MUSICAL YOUTH - Mash Down Birmingham: The Early Recordings Of... (Needle Mythology Release) - LP - Vinyl [MAY 22]

LP - Standard Edition Black Vinyl. Mastered from the original tapes by Guy Davie at Electric Needle Mythology.

‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ NEWLY UNEARTHED EARLY RECORDINGS BY THE FIRST LINE-UP OF MUSICAL YOUTH

Mastered from the original tapes by Guy Davie at Electric Needle Mythology, the label founded by music writer, author and broadcaster Pete Paphides, is thrilled to announce ‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ – an album of rare and unheard early recordings by Musical Youth, the Birmingham reggae group propelled to worldwide fame with the release of their charttopping single PASS THE DUTCHIE.

‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ combines songs from Musical Youth’s first John Peel session, recorded in 1981 with newly unearthed recordings taken from quarter-inch reels stored for over 40 years by the group’s mentor and producer Toney Owens. The project was seeded as early as 2020, when Paphides sent a speculative message to Owens, after he saw his producer credit on the group’s independently released 1981 single Generals/Political. Paphides wanted to know if Owens had made more recordings of the group in a similar heavier roots reggae vein to those on their debut single. Happening upon the message by chance three years later, Owens allowed Needle Mythology access to his archive of quarter-inch tapes, dating back as far as 1978.

The recordings gathered together on ‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ shine a light on the exceptional musicianship inculcated into the group by their first frontman Frederick Waite, formerly singer with revered Jamaican rocksteady group The Techniques. Backing Frederick Waite in the early lineup of Musical Youth (originally billed by Toney as Cultural Musical Workshop Youths, were two pairs of brothers) Patrick and Junior Waite, and Kelvin and Michael Grant. Having grown up immersed in roots reggae, the four young members of Musical Youth started playing locally in Birmingham at an early age. Legendary Jamaican deejay I Roy was the Grants’ maternal uncle; while Sugar Minott and Jackie Mittoo frequently played with the group during their extended stays at the house of Toney Owens.

Highlights on ‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ include mind-blowing Jackie Mittoo collab Mash Down Babylon featuring inspired MC’ing from guitarist Kelvin Grant, still only 11 at this point, and a previously unheard extended mix of Generals and a sensational dub version of Political. From their inaugural Peel session, standouts include Culture, Don’t Blame The Youth and a version of The Slickers’ Johnny Too Bad.

However, the coup de grace surely has to be the album’s closing track – a newly discovered early version of the song that would propel Musical Youth to the top of the UK charts. With freshly installed singer Dennis Seaton, Musical Youth’s version of The Mighty Diamonds’ Pass The Kouchie can be heard here in its original form – thus contradicting interviews given months later, in which the group denied all knowledge of what a “kouchie” was!

Featuring thorough liner notes based on extensive interviews with Toney Owens and Musical Youth guitarist and co-vocalist Kelvin Grant, ‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ is not only an important slice of musical and social history – but also an important corrective to the misconception that Musical Youth’s musicianship was anything less than exemplary.

In the words of Kelvin Grant: “It feels like the completion of the circle. These early recordings really captured the soul of who were were. I’m so happy that they finally get to have their moment.” ‘MASH DOWN BIRMINGHAM: THE EARLY RECORDINGS OF MUSICAL YOUTH’ is released on vinyl and CD on May 22nd.

Tracklist: 

1. Can't Fight
2. General
3. Oppressor
4. Culture
5. Political
6. Political Dub
7. Mash Down Babylon (ft. Jackie Mittoo)
8. Johnny Too Bad
9. Don't Blame The Youth
10. Save The Children (ft. Sugar Minott)
11. Pass The Kouchie