Throw Down Your Arms
Encyclopedia
Throw Down Your Arms is a 2005 album by Sinéad O'Connor
and shows influence from Jamaica
n roots reggae
and the Rastafari tradition. Throw Down Your Arms is a collection of classic roots reggae songs performed by O'Connor and produced by Sly and Robbie
.
The Japanese version of the CD also includes "Move Out of Babylon", "Abendigo", and "Jah Can Count on I".
The CD was released forty-two years after the speech of Haile Selassie to the United Nations
(4 October 1963) on the day of the annual solar eclipse which is the start of the new year according to the Jewish
tradition (Rosh Hashanah
).
The album sleeve was designed by evidentlydesign.com.
The album sold over 250,000 copies worldwide, with 10% of the profits being donated to support Rastafari elders in Jamaica.
The original songs were recorded by the following Jamaican reggae artists: "Marcus Say Jah No Dead" (Burning Spear in 1978), "Marcus Garvey" (Burning Spear in 1975), "Door Peep" (Burning Spear in 1976), "He Prayed" (Burning Spear in 1973), "Y Mas Gan" (The Abyssinians in 1969), "Curly Locks" (Junior Byles in 1974), "Vampire" (Devon Irons in 1976), "Prophet Has Arise" (Israel Vibration in 1978), "Downpressor Man" (Peter Tosh in 1977*), "Throw Down Your Arms" (Burning Spear in 1977), "Untold Stories" (Buju Banton in 1995), "War" (Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1976), "Move Out Of Babylon" (Johnny Clarke in 1974), "Abendigo" (The Abyssinians in 1969)," Jah Can Count On I" (Little Roy in 1975). *Note: Sinéad O'Connor cover of "Downpressor Man" is closer to Peter Tosh recording made in 1977. But the song was previously recorded three other times by Peter Tosh with The Wailers: "Sinner Man" (1966, produced by Coxsone Dodd), "Downpresser" (1971, produced by Lee Perry) and "Oppressor Man" (1972, produced by Peter Tosh). The cover of "Marcu Say Jah No Dead" is closer to Burning Spear's acapella version featured on the Rockers soundtrack. A few other reggae covers were done by Sinéad O'Connor when she was touring to promote the album, such as "Rivers Of Babylon" (by The Melodians), "None A Jah Jah Children No Cry" (by Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus), "Keep Cool Babylon" (by Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus), "Stepping Razor" and "Creation" (by Peter Tosh).
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
and shows influence from Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n roots reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and the Rastafari tradition. Throw Down Your Arms is a collection of classic roots reggae songs performed by O'Connor and produced by Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie
Sly and Robbie is the prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production team of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare who joined in the mid 1970s after having established themselves separately in Jamaica as professional musicians...
.
The Japanese version of the CD also includes "Move Out of Babylon", "Abendigo", and "Jah Can Count on I".
The CD was released forty-two years after the speech of Haile Selassie to the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
(4 October 1963) on the day of the annual solar eclipse which is the start of the new year according to the Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
tradition (Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh Hashanah , , is the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the High Holy Days or Yamim Nora'im which occur in the autumn...
).
The album sleeve was designed by evidentlydesign.com.
The album sold over 250,000 copies worldwide, with 10% of the profits being donated to support Rastafari elders in Jamaica.
The original songs were recorded by the following Jamaican reggae artists: "Marcus Say Jah No Dead" (Burning Spear in 1978), "Marcus Garvey" (Burning Spear in 1975), "Door Peep" (Burning Spear in 1976), "He Prayed" (Burning Spear in 1973), "Y Mas Gan" (The Abyssinians in 1969), "Curly Locks" (Junior Byles in 1974), "Vampire" (Devon Irons in 1976), "Prophet Has Arise" (Israel Vibration in 1978), "Downpressor Man" (Peter Tosh in 1977*), "Throw Down Your Arms" (Burning Spear in 1977), "Untold Stories" (Buju Banton in 1995), "War" (Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1976), "Move Out Of Babylon" (Johnny Clarke in 1974), "Abendigo" (The Abyssinians in 1969)," Jah Can Count On I" (Little Roy in 1975). *Note: Sinéad O'Connor cover of "Downpressor Man" is closer to Peter Tosh recording made in 1977. But the song was previously recorded three other times by Peter Tosh with The Wailers: "Sinner Man" (1966, produced by Coxsone Dodd), "Downpresser" (1971, produced by Lee Perry) and "Oppressor Man" (1972, produced by Peter Tosh). The cover of "Marcu Say Jah No Dead" is closer to Burning Spear's acapella version featured on the Rockers soundtrack. A few other reggae covers were done by Sinéad O'Connor when she was touring to promote the album, such as "Rivers Of Babylon" (by The Melodians), "None A Jah Jah Children No Cry" (by Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus), "Keep Cool Babylon" (by Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus), "Stepping Razor" and "Creation" (by Peter Tosh).
