca' nobody gonna do nutten for free. Q: (Laughs) Obviously. A: And second, you gotta mek sure you're getting a good song, so you can mek back some money. Ca' so many time I have to release it, it's not all the time a company gonna want it to put out, you understan'. Ca' when I come with 'Big Ship' (Freddie McGregor), Greensleeves dem never like it, right. When I press it from Jamaica, that's the time Greensleeves love it. So it's many t'ings, you know what I mean? So you don't have to depend on a company. If they don't like it, no problem. You just spend your money and release it and tek it from there. So that's the way I set up now, I don't really have to depend on a company. The only problem may be I don't have a big distribution deal to get it out worldwide. Well, if I did have that, it wouldn't be no problem. That's the only t'ing can get me 'fraid when I press, maybe I don't sell enough fe cover back the expense. If I do have a good distribution company, like in France, no problem. I know it's gonna sell, as long as it come out, whe you have to have distribution company to get it worldwide out. And that's what I think I wanna try next right now in France. I also have a Eek A Mouse album, that I record about three years ago with him in California, and I also have many more t'ings that I have done, and I want to get it out. Maybe on Thompson Sound, distributed from France. Q: So you try to establish a French branch of your Thompson Sound label now? A: Well yes, through Makasound. Makasound have many distribution company, what they work with. So I think maybe I'm interested to work that way. Maybe in a next couple of months to put some LP together, we have three album, and tek it from there. Q: You must have a room full of masters at home (chuckles)? A: Yes. Maybe not even a room, maybe a garage, a car garage. Q: (Laughs) Right, keep them cool, in a cooler place. A: Yes. And same time we have to get them transferred back again. Q: That would be my next question, how you store them, to keep them from getting destroyed while aging year by year? A: Yes. Well, I get some destroyed also, some Horace Andy tape. I lose them and the voice gone and the riddim tracks kinda get the... I no talk 'bout it, y'know. And I lose tapes too, I lose tapes from early out, offa Dennis Brown master. People maybe thief it from me, stealing behind my back in the early days, you know in that early time, I lose many tracks too. I find back the tapes, maybe like the songs but the master tape, yunno, some a dem I kinda lose up. And now still I have to transfer, each time I go fe transfer maybe six or eight or nine tapes over to new tape, to get back the original. Q: To DAT? A: Not DAT, we put it to a next master. So I have to do that nuff times too. Ca' when I do a set, a next set will do on a next set, yunno, and all a that. Even to keep the riddim tracks them, to have a lotta tracks whe I can voice artists off the tracks them, to keep back that roots sound. Ca' that's important.

Linval Thompson (Photo: Simon Buckland)

Q: Two of your finest moments as producer in the early dancehall era, it must be the 'Wailing' album with the Wailing Souls which Junjo put on the Jah Guidance label. A: That was my... it don't come out on Junjo. Q: I think it was out on Jah Guidance at the time. A: Oh, from America? Is VP label, it's not really Junjo's label, y'know. Is VP label. Q: OK, so Jah Guidance is basically VP, I thought it was Junjo. A: Yes, is VP really own it. You know, but through maybe they put out a lotta Junjo song on it, is not really Junjo label, is VP. Q: I picked up a reissue of that album several years ago on the Volcano label, which is Junjo's. It's on Trojan now too. A: Volcano is Junjo label now from Jamaica. Q: That's the label I have on it anyway. A: On my album? Q: Yep. A: I never know that. A whe yu buy it?

Linval Thompson

Q: I picked it up some ten to twelve years ago, maybe through someone in Germany. I was surprised to see the Volcano imprint for that one too. A: Ten years ago? That's the Wailing Soul album, right? Q: Yes, 'Wailing'. A: Uh, don't remember that. Q: Vocal groups was beginning to fade out in that era when you did those Viceroys, Wailing Souls and Meditations albums. Harmony groups had the last big era during that time, you felt that as well. A: Who that? Yes, yes. Q: They didn't sell much in JA though? A: No, after. Right. Q: Another great recording is 'No More Friend'. A: OK, Meditations. That's not on CD as yet, you ever see that on CD? Q: It's out on CD now, yes. It's been out for quite a while now. You recall those sessions? This is an exceptionally strong album. A: Yes well, we booked the studio and we know that we're gonna work on an album, so we come in more than once and lay some tracks. Q: The link-up between you and the Meditations, was this on suggestion from Greensleeves, or you presented them with the idea? A: No, just me. Just me. It's me hear that, and just knowing that these have a sound, and ask them if them meant to do some business, yunno. And they say yes, and me a pay them advance and we start to work. And I take it to Greensleeves and they're interested.

