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Dread in a Babylon

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Dread in a Babylon
Studio album by
U-Roy
Released1975
GenreReggae, toasting, dub
LabelVirgin
ProducerTony Robinson
U-Roy chronology
U Roy
(1974) 		Dread in a Babylon
(1975) 		Natty Rebel
(1976)

Dread in a Babylon is an album by the Jamaican musician U-Roy, released in 1975.[1][2] It was a part of Virgin Records' mid-1970s focus on Jamaican music and artists.[3] The album was a commercial success in Jamaica and Great Britain, where U-Roy supported it with a tour.[4][5] "Runaway Girl" was released as a single.[6]

Production

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The album was produced by Tony Robinson and engineered by Errol Thompson.[7][8] The front cover depicts U-Roy's face masked by a haze of marijuana smoke.[9] U-Roy was backed by the bands Soul Syndicate and Skin, Flesh & Bones.[10] "Trench Town Rock" is an instrumental.[11] U-Roy's favorite song on the album was "Chalice in the Palace", on which he imagines himself smoking pot with Elizabeth II.[12]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
Omaha World-Herald[14]
The Rolling Stone Record Guide[15]

The Neath Guardian said that U-Roy's "screams, wails and babbled ideas capture the moment and free the music."[16] The Birmingham Evening Mail called Dread in a Babylon "interesting, but uncompromising and largely incomprehensible."[17] The Bristol Evening Post labeled it a "likeable reggae album with some nice vocal back-ups behind U. Roy's chatterings."[18] Robert Palmer, in The New York Times, thought that the album was for only "the most wild-eyed fans" of reggae, due to its toasting style.[19] The Omaha World-Herald called U-Roy a "hip rapper with roots".[14]

In 1991, The Gazette deemed Dread in a Babylon a "classic" and "the rootsy stuff of legend."[20] In 2005, The Age noted that the album "captured the elusive nature of the Rastafarian religion and also managed to preside over an album of extremely accessible tunes".[21] AllMusic stated that "U Roy doesn't have any trouble coming across as a distinctive presence; his scattershot repertoire of barks, chants, and screams is as critical or more important as the deft, unobtrusive backing woven behind him", and added that the album "ranks among the '70s dub masterpieces".[11]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."Runaway Girl" 
2."Chalice in the Palace" 
3."I Can't Love Another" 
4."Dreadlocks Dread" 
5."The Great Psalms" 
6."Natty Don't Fear" 
7."African Message" 
8."Silver Bird" 
9."Listen to the Teacher" 
10."Trench Town Rock" 

References

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  1. ^ Thompson, Dave (2002). Reggae & Caribbean Music. Backbeat Books. p. 108.
  2. ^ Katz, David (May 2021). "Real Gone". Mojo. No. 330. p. 105.
  3. ^ Savage, Jon (1992). England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and Beyond. St. Martin's Press. p. 574.
  4. ^ Hebdige, Dick (2003). Cut 'n' Mix: Culture, Identity and Caribbean Music. Taylor & Francis. p. 84.
  5. ^ Penfold, Phil (21 August 1976). "Sounds". Evening Chronicle. p. 4.
  6. ^ Parker, Andy (3 June 1976). "Reggae review". Burton Mail. p. 7.
  7. ^ Moskowitz, David V. (2005). Caribbean Popular Music An Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall. ABC-CLIO. p. 309.
  8. ^ Mulvaney, Becky; Mulvaney, Rebekah Michele; Nelson, Carlos (1990). Rastafari and Reggae: A Dictionary and Sourcebook. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 131.
  9. ^ Eddy, Chuck (1997). The Accidental Evolution of Rock'n'roll: A Misguided Tour Through Popular Music. Hachette Books. p. 116.
  10. ^ "Record Reviews: Pop". Tempo. North County Times. 4 June 1976. p. 9.
  11. ^ a b c "Dread in a Babylon Review by Ralph Heibutzki". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  12. ^ Davis, Stephen (1992). Reggae Bloodlines: In Search of the Music and Culture of Jamaica. Da Capo Press. p. 104.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
  14. ^ a b Smith, Will (9 July 1976). "New Sounds". Omaha World-Herald. p. 5.
  15. ^ The Rolling Stone Record Guide. Random House. 1979. pp. 395–396.
  16. ^ Read, Roxana (4 March 1976). "Pop Round". Neath Guardian. p. 4.
  17. ^ Gritten, David (8 March 1976). "What does it all mean?". Birmingham Evening Mail. p. 2.
  18. ^ Belsey, James (10 April 1976). "Pops". Bristol Evening Post. p. 7.
  19. ^ Palmer, Robert (6 August 1976). "Pop Life". The New York Times. p. C19.
  20. ^ Feist, Daniel (17 October 1991). "Classic recordings recall golden age of Jamaican reggae". The Gazette. p. E7.
  21. ^ Johnston, Chris (18 November 2005). "The Crate". Entertainment Guide. The Age. p. 6.
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