Tings an' Times

Tings an' Times is an album by the Jamaican dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson, released in 1991.^[2][3] It was Johnson's first album in six years.^[4] Tings an' Times also served as the title of a book of Johnson's poetry.^[5]

Tings an' Times
Studio album by Linton Kwesi Johnson
Released	1991
Studio	Sparkside, Dulwich Road, London
Genre	Reggae, dub, spoken word
Label	Shanachie[1]
Producer	Linton Kwesi Johnson, Dennis Bovell
Linton Kwesi Johnson chronology
In Concert with the Dub Band (1985) Tings an' Times (1991) LKJ in Dub: Volume 2 (1992)

Production

The album was produced by Johnson and Dennis Bovell.^[6] Johnson was again backed by the Dub Band, with the sound fleshed out by the addition of accordion and violin.^[7][8] Steve Gregory contributed on flute and saxophone.^[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Robert Christgau	A[11]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[12]
Los Angeles Times	[7]
Orlando Sentinel	[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
Spin Alternative Record Guide	8/10[14]

Robert Christgau wrote that "the riddims skip by on Dennis Bovell's ska-speedy tempos, graced with tricky guitar hooks and colored with fiddle and accordion that sing Hungary and Algeria and Colombia and the Rio Grande."^[11] The Los Angeles Times lamented that "Johnson’s delivery is both tentative and buried a bit in the mix, lessening the impact."^[7] The Orlando Sentinel opined that "Johnson's thoughtful lyrics float over gorgeous elongated reggae tracks flavored with jazz-influenced horns, accordion, piano, violin and flute."^[13] The Commercial Appeal noted that Johnson's "spry quips and brusque cadences [ride] over tough rhythms."^[15]

AllMusic thought that Johnson's "outlook is intensely African, and his socio-political lyrics (some in English, some in an African language) are a passionate call for democracy in Africa."^[10] The Spin Alternative Record Guide praised the "increased doses of joy and irony in LKJ's meditations."^[14] Trouser Press deemed Tings an' Times "an upbeat but stringently critical album that is at once traditional and modern."^[1]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Linton Kwesi Johnson.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Story"	5:20
2.	"Sense Outta Nansense"	4:59
3.	"Tings an' Times"	6:32
4.	"Mi Revalueshanary Fren"	5:19
5.	"Di Good Life"	5:30
6.	"Di Anfinished Revalueshan"	5:33
7.	"Dubbing for Life"	4:03

Personnel

• Linton Kwesi Johnson - vocals, percussion, production

The Dub Band

• John Kpiaye - guitar
• Dennis Bovell - bass, percussion, production, engineer, mixing
• Nick Straker - keyboards
• Paget King - organ, piano, synthesizer
• Henry Holder - piano
• Paul Blake - drums
• Everald Forrest, Jeff Scantlebury - percussion
• Steve Gregory - tenor saxophone, flute
• Paul Spong - trumpet
• Fayyaz Virji, Henry Tenyue - trombone
• Ian Hill - accordion
• Johnny "T" Taylor - violin

Technical

• Antonio Vignocchi - cover painting