The Complete Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013!

Here, in its entirety, is the 2013 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular!  Download, listen and enjoy!  

Happy Halloween!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Twenty-Three - Midnight Hour/Mask In The Dark

And so dear friends... we've reached the final track in the Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013.  Like always it has been a lot of fun putting this mix together and sharing it with you and I hope it has provided enough creeps, spooks, chills and thrills to have made your October just a little more enjoyable.  Yes, we have reached the Big Day and like years past the fun is just beginning... for the kids at least.

I again will be in charge of transporting the kids around for trick or treating and this year I've got something diabolical up my sleeve for them - my sons have reached the age where I'm setting them up for the "trick or treat until you drop" technique which I used to practice many years ago... we've decided to forgo with the chintzy plastic bags and step up to the king-sized cotton pillowcase.  Trick or treating will not commence until either the pillowcase is full or their feet can't take another step, whichever comes first... and I will look on with a huge smile on my face and enjoy every moment!

A couple weeks ago my 9-year-old daughter gave me one of the biggest compliments I could ever wish to receive... She said "Dad, you're the King of Halloween." I had to fight the urge to hug her and tell her, with tears of joy streaming down my face, that that was the most beautiful thing anyone had ever said to me.  Bridget's simple words made me realize that all my efforts in helping them put together their costumes, and all the Halloween decorating around the house, and all the apple cider, and all the trips to the pumpkin patch, and all the scary movies (appropriate enough for them to watch of course), and all the spooky music, and all the trick or treating, and all the visits to the Halloween stores, and all the ghost stories (except for Me Ti Doughty Walker, which still terrifies the hell outta them), and all the pumpkin carving, and the yearly repeated viewings of "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown," and all the love I have exhibited for this one final day in October, have worked... they love it just as much as I always have.  Hopefully many, many years from now, when I'm dead and buried, they'll have fond memories of Dad's fanaticism for Halloween and carry on the traditions I have established with them with my grandchildren and future generations.  But enough about that... let's get to the final track!

We've got a double feature, so to speak, to wrap up the Spooktacular!  Horace Ferguson gives us his rendition of Wilson Pickett's "Midnight Hour" and we segue rather nicely into Clint Eastwood's "Mask In The Dark," taken from both sides of a GG Hits 12" circa 1983. 

2013's completely uncut Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular will be available soon for those who have not been keeping tabs on the daily posts, so watch out for it!

And I want to leave you with these words, stolen from Orson Welles' 1938 radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds."  75 years later, it still wraps up the spirit of this holiday so succinctly and perfectly...

"This is Orson Welles, ladies and gentlemen, out of character, to assure you that The War of the Worlds has no further significance than as the holiday offering it was intended to be; The Mercury Theatre's own radio version of dressing up in a sheet and jumping out of a bush and saying "Boo!" Starting now, we couldn't soap all your windows and steal all your garden gates by tomorrow night, so we did the next best thing. We annihilated the world before your very ears and utterly destroyed the CBS. You will be relieved, I hope, to learn that we didn't mean it, and that both institutions are still open for business. So goodbye everybody, and remember please for the next day or so the terrible lesson you learned tonight. That grinning, glowing, globular invader of your living room is an inhabitant of the pumpkin patch, and if your doorbell rings and nobody's there, that was no Martian, it's Halloween."

Horace Ferguson - Midnight Hour/Clint Eastwood - Mask In The Dark

Happy Halloween!!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Twenty-Two - Zombie

We're nearing the end and again, we're keeping the digital vibes, this time even a little more closer to modern.  I found "Zombie" by Little General last October and unlike the multitude of modern dancehall tunes that use the word duppy as a descriptor for the end-result of violent activity, this tune is pretty lighthearted and fun.  The zombies referenced in the song are not the rise from their grave, thirsty for human blood and brains variety... give it a listen!  Not to mention, that once I heard the pipe organ introduction, complete with werewolf howls, I knew that I had a new addition to the ever-growing Duppy Tune Playlist... it comes to us from a 1995 12" on the U.K. based Boomerang label.

