The 50th Week Mix In All Of Its Uninterrupted Glory!

This week has been pretty much one long "Conversation."  Here's what you're gonna hear when you download and enjoy the 50th week mix!

1.  Culture - Outcast

2.  Simple Simon - Christopher Columbus

3.  Jah Thomas - Cricket Lovely Cricket

4.  Lone Ranger - Barnabas Collins

5.  Yellowman - Mi Kill Barnie

6.  Dillinger - I Thirst

7.  Errol Scorcher - Paulette You A Fret 

DOWNLOAD AND ENJOY!

Day 350 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Errol Scorcher - Paulette You A Fret

One more Conversation for this week before we stomp down the clutch and switch gears next week and this one is venturing back away from the spooky for one more day.  Yes, we're going to wrap-up the week with a little number by Errol Scorcher called "Paulette You A Fret" taken from the Roach In A De Corner album he self-produced with Tippa Irie and released on his Scorcher label in 1980.  This is a sweet deejay tune and the little echoey samples of Cornell Campbell's cover of "My Conversation" only add to the niceness.  Have a great Saturday!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Ten - Burial

Keeping it simple today... Joseph Jackson AKA Ranking Joe is up next in the 2016 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular with a track called "Burial" that originally appeared on his 1981 album Showcase on the Tad's label; produced by Jah Screw, mixed by King Tubby and Sylvan Morris and with the Roots Radics doing the backing.  This one features Ranking Joe throwing down some smooth funerary lyrics over a bass and drum heavy version of the Burial riddim and it is completely badass!  Oddly enough, I just discovered this track and the album a couple months ago and I'm glad I did!  It amazes me that after 30 years of digging into this music and thinking you had pretty much covered all your bases in unearthing the real treasures, there is always a discovery that makes you wonder how it has slipped through your fingers for so long.  And by the way, the above comic cover for "Burial" may be one of this years favorites!

TRACK TEN - RANKING JOE - BURIAL

Day 349 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Dillinger - I Thirst

It's a regular 2fer Friday here at Distinctly Jamaican Sounds!  Not only did I share the 10th track in the 2016 Spooktacular, "Obeah Bath" by Dillinger yesterday, now I'm gonna hit you with another one... this one is called "I Thirst" and in keeping with all the other tunes we had this week it too is on the My Conversation riddim.  "I Thirst" is also part of the ongoing topic of Barnabas Collins and the goal of keepin' it scary around here.  This one originally came from a 7" on the Shaolin Temple label before showing up on Dillinger's 1980 album Cup Of Tea on the Jamaica Sound label and it is pure unadulterated wickedness!  It was first featured here in the 2008 Spooktacular.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Nine - Obeah Bath

Years ago, one of the write-ups for a track I featured in a Halloween Spooktacular featured an article that originally appeared in the Gleaner concerning Joseph, a practicing obeahman in Jamaica who professed to know not only about obeah but voodoo, Arabic and Kabbalah.  Oddly enough, judging by the replies I got from people wanting to get in touch with Joseph, it was one of the single most popular posts in the eleven year history of doing these Halloween mixes.  Now, I'm not in a position to pass judgement in those who believe in the powers of obeah because in the grand scheme of things what works for others is no concern of mine.  But judging from what I have heard in Jamaican music over the years, it seems that practitioners of this form of spiritual magic have been regarded by many to have developed a reputation for being shysters and charlatans.

Take for instance, Delroy Wilson's tune "Voodoo Man" recorded for Coxsone Dodd and released in 1963 on Black Swan... in the song Delroy concludes that the only thing the voodoo man can cure is the heft of ones wallet when they unscrupulously take advantage of those who place their trust in the black arts.   Fast forward to 1967, Derrick Morgan's track "Father Killam"; an obeah practitioner is sent in to rid a home of an unwelcome spirit and gets his ass kicked by the duppy before being ridiculed and mocked for having no power to actually dispense of him.  How about The Ethiopians 1977 track "Obeah Book" from their album Slave Call;  Leonard Dillon and crew profess their Rastafari faith while expressing their disdain for those who put their trust in obeah.  I could go on but I think you've got the point... for the most part it seems the artists in Jamaican music have little regard, or dare I say, respect for obeah. 


