Roots an' Culture

I discovered Culture late in the summer of 1993. At the time I had been obsessing with buying the latest dancehall singles and discovering how to mix songs on the same riddims together as seamlessly as possible. My friend Nick and I, as we were often known to do, were spending some quality time in a store that had a pretty substantial selection of reggae CDs. I picked up a couple decent things but Nick got the gem that day when he bought Culture’s "The International Herb." Since we had made a considerable drive to get to this store we had quite a while to listen to our new purchases on our way back home. This was before the days of decent CD players in automobiles so we had hijacked Nick’s little sister’s purple and pink CD boom box, that was about the size of a storage trunk, so we could enjoy CD quality sound in my ’86 VW Golf. Instantaneously we were blown away by what we were hearing and kicking ourselves for letting this awesome piece of conscious roots reggae slip through the cracks! So to make a long story short we spent the rest of the summer buying every Culture release we could dig up either at a decent record shop or via mail order from RAS Records! My departure from listening to then-modern dancehall at that time was probably one of the reasons my interest in Jamaican music started to gravitate toward the more instrumental based sound that was more distinctly "reggae" than the electronic drum patterns that were so prevalent with early 90’s dancehall. Within a couple months my interest in keeping up with the "latest" sounds outta J.A. had waned and I was back into the roots and Culture.

Well enough about me, Culture is a vocal trio led by songwriter Joseph Hill with Albert "Ralph" Walker and Kenneth Paley (aka Kenneth Dayes) providing the harmonies. Joseph Hill started out at Studio One with the group the Soul Defenders and even released a solo single "Behold the Land." Eventually Culture went on the record for Joe Gibbs and Sonia Pottinger and almost immediately attracted a large following with reggae listeners outside of Jamaica with their strong lyrics and even stronger roots sound. Their real breakthrough was with the Joe Gibbs’ produced single "Two Sevens Clash" in 1977, which found a "sympathetic ear in the emergent punk audience." Hill eventually split with the Walker and Paley and has continued using the moniker Culture as a solo act – though I could have sworn that when I saw Culture in 2000 it sure looked like Albert Walker alongside him on stage.

I’m sharing a few Culture songs today… nothing rare but some damn fine music regardless! If you’ve had limited exposure to Joseph Hill and Culture let this sampling serve as your notice to buy some of their music. Don’t be like me and let this music slip through the cracks in your music collection for too long!

1. "Behold I Come" from the 1978 album "Baldhead Bridge"
2. "Too Long In Slavery" from the 1979 album "The International Herb"
3. "Babylon’s Big Dog" from the 1982 album "Lion Rock"
4. "One a We" from the 1987 album "Culture At Work"
5. "Outcast" from the 1997 album "Trust Me"

All these CDs are available where finer reggae music is sold and even available for download in their entireties from both Emusic and Itunes.

Wilson Pickett 1941-2006

It's odd how thing pop up when you're not even looking for them! Last week I wanted to post a reggae cover of one of Wilson Pickett's greatest hits as a mini tribute but I didn't have the right one! Today I had the Ipod on a shuffle of rocksteady songs and up popped "Midnight Hour" by the Silvertones - I completely forgot about this one! So here it is, my tiny tribute to Wilson Pickett inna rocksteady fashion!

Toyan Inna Dancehall Style

Here's a couple tracks from one of early dancehall's best and unjustly overlooked DJ's! Toyan, or sometimes called Ranking Toyan, started off in the mid 70's DJing for some of the biggest soundsystems in Jamaica. He scored a hit in 1978 with the track "Disco Pants" on the Roots Tradition label. In the 1980's he hooked up with Junjo Lawes and really hit his stride releasing the fantastic album "How the West Was Won" and a stack of impressive singles! When the digital era took hold Toyan's output slowed considerably and unfortunately he was murdered in 1991.

I'm sharing an absolutely scorching Volcano release on the Mad Mad Riddim called "Stylee," circa late '82/early '83. I was also going to share "Disco Pants" but it's not on the hard drive and being that time is limited... I've decided to share a track from the 1982 Joe Gibbs produced LP called "Superstar - Yellowman Has Arrived With Toyan" - the song is called "Talk of the Town." Give 'em a listen - good stuff!

