Black Uhuru Archives

Album: Anthem.

Year: 1984.

Oy, those mid-1980s synths. And double oy, those fucking syndrums, somehow taking a dub track that is basically a sparse bass, guitar, drums & synth and making it sound overproduced.

But wow, this song.

Steven Van Zant has long had one of the most interesting and varied careers in all of popular culture, but one of the most fascinating was his short mid-80s stint as “Little Steven, political songwriter.” And “Solidarity” is pretty much the epitome of that time, tying the name of a freedom-oriented political movement with a lyric that could be a cousin to Sly’s “Everyday People:”

Everybody wants the same things don’t they
Everybody wants a happy end
They just want to see the game on Saturday
They wanna be somebody’s friend

As deconstructed by Black Uhuru on their Grammy-winning album Anthem, “Solidarity” gains a key element not found on Little Steven’s version – actual singing. With Puma Jones and Duckie Simpson coming in on the choruses, and that damn synth weaving in and out and during the dub sections, when Michael Rose starts chanting “what we need! what we need!!” it feels like no one in the world is going to be able to keep him from getting it.

Official video for “Solidarity”

My Certain Songs Spotify Playlist:

Every “Certain Song” Ever

Album: Red.

Year: 1981.

If memory serves, Red was on of the very first (non-Marley) full-out reggae albums I ever purchased, and I was instantly captivated by the opening track, “Youth of Eglington.”

A protest song written and sung by Michael Rose, “Youth of Eglington” is driven by a single, repeating guitar (or at least I think that’s a guitar) figure and in-and-out harmonies from Puma Jones and Duckie, “Youth of Eglington” was also the first time I ever heard the riddim section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.

It was obvious from that very first listen that they were monsters, masters of groove and hypnotism. Just on this song, listen how Robbie lays back on the verses, and then just totally drives the chorus straight through to completion.

In 1981, reggae was still pretty new and alien to me. Of course it was all over my beloved Clash albums; Tim had turned me on to Catch a Fire and Burnin,’ and I’d also gone out found the seminal soundtracks to The Harder They Come and Rockers.

But most of that was rummaging around in the past. Red was different: it was contemporary reggae by a relatively new artist, meaning that it was forward-looking, and hopefully the tip of a music that was moving forward and could even take over the world in the 1980s.

“Youth of Eglington” performed live in 1981

My Certain Songs Spotify Playlist:

Every “Certain Song” Ever

Black Uhuru

Certain Songs #67: Black Uhuru – “Solidarity”

Certain Songs #66: Black Uhuru – “Youth of Eglington”