Wiser Dread Riddim – Solomonic

A stern, militant roots groove runs through Wiser Dread, all heavy drums, dry bass and plenty of chanting fire, with Bunny Wailer’s “Arab’s Oil Weapon” and “Life Line” sitting right at the center of the set. Jackie Brown gets the title tune and two more cuts, and his “Wiser Dread” feels like the sharpest statement here, while the Morwells and the Itals keep the mood deep in the one-drop zone. Issued in 1981, this Solomonic-produced session lands in that period when the label was pushing hard into conscious reggae with a tougher, more stripped-back edge than the glossy rockers sound Bunny was also known for around then. It sits neatly beside those early-’80s Solomonic roots sides, but this one’s catalogue value comes from the way it gathers so many weighty voices around a single, stark riddim.

Wiser Dread Riddim Tracklist:

1. Bunny Wailer – Arab’s Oil Weapon
2. Bunny Wailer – Life Line
3. Itals – Don’t Wake The Lion
4. Itals – In A Dis Ya Time
5. Jackie Brown – Bearded Babylon
6. Jackie Brown – Sheep And Goat
7. Jackie Brown – Wiser Dread
8. Morwells – Africa We Want To Go
9. Morwells – Cut Them Down
10. Morwells – Reggae Party
11. Sang Hugh – Last Call Fe Blackman
12. Sang Hugh – Rasta No Born Yah
13. Sang Hugh – Woman Follow Man