Forces of Victory explained

Forces of Victory
Type:	Studio album
Artist:	Linton Kwesi Johnson
Cover:	Forces of Victory (album cover).jpg
Released:	1979 (UK)
Recorded:	1978
Length:	32:47
Label:	Island
Prev Title:	Dread Beat an' Blood
Prev Year:	1978
Next Title:	Bass Culture
Next Year:	1980

Forces of Victory is the debut solo album by Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson.^{[1] [2]} It was released in 1979 on Island Records.

The album peaked at No. 66 on the UK Albums Chart.^[3]

Production

The album was produced by Linton Kwesi Johnson and Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell.^{[4] [5]} Bovell, Lloyd "Jah Bunny" Donaldson and Webster Johnson were members of Matumbi.

Critical reception

AllMusic wrote: "Dramatic and intense to the point of claustrophobia, Forces of Victory is not simply one of the most important reggae records of its time, it's one of the most important reggae records ever recorded." Trouser Press wrote that "Johnson’s voice gains greater range and expressiveness while his poetry speaks of dire truths, and sounds increasingly complex, compact and expert."^[6]

Track listing

All tracks by Linton Kwesi Johnson

1. "Want Fi Goh Rave" – 4:20
2. "It Noh Funny" – 3:42
3. "Sonny's Lettah (Anti-Sus Poem)" – 3:50
4. "Independent Intavenshan" – 4:20
5. "Fite Dem Back" – 4:27
6. "Reality Poem" – 4:44
7. "Forces of Viktry" – 4:56
8. "Time Come" – 3:28

Personnel

• Linton Kwesi Johnson - vocals
• Floyd Lawson (tracks: 1, 5), Vivian Weathers (tracks: 2-4, 6-7) - bass
• Lloyd "Jah Bunny" Donaldson (tracks: 1-4, 7), Winston "Crab" Curniffe (tracks: 5-6, 8) - drums, percussion
• John Kpiaye - lead and rhythm guitar
• Julio Finn - harmonica
• Rico - trombone
• Dick Cuthell - flugelhorn
• Dennis Bovell (as "The Invisible One"), Webster Johnson - keyboards, piano
• Everald "Fari" Forrest - percussion
• Dennis Bovell, Vivian Weathers, Winston Bennett - additional voices

Technical

• Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell, John Caffrey - engineer
• Dennis Morris - photography
• Zebulon Design - design

Notes and References

1. Web site: Linton Kwesi Johnson | Biography & History. AllMusic.
2. Web site: Interview: Linton Kwesi Johnson. March 8, 2008. the Guardian.
3. Web site: LINTON KWESI JOHNSON | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company. www.officialcharts.com.
4. Web site: Pop Go the Holidays (With Jazz, Reggae and Rap) -- Hits and Live Albums; LINTON KWESI JOHNSON: 'INDEPENDANT INTAVENSHAN' . The New York Times . 17 May 2021.
5. Hermes . Will . Classic Reggae . Rolling Stone . Oct 2018 . 1320 . 88–89.
6. Web site: Linton Kwesi Johnson . Trouser Press . 17 May 2021.