Black Uhuru Demos, Unreleased Tracks

Here is a real treat for all Black Uhuru fans. Needless to say, Black Uhuru own the heavyweight title in reggae post-1981. Brutal, produced by Doctor Dread and recorded primarily in 1985 in Jamaica (some tracks were reworked and mixed by Jim Fox in Washington, DC) was the first album to feature Junior Reid on vocals. Reid was a young protoje of Uhuru founder Don Carlos, and received vocal training from Carlos and Garth Dennis in Waterhouse yard . Reid, formerly of Voice of Progress, was emerging from a failed project with Sugar Minott called Worry Struggle & Problem. In addition to signing Duckie Simpson, Puma Jones, and Reid to RAS Records, Doctor Dread also signed the foundation riddim section of the group: Sly & Robbie.

Here you will hear early versions of “Let Us Pray” (which opens with Tyrone Downie’s blazing keyboards), and a track titled “Frontline,” which was never released. All vocal tracks were recorded in Jamaica at Magic Mountain studios by engineer Steven Stanley.

“Let Us Pray” is the opening track on the album. There is a MASSIVE STUNNER of a surprise at 4:11.