Two Bad DJ and a Duppy

With all this talk of duppies and the Wailers it would have been easy for me to follow up “Mr. Brown” with the classic Wailer’s track “Duppy Conqueror” but I didn’t. I spent the last couple days rifling through the stacks of vinyl looking for one final reggae Halloween track to offer up and in the back of my mind I knew there was another good one I had missed and lo and behold I found it. The song is “Talk About Run” by early 80’s DJ duo Clint Eastwood and General Saint and appears on their 1981 Greensleeves release “Two Bad D.J.” The subject matter deals with a late night encounter with a duppy in a graveyard and though it was never a real hit like “Tribute to General Echo” or “Another One Bites the Dust” it suits this season perfectly.

Jamaican born Clint Eastwood had a few solo successes with British reggae fans in the late 70’s when he teamed up with London’s Front Line International DJ General Saint. The duo became instrumental in introducing Jamaican DJ Style to a wider pop audience and this track should prove why… even if you don’t like “dancehall” I think you’ll dig it! The track was produced by Chris Cracknell and Junjo Lawes and either the Roots Radics or Sly and Robbie provided the rhythm… I really can’t discern because the list of musicians on the back of the cover is surprisingly long. Santa Davis and Chinna Smith also appear in the credits so there is an odd tie-in with the Wailers. How spooky?! Happy Halloween!

Clint Eastwood & General Saint - Talk About Run