As an added bonus I decided to include "She's Gone Away" by Cocoa Tea which is the A-Side of the Volcano 12" and also on the same rhythm. You might already know this track as "Lost My Sonia" but as is the case with most of Junjo produced 12 inch singles it also includes the wicked Roots Radics instrumental versions!







I'm gonna do something a little more rootsy for the next post and then by the end of the week I'll post a couple tracks from the Club Paradise soundtrack by Jimmy Cliff, Well Pleased and Satisfied, the Blue Riddim Band and an extra single by Yellowman that was in the movie but never made it to the soundtrack!

More Music Coming Soon...

Luckily I made it through this hellacious week but as you can see I haven't had time to post anything new... stay tuned, I should be back up and running by next week!

Of note - I was going to post a tribute to Wilson Pickett but the only reggae cover of one of his most famous songs I have is "In the Midnight Hour" by John Holt and I didn't want to use one of his tracks like I did with Lou Rawls. I know Ken Boothe did a version of "Mustang Sally" and George Faith had a great Upsetter produced rendition of "Midnight Hour" but I don't own either of them.

Next week in honor of the upcoming DVD release of the cheesy but surprisingly enjoyable 1986 Harold Ramis comedy "Club Paradise" - starring Robin Williams and Jimmy Cliff - I'm going to share a couple of tracks from the soundtrack LP and attempt to justify why this movie is so entertaining!

Lillian Allen - Revolutionary Tea Party

I know technically today is Thursday but I figured I’d post this today so I won’t have to mess around with posting again tomorrow morning… I’m starting the weekend early – woohoo!

Lillian Allen was born in Spanish Town Jamaica in 1951 and moved to North America in 1969. She studied in New York and Toronto, where she eventually settled. She is known as a pioneer in the reggae sub-genre of dub poetry and a true ground-breaker for women in the field. She has won countless awards including 2 Juno awards for her albums “Revolutionary Tea Party” and “Conditions Critical.” She is still active today and has gone on to write stage plays, radio programs and even helped make a documentary on Mutabaruka called “Blak Wi Blakk,” which I’d love to see! So without further ado… here is Lillian Allen’s “Revolutionary Tea Party.”

By Request... Frankie Paul!

By special request and a popular demand! Frankie Paul, born Paul Blake,1965, was blind at birth. After having his vision partially restored as a youth he was inspired when his school was visited by Stevie Wonder and decided to make music his career. In 1983 he first appeared on record alongside veteran singer Sugar Minott on Channel One's clash album "Show-Down Vol.2" and from that point on he became one of dancehall’s most popular artists. The hits he recorded for Junjo Lawes "Pass the Tu-Sheng-Peng,” "Dem a Talk ‘Bout” and "Hooligan” were some of the best he’s ever recorded and quite possibly signaled the arrival of an enduring and prolific star.

I am sharing two tracks from F.P., as he often refers to himself, and I think you’ll dig ‘em!

From the "Show-Down Vol.2" LP on the Channel One label – Frankie’s original "Worries in the Dance" which he later updated with a slightly lighter tone for Junjo and became a massive hit.

And the Volcano 12” "Hooligan,” complete with wicked Roots Radics extended version at the end!




Lillian Allen tomorrow!

African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3

I've got my turntable up and running and today presented here in its entirety is African Dub All-Mighty Chapter 3! Produced by Errol Thompson and Joe Gibbs at Joe Gibbs Recording Studio and released in 1978 this is a pretty decent album. I could go and spend a lot of time trying to paraphrase what is written about this series of important dub albums in Steve Barrow's excellent resource "Reggae the Rough Guide," but it would take a while to get it down as succinctly as he does...

"African Dub All Mighty Chapters 1, 2 & 3 - "Three albums that decisively helped to popularize dub; the first two within the existing reggae market, and the third beyond it to disparate groups like punks and experimental rock fans. The formula was the same on all three: mainly Studio One and Treasure Isle rhythms updated by the Professionals in the 'rockers' style, and given imaginative mixes by Errol Thompson. The more obvious gimmicks - telephones ringing, toilets being flushed, the odd siren, dogs barking, etc. - became more prominent as the series progressed and reached a wider audience. The perspective of time has treated all three albums well." "Reggae the Rough Guide" by Steve Barrow & Peter Dalton

Tracks are...

