On-U Sound - Sherwood At The Controls 1979-1984

Discussion
1

This release is kind of awesome. A collection of Adrian Sherwood’s productions between 79 - 84 featuring The Fall, The Slits, Shriekback and many more. Grab it on vinyl, CD or digital!

"A compilation of early tracks produced or remixed by the legendary Adrian Sherwood, head of the pioneering On-U Sound record label. It’s an eclectic blend of post-punk, mutant disco, reggae, dub, funk and electro and features the likes of The Slits, Prince Far I, The Fall and Mark Stewart. The set includes 6 tracks that have never been reissued in any format, and 2 completely unreleased tracks from the On-U vaults. Extensive sleeve notes that tell the story of each track alongside photos and more.

Adrian Sherwood is a name most commonly associated with dub reggae, particularly his own leftfield version of the sound that he developed over the 80s and 90s, having been mentored by the likes of Prince Far I, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Dennis Bovell. This compilation, however, seeks to highlight another side of his musical story: in his capacity as a DJ and live sound engineer Sherwood also connected with the likes of the Clash and Public Image Limited, making links between punk-funk (the Pop Group , Medium Medium , Maximum Joy, Shriekback), post-punk (the Slits, the Fall, Annie Anxiety) and dub / reggae (Prince Far I, Singers & Players, African Head Charge). The cross-fertilisation of the era really shines through here (for ‘Private Armies’ Vivien Goldman assembled a group that included members of PIL, the Raincoats, Aswad, Flying Lizards, along with Robert Wyatt), which worked perfectly with Sherwood’s dubwise approach to versioning tracks with a desire to experiment in the studio and push musical boundaries.

This is the first release in an extensive On-U Sound reissue campaign that will be coming out over the next few years."

TRACK LISTING

2LP Tracklist:

A1. Medium Medium - Hungry, So Angry (1981)
A2. Maximum Joy - Let It Take You There (1982)
A3. Nadjma - Some Day My Caliph Will Come (1984)
A4. Mark Stewart + The Maffia - Learning To Cope With Cowardice (flexi Version) (1983)

B1. The Fall - Middle Mass (1981)
B2. Gardening By Moonlight - Strange Clues (1983)
B3. Shriekback - Mistah Linn He Dead (1984)
B4. Voice Of Authority Ft. Congo Ashanti Roy - Running (Feeling Wild) (1984)
C1. The Slits - Man Next Door (1979)
C2. Annie Anxiety (aka Little Annie) - Third Gear Kills (1984)
C3. Prince Far I - Nuclear Weapon (1983)
D1. Singers & Players - Reaching The Bad Man (1981)
D2. African Head Charge - In A Trap (1982)
D3. Vivien Goldman - Private Armies Dub (1981)

CD Tracklist:

  1. Medium Medium - Hungry, So Angry (1981)
  2. Maximum Joy - Let It Take You There (1982)
  3. Nadjma - Some Day My Caliph Will Come (1984)
  4. Mark Stewart + The Maffia - Learning To Cope With Cowardice (flexi Version) (1983)
  5. The Fall – Middle Mass (1981)
  6. Gardening By Moonlight - Strange Clues (1983)
  7. Shriekback – Mistah Linn He Dead (1984)
  8. Voice Of Authority Ft. Congo Ashanti Roy - Running (Feeling Wild) (1984)
  9. The Slits - Man Next Door (1979)
  10. Annie Anxiety (aka Little Annie) - Third Gear Kills (1984)
  11. Prince Far I - Nuclear Weapon (1983)
  12. Singers & Players - Reaching The Bad Man (1981)
  13. African Head Charge - In A Trap (1982)
  14. Vivien Goldman - Private Armies Dub (1981)

On-U Sound also had a great 10" for RSD 2015…

"Disco plate 10” of sci-fi themed dubs from the On-U vaults.

Cut by CGM at Dubplates & Mastering in Berlin for maximum bass pressure.

Full picture sleeve in the style of the original early 80s On- U Sound Disco Plate series.