Which brings us to today's track, "Obeah Bath" by the great Dillinger taken from a 1978 7" on the Big Phil label.  Riding a sweet dubbed-out version of Delroy Wilson's "Can't Stop Me" Dillinger tells the tale of Melinda who jumped out the window broke her little finger and immediately went to the obeahman for treatment.  The treatment, and namesake of the song, is an "obeah bath" where a person seeking healing is given a bath in water infused with herbs and potions while receiving incantations and chants.  Without saying so directly, Dillinger ridicules the practice and admonishes Melinda for believing in the ability of obeah to heal something as simple as a broken finger.  He then follows suit, like the artists before him, by boasting that no power of obeah will stop him from forwarding his career, living his life or have him to cowering in fear. 

TRACK NINE - DILLINGER - OBEAH BATH

Day 348 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Yellowman - Mi Kill Barnie

The great Winston Foster AKA Yellowman is up next obviously on the same My Conversation riddim we've been groovin' to so far this week.  It was with this song, "Mi Kill Barnie" or "Death Of Barnabas" that Yellowman captured the attention of fans in Jamaica and which helped him win the Tastee Talent Contest in Kingston, as the legend goes.  This response to Lone Ranger's "Barnabas Collins" is so damn witty it's nearly as good as the original!  Produced by Ruddy Thomas and originally released as a single on his Ruddy T label and as a discomix following the smooth tune by singer Black Skin called "Two Many Women For One Man," in 1982.  So sit back and relax, if you can, as King Yellowman engages in an epic battle against the forces of evil and the sadistic Barnabas Collins!  Now it would be at this point that I would send up a red flag to let you know a "spoiler" was coming but I figured by the title alone you can easily determine the end result.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Eight - I Am Not Afraid

Wilbert AKA Willie Francis started his career during the rocksteady era, cutting his first track "Warn The People" for the great Prince Buster in 1967.  When reggae rolled around, Francis became a bit more prolific and soon after started his own Little Willie's label and scored a couple minor hits including "Motherless Child" for Leslie Kong in 1969, "Oh What A Mini" in 1971 and "Ripe Sour Sop" right around the same time.  Today's Spooktacular tune, "I Am Not Afraid" was the b-side to the aforementioned "Motherless Child" originally released in Jamaica on the Tiger label and on Bullet in the UK... a nice soulful, horn-heavy, early reggae shuffler with obviously a seasonally appropriate theme!  

Speaking of not being afraid, a couple weeks ago I got into a conversation with a friend about the scariest films we had ever seen.  He mentioned The Exorcist, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and I agreed but when he uttered Silence of the Lambs it got me to thinking... while my current taste in horror tends to favor the "old school" much like my music, at one point in my life I plopped down my hard-earned cash multiple times a month to see all of the newest scary releases.  I'm talking about some low budget, gory, FX-heavy, crap fests that I would enjoy immensely while gorging on Twizzlers and popcorn.  And my viewing wasn't relegated to the local theaters; I took mental notes on the new release articles in the latest issues of Fangoria and studied the movie listings on the backside of the comics page in the newspapers, tracked them down and drove to wherever in the state of Maryland they were playing.  Sure these weren't exactly high-brow Oscar nominated art films and when Silence of the Lambs hit theaters I was reluctant to add it to the list of "must-see" horror films, mainly because of the unsolicited rave reviews I got from anyone who knew me well enough to understand my taste in cinema.  It seemed a little too mainstream and regardless of the terrifying claims, I refused to believe the hype.  Well fast forward a couple months, Silence of the Lambs had run its course in the full priced theaters and had been retired to the local dollar multiplex and was probably mere days from being pulled before disappearing for a few months and being reborn again on VHS, so I threw down my buck and went to see what everyone was freaking out about.  Bottom line... I absolutely hated it and if I remember correctly it was the first time in my life I ever fell asleep in a movie theater!  Needless to say, the conversation about our favorite horror films ended abruptly... give me Child's Play, Candyman or I, Madman any day over Silence of the Lambs.  I lost a lot of respect for my friend that day.

