Throw Down Your Arms

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For the Burning Spear album, see Dry & Heavy (album).
Throw Down Your Arms
Sinead O Connor Throw Down Your Arms Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Sinéad O'Connor
Released4 October 2005
Recorded2004
StudioTuff Gong Studios and Anchor Studios in Kingston, Jamaica
GenreReggae
LengthCD 1: 47:27
CD 2: 48:09
LabelChocolate and Vanilla
ProducerSly and Robbie
Sinéad O'Connor chronology
Collaborations
(2005) 		Throw Down Your Arms
(2005) 		Theology
(2007)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic(69/100)[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic3.5/5 stars[2]
Blender3/5 stars[1]
Entertainment.ie4/5 stars[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB[1]
The Guardian3/5 stars[4]
The Observer4/5 stars[5]
Paste(5/10)[1][6]
Pitchfork Media(6.8/10)[7]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[8]
Rolling Stone3.5/5 stars[1]

Throw Down Your Arms is Sinéad O'Connor's seventh studio album, and her first reggae album. O'Connor sings cover versions of classic roots reggae songs, with production by Sly and Robbie.

The album was recorded in Kingston, Jamaica at Tuff Gong Studios and Anchor Studios in 2004 and released by Chocolate and Vanilla on 4 October 2005. 10 per cent of the profits went to support Rastafari elders in Jamaica.[9]

Track listing[]

CD 1 (Original versions)
1. Jah Nuh Dead 3.20
2. Marcus Garvey 3.28
3. Door Peep 3.22
4. He Prayed 3.27
5. Y Mas Gan 3.49
6. Curly Locks 4.22
7. Vampire 4.02
8. Prophet Has Arise 4.26
9. Downpressor Man 5.08
10. Throw Down Your Arms 4.02
11. Untold Stories 3.40
12. War 4.04
CD 2 (Dub versions)
1. Micah 4:1-5 about the Kingdom come and "swords into plowshares"

with last line reading: "All the peoples walk each in the name of their Gods."

0.57
2. Jah Nuh Dead 3.12
3. Marcus Garvey 3.29
4. Door Peep 3.19
5. He Prayed 3.28
6. Y Mas Gan 3.51
7. Curly Locks 4.17
8. Vampire 4.01
9. Prophet Has Arise 4.24
10. Downpressor Man 5.07
11. Throw Down Your Arms 4.12
12. Untold Stories 3.42
13. War 4.04

The original songs were recorded by the following Jamaican reggae artists:

  1. "Marcus Say Jah No Dead" (Burning Spear in 1978)
  2. "Marcus Garvey" (Burning Spear in 1975)
  3. "Door Peep" (Burning Spear in 1976)
  4. "He Prayed" (Burning Spear in 1973)
  5. "Y Mas Gan" (The Abyssinians in 1969)
  6. "Curly Locks" (Junior Byles in 1974)
  7. "Vampire" (Devon Irons in 1976)
  8. "Prophet Has Arise" (Israel Vibration in 1978)
  9. "Downpressor Man" (Peter Tosh in 1977*)
  10. "Throw Down Your Arms" (Burning Spear in 1977)
  11. "Untold Stories" (Buju Banton in 1995)
  12. "War" (Bob Marley & The Wailers in 1976)

The Japanese version of the CD also includes:

"Move Out Of Babylon" (Johnny Clarke in 1974)
"Abendigo" (The Abyssinians in 1969)
"Jah Can Count On I" (Little Roy in 1975).
  • Note: Sinéad O'Connor cover of "Downpressor Man" is closer to Peter Tosh recording made in 1977. But the song was previously recorded three other times by Peter Tosh with The Wailers: "Sinner Man" (1966, produced by Coxsone Dodd), "Downpresser" (1971, produced by Lee Perry) and "Oppressor Man" (1972, produced by Peter Tosh).
    The cover of "Marcus Say Jah No Dead" is closer to Burning Spear's a cappella version featured on the Rockers soundtrack.
    A few other reggae covers were done by Sinéad O'Connor when she was touring to promote the album, such as "Rivers Of Babylon" (by The Melodians), "None A Jah Jah Children No Cry" (by Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus), "Keep Cool Babylon" (by Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus), "Stepping Razor" and "Creation" (by Peter Tosh).

Personnel[]

  • Sinéad O'Connor - vocals
  • Sly Dunbar - drums
  • Robbie Shakespeare - bass
  • Mikey Chung - lead guitar
  • Dalton Brownie - rhythm guitar
  • Glen Brownie - acoustic guitar on "Untold Stories"
  • Robbie Lyn - keyboards, Hammond organ
  • Carol "Bowie" McLaughlin - piano
  • Steven "Lenkky" Marsden - piano on "Curly Locks"
  • Uziah Thompson - percussion
  • Dean Fraser - saxophone
  • Ed Rockett - low and high whistle
  • David Madden - trumpet
  • Pam Hall, Keisha Patterson, Katrina Harley - backing vocals

Charts[]

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[10] 67
French Albums (SNEP)[11] 26
Irish Albums (IRMA)[12] 17
Italian Albums (FIMI)[13] 73
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[14] 36
US Reggae Albums (Billboard)[15] 4

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Ireland (IRMA)[16] Gold 7,500^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e "Throw Down Your Arms by Sinéad O'Connor" – via www.metacritic.com.
  2. ^ Allmusic review
  3. ^ "Sinead O'Connor - Throw Down Your Arms". Entertainment.ie.
  4. ^ "CD: Sinéad O'Connor, Throw Down Your Arms". The Guardian. September 30, 2005.
  5. ^ "The first ten: 9, Sinead O'Connor, Throw Down Your Arms". The Guardian. September 17, 2005.
  6. ^ "Sinéad O'Connor - Throw Down Your Arms". pastemagazine.com. June 30, 2008.
  7. ^ "Sinéad O'Connor: Throw Down Your Arms". Pitchfork.
  8. ^ Christgau, Robert. "CG: Sinéad O'Connor". Robert Christgau.
  9. ^ Sinéad O'Connor: Throw Down Your Arms, Discogs. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  10. ^ "Ultratop.be – Sinéad O'Connor – Throw Down Your Arms" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Lescharts.com – Sinéad O'Connor – Throw Down Your Arms". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  12. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 40, 2005". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  13. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Sinéad O'Connor – Throw Down Your Arms". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
  14. ^ "Independent Albums Chart". Billboard.
  15. ^ "Reggae Albums Chart". Billboard.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Gold". Irish Recorded Music Association.

External links[]

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