1. Chapter Three
2. Rema Dub
3. Tribesman Rockers
4. Freedom Call
5. Jubilation Dub
6. The Entebbe Affair
7. Angolian Chant
8. Zion Gate
9. Jungle Dub
10. Dub Three

Tony Tuff - Down In Rome

You might be starting to tell now that I'm a big-time fan of reggae from the early dancehall era - I've got tons that I'd like to share and since time is relatively limited today I figured I'd make it easy on myself and do some more Junjo material. I hope you don't mind... I'm going to share some full album dub this week (if I get the chance)... I've got 3 great dub LPs that I'm gonna space-out so I don't blow through them within a short period of time and hopefully sometime soon I'll present a dub poetry album from Lillian Allen that I was finally able to track down! Well enough about coming attractions...

Tony Tuff, born Winston Morris in 1955, started his career with the African Brothers alongside Sugar Minott and Derrick "Bubbles" Howard. In 1978 the group broke-up, Sugar Minott went on to record for Studio One and Tony Tuff continued on, becoming the lead singer for the Soul Syndicate Band as well as recording various solo projects. In the early 80's he went on to achieve great success with Henry "Junjo" Lawes' Volcano Hi-Power Sound System and recorded a string of hits including "Come Fi Mash It (or "Come We Come Fi Mash It" as the 12" says)," "Nobody But You" and others. Since I'm still without ripping capabilities I've decided to share a couple of his singles produced by Junjo on the Jah Guidance label that I already have on the hard drive...





Tony Tuff.Zip

Lou Rawls 1933-2006

I don’t often post on weekends but I wanted to pay tribute to someone whose passing the media has tended to trivialize… I’m speaking of Lou Rawls. Now Lou Rawls may be far removed from the world of Jamaican music but he was a great singer and a good man and his influence transcended all genres. His music obviously touched John Holt who recorded his version of Rawls’ hit “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine,” circa 1976 – I have the track on a John Holt greatest hits compilation and it doesn’t give specifics. So as a small tribute to Lou Rawls I present this track…

Alton Ellis - Skateland Girl

Alton Ellis started his career when he teamed up with Eddy Perkins for Randys and Studio One as Alton and Eddy in the late 1950's. He later went on to record for Coxsone's arch rival Duke Reid over at Treasure Isle as Alton Ellis and the Flames. In the rocksteady era he obtained stardom and his track "Get Ready - Rock Steady" was one of the first records to use the term. In the late 60's he recorded for scores of Jamaica's finest producers before relocating to England in 1972. Surprisingly he must have made a return-visit to JA in 1982 to cut this dancehall track for Henry "Junjo" Lawes' Volcano label.

A great track I think you'll enjoy w/the B-side version courtesy of the Roots Radics.
Have a great weekend!


Rest In Peace Alton Ellis - New Link Added 10/14/08

Lovindeer & the Lighter Side of Life

In the relatively short history of reggae music there have been a number of artists who have presented hard-hitting subject matter in a light-hearted manner but then you have Lovindeer. He never attempted to address global or overtly conscious subjects, he preferred to deal with the everyday concerns, annoyances and the humor in daily Jamaican life. As a member of a vocal group called the Fabulous Flames he never achieved great success but when he went solo and released a self-produced comical track on the state of public transportation in Jamaica called “The Blinking Bus” in the late 70’s, he went to number one. He followed that one up a string of popular tracks, many in a style that the prudish would consider to be slack, or vulgar. The songs “Kratches,” “Panty Size,” “Government Boops” and “Don’t Bend Down” to name a few were popular but didn’t get the airplay that would catapult them to hit status. In 1988 Hurricane Gilbert ravaged Jamaica and Lovindeer’s track “Wild Gilbert” in his trademark humorous style went straight to number one and remains his biggest hit. A couple years later Lovindeer went with a more calypso/soca inspired sound after the influx of newer dancehall or “ragga” took hold in Jamaica.

Outside of Jamaica Lovindeer never achieved great popularity but I found one of his records at a Caribbean grocery store about 12 years ago when shopping for Ting and Scotch Bonnet peppers, and I was immediately hooked. His music took some research to understand initially because of the use of Jamaican slang but once I understood the subject matter on some of the tracks I appreciated the music for what it was. After buying at least 6 or 7 of his LP’s at the same market over the next couple years I would always enjoy taking a lighthearted break from potent topics when I dropped the needle on a Lovindeer LP.