TRACK EIGHT - WILLIE FRANCIS - I AM NOT AFRAID

Day 347 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Lone Ranger - Barnabas Collins

Okay folks I'm taking the easy way out for today's tune by copying and pasting what I wrote about Lone Ranger's "Barnabas Collins" way back in 2006... and I quote, "Barnabas Collins was America's favorite TV bloodsucker from 1966 until 1971, when Dark Shadows aired daily on ABC. Interestingly enough the soap opera began lacking in any supernatural content but when a ghost was written into an episode and proved to be popular the show's producer encouraged the writers to add more spookiness. As the story went, one of the characters was sent into the Collins' crypt in search of treasure and inadvertently unleashed the sleeping Barnabas into the modern world. Anyway, Barnabas discovers his reincarnated long lost love and spends the next four seasons lusting after her, professing his love, traveling back in time and all of the other usual crazy stuff that happens on a daily basis on daytime television.

Now I can't find any definitive written information about Dark Shadows in Jamaica but I "interviewed" my Jamaican friend Ingrid at work and she recalled that Dark Shadows used to air on the JBC late at night throughout the 70's. During this period JBC was the only television station on the island and a lot of their daily airtime was filled with older British and American programs and Ingrid remembered that before the station signed off on Saturday evenings they'd air two episodes of Dark Shadows. Thankfully that information helps explain why this "bizarre" American soap opera became public knowledge in Jamaica.

Anthony Waldron AKA Lone Ranger must have been a real TV fan... firstly because he took his stage name from the legendary Masked Man of black and white television fame and secondly because the song you're going to hear today pays hommage to ol' Barnabas. Regardless, this is probably one of my all-time favorite "rub-a-dub" tunes, bar none! This tune was recorded in 1979 by Alvin "GG" Ranglin and released in Jamaica on the GG label and internationally on Island records where it flew to the top of the reggae charts like a bloodthirsty vampire bat stuck in your hair. With a line like, "Barnie chew your neck like Wrigley's," I'd have been surprised if it hadn't?"

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." 

TRACK SEVEN - BUNNY LEE'S ALL STARS - DEVIL'S PLAYGROUND

 

Day 346 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Jah Thomas - Cricket Lovely Cricket

Okay folks we're easing into something here... and like I said on Saturday, I'm kinda diggin' that the 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge is allowing me a chance to vary the subject matter a bit.  Don't get me wrong, I love the hell out of the scary stuff in October but when it comes to today's track "Cricket Lovely Cricket" by the great Jah Thomas, which is an ode to the sport and not the noisy-ass insect of the same name that always seemingly has the ability to find an inaccessible crevice somewhere near your bed and chirp annoyingly throughout the night while you're trying to rest, it's nice to break things up a bit.  And while I'm not going to shock anyone with the direction this My Conversation "riddim road" is going to take us, yes I'm getting to Lone Ranger's "Barnabas Collins" and Yellowman's "Mi Kill Barnie," I figured that we'd take an early exit, refuel, grab a bite to eat and use the rest rooms before putting the pedal down and reaching our final destination of full-on October spookiness.  "Cricket Lovely Cricket" was self-produced and recorded by Mr. Nkrumah in 1979, during what I call the height of the My Conversation riddim frenzy, and released on his Midnight Rock label.  Now don't think for a second I'm just using this record for a filler, this is a smooth tune even though Cricket makes as much sense to my American mind as astrophysics.  So hop in, buckle up and roll up the window if you would...  I'm starting to get a chill.  

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Six - Taste Of Killing

Toby Gohn, AKA Rice & Peas, has a deep appreciation, respect and knowledge of Jamaican music and is one of the originators and key contributors to the fabulous DC Soundclash and the host of one of the best reggae radio programs I have ever heard called Soul Shake Radio (the first and third Monday of each month from 8:30-10:00pm EST) on WERA FM out of Arlington Virginia!  And due to the miracle of modern technology, you too can tune in via the web after a long day at work on Monday, relax and enjoy an absolutely amazing selection of tunes covering all eras of the music culled from Toby's extensive and enviably stellar collection of Jamaican vinyl.  Thanks again for helping out with the Spooktacular Toby!  Nuff respect! 


