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CD Review |
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The Raydiators 'The Raydiator' - 12" Single
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Review by Paul
Towler |
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12" singles. Remember them? When was the last time you bought one,
or even saw one, except for perhaps at this time of year when making
the annual trip to the loft to reach for the crimbo deccies only to
discover those battered old boxes of cheesy disco records from your
youth. How delighted we were then, to see this lovely 12" platter
arrive in the burgeoning in-tray of the Bristol Rocks review desk |
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"The Raydiator", the aptly titled debut offering by The Raydiators
is the latest release by Swindon based raggae label Pop-A-Top
Records. To date, the imprint have specialised mostly in the ska and
rocksteady aspects of reggae culture, but this wonderful three track
12" single marks the label's first excursion into the off-shoot of
dub. |
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Whilst dub reggae is usually associated with
studio-based remix projects by guest production wizards, The
Raydiators, by contrast, are a fully operational six-piece live band
complete with brass section. I saw them perform an intimate live
show recently, and it is indeed, quite a rare treat to witness a
live reggae band playing mostly instrumental dub, taking their craft
out of the studio and into the live music arena.
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Precision loving hi-fi boffins can argue all
they like, but the warmth, loudness and crystal clear sound quality
of a well pressed 45rpm 12" single beats the soulless digitisation
of compact discs hands down any day, especially when the source
recording is analogue too, which I suspect, this is.
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Since recording this impressive debut, the band have
needed to adjust to losing founder member Tom 'The Captain' Harwood
who recently emigrated to Australia. The Captain's multi-talented
eccentricity earnt him a reputation as North Somerset's madcap
answer to Beefheart and George Clinton, the kind of musical maverick
who has been known to take a scratchy old James Brown 45, then play
it to an audience at 33, making a new creative statement from
something old, a simple calculated move that to my mind Dear Reader,
is the stuff of utter genius |
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| Despite losing their mister motivator
though, the band's success hasn't suffered. Quite the contrary. On
the back of this first single alone, The Raydiators bagged a
prime-time live session for BBC Radio 6 as well as some all
important airplay by BBC2's Steve Lamacq |
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So, if you've had your trusty old record player
confined to the loft since the digital music revolution, then maybe
it's time to bring it down as you reach for the Christmas trimmings
this time of year. Blow the dust off the stylus, grab yourself a
copy of The Raydiators 12" and warm up those cold frosty nights with
a sunny slice of dub reggae, just the way it should be - spinning
merrily on a beaten up turntable with the bass boost turned up to
full. As Ronald McDonald would say, "I'm Lovin' It".} |
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