''Health and Strength'' is an album by

Prince Far I Prince Far I (23 March 1945 – 15 September 1983) was a Jamaican reggae deejay and producer, and a Rastafarian. He was known for his gruff voice and critical assessment of the Jamaican government. His track "Heavy Manners" used lyrics about ...

recorded in the late 1970s but not released until 1998.

Recording

It was recorded for

Virgin Records Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwid ...

Front Line A front line (alternatively front-line or frontline) in military terminology is the position(s) closest to the area of conflict of an armed force's personnel and equipment, usually referring to land forces. When a front (an intentional or uninte ...

label between 1978 and 1979 but the master tapes were lost en route to Virgin's offices.Thompson, Dave (2002) ''Reggae & Caribbean Music'', Backbeat Books, , p.224 In 1997, a former staff member for Hit Run records (the label run by Adrian Sherwood, with whom Prince Far I worked for several years) discovered a

cassette Cassette may refer to: Technology * Cassette tape (or ''musicassette'', ''audio cassette'', ''cassette tape'', or ''tape''), a worldwide standard for analog audio recording and playback ** Cassette single (or "Cassingle"), a music single in the ...

that he had made from the master tapes, and the album was finally released by

Pressure Sounds Pressure Sounds is a British DIY record label, specializing in releasing reggae music. Run by Pete Holdsworth, it is one of the most enduring reggae labels in the UK, specializing in reissuing obsolete tunes. It was originally a subsidiary o ...

. The album features several tracks based on Gregory Isaacs songs - "Brother Joe", "Health Warning" (which uses Isaacs' "Sacrifice" as its basis), and "House of Jah" (which is based on "Handcuff"). The album also features DJ Blackskin Prophet (on "When the King Comes to Earth"), and includes the Jamaican singles "Frontline Speech" and "Weatherman Tam". The album is unusual as it features Prince Far I singing as well as chanting, and is regarded as one of Far I's strongest albums.

Track listing

#"Frontline Speech" #"Brother Joe" #"House Of Jah" #"Health Warning" #"Weatherman Tam" #"When The King Comes" #"Easy Squeeze" #"Solomon´s Wisdom" #"The Will To Win" #"Clean Hands Pure Heart" #"Leave Babylon"

Personnel

*Prince Far I - vocals, production *

Carlton "Santa" Davis Carlton "Santa" Davis (born 21 November 1953) is a musician from Jamaica, primarily known for his drumming with bands such as Bob Marley & The Wailers, The Aggrovators, Soul Syndicate and Roots Radics. He has worked with reggae artists such as ...

- drums *

Sly Dunbar Lowell Fillmore "Sly" Dunbar (born 10 May 1952, Kingston, Jamaica) is a drummer, best known as one half of the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and reggae production duo Sly and Robbie. Biography Dunbar began playing at 15 in a band called ...

- drums *

Eric "Fish" Clarke Eric "Fish" Clarke is a Jamaican drummer who has been a member of the Roots Radics and Prince Far I's backing band, The Arabs. Biography Born c.1960 in Kingston, Jamaica, Clarke studied at the renowned Alpha Boys School,O'Brien Chang, Kevin & C ...

- drums *

Lincoln "Style" Scott Lincoln Valentine Scott (29 April 1956 – 9 October 2014), better known as Style Scott, was a Jamaican reggae drummer, famous for playing in the Roots Radics and, later, with Dub Syndicate. He also recorded and performed with Prince Far I, Bunn ...

- drums *

Flabba Holt Errol Holt (born 19 July 1950), also known as Errol Carter and by his nickname Flabba, is a Jamaican bass guitar player and a singer who was a member of The Morwells and the Roots Radics and has played on hundreds of Jamaican albums. Biography ...

- bass guitar *

Bertram "Ranchie" McLean Bertram McLean (c.1948 – 14 November 2012), also known by his nickname "Ranchie", was a Jamaican musician active between the 1970s and the 1990s, who recorded with many of Jamaica's biggest stars. Biography McLean began working as a session m ...

- bass guitar *

Robbie Shakespeare Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare (27 September 1953 – 8 December 2021) was a Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer, best known as half of the reggae rhythm section and production duo Sly and Robbie, with drummer Sly Dunbar. Regarded as ...

- bass guitar *Clinton Jack - bass guitar * Bingy Bunny - guitar *"Crucial" Tony Phillips - guitar *

Earl "Chinna" Smith Earl "Chinna" Smith (born 6 August 1955), a.k.a. Earl Flute and Melchezidek the High Priest,Johnson, Richard (2013)The Melchizedek way, ''Jamaica Observer'', 6 October 2013. Retrieved 12 October 2013 is a Jamaican guitarist active since the late ...

- guitar *Noel "Sowell" Bailey - guitar *Dougie Bryan - guitar *Clifton "Bigga" Morrison - keyboards * Wycliffe "Steele" Johnson - keyboards *

Ansel Collins Ansel Collins is a Jamaican musician, composer, singer, songwriter and producer, best known for his work with Dave Barker as Dave and Ansel Collins. Biography Born 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica,Ossie Hibbert Oswald "Ossie" Hibbert (16 January 1951 – 1 July 2012) was a Jamaican organist, keyboard player and record producer. Biography Hibbert began to be active in Jamaican music in the mid-1970s, working as a keyboard player as part of The Professio ...

- keyboards * Sticky - percussion * Dr. Pablo - melodica

References

External links

''Health and Strength''
at Roots Archives {{Authority control 1998 albums Albums published posthumously Prince Far I albums