"In the late 1960’s, producer and mad scientist Lee “Scratch” Perry must have been spending quite a bit of time in front of the boob tube.  I’m not sure how many hours exist in his day, but considering the number of TV and movie references given to his productions at this time, he must have been a walking IMDB.  At the point in time this present tune was released in 1969, spaghetti westerns were his thing, as many titles bore names connected to that scene.  None was more popular musically than “Return of Django”, of course, but he had many other (mostly organ) led instrumentals with big and small screen titles, such as “Return of the Ugly”, “Man from MI5”, “Night Doctor”, “Thunderball”, “Clint Eastwood”, “High Plains Drifter”, “For A Few Dollars More”, and on and on.  “Taste of Killing” was named after the 1966 movie of the same name, starring Craig Hill.  While the music’s mood isn’t as threatening or dark as the title might suggest, just knowing Scratch was controlling the session ensures he fueled the session with the needed swagger and attitude to bring it the life it needed.  A few years past this he had moved on to kung fu movies, best crystallized with the epic cover art to his quirky and awesome album ‘Kung Fu Meets the Dragon’.  Really one can check the titles of his songs at any phase of his golden period (that is, the entire 60’s and 70’s) and easily spot the odd pop culture reference, despite the music behind the name more than likely being entirely left field.  Scratch probably did have a taste of killing, now that I think about it.  Killing norms."

TRACK SIX - THE UPSETTERS - TASTE OF KILLING

 

Day 345 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Simple Simon - Christopher Columbus

And since today is officially Columbus Day, we'll give that subject matter another visit.  This one is called appropriately "Christopher Columbus" and it comes from the singjay Simple Simon.  Now if you've got minimal reggae experience you'll hear this one and immediately think that I've screwed up because you'll believe that who you're hearing is Eek A Mouse.  But believe me, it ain't Eek A Mouse.  Simple Simon obviously owes a lot, if not everything, to the popularity of Eek in the early 80s and his trademark delivery style which he mimics with near perfection.  But when the question comes up; who came first the Mouse or the Simon you invariably have to say the Mouse.  Regardless, Simple Simon, whose real name I have been unable to uncover, recorded an original version of "Christopher Columbus" riding the Full Up riddim for Joseph Hoo Kim at Channel One and had it released as a single on the Hitbound label in 1983.  The version you're going to hear today was the one he did for Bunny Lee and was included on his album Reggae Move on the Vista Sounds label two years later.  Reggae Move came out in 1985 and due to the fact that is sounds completely devoid of any digital influence like most records from the era, it leads me to believe that it was actually done a couple years before, probably soon after he did the original.  Shit, both takes were recorded at Channel One so maybe he did them both during the same session... the world may never know.   This is a great tune, give it a listen!  We'll ease back into the spooky stuff this week!

Day 344 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Culture - Outcast

One of the nice things about doing these daily posts, especially during October, is that I can finally feature a track for Columbus Day and not interrupt the Spooktacular goings-on.  And while I won't get into the subject of Christopher Columbus because as a kid I learned that there are three things best not to discuss with my parents; politics, religion and Christopher Columbus (especially with my Italian father)... and much like real life I'll keep my mouth shut on the subject and let Joseph Hill and Culture have their say.  Taken from their 1997 album Trust Me on the RAS label, "Outcast" is a nice reflection of an opposing viewpoint on the subject and I'll leave it at that.

The 49th Week Mix In All Of Its Uninterrupted Glory!

We're winding down the countdown - only three more uninterrupted weekly mixes left before I take a long-needed rest from daily blogging.  I never thought when I started this project on November 1, 2015 that it would become more or less a part-time job keeping this thing rolling.  But it, like everything else I do involving Jamaican music, is a pure labor of love.  Anyway, here's what you're gonna hear on the 49th Week Mix...

1.  Flip Kay - Duppy Laugh

2.  Jackie Taylor - Midnight Organ

3.  The Upsetters - Creeping Version

4.  The Dynamites - Phantom

5.  The Crystalites - Ghost Rider

6.  Jackie Paris & Ranking Trevor - Run For Your Life

7.  James Bond - Duppyman Skank

DOWNLOAD AND ENJOY!

