One of the masterpieces of the roots era, no album better defines its time and place than Two Sevens Clash, which encompasses both the religious fervor of its day and the rich sounds of contemporary Jamaica.
Avowed Rastafarians, Culture had formed in 1976, and cut two singles before beginning work on their debut album with producers the Mighty Two (aka Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson).
Their second single, "Two Sevens Clash," would title the album and provide its focal point.
The song swept across the island like a wildfire, its power fed by the apocalyptic fever that held the island in its clutches throughout late 1976 and into 1977.
(Rastafarians believed the apocalypse would begin when the two sevens clashed, with July 7, 1977, when the four sevens clashed, the most fearsome date of concern.) However, the song itself was fearless, celebrating the impending apocalypse, while simultaneously reminding listeners of a series of prophesies by Marcus Garvey and twinning them to the island's current state.
For those of true faith, the end of the world did not spell doom, but release from the misery of life into the eternal and heavenly arms of Jah.
Thus, Clash is filled with a sense of joy mixed with deep spirituality, and a belief that historical injustice was soon to be righted.
The music, provided by the Revolutionaries, perfectly complements the lyrics' ultimate optimism, and is quite distinct from most dread albums of the period.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get Ready to Ride the Lion to Zion | Culture | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Black Starliner Must ComeJoseph Hill | Culture | Play | 02:39 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Jah Pretty FaceJoseph Hill | Culture | Play | 03:36 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | See Them a ComeJoseph Hill | Culture | Play | 03:20 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Natty Dread Taking OverJoseph Hill | Culture | Play | 03:46 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | I'm Alone in the Wilderness | Culture | Play | 03:24 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Pirate Days | Culture | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Two Sevens ClashJoseph Hill, Albert Walker | Culture | Play | 03:29 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | I'm Not AshamedJoseph Hill | Culture | Play | 03:59 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Calling Rasta For I | Culture | Play | 02:29 | 5 MB | 0 MB |
| 33 mins | 75 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Culture | Primary Artist |
| 2 | Kenneth Lloyd Dayes | Vocals |
| 3 | Sly Dunbar | Drums, Guest Artist |
| 4 | Bobby Ellis | Trumpet |
| 5 | Joe Gibbs | Producer |
| 6 | Lennox Gordon | Guitar |
| 7 | Vin Gordon | Trombone |
| 8 | Joseph Hill | Composer, Vocals |
| 9 | Eric "Bingy Bunny" Lamont | Guitar |
| 10 | Herman Marquis | Saxophone |
| 11 | Tommy McCook | Guest Artist, Saxophone |
| 12 | Errol "Tarzan" Nelson | Keyboards |
| 13 | Lloyd Parks | Bass |
| 14 | Robbie Shakespeare | Bass, Guest Artist |
| 15 | Errol Thompson | Producer |
| 16 | Uziah "Sticky" Thompson | Percussion |
| 17 | Albert Walker | Composer, Vocals |
| 18 | Franklyn Waul | Keyboards |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |