Roots Underground — Tribesman Assault (1977) | Full Album | Roots & Dub Vault

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The story of Tribesman Assault begins not in Jamaica but in the Bronx.

Not in a purpose-built studio but in the chaotic, inspired improvisation that defined everything Lloyd "Bullwackie" Barnes touched in his early years as a producer.

Barnes had been spending time in Jamaica, recording at some of the island's finest facilities, Randy's, Black Ark, and Treasure Isle among them, absorbing the sounds and rhythms that were defining the roots era at its peak.

The plan, such as it was, was to take those recordings back to New York and finish them in the newly established Wackies studio on White Plains Road in the Bronx, overdubbing and mixing in the space he had built from construction wages and sheer determination.

The result was a record that existed simultaneously in two worlds, carrying the warmth and organic authority of Kingston's finest studios and the particular atmospheric quality of music completed far from where it began.

Roots Underground was a collective rather than a fixed band, assembled around the Wackies extended family that Barnes had cultivated on both sides of the Atlantic.

The musicians credited on the album tell the story: Bobby Paschal and Roy of Reckless Breed on bass, Jah Scotty and Johnny Diaz on drums, Allah on keyboards, Bobby and Jerry Hitler on lead guitar, Donald, Jerry Hitler, and Papo on rhythm guitar, with the Love Joys providing backing vocals and K.C. White taking lead vocal duties on the closing track "Open The Gates," one of the most beloved recordings in the entire Wackies catalogue.

Arranged by Bullwackie himself, mixed by Jah Upton, and edited by associate producer Prince Douglas, the production credits reflect the communal, self-sufficient character of the whole Wackies enterprise.

Ten tracks in just over thirty-one minutes: "High Times," "Makka Root," "Tribal Rock," "Dread Feeling," "Wrong Cord," "Shotgun Skank," "Disco Reggae Rocker," "Black Brigade," the title cut "Tribesman Assault," and "Open The Gates."

The sleeve's back cover lists the album as "Tribesman Dubwise Assault," a small discrepancy typical of Wackies releases, which arrived with hand-written labels, misspelled credits, and a gloriously chaotic approach to documentation that drove collectors to distraction and gave the records an irresistible handmade character.

The Wackies House of Music insert, a fixture of virtually every label release of the period, was tucked inside as standard.

Originally released on Barnes' City Line Records imprint in 1977, the album circulated in tiny quantities before Basic Channel, the German label founded by Moritz von Oswald and Mark Ernestus, reissued it in 2003 as part of their landmark Wackies reissue campaign.

That campaign, which introduced the entire Wackies catalogue to new audiences across Europe and beyond, confirmed what a small circle of devotees had always known: that what Barnes was building in the Bronx in the late 1970s was something genuinely unique, a sound that owed everything to Jamaica and sounded like nowhere else on earth.

Insanely rare on original pressing, deeply essential in any format. A piece of reggae history that almost got away.
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Disclaimer: This upload is for promotional and educational purposes only, celebrating the legacy and preserving the history of early Jamaican music. All rights belong to the original copyright holders. If you love this music, support the official labels by purchasing official releases when available.

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TRACKLIST & TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - High Times
03:47 - Makka Root
06:44 - Tribal Rock
09:59 - Dread Feeling
12:57 - Wrong Cord
15:27 - Shotgun Skank
18:15 - Disco Reggae Rocker
20:38 - Black Brigade
23:56 - Tribesman Assault
26:48 - Open The Gates (KC White & Love Joys)

VAULT SPECS:
🎵 Artist: Roots Underground
📀 Album: Tribesman Assault
📅 Year: 1977
🏷️ Label: Wackie's / Tribesman
🎚️ Style: Roots Reggae, Dub
🎛️ Produced By: Lloyd Barnes

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