Creation Rebel

Album Review

Creation Rebel collects Burning Spear's classic early recordings (1969-1974) for producer Clement Dodd at Studio One, and the remastering is terrific, making these tracks sound as clear as they're likely to get. What is perhaps most admirable here is how fully formed Spear's sound and vision are right from the start, with his Marcus Garvey-derived themes of self-determination, black nationalism and African repatriation all front and center, and even as he indignantly details the suffering of the impoverished, Spear also fully praises the resilience of the human spirit, and these concerns would continue to figure prominently at the heart of his work 40 years later. The sound here is rougher and busier than his classic later sessions with producer Jack Ruby (which led to albums like Marcus Garvey and Man in the Hills), with much more organ, for instance, and choppier rhythms, but Spear's voice and general approach to each song is essentially the same, making these tracks more than just a precursor to the later Ruby material, but a serious early statement of intent. The usual Studio One session players are on hand, including Leroy Sibbles, Ernest Ranglin and a horn section of Cedric "Im" Brooks, David Madden, and Vin Gordon, and they seemed excited to be adding to these songs, which amounted to the first expression of conscious roots reggae (keep in mind that at this point in time Bob Marley had yet to work with Lee "Scratch" Perry, and his Island recordings were well in the future). Much of Creation Rebel has been previously unavailable on CD (at least legally, and certainly not with this sound quality), and the set includes several stereo versions. Key tracks include "Door Peeper" (which started it all), "Bad to Worst," "Pick Up the Pieces," "Foggy Road," "Rocking Time," and "Weeping and Wailing," and when all is said and done, this collection shows a remarkable unity of tone. Creation Rebel works both as a testament to the early vision of a great artist, but also as a fine first volley.