Black Man Land cover

Black Man Land

Recorded
1978-1981
Released

Released in the early 1990s as part of a reissue project from Island Records’ Front Line subsidiary label, this is actually sort of a compilation — it brings together most of the material from each of two Prince Far I albums that were recorded by Front Line in the 1970s and had long been unavailable: Livity and Message from the King. This is among the heaviest and dreadest music Prince Far I ever recorded — and seriousness was always the defining characteristic of his performances. Songs like “Marble Stone,” “Commandment of Drugs,” and “Moses, Moses” make his intentions clear, even if “Reggae Music Moving” is something of a throwaway.

Rick Anderson

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