ROY ELLIS / MR. SYMARIP AND FRIENDS (LP)

Since Roy Ellis returned to ska and reggae music in 2003, he has been traveling the world and meeting many bands with whom he has performed live. Some of these bands recorded songs with him, which are now compiled on this album.
One of the bands he has played with most often is Transilvanians from Vigo. They first recorded a single covering a couple of old Symarip tracks like 'You Can't Leave Now' and 'Stay With Him', and later, the album 'Almighty Ska'. But the song that appears on this record is a collaboration Roy did for Transilvanians' album 'Echo, Vibes & Fire', released in 2014, titled 'Mr. Rudy', but the version included here is an alternative mix by Roberto Sánchez.
'More That Unites' is a track composed and produced by John Roy (Smoke and Mirrors Sound System, CA, USA). Roy Ellis provides a toasting feature on the song. Tony Devenish (Rebelation UK) wrote the lyrics and melody. Roger Rivas (The Aggrolites) mixed the track, and Dan Vitale (Bim Skala Bim) sang the lyrics.
Kalles Kaviar, from Switzerland, was the first band Roy Ellis played with after his return. They recorded several songs together, which were released on Kalles Kaviar's album 'Early Bird'. We've chosen the old Symarip hit 'Must Catch A Train Tonight' to feature here.
65 Mines Street, from France, have played a handful of concerts with Roy and went into the studio to record 'Orchestration Reggae', a song that had never been released before. Like 'I'm Outnumbered', which had never been physically released before, it was only available digitally, a collaboration with Shots In The Dark, a source of pride for Rome and old friends of Roy Ellis, whom they have accompanied throughout Italy.
Another previously unreleased track is 'Fly Away' with the German group The Magic Touch. They've played together many times over the last two decades, mainly in Germany, and recorded this song a long time ago, but for some reason, it was never released. Unlike 'Shine Your Light On Me', the song with the Swiss band Cosmic Shuffling, who have played with Roy, primarily in Switzerland, before finally releasing this track with Liquidator in 2022 as a 7" single.
'A Love Song Gone Wrong' is a great single that Roy Ellis released on the British label Original Gravity. The song was written and performed by the label's head, Neil Anderson, in his own studio, and was released as a 7-inch single.
2009 saw the release of 'Let Me Take You Higher', a soul single by Roy Ellis recorded with the Spanish band The Teenagers from Granada. This single sold out very quickly and is now a collector's item. Most Roy Ellis fans love soul music, and this track is one of their favorites.
Roy Ellis has also recorded many dub plates for sound systems all over the world, such as the song titled 'A Date Tonight,' a dub plate he recorded for Selector Boldrick at Rooftop Studio in Prague. This song eventually became a new track, with Roy Ellis writing the lyrics and melody over an old rhythm track by Harry J.
In 2012, Roy Ellis teamed up with Thee Hurricanes from Los Angeles, with whom he performed some great concerts and also recorded a couple of songs that were released on 7-inch singles by Angel City Records and Liquidator Music. We've included the song titled 'Can You Feel It,' which also appeared in a Tommy Hilfiger TV commercial.
Other friends Roy has met along the way include Torvic Drum and King Teddy. Torvic Drum is the drummer for the Barcelona-based band The Kinky Coo Coo's, who have performed with Roy many times. He has released several solo singles digitally over the past few years, and this collaboration with Roy, titled 'What A Morning', is being released on a physical CD for the first time.
The last song on the album is titled 'Reborn In Your Eyes'. Roy Ellis recorded it for a television commercial for the car brand Mazda, but most Roy Ellis fans had never heard it, and it had not been released before, until now, on this great album you have in your hands.

Tracklist
A1. Roy Ellis & Transylvanians - Mr. Rudy
A2. Roy Ellis & Smoke & Mirrors Sound System - More That Unites
A3. Roy Ellis & Kalles Kaviar - Must Catch A Train
A4. Roy Ellis & 65 Mines Street - Orchestration Reggae
A5. Roy Ellis & Shots In The Dark - I'm Outnumbered
A6. Roy Ellis & Magic Touch - Fly Away
A7. Roy Ellis & Cosmic Shuffling - Shine Your Light On Me

B1. Roy Ellis & Neil Anderson - A Love Song Gone Wrong
B2. Roy Ellis & The Teenagers - Let Me Take You Higher
B3. Roy Ellis & Selector Boldrick - A Date Tonight
B4. Roy Ellis & Thee Hurricanes - Can You Feel It
B5. Roy Ellis & King Teddy - King Of Keys
B6. Roy Ellis & Torvic Drum - Oh What A Morning
B7. Roy Ellis & Mattias Hillebrand - Reborn In Your Eyes