I present here for your listening pleasure three Lovindeer tracks taken from his Best of CD released on his TSOJ label (The Sound of Jamaica) a bunch of years ago. The LPs present longer versions of each track but I’m unable to rip anything from vinyl until I put my dubbing capabilities back together again. My only annoyance with this CD is the exclusion of some of the slacker tracks, in particular “Kratches” that is without a doubt one of his funniest. I’ll share that at a later date…

The tracks are…
1. De Blinkin’ Bus
2. Wild Gilbert
3. Babylon Boops

Lovindeer.zip

Put It On - It's Rocksteady!

No one would be able to exactly pinpoint when Jamaican music took a turn from the sometimes-frantic high tempo ska sound that had heralded in Jamaica’s independence in 1963. But sometime in 1966 the island’s popular music took a drastic turn… rocksteady had a more relaxed tempo, the bass became more prevalent and the use of horns was minimized.

There are many theories on why rocksteady even came into being and combined they make complete sense… one theory says that the Rude Boys wouldn’t dance to ska because the quick-paced music required too much movement. It’s hard to come off looking cool when your feet are moving frantically and to accommodate their desires ska records would be played at half speed to slow the pace. Another theory says that the summer of 1966 was particularly hot and dancers needed to slow the pace to avoid collapsing from heat strokes. Yet a third theory claims that ska musicians had grown weary of the arrangements and rhythms that had remained constant since ska’s inception; they wanted to play in a different style. Finally, as is often the case in gray areas of Jamaican music, some singers from the era have proclaimed that they single-handedly invented this new sound. Whatever theory or combination there of you wish to subscribe to, you’ve got to admit this brief off-shoot of Jamaican popular music was some of the most influential and ear-pleasing ever.

As is the case with ska, I only own a couple rocksteady singles and they’re so battered they’re almost unbearable so I’m going to pull a couple tracks from some great rocksteady CDs to whet your appetites for more. If you’re a reggae fan and haven’t checked out rocksteady you’re missing out on some cool stuff. Give these a listen and I defy you to keep your feet from moving along!

Included in this zip are the following…

1. Derrick Harriott – The Loser (1967) - taken from 2004’s excellent Trojan Records boxset “This is Reggae Music”
2. Duke Reid Group – Soul Style (circa 1966) - from Heartbeat’s 1992 double CD set “Duke Reid’s Treasure Chest.” Essential listening – I highly recommend buying this set!
3. Lee “King” Perry – I Am the Upsetter (1967) - from Heartbeat’s “Explosive Rock Steady From Joe Gibbs’ Amalgamated Label 1967-1973”
4. The Melodians – You Don’t Need Me (circa 1966) - also from “Duke Reid’s Treasure Chest”
5. The Sensations – Everyday is a Holiday (circa 1967) - again from “Duke Reid’s Treasure Chest”

Meditations For the New Year

The trio of Ansel Cridland, Danny Clarke and Winston Watson, known as the Meditations, are in my opinion, some of the most overlooked talents to ever emerge from Jamaica. The Meditations formed in 1975 and recorded singles for producers such as Dobbie Dobson and the Upsetter Lee Perry. The trio even remained active throughout the advent of dancehall and continued to release music to favorable review.

If you’ve had limited exposure to the Meditations I highly recommend checking out these 2 tracks that I’m sharing today. The first track “Turn Me Loose” was originally released on their 1979 album “Wake Up.” The second is “Tricked” from their 1976 LP “Message From the Meditations,” featuring a great rhythm section consisting of Sly Dunbar on drums, Flabba Holt on bass and Bingy Bunny on guitar – Sly Meets the Roots Radics!!

These 2 songs and 18 others are featured on Heartbeat’s 1994 “Deeper Roots: the Best of the Meditations," which I recommend highly! I also recommend the 1983 Linval Thompson produced “No More Friend” on Greensleeves to get a taste of their dancehall era sound.

I'm planning on starting off the new year with some Rocksteady so check back next week!