Track listing
| CD 1 (Original versions) | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jah Nuh Dead | 3.20 |
| 2. | Marcus Garvey Marcus Garvey Marcus Mosiah Garvey, Jr., ONH was a Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements, to which end he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League... |
3.28 |
| 3. | Door Peep | 3.22 |
| 4. | He Prayed | 3.27 |
| 5. | Y Mas Gan | 3.49 |
| 6. | Curly Locks | 4.22 |
| 7. | Vampire | 4.02 |
| 8. | Prophet Has Arise | 4.26 |
| 9. | Downpressor Man | 5.08 |
| 10. | Throw Down Your Arms | 4.02 |
| 11. | Untold Stories | 3.40 |
| 12. | War War (Bob Marley song) "War" is a song recorded and made popular by Bob Marley. It first appeared on Bob Marley and the Wailers' 1976 Island Records album, Rastaman Vibration, Marley's only top 10 album in the USA... |
4.04 |
| CD 2 (Dub Dub music Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae... versions) |
||
| 1. | Micah Book of Micah The Book of Micah is one of fifteen prophetic books in the Hebrew bible/Old Testament, and the sixth of the twelve minor prophets. It records the sayings of Mikayahu, meaning "Who is like Yahweh?", an 8th century prophet from the village of Moresheth in Judah... 4:1-5 about the Kingdom come and "swords into plowshares" with last line reading: "All the peoples walk each in the name of their Gods." |
0.57 |
| 2. | Jah Nuh Dead | 3.12 |
| 3. | Marcus Garvey | 3.29 |
| 4. | Door Peep | 3.19 |
| 5. | He Prayed | 3.28 |
| 6. | Y Mas Gan | 3.51 |
| 7. | Curly Locks | 4.17 |
| 8. | Vampire | 4.01 |
| 9. | Prophet Has Arise | 4.24 |
| 10. | Downpressor Man | 5.07 |
| 11. | Throw Down Your Arms | 4.12 |
| 12. | Untold Stories | 3.42 |
| 13. | War | 4.04 |
Personnel
- Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'ConnorSinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor is an Irish singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra and achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a cover of the song "Nothing Compares 2 U"....
- vocals, low whistleLow whistleThe low whistle, or concert whistle, is a variation of the traditional tin whistle/pennywhistle, distinguished by its lower pitch and larger size. It is most closely associated with the performances of modern Irish musicians and groups such as Riverdance and Davy Spillane, and is increasingly... - Sly DunbarSly DunbarLowell "Sly" Fillmore Dunbar is a drummer.-Biography:Dunbar, whose nickname was reportedly given for his passion for Sly & the Family Stone, launched his musical career while still in his adolescence, playing with a local group, The Yardbrooms, at the age of fifteen...
- drums - Robbie Shakespeare - bass
- Mikey ChungMikey ChungBorn Michael Chung in 1954, Mikey "Mao" Chung is a keyboard, guitar and percussion player, arranger and record producer of Jamaican music.-Biography:...
- lead guitar - Dalton Brownie - rhythm guitar
- Glen Brownie - acoustic guitar on "Untold Stories"
- Robbie Lyn - keyboard, organ
- Carol "Bowie" McLaughlin - piano
- Steven "Lenkky" Marsden - piano on "Curly Locks"
- Uziah "Sticky" Thompson - percussion
- Dean FraserDean FraserDean Fraser is a Jamaican saxophonist who has contributed to hundreds of reggae recordings since the mid-1970s. He was awarded the Musgrave Medal by the Jamaican government in 1993 in recognition of his services to music.-Biography:Fraser started to play the clarinet at the age of 12...
- saxophone - David Madden - trumphet
- Pam Hall, Keisha Patterson, Katrina Harley - backing vocals
Charts
| Country | Date | Position | Certification |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,... |
6 October 2005 | 17 | Gold |
| Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... Independent Albums |
2005 | 36 | |
| Billboard Reggae Albums | 2005 | 4 | |
| French Album Charts | 2005 | 26 http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?key=25885&cat=a | |
| Polish Album Charts | 2005 | 24 | |