Day 154 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Michael Black & Ranking Joe - Natty Contractor/Drunken Master

Hope your ears are recovering from yesterday's track by Malevolent Creation.  I have been meaning to attempt an April Fools prank on the blog for years but never got around to actually doing so but being involved on a daily basis with the blog every day during this 365 Day Challenge has finally given me the opportunity to give it a go.  I hope I was able to give at least one person out there a "WTF?!" moment.  But enough of that "foolishness" let's get back to my beloved reggae and on with the good non-Satanic vibes.  Today's tune "Natty Contractor/Drunken Master" by Michael Black and Ranking Joe was discovered about a year ago on an excellent CD compilation of Joe Gibbs produced twelve inches from the late 70s and early 80s called Joe Gibbs Reggae Discomix Showcase Vol. 1... now I had heard Ranking Joe's "Drunken Master" a long time before and it was one of those records that had remained in the middle of the dusty pages of my extensive Wants List.  I had searched for a copy of the 7" on the Joe Gibbs label unsuccessfully for a couple years and in January I finally found one available in good condition and with a price that didn't burn a hole through my bank account but now I was torn.  Since I had heard the 12" Discomix on CD I had really taken a liking to Michael Black's "Natty Contractor" portion of the production... well to make a long story short, I switched tactics and set out to find the original 12" which included both heaping portions and here it is... ripped directly from good old-fashioned Joe Gibbs pressed vinyl.  I've got to hand it to VP... this whole series of Discomix compilations has really awakened my love for Joe Gibbs' productions!  Just straight-up feel-good vibes!!