Alpha & Omega:
The Half That's Never Been Told:
A&O Records:
CD/LP:
Released: Now:
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Currently commanding 'silly' prices on Discogs et al for their rare vinyl pressings of early albums, British dub-reggae duo Alpha and Omega have carved out a niche by producing steadfast dub that has changed little in the last 20 years, save for a location switch from Plymouth to London. Sure, technology has ensured their sound has toughened up but, on the whole, A&O mine the same reliable seam as they did on earlier self-released albums such as Kings and Queens and Overstanding (later to be re-published via Greensleeves for CD formatting) and trust me, this is no bad thing.
The Half That's Never Been Told is essentially a 'lost' collection originally planned for release sometime in the '90s and features a selection of tracks brimming with goodies galore. An element of remastering and tidying up ensures that A&O remain rooted in the 21st century, despite the age of the material. This Is A Prayer and Stephen Lawrence are the equal of their best cuts - the former could give the pair's trademark Pure and Clean a run for its money while the latter's poignancy and subject-matter is backed up with a ruff riddim primed for maximum sound-system bruising. This HAS to be a Notting Hill Carnival anthem of the future.
Things Getting Hotter and Truth Is Freedom are further highlights that make good use of sampled vocals, dusty Bedouin melodies and speaker-scaring basslines. And even though the source recording is a bit muddy in places, the actual ideas are as a clear as day. There's a cheeky classical-music reference on African Ancestor to keep you guessing and four bonus cuts on the CD edition, all derived from the same era, of which Warrior Queen is particularly worthy of caning at a high volume - it should have been on the main album, I reckon.
Long may they watch, pray and make music.
★★★★★★★★☆☆
The Half That's Never Been Told is essentially a 'lost' collection originally planned for release sometime in the '90s and features a selection of tracks brimming with goodies galore. An element of remastering and tidying up ensures that A&O remain rooted in the 21st century, despite the age of the material. This Is A Prayer and Stephen Lawrence are the equal of their best cuts - the former could give the pair's trademark Pure and Clean a run for its money while the latter's poignancy and subject-matter is backed up with a ruff riddim primed for maximum sound-system bruising. This HAS to be a Notting Hill Carnival anthem of the future.
Things Getting Hotter and Truth Is Freedom are further highlights that make good use of sampled vocals, dusty Bedouin melodies and speaker-scaring basslines. And even though the source recording is a bit muddy in places, the actual ideas are as a clear as day. There's a cheeky classical-music reference on African Ancestor to keep you guessing and four bonus cuts on the CD edition, all derived from the same era, of which Warrior Queen is particularly worthy of caning at a high volume - it should have been on the main album, I reckon.
Long may they watch, pray and make music.