This article originally appeared in Reggae Report Culture on Record Lee O'Neill Culture's "Two Sevens Clash" marked the point at which several streams of reggae flowed together. Leader Joseph Hill's voice had a country gospel intensity shared by Burning Spear and Toots Hibbert. The wild, untamed harmony brought the early Wailers and the Ethiopians to an extreme, Joe Gibbs' production was on the cutting edge of contemporary rockers and Hills' Afro- centric, millenarian lyrics used foundations established by Spear, Marcus Garvey, the Abyssininans and others to form a uniquely personal, yet cultural vision. Finally, "Two Sevens Clash" was immensely popular, not only in Jamaica where one might expect it, but also in London as it became an anthem for alienated punks and expatriated West Indians alike. "Two Sevens Clash" did not, however, spring out of thin air. Hill had cut some solo records at Clement Dodd's Studio One and spent the early 70s with the Soul Defenders, Coxsone's house band. He, Albert Walker and Kenneth Dayes (aka Paley) formed the African Disciples in 1976 but were re-christened Culture by Blacka Morwell while cutting their first records for producer Joe Gibbs. One of those first records was "Two Sevens Clash," the brilliant song that perfectly captured the tension and explosiveness of those days. While rocketing up the charts, Gibbs brought Culture back in the studio for their first album, also called Two Sevens Clash (Joe Gibbs/Shanachie, 1977). It is simply one of the greatest reggae albums ever made. Extraordinary songs like "Natty Dread Taking Over," "I'm Not Ashamed," "Alone in the Wilderness," and "See Them a Come" are sung with a wild power that has seldom been matched and are backed by the strength of the musicians of Gibbs' house band, led by Sly Dunbar and Lloyd Parks. It is one of the essential albums in any reggae collection. It's success led to an arrangement with England's Virgin Front Line for international distribution but instead of a Joe Gibbs produced follow-up, Culture's Virgin debut was produced by Sonia Pottinger and signalled the beginning of what would become a very confusing two years for discographers. Harder Than the Best (High Note/Virgin, 1978) was their first album for Pottinger and if it wasn't as intense as Two Sevens Clash, it was every bit it's equal for songs and singing. Many of the same musicians appeared on the album and the sound was a bit more sophisticated than their first effort. At roughly the same time, Africa Stand Alone (April, 1978) was released. It had many of the same songs that appeared on Harder, but the sound was rawer and more undisciplined. Neither the producer or the musicians have appeared before or since but Africa Stands Alone is an remarkable album, nonetheless. To confuse things even more, Gibbs released Baldhead Bridge (Joe Gibbs, 1978) which contained several singles along with one of Harder's best songs, "Love Shines Brighter." The sound is typically Gibbs, with hard, streamlined riddims driven by Parks' marvelous bass playing and Errol Thompson's supercharged engineering. The Culture-Gibbs break-up was highly acrimonious and the relationship between the two may be hinted at on Two Sevens Clash, where Hill's name isn't mentioned once while Gibbs' name appears 29 times! The final Gibbs' album, More Culture (Joe Gibbs, 1981) had four songs that appeared on their Pottinger sessions along with a handful of songs cut over familiar riddims. It's an interesting oddity for completists, but also indicates some of Culture's uniqueness. While the versions of "Love Shines Brighter" on Joe Gibbs, Virgin and April all sound different, none of them sound definitively "better," as Hill's tremendous voice offers something different on all three. Stronger Than Ever (Rocky 1, 1990) is a collection of Joe Gibbs tracks full of poor editing, poor mixing and great songs. Pottinger followed Harder Than the Best with Cumbolo (High Note/Virgin, 1979) and International Herb (High Note/Virgin, 1979). Cumbolo had more of the songs that originally appeared on Africa Stand Alone but both of these albums feature sharp songwriting and the typically excellent playing of the era. Virgin has released two collections from this time, Vital Selection (Virgin, 1981) and Too Long in Slavery (Virgin/Caroline, 1990), both of which are good introductions to classic Culture if you can't find the original albums. Heartbeat has recently produced some overlooked gems from this period as well. Trod On (Heartbeat, 1993) combines tracks for a proposed fourth album with studio rarities in a fascinating compilation. Culture in Dub (Heartbeat, 1994) has 15 dubs produced by Pottinger and mixed by ace engineer Errol Brown. About this time, Culture broke up. Lion Rock (Heartbeat, 1981) appeared as a Culture album but is clearly a Joseph Hill solo album. There are also rumours of a Don Carlos & Culture album with Carlos replacing Hill but I have yet to find a copy. Lion Rock sounds very much like the last sessions recorded for Pottinger but by 1981, reggae had moved on to a new sound and Lion Rock didn't find an audience. Hill pulled back and disappeared until 1986 with Culture At Work (Blue Mountain, 1986). The reunited Culture was back, firmly in place with their identifiable harmonies and passionate Hill lead vocals. The production was hybrid of hard roots and contemporary dancehall. Culture in Culture (Music Track, 1986) edged a little closer to modern sounds and Nuff Crisis (Shanachie, 1986) edged a little closer to the traditional. These albums and Good Things (RAS, 1989), Three Sides to My Story (Shanachie, 1991) and Wings of a Dove (Shanachie, 1993) are all part of a piece - contemporary Culture, if you will. All are potent examples of roots reggae (how could Hill do anything else?) in the modern age, full of the kind of songwriting and singing we have grown to love and respect from Culture and with strong contemporary roots rhythms. If the passion and fire of the early days of Two Sevens Clash or Harder Than the Best is absent, it has been replaced by craft and consistency in a no less pleasing mix.