Saturday, December 09, 2023

Track Of The Day: Benjamin Zephaniah - Rasta (Upright Records)


The title track from Benjamin Zephaniah’s first album; ‘Rasta’ is one that I’m posting because I’ve seen too many other posts of ‘Dis Policeman Keeps Kicking Me To Death’. That’s not to say it’s not a great track. It is. IT just wasn’t my first choice. Nevertheless, it’s brilliant. Zephaniah was an absolute giant and his recent death, coming completely out of the blue, was a shock. He leaves an excellent legacy though. When this record came out myself and a circle of friends were listening to a lot of reggae. The late seventies, early eighties were like that for me. And the poets: Linton Kwesi Johnson, Michael Smith, Mutabaruka and Oku Onuora stood out for their consciousness, the strength of their massage and the great backing music they used. I suppose what set Benjamin Zephaniah apart more than anything was his infectious sense of humour and his levity. The world is a much poorer place without him.

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