The Roots Reggae Library brings to you Reggae music in unique collections. The Bristol based group are generally hard to find, which is why this collection is unique. It also features one live album.
We continue our adventure in Bristol. Originally formed in 1976 as Revelation Rockers, they soon changed their name to Talisman. I can only imagine the reggae conversations in Bristol to be about which one of the two groups was Bristol's number one reggae act. Outside of Bristol they have never acquired a great audience. Much of their work has not been recognized and looked past. In order to see that only the tip of reggae-iceberg has been uncovered by the wider public, I want to dedicate this edition to Talisman. Not all of their work is top notch, and you will not find everything as amusing as earlier discographies, but its crucial nevertheless.
Revelation Rockers emerged from the initiative of Desmond Taylor, who sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar, together with Dave on drums, Dennison Joseph on bass guitar, Mikey Taylor on keyboards and Brendan Whitmore playing saxophone. In their first years of existence, Revelation Rockers failed to find success. That is presumably the reason for changing their name to Talisman. Afterwards they would establish themselves as one of Britain's finest live acts.
Few were aware that Revelation Rockers had made recordings back in the days, until Bristol Archive Records were recently handed a master tape featuring tracks for an album that never saw the light of day until now. Perhaps the change of name to Talisman, or possibly the lack of funds or interest from record labels had caused these tracks to be forgotten. The tracks were recorded from their formation onward to 1977. Listening to the album you will find that these are not simply demo versions, but quality recordings. Things are getting started with 'Jah Praises', a hymn sung "Jah Jah is a righteous man, the prince of peace". A good bass line, backed up by horns, the trademark of Revelation Rockers. Then "give me back my 'Culture', give me back my roots", for the loss of cultural identity caused by the legacy of slavery. It is followed by the matching 'He Who Feels It', which tells us that you can't truly relate to how others live their lives until you've actually experienced a similar situation yourself. The line "who feels it knows it" had been sung by The Wailers previously, and later Rita Marley, bob's wife, would record a song under the same title on a solo album as well. 'Wicked Dem' is the earliest record incarnation of one of Talisman's signature tunes performed at live concerts. It is an incredible tune that exemplifies why we should cherish the earlier Revelation Rockers material. The album designed by Bristol Archive Records ends with 'When You're Away', but you will find that I have stumbled upon another two tracks which I have added. 'When You're Away' features a heavy contemporary backing with the added benefit of horns. "now it comes to the 'Nitty Gritty', you ain't no good", which was recorded after they had changed their name to Talisman, but I felt that the sound perfectly fitted on the album. 'Jah Feelings' is a single recorded in 1978 and was never credited to Talisman on an album.
Takin' The Strain is the first Talisman album after the change of name. In 1984 the core of Talisman were Desmond Tayler, Dennison Joseph and Donald de Cordova, helped by the engineering and co-production talents of Richard Lewis, a mainstay of the Brittish reggae scene. The album was released on a small independent label without the muscle to break through to a wider audience. Having considered it's nine tracks, you will find that this is, as was the case with Jah Praises, a fall from grace. The album deserves more recognition, which is why Talisman's discography is on the line in this edition of the blog. The album sets of with unmistakable fine reggae tune, and when Desmond Taylor sets in to sing 'Takin' The Strain' you will feel the vibe that will be persistent throughout the album. Taylor tells us he was born in the midst of poverty, which in general does not provide one with a lot of opportunities in life. The track is dynamic and lively, which can also be said for 'Crime Of Passion', "and it feels so right". The tunes heard inbetween the lyrics of Taylor are of high reggae quality. 'Lick & Run' is the only game to play, to live another day, is what you'll hear on the third track. 'Ah Wah You Seh', in which Talisman asks us to come together and spend some good time, living in a harmony. 'Lord Of The Dance' is a short track about the disco queen and the lord of the dance. We hear a "majestic stride" on 'Stride On', accompanied again by a fine reggae tune which we are growing accustomed to. We are presented a completely different dimension in 'I'm Sorry'. The vibe is very different from other songs we have heard from the group so far. After it, we come to the jewel of the album, 'Calamity'. The sweet rhythm brings a vibrant jam that is felt strong by those who appreciate a mellow reggae tune. After that we can hear how Talisman has made an effort to write a rap track. I'd rather have them stick to reggae, as 'Burn The Bread' is the black sheep of the album.
