• I Feel The Spirt – Prince Buster (1963)
• My Boy Lollipop – Millie Small (1964)
• The Senseational Maytals - The Maytals (1965)
• I Shall Not Remove - Delroy Wilson (1966)
• Ska Authentic - The Skatalites (1967)
• Action! - Desmond Dekker & The Aces (1968)
• Come Back Darling -Johnny Osbourne & The Sensation (1969)
• Bob Andy Song Book - Bob Andy (1970)
• The Best Of The Wailers - The Wailers (1971)
• The Harder They Come - Jimmy Cliff/Various Artists (1972)
• Groundation - Count Ossie & The Mystical Revelations Of Rastafari (1973)
• Natty Dread - Bob Marley & The Wailers (1974)
• Satta Massagana/Forward On To Zion - The Abyssinians (1975)
• War Ina Babylon - Max Romeo & The Upsetters (1976)
• 90 Degrees In The Shade - Third World (1977)
• Africa Must Be Free - Hugh Mundell (1978)
• Showcase - Black Uhuru (1979)
• Uprising - Bob Marley & The Wailers (1980)
• 60's 70's 80's = Taxi - Sly&Robbie (1981)
• Chant Down Babylon - Bob Marley (1999)
• Fya - Dezarie (2001)
• Da Real Thing - Sizzla (2002)

 
Satta/Satta Massagana/Forward On To Zion - The Abyssinians (1975)

LABEL: Clinch/Pre-Abyssinians | Genre: Rockers/Roots Reggae | NEXT RELEASE: Arise(1978)

Satta Massagana was released 6 years after the classic title track was recorded. The Abyssinians initally recorded the single for Coxsone Dodd's studio imprint in 1969. but it was never released. Coxsone was not a lover of the the new revolutionary afro-centrism that has crept into the music after Ethiopian Emperor, Haile Selassie, visited Jamaica in 1966.

The Abyssinians eventually left Studio One, and began working closely with Clive Hunt, recording a slew of singles independently between 1970 and 1974, most of which eventually became a part of the album.The tracks were recorded at Joe Gibbs, Harry J's and Federal Studios, with Clive Hunt as musical director. Regarded as one of Jamaica most revered producers, Hunt also played flute, Funde, keyboard and horns on the album. Other noted legends that contributed to the album were Riddimologists Sly&Robbie, master guitarist Earl "Chinna" Smith and master drummer Horsemouth Wallace.

The complexity of the album's 1975 release that followed, saw the original 10 track album being released on four separate labels that year. The first was an unauthorized pre-release by Clive Hunt on the now obscure "Pre-Abyssinians" imprint in very limited copies. It had no cover, and was distributed only in Jamaica. Another was released by the Abyssinians own Clinch Records, before a limited UK release by Tropical Sound Tracs, which only test printed 500 copies. No cover came with any of these releases, although some have surfaced with a pink printed sticker on a white sleeve. The fourth issue occurred sometime between 1975 and 1976 on the Azul Imprint with a black and white artwork sleeve simply titled "Satta", and Clive Hunt solely accredited as producer. Again in 1976, Geoffery Chung and Clive Hunt spearheaded the fifth unauthorized release, another sleeveless LP on the Pentrate imprint before being licensed to Jam Sounds in the United Sates during that same year. It was also the first version of the 1975 release that had a colored sleeve.

The confusion that ensued with so many pre-mature and aborted releases, stifled the albums initial success. To rectify the situation, the Abyssinians and Clive Hunt decided to repackage the album as "Forward On To Zion" in a timely colored sleeve by Dave Field, marking this version as the "official" debut album, and the new title track seemed fitting.

But the re-incarnated 1976 release would also be haunted by distribution complexities. The album was first distributed in the UK by the Different Records imprint and is noted as the official UK release. However, sometime between 1977-1978, UK based Klik Records also distributed the album in Britain. The frustration that ensued, eventually led to the 1980 dissolution of the original Abyssinians.

Eight years later, in 1988, the album was re-issued as an extended album, with 14 tracks instead of the original 10. Production credits on this version were given to Clive Hunt and The Abyssinians and released by Clinch Imprint before being re-issued in 1989 by Blue Moon Records in France, where it was distributed in compact disc format for the first time ever. The French release re-ignited interest in the group's catalog, promting US based Heartbeat Records in 1993 to license the extended album for the North American market, where it was re-issued again in 2006.

In total, the album has had five different covers in its lifespan, and three different re-incarnations. 1975's "Satta Massagana", 1975's "Satta", and 1976's "Forward On To Zion".

ORIGINAL TRACKLIST

A1 Declaration Of Rights

A2 Good Lord

A3 Forward Onto Zion

A4 Know Jah Today

A5 Abendigo

B1 Y Mas Gan

B2 Black Man Strain

B3 Africa Race

B4 I And I

B5 Satta - Amassagana

 

EXTENDED TRACKLIST

1 Declaration Of Rights

2 The Good Lord

3 Forward Unto Zion

4 Know Jah Today

5 Abendigo

6 Y Mas Gan

7 Black Man's Strain

8 Satta Massagana

9 I And I

10 African Race

11 Leggo Beast

12 Peculiar Number

13 Reason Time

14 There Is No End