Day 343 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - James Bond - Duppyman Skank

Any song that makes reference to Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein and the music video for Michael Jackson's Thriller is okay in my book.  Especially when the song was recorded by James Bond!  Yes, that James Bond of the young Sean Connery variety with the white dinner jacket, Aston Martin, Walther pistol and the bevy of wanton beauties at his beck and call!  The idea of Sean Connery doing reggae has got me laughing out loud.  I'm just pulling your leg, NOT that James Bond.  This James Bond, of the Jamaican music variety, was recording "Duppyman Skank" in 1983 and having it released as a 12" on the Magnum label.  A nice track to keep you in an October state of mind!

 

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Five - Duppy Story

Short and sweet today... This is one of the records I've been sitting on for years and finally after festering away in the duppy box for countless seasons, it has emerged from its sleeve to seek its horrible and devastating vengeance!  Of course I may be exaggerating because this is a pretty sweet duppy tune.  I wasn't able to find anything about the Stone Brothers but "Duppy Story" was recorded with the Sun Shot Band doing the backing in 1975 and released on Phil Pratt's Sunshot label.  And like a lot of tunes devoted exclusively to duppies it follows the familiar lyrical pattern of Derrick Morgan's "Father Killam" from years before.  The story is pretty much the same... a duppy is causing problems, an obeahman is sent in to stop it, he sets up an elaborate ritual to exorcise the ghost and ends up getting jacked-up by the spirit who laughs at his ridiculous beliefs or perceived powers in dealing with the supernatural.  You know folks?  A typical duppy story with my usual brand of spooky embellishments.  Have a great weekend folks - the Spooktacular picks back up on Monday!

TRACK FIVE - STONE BROTHERS - DUPPY STORY

Day 342 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Jackie Paris & Ranking Trevor - Run For Your Life

Hey, don't say I never gave you something additional this October!  When I first featured Jackie Paris' tune "Run For Your Life" way back in 2008, aside from clarifying that he's not the American jazz singer and guitarist with the same name, I didn't use the discomix that includes the sweet deejay version by the great Ranking Trevor.  Produced by Winston Riley circa 1976 and released on the Mummy label, a label that just screams Halloween I might add, this is just simple advise to run away from someone literally trying to kill you!  With lyrics like "Run for your life, he's behind you with a knife," "If you should fall, he will stab you in your back" and "keep on running don't try to look behind, find some place to hide" this sounds like some serious shit that you need to get the hell away from immediately!  And to make things even more interesting, the melody is borrowed from the classic Disney song "Hi-Ho" from Snow White but with the decidedly un-Disney theme of avoiding getting your ass killed.  Dig it!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Four - Medusa Parts 1 & 2

When you hear today's next terrifying tune you're going to think to yourself, "what the hell is going on here?  That doesn't sound very Jamaican."  And while I can agree that it definitely has more of a funkier American vibe than most of what I feature here on the blog, it is absolutely a Jamaican production!  As you can imagine in the early to mid-70s when funk was taking the world's dance floors by storm, the enterprising Jamaican artists and producers decided that instead of just listening to whatever was produced elsewhere why not create their own.  God knows there was the talent there to pull it off!  Take for instance producer Herman Chin Loy and his Aquarius studio, who had always been blurring the line between Jamaican and other genres of music since rocksteady had morphed into reggae.  On this track "Medusa Parts 1 & 2" originally released on the Aquarius label in 1971 or so and taken from Trojan's 2005 CD compilation Soul Power - Funky Kingston 2 - Reggae Dance Floor Grooves 1968-1974, Loy's studio band The Aquarians, posing as H2O, lay down some seriously funky shit!  And while the Medusa in question on the track is not the fearful snake-haired creature from Greek mythology that can turn man to stone simply by gazing upon her hideous face, if you listen to this one and don't want to strut your stuff on the nearest available dance floor or perhaps even the nearest available flat surface, you might want to check that your feet haven't been transformed into granite.  

