HEAR THIS: Bunny Rugs “Alone Again”

A Lost Session With Sly & Robbie Comes To Light

This morning’s email contained a rare gift for all reggae lovers to cherish: a message from Guillaume Bougard, sharing this never-before-heard recording of the melancholy ballad “Alone Again” voiced the late great Bunny Rugs backed by Sly & Robbie. “Bunny Rugs recorded ‘Alone Again’ in 2010 during a day off of a Third World tour in Europe,” Bougard explained. “Here is a rough mix that I just stumbled upon.” On his Facebook page, Bougard elaborates that “We had recorded the instrumental originally for Horace Andy but Horace didn’t like the song, so I kept it and submitted it to Rugs who liked it, despite the overall sadness of the lyrics. He managed to retain the emotion and yet instill his usual joy. Lovely. Rugs knew he did very well on that take. Listen carefully to the last 2 seconds: he says ‘Bwoy Guillaume, you have a whole a money for me now.’ When Jamaican artists think they’ve done a great take, they believe the song is going to sell well and generate big royalties for them.” No amount of money can equal the joy of a new song by Bunny Rugs, who died of leukemia this past February 6 (which is also Bob Marley’s birthday) leaving an irreparable breach in the reggae matrix. Audio After The Jump…

“What it is when you are shattered.” Run that…
Gilbert O’Sullivan’s 1972 original Follow @Boomshots