Cat No DFGCD8625

“Carried Beyond” is a specially-priced, luxury digipak double album by The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari, recorded at the Théâtre de la Ville, in Paris, in 1997 during the first ever French tour. CD 2 features the group’s most popular hits; while CD 1 is a ‘Grounation’, a Rastafarian religious celebration with percussion, flutes, and chants, directly inspired by the original spiritual gatherings organized by slaves to relieve their suffering. Today, Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari continues the grounation tradition every Sunday. All sorts of people participate, play an instrument or simply feel the vibrations.

In 1947, Count Ossie Williams created Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari to be able to continue the slave tradition of black Jamaican drumming and asserting their African roots. They quickly became the musical expression of a new Rasta movement in the 60’s - adding brass & bass guitar - and despite police persecution, their base, situated in Rockfort (Kingston) became a cultural Mecca and the group collaborated with many leading artists including Duke Ellington, Nina Simone, Miriam Makeba, Archie Shepp, and Jimmy Cliff. Brother Sam (Samuel Clayton) became the new leader of the group after the death of Count Ossie in 1976, and his son mixed this album.

The 12-piece group's music, originally based on song, poetry, percussion, with the influence of jazz and blues, influenced the birth of Ska & Rock Steady and all the styles that form the basis of reggae today. Their message is not about protest and vengeance, it's an ode to their African roots, a song ofhumanity, a call to generosity and the original Rasta spirit of positive thinking. The MROR completed a short European tour in April 2007, including a successful concert at the Carling Academy in Brixton, London.