Now to go off on a tangent, which October lends itself to all so well... speaking of Medusa.  I can't recommend enough the 1964 Hammer film retelling of the Medusa legend called The Gorgon.  While far from being Hammer's greatest, Terence Fisher's film has all the creepy atmosphere and foreboding of some of the studio's best.  And with both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in lead roles yet again how could you possibly go wrong?  The story takes place in the early twentieth century in a remote German village which has had its share of murders over the years in which the victims had been found gorganized or turned to stone.  As expected the authorities don't investigate too deeply and Peter Cushing playing the role of the local doctor who has every intention of keeping his mouth shut about what he knows about the monster that lives in the castle outside of town.  When a professor's Bohemian son is accused of murdering his girlfriend and then offs himself, his father comes to investigate.  But once the father meets a "petrifying" demise, the big-gun Professor Karl Meister, played by Christopher Lee, comes in to get to the bottom of the spate of crimes.  I won't give away what happens but if you happen to find this one available for viewing somewhere this October, I definitely advise you to give it a look.  Just remember to watch The Gorgon with your back to the screen and in a mirror so you too don't become petrified when you lay eyes on the hideous creature!  It's a lot of fun!

TRACK FOUR - THE AQUARIANS (H20) - MEDUSA PARTS 1 & 2

Day 341 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Crystalites - Ghost Rider

Another spooky tune to keep you inna Halloween mood!  This one is called "Ghost Rider" and it was recorded by Derrick Harriott's studio band The Crystalites.  Originally released as a 7" on the Song Bird label in 1970 as the b-side to an instrumental cover of the Beatles song "Lady Madonna," this is the version of Derrick Harriott's tune "Riding For A Fall" that he recorded the year before.  Yet another one of those good ol' fashioned early reggae spook tunes that has always held a special place in my heart and in my ears.  It was featured as the lead track to the 2007 Spooktacular.

 

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Three - Blood Gonna Run

Blood, it's the life-force of we mammals.  We don't think about it being one of our most cherished possessions and it usually remains out-of-mind until we nearly slice off a piece of our nose while standing drowsily in the bathroom shaving one morning.  If you're wondering why I've chosen such a specific example of a self-inflicted, blood-spilling injury, it's because that happened to me a few months back.  And it was in that moment, while frantically applying pressure and bloodying every washcloth in the closet thinking I had stopped the flow only to have some more drip down my lip and spatter into the sink, that I came to the realization that I was frighteningly losing a precious commodity.  In the back of my mind I envisioned losing consciousness and crumbling to the floor, only to awaken moments later to use the last of my strength to write on the wall a final message to whoever would discover my body using just my finger and the pool of blood surrounding me.  I figured the go-to thing to write would be HELP but I quickly realized that by the time the message was found it would be too late for help and besides, it's not like writing it on the interior wall of the bathroom would miraculously summon an ambulance.  Perhaps what I needed to scrawl was SHAVING so that the cause of my death would be easily determined or perhaps LOVE YOU ALL so my loved ones would realize that in my final moments I was thinking of them and that I wanted to show one last sign of appreciation.  I eventually settled on CROATAN, just like the lost settlers of Jamestown had scrawled on a tree in 1590... that way my simple bleeding-out from a stupid household accident would instead be forever shrouded in mystery!  Needless to say, the bleeding stopped and I was fine and before I get any more off topic here let's bring it back around to the Spooktacular.

Up next, is the third track in the 2016 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular and it's "Blood Gonna Run" by Linval Thompson.  Originally produced by Bunny Lee and included on Thompson's album Don't Cut Off Your Dreadlocks in 1976, "Blood Gonna Run" is talking about running blood of a different variety than your average run-of-the-mill shaving mishap.  Thompson is addressing social injustices and selfishness and while not exactly pointing fingers at anything supernatural, it is a song about rising up and overcoming society's obstacles by any means necessary.  Do I wish this song was about Dracula spilling blood or an evil scientist performing unnecessary brain surgery?  Sure.  But 11 years into these Halloween mixes you've got to find the appropriate tunes that fit in with the theme regardless of them not directly referencing anything spooky! ;)

TRACK THREE - LINVAL THOMPSON - BLOOD GONNA RUN

Day 340 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Dynamites - Phantom

The 340th track in the 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge is "Phantom" by the Dynamites.  The Dynamites were the studio band for Clancy Eccles and featured Winston Wright on organ, Hucks Brown on guitar, Gladstone Anderson on piano, Jackie Jackson on bass and Paul Douglas on drums.  This tune was originally released on Eccles' Clandisc label in 1970 and most famously used as the backing track for King Stitt's classic "Herbsman Shuffle." Wright's organ and Brown's guitar are stellar on this one and even if it wasn't called "Phantom" it still has that creepy vibe that makes it a personal October/Halloween favorite and that's why it was originally included on the 2008 Spooktacular... eight long years ago!