Kicking off with a cover of Ron Grainer and Delia Derbyshire’s theme to the long-running British programme ‘Doctor Who’; this 1984 Doctor Pablo version retains the eerie beauty of the original whilst anchoring the far-out FX to a more roots-oriented low end pulse.

Next a 1982 Dub Syndicate track (from their debut album ‘The Pounding System (Ambience In Dub)’) references the musical vogue at the time for incorporating sounds from the Space Invaders arcade machine into tracks – Scientist based a whole album around such a concept, and even The Clash got in on the act.

The Mothmen track is a real rarity, having not seen the light of day since On-U’s second ever album release in 1981 and never before reissued.

Meticulously transferred from the original tapes, this eviscerating blast of Manchester post-punk (featuring former members of The Durutti Column, and future members of Simply Red!) combines primitive rhythm, free jazz saxophone, liberal use of delay and wild guitar noise.

Finally, Creation Rebel weigh in with a track from their 1980 sci-fi-themed concept album ‘Starship Africa’; backwards tape effects and shimmering layers of percussion bringing proceedings to suitably spacey finale.

Limited to 500 copies."

TRACK LISTING

Doctor Pablo & The Dub Syndicate - Dr Who?
Dub Syndicate - Crucial Tony Tries To Rescue The Space Invaders (With Only 10p)
The Mothmen - Tardis
Creation Rebel - Starship Africa Pt.1

2

Fuck yes!..Nice post,Akbar…for the true dub heads…

3

Awesome! I may need to pick this one up.

4

Just listening to this yesterday and thought of you!

5

Haha nice one…

LOUDER THAN WAR REVIEW

Various – Sherwood At The Controls Volume 1: 1979-1984 (On-U Sound)

LP / CD / DL

Out Now

9 / 10

Dub Reggae genius is recognised in the first of an On-U Sound reissue campaign. Louder Than War’s Paul Scott-Bates reviews.

If you’ve ever wondered what all the fuss is about with Adrian Sherwood, then this new compilation of his early productions and remixes will help guide the way. With only four months of the year gone, we have seen the most recent efforts by Sherwood in collaboration with DJ Pinch together with this album where the whirlwind began as far back as 1979.

For artists, it is his skills as producer and mixer that have given him a near legendary status in the industry, not just in his clear love of reggae and dub but in other far reaching genres as this collection proves.

Working with The Slits for instance, the original female punk band fronted by the late Ari Up (she would also front New Age Steppers another Sherwood artist), he would become one of the most sought after producers around. The Slits’ Man Next Door was a sparse Sherwood affair, with meandering guitar work from Viv Albertine and Red Indian chants before they were fashionable. The subtle reverb effects and general emptiness a trademark of the sound that would unfold over the years.

Mistah Linn He Dead by Shriekback cheekily contains sections of one of the remixes that was later made for Depeche Mode (or it vice versa?) with the are People People? 12” remix. It also features some of the sounds that would become synonymous with Sherwood, Tackhead and Fats Comet projects which he would become a main member of – loud, startling, muffled drumbeats and dubs in, out and all around.

There are big names on At The Controls Volume 1 with The Fall (Middles Mass), the extraordinary Annie Anxiety (Third Gear Kills) and Mark Stewart (Learning To Cope With Cowardice) each displaying their own unique sounds but helped along by the vision of Sherwood and ‘that’ sound. Interesting too that these three artists all have new albums for 2015.

On the dub reggae front we have Singers & Players, Prince Far I and Medium Medium supplying not only further examples of the man, but also of their superb interpretations of the art.

The vaults of On U-sound have well and truly been opened and the unmistakable talents of Adrian Sherwood, once way ahead of his time, will soon be unleashed on a World that has finally caught up to the delights and pleasures of his undisputable skill.

6

Nice!

I like the sound of this: “This is the first release in an extensive On-U Sound reissue campaign that will be coming out over the next few years.”

7

It’s a good comp. Didn’t know he produced Middle Mass. I see the Creation Rebel/New Age Steppers LP has been reissued. Must pick that up.

Sherwood’s new album with Pinch is excellent.