The third album of Talisman is Jam Rock. The album was recorded in 1985. The album cover reveals a sketch of two of the members. You will find that this album has a combination of new material and earlier songs that have ben re-recorded. We had earlier heard 'Crime Of Passion' as a love tinted track on Takin' The Strain. Now, Talisman starts the album with 'Call On Me', singing they've got love, and that we should give love a try ourselves. In Takin' The Strain Talisman had already referred to the 'Disco Queen' on 'Lord of The Dance'. "I'm the lord of the dance, if you want to be my disco queen" is the same line in Jam Rock. It is simply the name of the song that has been changed for this re-take. We leave love here, and take a trip on the 'Big Ship', no worries, mind at ease, sun on your face and feel the soft summer breeze. This is, just as the first track on the album was, a newly recorded song. Afterwards we find that Talisman has made another a re-take of their earlier 'Crime Of Passion'. The track is similar, although different in rhythm. Jamming for the nation's welfare, both young and old have to 'Rock For The Nation'. A high sound brings us 'Look Weh A Gwan', singing for ghetto love. The next song on the album is called 'Jah Love', praising the learning from culture. A third re-take of an earlier song is 'Lick & Run'. The re-take is done in a similar way to 'Crime Of Passion'. "Do you ever get these problems you just can't solve", well, 'Those Problems' are raised on what is the last song on this album. The album has not delivered as much as Takin' The Strain did. Although there are some good songs on it, three have been covered previously on Takin' The Strain.
We leave Jam Rock for what it is and move on to Dole Age, which is a collection of songs that I have made, that do not appear on other albums. Some songs that they sung never appeared on albums, but can only be heard on their live material. We will move to that after the review of Dole Age. The first song is what the album is named after, 'Dole Age'. For those familiar with the early work of UB40, the dole age is meant in the way UB40's first album name, Signing Off, is. The next, very vivid, reggae tune we hear comes from 'Free Speech'. I personally feel this is one of the better Talisman tracks recorded. We get the feeling back that was brought to us by songs on Takin' The Strain and Jah Praises. Speaking of Jah Praises, the next, 'Wicked Dem', is a re-take of the song we have already encountered. Whereas the re-takes on Jam Rock seemed quite random, one can more easily imagine the motive for re-recording this track. 'Run Come Girl', just as in 'Crime Of Passion', is a song about women, though not especially in a friendly manner. Herewith Talisman tell us that love is not always a fairy tale. 'Slow Poison', "somebody reach out, lend me a hand, can't you see I'm dying", a very, very good Talisman track. As we had heard Black Roots sing about the slow progression of society when it comes to poverty and oppression, we hear find Talisman singing on the same subject in 'Nothing Change'. We have heard 'Nitty Gritty' already on Jah Praises, just as Wicked Dem, but you will find that also here, the quality has improved. The live material of Talisman has been collected in the Glastonbury And Beyond album, which was recorded at Glastonbury, Bath and in Bristol. There is quite a diversity of tracks on the set, songs ranging from the early Revelation Rockers to the last album, Dole Age. There are also two songs that have not been recorded in studio, those are 'Shine On' and 'Words Of Wisdom'. I can highly recommend to listen to Talisman's live material, as they got most of their recognition from live acts. The audio is of good quality, and so is the performance.
Studio Albums
««««« (1979) Jah Praises
««««« (1984) Takin' The Strain
««««« (1985) Jam Rock
««««« (1986) Dole Age
««««« (2013) I-Surrection
Live Albums
««««« (1981) Glastonbury And Beyond
Original Date Of Publishing: October 2012
I wasn`t aware and I am totaly new to Talisman! Listening to this beautiful music is a joyride - I can`t believe I slept on it! Thank you so much Anton de Vries for introducing me to Talisman!
ReplyDeletecheck the new album brodda !! It's so ammazing reggae roots in 2013.... Live up Talisman !!
ReplyDeletecheers for the downloads- much appreciated. Check out my reggae band Cocksure Voodoo here: https://soundcloud.com/cocksure_pkf/01-5-1 :)
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