here is the NFO file from Indietorrents
NOAH HOUSE OF DREAD
Heart
LP: On-U Sound, 1982 / CD: On-U Sound, 1999.
TRACKLISTING
01. Children Of Misery [06:51]
02. Stand Firm [04:12]
03. Wicked Kingdom [04:08]
04. Dem People [07:16]
05. Sellassie I [11:06]
06. Murder [02:49]*
07. Revelation Time [06:07]*
INFO
Arranged By, Written-By – B. Anderson*
Bass – Ever*
Drums – Eskimo*
Engineer – John Walker (2) , Steve Smith (9)
Guitar – Danjuma
Horns – Deadly Headley* , Flash* , Jah Globe , Nicky Norris
Lead Vocals, Percussion – Bonjo I*
Mastered By – Kevin Metcalfe
Producer – Adrian Sherwood , Bonjo I*
Vocals – Heart Choir, The
SKYSAW
Noah House Of Dread was a vehicle for the alternate incarnation of ex-Creation Rebel master percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah a.k.a. Bonjo I, whose talents also provided the centrepiece of the about to be created African Head Charge. So the primary purpose of Noah House of Dread was as an outlet for Bonjo to “let off” and satisfy his yearnings as a vocalist and band leader. This contrasted with AHCs then virtual studio collective with an experimental angle mainly percussion-based with early experiments in “captured” or sampled sound as explored by producer Adrian Sherwood.
The line-up of Noah House Of Dread was: Drums Eskimo, Bass Ever, Guitar Danjuma / Crucial Tony, Piano Bubblers, Horns Nicky Norris / Jah Globe / Deadly Headley / Flash / Rudy, Vocals Bonjo I a.k.a. Noah, Percussion Bonjo I a.k.a. Noah, Harmony The Heart Choir.
The album release of “Heart” in October of 1982 (ON-U LP20) was prefaced by the appearance of a 10″ discoplate in June of the same year (ON-U DP6), featuring versions of both “Murder” (with dub outing) and “Stand Firm” the latter of which was to be sampled for the remix of Prince Far Is “Water The Garden” for 1988s Volume 2 of “Pay It All Back” (ON-U LP42). Both tunes were featured on the album and are excellent examples of Bonjos roots chanting style which he developed and refined to such excellent effect within the touring form of African Head Charge.
When Bonjos parents sent for him to come to England he ran away into the hills. His brothers were sent to fetch the errant youth and he finally arrived in London in the late sixties. His first real encounter with the music business was as a roadie for Dandy Livingstone and his band, who were experiencing some chart success on the back of the skinhead connection with tunes like “Reggae In Your Jeggae”. No one knew of Bonjos percussion skills which only came to light one night when the bands conga player failed to turn up for a gig and Bonjo stepped in.
Some jealous encounters ensued but the positive result was that Bonjo decided to invest in a drum! Later on Bonjo was invited, and accepted, an invitation from Clem Curtis to join the Foundations who were still enjoying touring success on the back of their 1968 monster hit “Build Me A Buttercup”. Bonjo really enjoyed the trappings of this exposure to an adoring public: “In those days I was wild!”
Bonjos reintroduction to playing the music of his heritage came via Charlie “Eskimo Fox” who played in both UK reggae fusion outfit Freedom Fighter and the UK/JA band Creation Rebel. Adrian Sherwood remembers being introduced to Bonjo by Desmond “Fatfingers” of Creation Rebel, the band who were to provide the physical vehicle for Bonjos entry into the eventual and very crazy world of On-U Sound.
After Bonjo returned to Ghana in the mid 1990s and started producing his own material, including releases on his own “Bonjo I” label, he continued to record as Noah House Of Dread and African Head Charge. While the former name is now seemingly defunct the first new Sherwood-produced African Head Charge tracks for 10 years welcomely appeared in 2003.
REVIEWS
How this great album could’ve been sat on for some 17 years, overlooked and almost forgotten, is amazing to me. Noah, AKA Bonjo I, is a percussionist who has lent his talents to other On-U Sound acts like Creation Rebel and African Head Charge. Around the time the latter was being created, Bonjo I formed the group Noah House Of Dread with ubiquitous producer Adrian Sherwood as a showcase for his talents. Building upon the foundation formed by Count Ossie and Ras Michael, Noah House Of Dread features African drumming accentuated by bass, guitar, piano, horns and Sherwood’s digital effects. On top of all this, Bonjo I’s raw vocals lend an extra edge to this appealing roots set, which is unfortunately the only album from the group thus far (and don’t hold your breath for any more). Short but efficient, “Heart” is an undiscovered work of art. [Reggae Reviews]
Noah House Of Dread was a vehicle for the alternate incarnation of ex-Creation Rebel master percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, aka Bonjo I, whose talents would also provide the centrepiece for the about-to-be-created African Head Charge. Featuring a blend of Bonjo’s roots chanting and nyabinghi drumming style, mixed-down by Sherwood 1982 album “Heart” is another set well worth checking out on the mighty On-U Sound imprint. [Piccadilly Records]