Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Seven - Devil's Playground


Mark Williams AKA The Kaiser, is the driving force and one of the originators of Washington DC's preeminent reggae oldies night, DC Soundclash.  Mark is as knowledgeable as they come in regard to Jamaican music but his scope of musical appreciation stretches far beyond the Caribbean, he can often be found spinning his musical wares at the Marx Cafe and whether it's an obscure ska tune or a wicked piece of psychedelic pop, Mark is the man to get your feet moving!  Check out the latest scheduled Soundclash or any of the multitude of other shows Mark has got going on by checking out DC Soundclash here! Thanks again Mark!


"The B-side to one of the biggest selling Jamaican 45s in the UK is bound to have been heard by many, but inevitably it will have fallen into the shadows of Max Romeo's "Wet Dream" on the flip.  And isn't that just appropriate enough, given the devil's appearance in the title, for it is in the shadows that we are told the horned one does his best work. Whether or not Lester Sterling's alto sax meanderings are meant to convey this, it's hard to fully know. The track itself is over a re-working of a classic Jamaican folk song titled "River to the Bank," which itself was sung in accompaniment of a "stones" game. The folkloric is ever cognizant of the devil, as All Hallows' Eve reminds us yearly." 

 

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