Little General - Zombie

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Twenty-One - See Duppy Deh

We're keeping digital with the next one - the next track is called "See Duppy Deh" by the man who calls himself Uglyman.  I tried to do some research to determine the story behind Uglyman but I kept coming up at a dead end...  it's worth mentioning that Double Ugly or Uglyman was the stage name of 90's dancehall superstar Desmond "Ninjaman" Ballentine back in the late 80s, but I don't believe it's the same Ugly Man.  Anyway, this track comes from the "clash" LP Dance Hall Clash released on the Harry J label in 1986 and also featuring Little John.  "See Duppy Deh" is a pretty good digital duppy tune that I've been holding back on unleashing for a few years now... enjoy!

Uglyman - See Duppy Deh

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Twenty - Ghostbuster

Welcome back!  We're getting down to brass tacks here with Halloween just three days away and we're going with a little Frankie Jones to get you in the trick-or-treating mood.  Frankie's version of "Ghostbuster," much like the other similar thematic takes by Early B, Pampidoo, etc., sound so much better than Ray Parker Jr.'s atrociously annoying theme from the 1984 movie, that it's truly a shame that Ivan Reitman didn't look beyond 80s pop for inspiration.  Besides, Ray Parker Jr. famously stole the music track from Huey Lewis anyway... and as you'll soon hear, I in turn stole the best part of Ray Parker Jr.'s track for the intro to the twentieth track in the 2013 Spooktacular.

Frankie Jones' "Ghostbuster" is a super smooth George Phang production on the Rocking Time riddim and comes from Frankie's 1986 LP Old Fire Stick on the Power House label.  Venkman, Stantz and Spengler would approve!

Frankie Jones - Ghostbuster

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Nineteen - Dark Shadows

My god will we ever escape the reign of terror that is Barnabas Collins?!  Well actually, aside from the artwork, this Barry Brown tune "Dark Shadows," taken from his 1981 Vibes of Barry Brown LP on the Gorgon label, has nothing to do with the 1960s corny soap opera vampire.  But seriously, how could I resist the idea of using anything but Ol' Barnabas to illustrate track nineteen?  Barnabas Collins and Dark Shadows have been a part of the spooktacular line-up since the 2006 mix and I couldn't bear the idea of doing one without Barnie. 

Have a great weekend folks - we're getting down to the nitty gritty next week so be sure to check in before the big day next Thursday!  I may have something that I hope you'll enjoy.

Barry Brown - Dark Shadows

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Eighteen - Anti Christ

Short and sweet... Much has been said and written about Vivian "Yabby You" Jackson and his masterful productions in the early 1970s but today's spooktacular tune speaks for itself.  "Antichrist" is simply a brilliant piece of work by Mr. Jackson that works well on so many levels, whether it be lyrically, musically or rhythmically, it just sounds and feels perfect.  I have the original 7" on the Vivian Jackson label but unfortunately it has seen better days, so I borrowed this track from the 1997 Blood & Fire release Jesus Dread with all of its fidelity intact! 

"Dem say fi love, an' dem live in hate

Dem say no steal, an' dem t'ief no hell

Dem say no lust, an' dem live like a whore

Me never hear such a ting before me say:

See dem deh, dem favor sheep but dem a wolf

See dem deh, dem favor Christ but dem an antichrist"

Vivian Jackson & The Prophets - Antichrist

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Seventeen - Dub In Blood

Before I even started on this years mix I said to myself, I'm not going to let the lack of response here on Blogger be an issue... I'm going to keep my mouth shut and continue pushing forward, ignoring the urge to complain or any desire to institute the usual "woe is me" policy - but 6 days without a comment?!  Goddamn, it has to be a new record!  Come on people, drop me a note and keep me motivated here!

But that's enough about that... today's track is "Dub in Blood" by Skin, Flesh & Bones and it comes from the album also entitled Dub In Blood on the Sunshot label and released some time in the 1970s.  A pretty wicked-ass dub track and one that I have embellished with some audio from Dracula Prince of Darkness, one of my favorite Hammer Dracula films.  I don't know why but it seems like the scenes in the Dracula movie where the main characters are conspiring to destroy the evil bloodsucker and or learning the ways of a vampire, work best mixed in with the music.  One reason may be the fact that Christopher Lee spoke very little in most of the Dracula films and the other may be reggae's longstanding fight against injustice and combatting the evils in the world intent on keeping people in oppression, poverty and hunger, works well when it comes to fighting vampires too.  Or maybe... just maybe... I may be over-thinking all this!  See you tomorrow!

