Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
The Story of Tribe Records is told through seven landmark Spiritual Jazz albums, remixed and remastered from the original multitrack tapes under the direction of Tribe co-founders Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison, and includes the unreleased Harrison album Farewell to the Welfare.
Purchasable with gift card
$7USD or more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Exclusive Green Vinyl LP
Individual release of the same mastering as the edition for the Now-Again Records & Vinyl Me Please, Anthology boxset, “The Story of Tribe Records.”
Includes an extensive, oversized booklet, Larry Gabriel and Jeff “Chairman” Mao take us through the history of the Tribe, in a compelling story that delves not just into the history of the label and its principals, but into the story of Black American empowerment in the latter half of the 20th Century. It features never-before-seen archival photos and rare ephemera from Tribe’s mid-1970s hey day.
Includes unlimited streaming of Voices And Rhythms Of The Creative Profile
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
ships out within 3 days
Purchasable with gift card
$31USDor more
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Standard Black Vinyl LP
Individual release of the same mastering as the edition for the Now-Again Records & Vinyl Me Please, Anthology boxset, “The Story of Tribe Records.”
Includes an extensive, oversized booklet, Larry Gabriel and Jeff “Chairman” Mao take us through the history of the Tribe, in a compelling story that delves not just into the history of the label and its principals, but into the story of Black American empowerment in the latter half of the 20th Century. It features never-before-seen archival photos and rare ephemera from Tribe’s mid-1970s hey day.
Includes unlimited streaming of Voices And Rhythms Of The Creative Profile
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
…and the best stories are told in chapters. While the Tribe label has remained one of the brightest lights of America’s 1970s jazz underground, the label has never been feted with a definitive set of reissues, and has thus remained obscure.
That changes now.
This is your chance to indulge in the music and story of one of the most meaningful, local movements of the 20th Century Black American experience, one that expanded outwards towards the cosmos. In the words of the collective themselves, “Music is the healing force of the universe.”
The box will ship with seven albums inside, and will come with an exclusive podcast series that features interviews with label co-founders Phil Ranelin, Wendell Harrison and more, to help guide you on your three week journey through the Tribe Records collective.
Here’s what you’ll get with The Story of Tribe Records:
7 Essential Tribe Records Releases
The definitive reissues of these sought-after albums. These albums sound as good – or better – than the rare original LP issues. They are pressed on high-quality 180g black vinyl and housed in heavyweight, tip-on jackets.
They were either remixed from the original multi-track master tapes under the supervision of Ranelin and Harrison or were lacquered directly from master tape in an all-analog transfer by Bernie Grundman.
Exclusive Podcast Series
In a four-episode podcast series, our host Marcus Moore talks with Phil Ranelin and Wendell Harrison about what lead them to found their own labe and collective, their own albums in the box–they lead five of the albums here—their impact on Detroit’s Black community through their music and activism, what has and hasn’t changed in the struggle they started decades ago, and what the legacy of their courage in music is in today’s, divided America.
Detailed Liner Notes In An Expansive Booklet
Tribe historian Larry Gabriel and journalist Jeff “Chairman” Mao take us through the history of Tribe Records, in a compelling story that delves not just into the history of the label and its principals, but into the story of Black American empowerment in the latter half of the 20th Century. This deluxe magazine-style booklet also features never-before-seen archival photos and rare ephemera from Tribe’s mid-1970s hey day.
credits
released January 15, 2021
Credits:
Leader, Piano, Vocals, Composed By, Producer – Harold McKinney
Bass – Ed Pickins*
Congas – Charles Miles
Drums – Ron Jackson (8)
Engineer – Bob Meloche
Flute – Wendell Harrison
Percussion, Design [Cover] – Billy Turner
Synthesizer [Moog] – Darryl Dybka
Trumpet – Marcus Belgrave
Vocals [Vocalist] – Gwen McKinney
Vocals [Voice] – Clarence McKinney, Ed Gooch*, Eileen Cohill, Faye Blakely, Jenine Jackson, Sylvia Turner
Vocals [Voice], Flute – Carol Taylor (2)
Artwork [restoration and layout] – Errol F. Richardson
Lacquer Cut By – Bernie Grundman
Liner Notes – Grant Martin (3)
Photography By – Hugh Grannum
Remastered By, Remix – Jason Bitner
Reissue Producer – Eothen Alapatt
supported by 18 fans who also own “Voices And Rhythms Of The Creative Profile”
I didn’t even know I was looking for this record, and then it found me. Holy cow, it’s so great. Drum machine and a variety of keyboards, the occasional overdubbed layers of understated vocals, and little skeletons of songs that sound terrific just the way they are. A minimalist odyssey for sure. Markly Morrison
supported by 15 fans who also own “Voices And Rhythms Of The Creative Profile”
I was brought here after listening to a live performance of Makaya's on you tube. I instantly loved the song Holy Lands so much that I had to see if the album version was the same rendition as the live one. Then I listened to the whole album! Universal Beings is a just a groove... It's a mix of traditional and something new, very nice. pandr1900
Originally self-released in 1972, “Energy Control Center” was a political firebrand that took society to task. Forty-six years later, it burns with the same intensity. Bandcamp Album of the Day Dec 14, 2018