“Collectors’ enduring fascination with ’70s Jamaican reggae stems partly from the sheer volume of good music generated from an island of less than 3 million people. The competitiveness of Kingston’s studio scene, with queues of aspiring singers arriving for auditions and sessions musicians knocking out rhythm after rhythm every week, meant even releases that didn’t cut through at the time could become greatly loved by aficionados years later. So it was with Black Black Minds, the debut and sole album by four-part harmony quartet, The Travellers. Recorded by prodigiously talented engineer, and pupil of King Tubby, Lloyd ‘Prince Jammy’ James, the album is a delicate, lovingly crafted work that captures the beauty and fervour of the “rockers” era of roots reggae. On its 1977 release it fell short of the same success as Love Crisis, Jammy’s debut long-player for another group from the same Waterhouse area of Kingston: Black Uhuru. Yet its distinctive close harmonies, heartfelt lyrics, precision musicianship and crystal-clear Jammy’s production, make it worthy of attention”, explained Angus Taylor.
The lineup of The Travellers (also known as the Mighty Travellers and the Black Aces) consisted of Neville Morris, Leroy Hoffman, Ashley Fray and Wesley Codner. When the band initially approached Prince Jammy they only had a small repertoire of songs so Jammy asked them to “just sing, create something on the spot. And it was good, so I decided to record the album”. These songs of sufferation, hope, love and classic Jamaican storytelling were all completed within a month utilising Jammy’s existing rhythms and new bespoke recordings, all of which were mixed at the legendary King Tubby’s studio.
This glorious obscurity has now received the reissue treatment it so thoroughly deserves, with fully remastered audio, restored artwork, updated credits and extensive sleeve notes from King Jammy’s specialist Angus Taylor.
The Travellers “Poor Man Cry”
The Travellers “False Leaders”
The Travellers “Black Black Minds”