Skin, Flesh & Bones - Dub In Blood

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Sixteen - Hear Duppy Laugh

Short and sweet... we're going old school for today's tune... this one is by Allan Swymmer & His Band and it's a mento cover of "Duppy Jamboree" and it's called "Hear Duppy Laugh."  Lyrically this one holds pretty true to Levi Williams' original but with that classic mento sound it simply adds a distinct element of timelessness.  

I happened across this track about a month ago when doing my monthly exhaustive search for more Spooktacular tunes and I was thrilled to add it to the mix... I always like to mix it up and give a more varied sampling of Jamaican music and this works wonders.  The album was recorded live at Frenchman's Cove, Port Antonio, Jamaica in August of 2006 and released as a CD in 2007 on the Upstart label. And aside from Mr. Swymmer on vocals it features Roy Harris on rumba box, Andrew Roblin on banjo and Melbourne the Drummer on drums, obviously.  A great CD that comes highly recommended by yours truly!

Allan Swymmer & His Band - Hear Duppy Laugh

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Fifteen - Loch Ness Monster

Welcome back!  It's pretty common knowledge around this blog that I love the hell outta King Horror and it just wouldn't be October without a helping of this early reggae "screamer."  And believe me, you're gonna hear some screaming!  

Way back in 2006 I included "Loch Ness Monster" in the first Spooktacular and in the years that followed I covered all of his spooky horror-themed material ("Dracula Prince Of Darkness," "Frankenstein," "Ghost Hour," "The Vampire")... until now.  I had resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn't have enough King Horror tracks to last forever and I was delighted to unearth this gem a couple years ago when I did my King Horror mix.  This second, or alternate take of "Loch Ness Monster" was an added track on Trojan's 2003 CD release of the classic 1970 LP of the same name, and it's just as shriekingly entertaining as the original.  

If this is your first taste of King Horror you're in for a treat!  This is definitely reggae music with a late-night horror-host vibe that I'm sure you'll enjoy!  

King Horror - Loch Ness Monster

Spooktaculars From The Past - 2010-2011

The Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010

  1.     James Eastwood – Darkest Night

2.     Santic All Stars – Hell Boat

3.     Carl Dawkins – Witchcraft

4.     Byron Lee – Duppy Jamboree

5.     Vin Gordon – Red Blood

6.     Caly Gibbs – Ghost Walk

7.     Tommy McCook – Dracula

8.     Tender Tones – Devil Woman

9.     Hippy Boys – Death Rides A Horse

10.    Derrick Morgan – A No Duppy

11.    James Bond – Duppyman Skank

12.    Jackie Mittoo – The Executioner

13.    Danny Hill – Annie Palmer

14.    Karl Bryan – Run For Your Life

15.    Skin Flesh & Bones – Bad Beast

16.    Positive – Vampire

17.    Keith Hudson – Satan Side

18.    Del Owen & Newts – Barnabas Collins

19.    Daddy Meeky – Duppy Story

20.    Lovindeer – Duppy Bye Bye

21.    Delroy Wilson – Things In the Dark

The Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011

  1.     The Upsetters – Night Doctor

2.     Max Romeo – Copie Duppy

3.     Bob Skeng – Jack the Ripper

4.     Moses – When The Vampire…

5.     Boy Wonder – Cold Blood

6.     Three Tops – Bone Yard

7.     Joy Makers – Zombie Jamboree

8.     Ken Quatty – To Hell & Back

9.     Jackie Taylor – Midnight Organ

10.    King Horror – Ghost Hour

11.    Steve Stanley – Sudden Death

12.    Hot Rod All-Stars – 10 Commandments of the Devil

13.    Geoffery Chang – UFO

14.    Fish Clarke – Black Magic Woman

15.  The Dynamites – House of Darkness

16.  Trinity – Vampire

17.  Cannonball King – Thunderstorm

18.  Dr. Alimantado – I Shall Fear No Evil

19.  Barrington Levy – Deep in the Dark

20.  Delroy Wilson – Voodoo Man

21.  Larry Marshall – Duppyman Skank

2012's Spooktacular Will Follow Soon...

