THE ABYSSINIANS

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Review written by Alexandre Tonus on Monday, January 21st 2008 - 12 387 views Less well known to the general public than Israel Vibration or The Gladiators, The Abyssinians are one of those vocal trios who left their mark on the history of roots reggae, notably thanks to their legendary album 'Satta Massagana', produced by Clive Hunt in 1975. This veritable little Rasta musical bible is certainly among the most reissued albums on the reggae planet, so it is hardly surprising that the Heartbeat label, which already put out a reissue of the original album in 1993, is treating us at the start of the year to a new version of this timeless opus. Reproducing exactly the tracklist of the 1993 version, with four previously unreleased tracks added, this 'deluxe' edition will delight above all novices or those who might unfortunately have missed this gem over the years. Best known to the many for the anthems Satta massagana and Declaration of rights, naturally included here, the trio made up of Bernard Collins and the two Manning brothers is nonetheless the author of many other songs of great beauty, such as The good Lord with its bewitching flute passages, or the sublime ballad African race. Judging by the line-up of the concerts The Abyssinians still give today, it is easy to understand that the album as a whole proves essential and continues to thrill fans. The lyrics full of spirituality and Africanism and the deep, mystifying melodies belong to the purest roots tradition and render the whole thing completely timeless. The whole thing can be listened to again and again without wearying for a minute, and the two truly unreleased tracks Jerusalem and Poor Jason Whyte (if we exclude the dub version of Leggo beast and the extended version of Abendigo, of limited interest) fit in perfectly. The question that really arises is that of the actual point of such a reissue: nothing much new under the sun, and the little room given to the unreleased material would even call into question the 'deluxe edition' label of this record. Let us not be mistaken: this umpteenth version of 'Satta Massagana' is essential only for those who do not already own it.

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