''Language Barrier'' is a studio album by Jamaican musical duo Sly and Robbie, released in 1985 by Island Records. The album features guest musicians Herbie Hancock,

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, Afrika Bambaataa, and Manu DiBango.

Release and reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

awarded the album with three stars and its review by Scott Bultman states: "Sly & Robbie team with producer

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...

for an edgy dub set".Bultmann, Scott Allmusic Review: ''Sly & Robbie - Language Barrier''

, accessed 6 October 2018 ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' critic Robert Christgau called it a " world-music mishmash". The single "Make 'Em Move" reached No. 83 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in November 1985. The album brought the duo international recognition and led on to their subsequent hit album '' Rhythm Killers'' in 1987.

Track listing

# "Make 'Em Move" ( S. Dunbar, R. Shakespeare, B. Aasim, B. Laswell, B. Worrell) — 7:58 # "No Name On The Bullet" (S. Dunbar, R. Shakespeare) — 6:03 # "Miles ( Black Satin)" (

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of musi ...

, S. Dunbar, R. Shakespeare, B. Laswell) — 7:20 # "Bass And Trouble" (B. Laswell, S. Dunbar, R. Shakespeare, Manu Dibango) — 7:58 # "Language Barrier" (

Wally Badarou Waliou Jacques Daniel Isheola "Wally" Badarou (born 22 March 1955) is a French musician. Born in France with ancestry from Benin, West Africa, Badarou is known for his close association with the English group Level 42, and for his prolific work ...

, S. Dunbar, R. Shakespeare, M. Chung, B. Reynolds) — 6:51 # "Get To This, Get To That" (S. Dunbar, R. Shakespeare, B. Fowler, B. Worrell) — 5:17

Personnel

;Musicians * Sly Dunbar – drums, percussion *

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 on ...

– bass *

– keyboards * Herbie Hancock – keyboards *

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– keyboards *

Robbie Lyn Robert "Robbie" Bernard Lyn is a Jamaican session musician who plays piano, keyboard and synthesiser. Biography Robbie Lyn is a popular Jamaican session musician, who has played with various session/backing bands including Now Generation, Soun ...

– keyboards * Manu Dibango –saxophone *

– harmonica * Africa Bambaataa – vocals *

Bernard Fowler Bernard Fowler (born January 2, 1960) is an American musician. He is known for a long association with The Rolling Stones, providing backing vocals since 1989 and on their studio recordings and live tours. Fowler has been a featured guest vocali ...

– vocals *

Doug E Fresh Doug E. Fresh (born September 17, 1966) is a Barbados-born American rapper, record producer, and beatboxing, beatboxer, also known as the "Human Beat Box". The pioneer of 20th-century American beatboxing, Fresh is able to accurately imitate drum ...

– human beatbox * Eddie Martinez – guitar *

Pat Thrall Patrick Thrall is an American rock guitarist. Thrall began his recording career in 1972. He played guitar, vocals, and percussion with the group Cookin' Mama, which had his brother, Preston Thrall, on percussion. They released the album ''New Day ...

– guitar * Mike Hampton – guitar *

Mikey Chung Michael Chung (1950 – 28 December 2021) also known as Mao Chung, was a Jamaican musician who played keyboards, guitar and percussion instruments. He was also an arranger and record producer of Jamaican music, and worked with a wide array of m ...

– guitar *

Barry Reynolds Barry Reynolds (born 27 October 1949, in Bolton, Lancashire) is a British guitar player, songwriter, composer and producer, best known for his long-lasting collaboration with Marianne Faithfull. Reynolds first emerged with the band Pacific Drift ...

– guitar *

Daniel Ponce Daniel Ponce (July 21, 1953 – March 14, 2013) was a Cuban-American jazz percussionist. He was born in Havana, Cuba, and Ponce played locally in Havana from age 11, and played percussion in a group called Watusi. He was exiled from Cuba in 19 ...

– percussion ;Technical personnel * Clive Smith –

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programming * Robert Musso, Steven Stanley, Solgie – engineers * Howie Weinberg – mastering * Tony Wright – art direction * Chris Garnham – photography *

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– glasses

References

{{Authority control 1985 albums Albums produced by Bill Laswell Island Records albums Sly and Robbie albums