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Fourteen - Waking The Dead

Okay folks, it's Friday and we've made it through another week of Spooktacular fun!  I hope you've been diggin' what you've been hearing thus far!  We're wrapping it up with something upbeat and dare I say, friggin' awesome!  This 1969 "skinhead" reggae scorcher comes to us from the man Karl "Cannonball King" Bryan, it's called "Waking The Dead" and is taken from a 7" on the Gas label.  Actually, the record label says the song is titled "Walking the Dead" but I am under the assumption that it's a typographical error because what sense does walking the dead make?  Mr. Bryan does an impeccable job as usual; simply an amazing saxophone jam complete with a supremely danceable shuffling beat make for a wonderful listening experience.  Have a great weekend and I'll see you again on Monday!

Karl "Cannonball" Bryan - Waking The Dead

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Thirteen - Black Magic Spell

Short and sweet today... Is it just me or is every song ever written about witchcraft a love song?  Is the use of the term witchcraft and black magic always used as a metaphor for the mystical charm and allure of a woman?  Does it all stem from Adam & Eve?  Could these tunes be construed as being sexist?  To be honest, I don't have the answers and I have absolutely no desire to research the topic so I'll just let it go at that.  I'm just raising the questions.  :)

Anyway, today's track "Magic Spell" by Errol Dunkley fits the witchcraft/temptress/possibly sexist mold rather comfortably.  It comes from the album Love Is Amazing produced by Coxsone Dodd and on the Studio One label.  Believe me, I've added a lot of witchiness and it fits in rather nicely with the creepiness we got goin' on and to make it even more terrifying it's the thirteenth trembling track in the 2013 Spooktacular!  Mwuhahahahahahahahaha!

Errol Dunkley - Black Magic Spell

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Twelve - Nightmares

Barry Dunn AKA Militant Barry originally got his start in the music business with the vocal group The Thrillers before branching out as a solo artist under the guidance of producers Phil Pratt and Al Campbell.  Militant Barry was not heavily recorded, most likely due to his involvement in production and promotion when he relocated to London in the mid-70s, but he did have a knack for recording timely songs with timely subject matter... he even recorded a song called "Pistol Boy" in tribute to Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious, questioning whether he was actually responsible for killing his girlfriend Nancy Spungen - how's that for crossover?!  "Nightmares" the twelfth track in the Spooktacular and taken from his album Militant Style on the Rasta Connection label, could also be considered timely.  

Nightmare is not an analysis of nocturnal visions but a fear of organ implantation.  Yes, you read that correct.  You see back in the 1970s, in the early days of organ transplantation it was feared that doctors and surgeons were preying on dying patients.  It was believed that the medical teams treating a terminal patient would stop doing what was best for their survival and would begin administering organ-preserving drugs that could potentially hasten the patients expiration and allow the ghoulish team of doctors, standing by with gore covered scalpels and operating smocks, unable to conceal their ghoulish bellowing laughter behind their jagged jackal-like teeth and flimsy surgical masks, to harvest the usable organs quicker.  So yeah, if you use my analogy, "Nightmare" works perfectly with the Spooktacular!

Militant Barry - Nightmares

Just a reminder, scroll down to access the complete Spooktaculars for 2008 & 2009, more will follow this weekend!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Eleven - Two Bad Duppy

When I was going through the playlists of the Spooktaculars from years past I was astonished that I hadn't used this one yet!  Kojak & Liza are finally here to serve up a ghostly groove with "Two Bad Duppy," lifted from their 1980 LP Showcase on the Gorgon label.  This is right up there with one of the coolest duppy tracks in my collection - a nice rub-a-dub ghost tale riding the same Hi Fashion riddim as yesterday's Graveyard Shift.  Of course like any self-respecting duppy tune it borrows the same call and response, "Man duppy laugh; ah hi... Woman duppy laugh; etc." famously used by Levi Williams in 1974 in his classic "Duppy Jamboree."    

