The Shantells (Chantells) - Children of Jah Jah - NiceUp

Hammer 7″

As people who know me will testify, I struggle with new-fangled advances in online communication. I have just got my head around eBay and Facebook when more things present themselves! Everyone has their opinion on the positive and negative aspects of these online advances, but one thing has been made truely obvious, and that is a massive worldwide reggae community exists.

Whether it be salivating over scans of labels, or my new (well overdue!) hobby of trawling through podcasts from fellow collectors, it is really interesting hearing everyone else’s selections and discover more unheard gems.

This track was one of those gems. I was aware of the more popular release of this tune on the mighty Phase One label, a safe label releasing a lot of heads-down, no frills roots. It comes on a 7″ and also a 12″ with an uncredited U Brown deejay after. I was aware that it had been previously released on the Hammer label but never thought that it was a different cut. It was only when listening to Wassie One’s MixCloud recordings of his radio shows that I heard it.

This is a slower paced, horns-heavy cut. It is very different to the Phase One almost stepper-paced cut, but with the same perfectly executed vocal harmonies. It was immediately added to my ‘want’ list, a list that fails to get any shorter! A few days later I had my ear phones in on the way to work listening to some sessions by a sound from Barcelona called Stereotone, and as if to mock me, there was the tune again!

Luckily I didnt have to wait long before unearthing a copy, for single figures as well. Give it is listen. I have had it for weeks now and it has barely left my turntable! I think the Hammer version has seen a reissue, and the Phase One cuts you see about quite a bit, they were on a compilations put out (one on Blood and Fire and another on possibly the Motion label). This is a nice slice of roots pie however you tune in.

The 7″ cut on Hammer