The Meditations

Q: What about Scientist? A: Well, we make Scientist, yunno. We make Scientist. Well, if we wasn't, you'd never hear about Scientist. If you remember, if we wasn't for Scientist when before, if you remember, we make Scientist. Tell him what to do, they way how me want the mix, and maybe he kinda... like he always try to improve. Make a different improvement, try different sound. And when we hear the sound we say yeah. We say yes, and it just happened like that. It's not like Scientist just come and... you know? Q: You have a vast catalog of stuff, a lot of it I suppose is still unreleased. I know for instance you sit on a Horace Martin album that never came out. A: Yeah, I forgot that (laughs)! Q: Why was some of these recordings held back at the time, if you could specify that? Finances, or you just felt this won't break the market? But I would hardly believe it's all that bad, what you have in the can (chuckles)? A: No, right. Right. Never so strong, that's the problem. I and Horace Andy come in too, ca' sometime if I don't have enough tracks, I like go around and buy tracks from different guys who have maybe a couple tracks too, I do all a that, yunno. But I have tracks there, and maybe I can reach up back some tracks again, and all a that. But if it's not strong, y'know what I mean, I don't think Horace Martin is so strong neither. I think maybe I can use maybe a compilation, some tracks or so. I have Roman Stewart, never come out before. Many more tracks, Rod Taylor, Anthony Johnson, Horace Andy, Tristan Palma, Little John, Freddie McKay, y'know. Some King Kong, I don't remember back all a them tracks deh. And some artists too, Hell & Fire.

Q: After you had the creative peak between, say, '79 to '84, how come you withdrew from the whole scene, more or less anyway? A: (Chuckles) I think... I tell you why. Maybe because we wasn't putting out nuff issue for release, y'know what I mean, maybe the time was that kinda t'ing too, that was the main t'ing too, yunno. We was depending on Greensleeves to give we that promotionwise, distribute out, y'know. That's the main t'ing, and it was kinda doing different business with different artists and different producers. So that's one of the main t'ing. Q: Another reason is, probably, that you're not too fond of the computerized sound that took hold at this time. A: Well, that's the most... that's one too. That's one too, I never really a fond of that. I never really go so, that's not my style. Q: Still you've done some memorable tunes in the digital era, like the recut of Errol Dunkley's 'A Little Way Different'. A: '(Every Man Do His T'ing) A Lickle Way Different'? Sly & Robbie played that, yunno. Q: That's a nice recut. Also 'Don't Call The Police'. A: Yes, yes, yes! Well, it was for my friend Bunny Gemini, he did have a studio in Jamaica, and we was working. Me and him was a partner, like.

Just like so many others from the golden era of reggae, Linval Thompson has been getting a better recognition internationally over the past ten years or so. Things are picking up, slowly but surely. He did the California-based Sierra Nevada festival and the star-studded 'Natty Dread A Weh She Want' concert in London some years ago, even appeared on British tv shortly after the show, and thankfully seems to be heading in this direction of performing more live. Albumwise, the most recent release of interest is the Harmonize CD 'The Early Sessions 1974 - 82', collecting several obscure releases such as the first single, 'No Other Woman', as well as seldom heard discomixes. There are several compilations which features his skill 'at the board' like Easy Star's 'Can't Stop Us Now', 'Whip Them King Tubby' (Auralux) which provides us with some exclusive mixes by the late dubmaster. 'Rockers From Channel One' (Trojan) is another good one, containing tracks by people like the late Ranking Dread in full force, and 'Strong Like Sampson' (Jet Star) showcases classics such as Roman Stewart's 'Rice & Peas', to name one. His own albums often tended to be a bit inconsistent or uneven, but 'Six Babylon' and 'Linval' (which is the 'Love Is The Question' LP, originally a Burning Sounds release back in the day) are solid records and still available on the Clocktower imprint, even though these are released without Linval's permission.

Makasound's generous and extended reissue of 'Rocking Vibration' is another one to look for, being one of the man's better LP's on Burning Sounds at the time. The same company also had him in an acoustic setting as part of the 'Inna De Yard' series, recorded live and 'spontaneously' in guitarist Chinna Smith's backyard. On Jamaican vinyl there has been some serious re-releases on 7", such as the heavier than heavy 'Wicked Babylon' by Linval himself, the former King Tubby Home Town Hi-Fi dubplates of Jacob Miller's 'False Rasta' (different from the Pablo recording) and Johnny Clarke's take on the 'Ain't No Sunshine' rhythm, 'Can't Stop Me Now'. 'Sit Down & Reason' is another track he printed up again which originally saw issue on VP's Jah Guidance label back in 1983, a song which unfortunately never came upon the Meditations unquestionably great 'No More Friend' LP that year. He has also done some rather dubious re-releases of things like Wayne Jarrett's 'Chip In', originally a Junjo production, and Michael Prophet's 'Gun Man' in horrible sleeves, looking like they were photocopied. A rush job, obviously, it's cheaply done but the music shines through.

Look for Big Joe's 'African Princess' too, highly recommended. Last but not least, check how it all began with the album which catapulted his name to and made his reputation in the world of reggae lovers, 1976's 'Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks', now renamed, reshaped and extended in Blood & Fire's expertly and refined style. It is now titled 'Ride On Dreadlocks' and is the album to start with if you are new to the man's music, excluding a few of the original tracks and adding several others such as the brilliant steppers 'Twelve Tribes Of Israel' and 'Jah Jah Is I Guiding Star' among them. Foundational Jamaican dancehall and roots music doesn't get much better than this, check for yourself. 7" single information courtesy Roots Knotty Roots. Also check: www.myspace.com/linvalthompsonsound.

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Article: Peter I (Please do not reproduce without permission)