Black Slate: Amigo - 1980

Black Slate were a UK-formed reggae band featuring members from the UK, but also from Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean. 

Like their contemporaries Steel Pulse, Aswad, Weapon Of Peace, Misty In Roots, Reggae Regular and Capital Letters they had that typically UK roots reggae sound that is difficult to describe but at the same time instantly recognisable. 

Basically it is melodious, certainly not hard core in that respect, but nearly always carrying a strong social message, often linked to the experience of band members growing up in the UK who were either first or second generation immigrants. It is the reggae sound of the UK's cities in the late seventies/early eighties - an authentic roots righteousness combined with a shared unity of contemporary UK life. It is Steel Pulse who Black Slate sound the most similar to, particularly on crucial, rootsy tracks like Sticks Man and Freedom Time. Also leaving one in no doubt to their message are Africans To Africa and Bondage To Slavery. 

The group's only big hit was a fine one - the incredibly catchy, singalong and rhythmic Amigo, a track that crossed over from reggae sound systems to the floors of the discos of the time, rather like Third World's Now That We've Found Love and You've Got Me Dancing On the Floor did. It was one of those class reggae chart hits. 

In the same vein was Reggae Music, which followed the popular theme of praising their own genre. All very evocative of the time - as I said, the reggae sound of 1980. This was a really good album and should have achieved far more success than it did, something that was true of several of the bands of the time. The band faded away soon after, unfortunately.

The band also released an appealing dub version of the album, entitled Ogima (Amigo backwards - get it?).