Oneness of Juju - 1977 - Bush Brothers and Space Rangers

Oneness of Juju 

1977

Bush Brothers and Space Rangers

01. Breezin

02. African Rhythms

03. Nooky

04. Be About The Future

05. Afro Beat

06. Plastic (Is Easy To See Thru)

07. Rhythms Timelessness

Produced For – Black Fire Music

Congas, Vocals, Percussion – Peddie Maples

Drums [African], Slit Drum [Log Drums], Bells, Percussion, Vocals – Okyerma Asante

Drums, Percussion – Tony Green 

Electric Bass, Shekere, Vocals – P Muzi Branch

Guitar, Shekere – Ras Mel Melvin Glover

Lead Vocals, Percussion – Lady Eke Ete Jackie Lewis

Piano – Brian Jackson

Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Shekere, Vocals – Plunky Branch*

Vocals – Judy Spears*

Originally recorded in 1977.

Bush Brothers & Space Rangers sees Oneness Of Juju at the peak of their powers in 1977.

Oneness had enjoyed two fruitful years with Black Fire prior to these recordings, breaking through with the African Rhythms and Space Jungle Luv albums. “When we recorded African Rhythms we didn’t use a guitar,” explains bandleader Plunky Branch. “So, when vocalist Jackie Eka-Ete and guitarist Ras Mel Glover came in around ‘75, that moved our sound into a more soulful direction. The drummer on this album, Tony Green, was the drummer with Gil Scott Heron and he added a little more sophistication to our soulfulness. African percussionist Okyerema Asante was also fully incorporated into the band after joining in 1976. By 1977, we were in full production mode recording songs; one or two of the tracks here also feature Brian Jackson, known for his work with Gil.”

Primarily recorded at Arrest Studios in Washington DC, the album is packed with landmark Oneness tracks including ‘Be About The Future’ (“possibly the first ecology-themed song that I know of”) the George Clinton-influenced ‘Plastic’, an acoustic alternative version of ‘African Rhythms’ and strong covers of Caiphus Semenya’s ‘West Wind’ and Bobby Womack’s ‘Breezin’’. Plunky continues, “The album is composed of several different sessions featuring different personnel and only first came out as an album in its own right when Black Fire MD Jimmy Gray started working with P-Vine Records in Japan during the ‘90s. For me, it’s one of the hottest periods for the band.”

Incredible work by Oneness Of Juju -- a lost third LP, recorded in the late 70s, but never issued until years later! The album has the group tightening it up a bit from the first two records -- picking up some funky influences that are more than welcome to our ears -- doses of mainstream soul that really mix strongly with their Afro-centric groove. The sound's a bit tighter and more compressed -- but that also helps the group kick it out a bit more with a bass-heavy sound -- yet still stay a bit far from the dancefloor territory of their early 80s work, with some of the best righteous elements we loved in their first two records. Titles include a very nice version of "Breezin" -- one that has a kicked-back funky groove that's really great; a remake of "African Rhythms" with a slower groove and some wild electronics; the righteous funky message cut "Plastic Is Easy To See Through"