The Quest For "Smoke Ganja Hard"

Now that the holidays are over, well Christmas is over and we still have this business with New Years to finish up, I thought I’d get back to posting a little early. Sit right back while I tell you the tale of this record…

I first heard this track about 13 years ago while listening to a taped radio broadcast of an unfortunately short-lived reggae program hosted by RAS Records’ Doctor Dread. But on this particular evening former RAS employee and super nice guy Tim Harris was selecting the tunes. I had met Tim at a local record convention and was absolutely floored that while digging through his bins I discovered nothing but reggae music. Usually you’d be lucky to walk away with one reggae record at these conventions and I was nearly at the point where I considered abandoning my fruitless searches and contemplated collecting KISS and Led Zepplin records that seemed to be everywhere (just kidding). I snatched up about 25 LPs and got to talking… I told Tim that I was really looking for early 80’s dancehall in particular rare stuff from Yellowman, he took my address and about a week later sent me 4-5 cassettes full of stuff I’d never heard before – as well as some print-outs from a Japanese catalog that showed his entire discography from that point and showed an album cover of each release and a few Yellowman promo pieces from RAS. I was floored!

We kept up correspondence from that point on and I listened to “Night of the Living Dread” religiously. Then I heard it that one evening in June of ’93… Little John singing over a hardcore rub-a-dub rhythm track that had me near tears… it was one of those songs that just reaffirmed everything I love about Jamaican music! I had to have a copy of this record! I called Tim and asked him what it was, he said it was called “Smoke Ganja Hard,” and he played it from a 10” in his personal collection. He told me it was a hard one to find and that if I ever came across it I should expect to pay some big bucks for it.

Well fast-forward 6 months to December. I had been a regular buyer from a guy out in Washington who used to run a mail-order reggae business called Outernational Records. He used to send you a listing of all the records for sale separated by label and would occasionally list harder to find vinyl up for auction. I made it a habit of scanning the first come first served section and racing to the phone to try for any Volcano or Greensleeves singles he had in the list. This was before early dancehall had gained real popularity and prices were always cheap - $3 - $4 a piece. But while I’m scanning through the latest list I’m listening to the cassette Charley would throw in with your packet that included :30 snippets from all the records up for auction and I heard the familiar strains of my Little John track! I nearly flipped! I ripped through the zeroxed sheets and found it almost immediately… Little John – Smoke Ganja Hard 10” on the Channel One label! I placed a bid for $145.00 – and worried about how I was going to come up with the money when I surely won the auction! But it was all in vain… I didn’t win.

So eventually I figured I’d settle for any vinyl copy of this song, this was long before a lot of reggae was available on CD, and I came across the track on a clash LP with Little John and Frankie Paul called “Showdown Volume 6” that I tracked down and bought from Ernie B’s Reggae. I was satisfied that I now owned Smoke Ganja Hard but a little disappointed I couldn’t groove to the dub version

So about 4 years ago I contacted Outernational again, this time via the web and scanned through his list of first come-first served and saw a 7” record called “Work Us So Hard” by Little John on the Hitbound label. I was quite familiar with the ongoing practice in Jamaican music of giving one song many different titles and I knew I had struck gold! I had finally found the single that I had been searching for for nearly 10 years! The price? Four dollars! I was giddy when the Outernational packet arrived and tore it open at the mailbox and there it was. Not too pretty looking a record but nonetheless I raced to the turntable and dropped the needle… and those familiar strains delighted my ears at long last.

Here it is… From 1982… Little John’s “Smoke Ganja Hard” or “Work Us So Hard” if you prefer, on the Hitbound label.

Unfortunately since the advent of online music the track is now available from Itunes on a various artists compilation. Oh well… their version doesn’t include those nice pops and clicks or the b-side version! Enjoy!

Little John - Work Us So Hard 7"

Have Yourself A Merry Reggae Christmas II

I wanted to share a few more palatable reggae Christmas tracks before my holiday hiatus and here they are...the Eek-A-Mouse is a little bizarre to those unfamiliar with his "singjay" style but it's cool nonetheless! Have a very Merry Christmas everyone and I'll see you again in 2006!

The tracks are...

