Forces of Victory

Forces of Victory
Studio album by Linton Kwesi Johnson
Released	1979 (UK)
Recorded	1978
Genre	Dub reggae dub poetry
Length	32:47
Label	Island
Producer	Linton Kwesi Johnson Dennis Bovell
Linton Kwesi Johnson chronology
Dread Beat an' Blood (1978) Forces of Victory (1979) Bass Culture (1980)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Christgau's Record Guide	A−[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[3]
Record Mirror	[4]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[5]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	9/10[6]

Forces of Victory is the debut solo album by Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson.[7][8] It was released in 1979 on Island Records.[3]

The album peaked at No. 66 on the UK Albums Chart.[9]

Production

The album was produced by Linton Kwesi Johnson and Dennis "Blackbeard" Bovell.[10][11] 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."[1] 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."[12]

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

References

1. "Forces of Victory - Linton Kwesi Johnson | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
2. Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: J". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 27 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
3. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 657.
4. Skorecki, Alex (9 June 1979). "Linton Kwesi Johnson: Forces of Victory". Record Mirror. p. 17.
5. The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. pp. 374–375.
6. Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. 1995. p. 202.
7. "Linton Kwesi Johnson | Biography & History". AllMusic.
8. "Interview: Linton Kwesi Johnson". the Guardian. 8 March 2008.
9. "LINTON KWESI JOHNSON | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
10. "Pop Go the Holidays (With Jazz, Reggae and Rap) -- Hits and Live Albums; LINTON KWESI JOHNSON: 'INDEPENDANT INTAVENSHAN'". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
11. Hermes, Will (October 2018). "Classic Reggae". Rolling Stone. No. 1320. pp. 88–89.
12. "Linton Kwesi Johnson". Trouser Press. Retrieved 17 May 2021.