Kojak & Liza - Two Bad Duppy

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Ten - Graveyard Shift

Up next in our Marathon of Fright and kicking off our third week of Spooky fun is Scientist with his dubby take on the classic Hi-Fashion riddim.  This one is called "Graveyard Shift" and it is taken from the b-side of George Nooks' "Crucial Corporal," a 7" on the Black Solidarity label circa 1982 and I think you'll dig it.  This one has a slow, minimalistic, echoey build, which I happen to think is completely badass, if you'll excuse my language for a second, before it hits its stride and kicks into the tune we all know and love.  I have embellished the track with the trailer from the 1990 Stephen King penned film Graveyard Shift, which I remember plunking down my hard-earned, minimum wage paycheck money to go see when it came out nearly 25 years ago... 25 years ago?!  Wow, when did I get so old?  

Scientist & The Roots Radics - Graveyard Shift

Spooktaculars From The Past - 2008-2009

The Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2008

1.     King Horror – Dracula Prince of Darkness

2.     Herman’s All Stars – Nightmare

3.     Flip Kay – Duppy Bawl

4.     The Graduates – Dark Shadows

5.     Dillinger – I Thirst

6.     GG Allstars – Vampire Rock

7.     Joe White – The Monster

8.     Jackie Paris – Run For Your Life

9.     The Crystalites – Alfred Hitchcock

10.    Count Lasher – Font Hill Duppy

11.    Eastwood & Saint – Two Bad DJ

12.    Johnny Ringo – Frankenstein

13.    Lone Ranger – Barnabas Collins

14.    Lone Ranger – U.F.O.

15.    Dennis Brown – Black Magic Woman

16.    Errol Brown – Black Cat Version

17.    Blue Rivers – Witchcraft Man

18.    Dynamites – Phantom

19.    Count Owen – Back to Back

20.    Sir Lord Comic – Lon Chaney

21.    Sound Dimension – The Thing

22.    Denzel Laing – Beware of the Vampire

23.    Scientist – Vampire Initiative

The Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2009

 

1.     Mikey Dread – Pre Dawn Dub

2.     Jackie Mittoo – Hot Blood

3.     Murphy Romeo – Ghost Affair

4.     Lloyd Charmers – Bone Yard Skank

5.     Windew Hayes – Haunted House

6.     The Upsetters – Touch of Fire

7.     Dennis Alcapone – Duppy Serenade

8.     Bag-O-Wire – Creeper

9.     Busters All Stars – Seven Duppy

10.    Carlton Livingston – Are You Afraid

11.    Pampidoo – Ghost Buster

12.    Aston Barrett – Duppy Conqueror

13.    Ernie Smith – Duppy Gunman

14.    Boris Gardiner – Darkness

15.    The Revolutionaries – Rigor Mortis

16.    King Horror – Frankenstein

17.    Levi Williams – Duppy Jamboree

18.    Dub Connection – Jamaican Hammer Horror

19.    Massive Dread – Vamps on the Corner

20.    Roland Alphonso – Devil’s Disciple

21.    Sancho – Chase Vampire

22.    Captain Barkey – Vampire

The rest will follow soon...

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Nine - The Haunted Room

For our ninth track in the Spooktacular we're sticking with another ska scorcher from Prince Buster and his All Stars... a little tune called "The Haunted Room."  Nothing too haunted in this room except for the firetruck siren sound effects that runs throughout... maybe a better title would have been "Two Alarm Fire In The Haunted Room" but that would have just been too obvious.  So in lieu of actual creepy sounds on the vinyl I've taken the liberty of adding plenty for your enjoyment.  

When doing the mix I came to the realization that I have used these haunted house sound effects, taken from the aptly titled Horror Record from the Johnson Smith Novelty Company and sold in the back of comic books in the early 1970s, nearly every year but, they tend to work so well I couldn't resist!  The werewolf howling, the incessant screaming, the rattling chains, the ghostly theremin noises and that sadistic elfish laugh have become classic Halloween material for me.  Around this time I also got to thinking... does anyone really pay that much attention to what I've got going on in the background?  I found myself mixing the sound effects with so much precision and care that I thought it was really a shame to hide it beneath the music.  If anyone wants a copy of the Spooktacular minus the music, as a continuous sound effect bed suitable for scaring the trick or treaters on Halloween, let me know and I'll post it on the blog.  

But enough about that... "The Haunted Room" was originally pressed on the UK-based Blue Beat label in 1965, my copy is a white labeled repress that I bought from a guy in England last October.  Regardless, it's a great tune that I know you'll enjoy!  Have a great weekend folks - see you Monday!

