Name: Satta Massagana (Deluxe Edition)
Brand: Rounder Records
SKU: 19471
Price: 48.39 SGD
Availability: InStock

Satta Massagana

Rating

Album: Satta Massagana (Deluxe Edition)
#	Song Title	Time
1)	Declaration of Rights
2)	Good Lord, The
3)	Forward Unto Zion
4)	Know Jah Today
5)	Abendigo
6)	Y Mas Gan
7)	Black Man's Strain
8)	Satta Massagana
9)	I and I
10)	African Race
11)	Leggo Beast
12)	Peculiar Number
13)	Reason Time
14)	There Is No End
15)	Jerusalem
16)	Leggo Beast Dub
17)	Abendigo - (Extended Mix, previously unreleased)
18)	Poor Jason Whyte - (Extended Mix, previously unreleased)

Performer Notes

Includes four bonus tracks, including two rarities.
The Abyssinians include: Bernard Collins, Donald Manning, Lynford Manning.
Personnel: Carlton Manning (vocals, guitar); Lynford Manning, Donald Manning (vocals, gut-string guitar); Bernard Collins (vocals); Earl "Chinna" Smith , Eric Frater (guitar); Clive "Azul" Hunt (flute, horns, keyboards); Jerome Francique, Vin Gordon (horns); Richard Ace (piano); Geoffrey Chung, Pablove Black, Tyrone Downie (keyboards); Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace, Sly Dunbar, Mikey "Boo" Richards (drums).
Audio Remixer: Chris "Poet" Wilson.
Liner Note Author: Chris "Poet" Wilson.
Recording information: Federal Records, Kingston, Jamaica; Harry J. Studio, Kingston, Jamaica; Joe Gibbs Studio, Kingston, Jamaica; Studio One, Kingston, Jamaica.
This is one of those legendary reggae albums that's easier to admire than enjoy. There's no doubt of its importance: if you had to pick the five most influential Rasta anthems of the 1970s (and Jah knows there have been few if any since then), the title track of this album would be one of them. So, most likely, would "Declaration of Rights," which has been remade in countless different versions. And the Abyssinians themselves are a fine vocal trio. If they're not as sweet-sounding as the Mighty Diamonds, and not as tight and compelling as the Heptones, they do have a fierce and intense spirituality that is pretty compelling in its own right. But all that said, this is an album that takes some time and adjustment to enjoy. For one thing, every single song is taken at exactly the same tempo. Reggae is a music that is built on subtle differentiation (or, as philistines and Babylonians might say, it all tends to sound the same), and that means that it's important to sow a little variety wherever you can. It's also true that the group's spiritual intensity sometimes leads the harmonies to, shall we say, wander in the wilderness a bit. But the deep religious conviction of the songs and singers, as well as that unchanging, loping, serene groove, will begin to draw you in after a few listens. ~ Rick Anderson

Professional Reviews

Dirty Linen (p.77) - "SATTA MASSAGANA is rightfully regarded as a classic example of deep-roots reggae....[A] collection that is endlessly uplifting despite its overall slow, somber presentation."

Option (May/June 1993, p.89) - "...[The Abyssinians] sing tight, beautiful harmonies....[SATTA MASSAGANA is] essentially for every reggae fan..."