 

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track Two - You've Got To Beware

We have featured quite a few Derrick Morgan tracks in quite a few Spooktaculars over the last eleven years and this year is not gonna be any different.  This one is called "You've Got To Beware," backed by the Aggrovators, produced by Joe Richards and released on the Canadian G-Clef label some time around 1975.  Odd thing is, that with the pleasing influx of "flying cymbals" on this track it would be easy to think this baby was done for Bunny Lee.  Though not directly speaking about the spooky, Morgan's warning to beware can be applied to almost every aspect of life from avoiding evil men, staying away from backstabbers, looking both ways before crossing the street, chewing your food properly and watching your footing so you don't slip and break a hip in the shower... it also serves as a reminder to protect yourself from that errant vampire that will inevitably come swooping out of your bedroom closet at 2AM on a dark and stormy night.  And while Mr. Morgan doesn't say it, he's strongly advising you to have a crucifix, a wooden stake and a jug of holy water within arms reach on your nightstand, just in case.  But hey, I have the tendency to read more into things than most people.  

TRACK TWO - DERRICK MORGAN - YOU'VE GOT TO BEWARE

Day 339 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Upsetters - Creeping Version

Originally appearing in 2013's Spooktacular, today's track "Creeping Version" by the Upsetters is the b-side version of a tune by Charley Ace called "The Creeper," originally released as a single in 1971 on the Upsetter label.  This tune is rife with some heavy organ provided by the great Glen Adams and really gives the listener the illusion of something creeping up behind you on a dark and deserted street sometime around midnight.  As Adams successively raises the octave, the feeling that your pursuer is advancing closer and closer until "It" is just a mere step behind; close enough that you can feel their breath on your neck, he brings it back down giving the impression that they have slowed and backed away.  A great moody track that definitely fits the spooky October vibe we got goin' on!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2016 - Track One - Dark Destroyer Dub

 Reverend Tom Frost is a musician, a singer, a songwriter and his blog Spread The Good Word, along with his bone-chillingly superb Halloween mixes were a huge inspiration in getting me started in doing my own ten years ago.  Reverend Tom lives in Paris France and aside from his skill in compiling great mixes, he performs and records his own brand of blues, rock, country, gospel that really kicks ass.  Often compared to Tom Waits and a "young, belligerent and drunk Jerry Lee Lewis," Reverend Frost is the real deal!  How's this for timing?  The Good Reverend's newest album Mysteries And Manners was released just three days ago and I advise you to check it out here!  Thanks Tom for wading into the reggae realm once again this year!


"The Dark Destroyer!  Bewaaaare!  Bewaaaare!  It's a Dub Halloween seance!  Welcome to the start off the 2016 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular!  Hi, I'm Rev. Frost, you may remember me from the 2015 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular?  Yep, our international John asked me to write a lil' something, once more.  It's Halloween, it's John, I couldn't refuse.  The bass in the center of a majestic epic tune... wookay, if you're reading this, you know why you're here, and you already know who Osbourne 'King Tubby' Ruddock was... Yep, as we're still mourning the passing of Gene Wilder, this tune gives us hope and chills...'cos like Dr Fronkonsteen, King Tubby truly understood sound in a scientific sense. He knew how the circuits worked and what the electrons did.  The Dub is aliiiive, it's aliiiiive!  So, by the powers vested in this track, I pronounce this Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular season open!  DESTINY!  DESTINY!  NO ESCAPING THAT FOR ME!'

TRACK ONE - KING TUBBY - DARK DESTROYER DUB

Day 338 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Jackie Taylor - Midnight Organ

Up next in the 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge is a smooth Hammond organ tune by Jackie Taylor called "Midnight Organ" and it comes from a 1978 7" on the Solar label.  Unfortunately I can't find any background on Mr. Taylor but this track just goes to prove that the man had skills - a slightly sinister feel all while maintaining that sense of cool that the Hammond always tends to provide.  I originally featured "Midnight Organ" during 2011's Spooktacular and it sounds as good today as it did five years ago... ever without the embellishments.