Prince Buster's All Stars - The Haunted Room

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Eight - Hard Man Fe Dead

This is another top-notch tune that has been waiting patiently in the Spooktacular bin for many years and is finally getting the much-deserved recognition it so rightly deserves!  The eighth track in our fearsome foray into Jamaican spookiness is "Hard Man Fe Dead" from Prince Buster and comes to us from a 1964 7" on the Prince Buster label.

"Hard Man Fe Dead" tells the tale of a man who won't stay dead.  Unlike a domestic house cat that only has nine lives, this cat has ninety-nine lives!  What makes this song so distinctively Jamaican, aside from the smoking hot ska beat,  is its reference to nine-night which is a funerary custom practiced throughout much of the Caribbean.  Nine-night, which is rooted in African tradition, was originally an extended wake that lasted for nine nights and where friends and loved-ones would gather at the home of the deceased to share condolences, sing hymns and eat together.  But, as time as passed, this tradition has become less mournful and more celebratory.  These days attendees don't just arrive with sad expressions and heart-felt remembrances, they arrive with food, drink and music.  

It is believed that on the ninth night, right before the bodies procession to the church service the next morning, that the spirit of the deceased will pass through the party, gather food and say their final goodbyes before continuing on to its final resting-place.  Customarily the food (usually fried fish, bammy and 100 proof rum) are set up under a tent and must remain undisturbed until after midnight when the spirit has eaten their fill.  It is also customary that the bed and mattress of the deceased will be turned on their side against the wall in order to discourage the duppy from staying around and encourage them to proceed to the grave.

Buster touches on many of these funerary traditions in "Hard Man Fe Dead" and makes it a worthy and educational addition to the Spooktacular!

Prince Buster - Hard Man Fe Dead

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Seven - Creeping Version

Up next in the Spooktacular is a little tune by the Upsetters called "Creeping Version" which is the b-side of "The Creeper,"  a Charlie Ace & The Upsetters single from 1971 on the Upsetter label.  This is that good ol' fashioned organ-heavy early reggae sound that I feel lends itself so well to spookiness!  The tune coupled with a good b-movie trailer makes for some fine listening.

The Upsetters - Creeping Version

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2013 - Track Six - Mr. Brown

 Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the hell outta the original Mr. Brown, recorded by The Wailers in 1970 under Lee "Scratch" Perry's tutelage and with one of the most sinister sounding backing tracks ever put on record, but today's tune is pretty cool nonetheless!  But before we get to the listening part of today's post I'm going to take this opportunity to do a refresher on the back-story behind the music by quoting, with a couple factual corrections, from what I wrote here on Distinctly Jamaican Sounds in October of 2005...

"In 1969 or ’70 the Wailers who were working with Lee Perry at the time, caught wind of a strange story involving a John Crow, which is the Jamaican term for a buzzard. This "crow" was somehow given the name “Mr. Brown” and the story went that he had been observed traveling around Kingston on a coffin on its way to the cemetery. Days later the same buzzard, wearing a shirt and tie, was seen in a courtroom. The general populace was scared stiff thinking that the evil powers of obeah (or black magic) had been unleashed and had even gotten to the point that many were afraid to leave their houses at night. The story was even reported in the Jamaican newspaper the Daily Gleaner and added more fuel to the fire.

The lyrics were mostly written by Glen Adams, the keyboard player in Aston “Familyman” Barrett’s Hippy Boys. Max Romeo of “Wet Dream” and “War Inna Babylon” fame was the Hippy Boys’ vocalist but I digress… The Wailers thought the subject matter would be appropriate material under Lee Perry’s slightly psychedelic control and recorded it. It was originally released on 7” single and because Lee Perry sold the rights to all the material the Wailers recorded over that 2 year period it’s available on hundreds of Bob Marley “Greatest Hits” cassettes and CDs you can pick up at a local gas station near you."

So let's get to the music!  This version of Mr. Brown is ripped from the b-side of a 7" by Raheem DeVaughn & Ludacris called "Bulletproof" on the Pirate Records label, from France.  Bulletproof is nothing to write home about by the remix of Mr. Brown sounds pretty damn sweet! 

Pirate Records - Mr. Brown Remix