1. Eek-A-Mouse – The Night Before Christmas
2. Carlene Davis – Little Drummer Boy
3. Johnny Osbourne – Christmas Stylee
4. Dillinger & the Brentford Harmonics – Hi Fashion Christmas
5. Joe Gibbs Family – We Three Kings

Various Artists - Reggae Christmas 2.Zip

Jacob Miller & Ray I - Natty Christmas

Here’s another Christmas present… this is from the album by the late Jacob Miller (accomplished solo singer and former frontman for Inner Circle who died in a car crash on March 23, 1980) & DJ Ray I called “Natty Christmas.” All in all a decent reggae Christmas release but to the untrained ear the vibes are definitely more hardcore reggae than Yuletide. I would assume the messages of suffering, poverty and struggle so prevalent in roots reggae and on this album, though presented in a light-hearted manner on these tracks, don’t really work well in making the season cheerful. Before the advent of online music sharing this late 70’s Joe Gibbs release was rather hard to locate. It was eventually made available to a wider audience when RAS Records re-packaged it in 1987. A repackaged gift that reggae fans didn’t mind finding underneath their Christmas trees. The whole album is available for download from Itunes and Emusic to name a couple…

Jacob Miller & Ray I - Deck the Halls MP3

Have Yourself a Merry Reggae Christmas

There have been a lot of Reggae Christmas albums released over the last 20 years and the vast majority have in all honesty sucked. There are a few gems on some of the albums but most tracks really come off as sounding cheesy and even I, with a great appreciation of reggae and Jamaican music, wouldn’t want to listen to the crap around the holidays. I have decided to compile all the decent reggae Christmas tracks into one mix and provide them in the hopes that the mix will make an appearance in your holiday playlists to add a bit of Caribbean warmth to the Yuletide season. One Love and Merry Christmas.

The tracks are…

1. Toots & the Maytals – Christmas Feeling Ska
2. The Wailers – Sound the Trumpet
3. The Wailers – White Christmas
4. Alton Ellis – Christmas Coming
5. Joe Gibbs Family – Winter Wonderland
6. Freddie McGregor – O Come All Ye Faithful
7. Yellowman – Where is Santa Claus
8. Anthony Malvo – Reggae Christmas

Various Artists - Reggae Christmas Mix

Reggae From America - The Blue Riddim Band

I was never a fan of American reggae but years ago when I "borrowed" the Blue Riddim Band's 1984 LP "Alive in Jamaica" from my college's radio station, that all changed! These guys did reggae just as well as any Jamaican band! Again because of time limitations I'm directly quoting this write-up about Kansas City's preeminent reggae band written by Mike Warren and originally published by The Pitch Aug 29, 2002...

"Twenty-three years ago, Bob Marley played Hoch Auditorium at the University of Kansas. Local fans knew and loved Marley's music, but their regular exposure to roots-reggae came from the opening act, Pat's Blue Riddim Band, and that group's frequent visits to KC's Parody Hall and Lawrence's Off the Wall Hall. Kansas City's PBR, as it was, and frequently still is, affectionately known, held its own with the king of reggae that night.

"We were the first guys down the pike -- we had that opportunity," longtime Blue Riddim drummer Steve "Duck" McLane says, warm memories audible in his voice. "What was really cool [in our career] was having a chance to open for Bob Marley, Sly and Robbie, and Black Uhuru. Every night we'd get clobbered by them, but we'd climb up another notch. It was a real chop-builder."

In its earliest incarnations, PBR consisted of friends who graduated from Shawnee Mission East in '67 and '68. "We were born out of that late-'60s Kansas City scene -- the Vanguard, the Aquarius -- places where people were hanging out," McLane says. "We'd all played jazz and R&B together, in all different kinds of aggregations." McLane, who started hearing reggae when he played in New York and south Florida in the early '70s, immediately knew it was something he wanted to do.

"I came back to KC and said, 'We really ought to try to play some reggae music,'" McLane explains. "It was big-time dance music, and we all love dance music, so we started experimenting. By '74, we had something that was workable, a band called Rhythm Funkshun. That band, basically a rhythm section version of what became PBR, broke up because it was a little bit ahead of its time.

"About a year and a half later, we started PBR," McLane continues. "We were playing 10 percent ska, 10 percent calypso, maybe 25 percent straight-up R&B, and the rest of it would be reggae. People were just everywhere, on top of each other, dancing."

During the early '80s, PBR toured nonstop, burning through two vans and 42 of 50 states. "We just had our nose to the grindstone and never stopped," McLane says. "We really should have taken more time out to record, but it was 'dollar a day, give us what you can' and keep moving. When it got to the point where we could actually play it good, we made a record [1981's Restless Spirit]."

PBR made several trips to Jamaica, where it learned from the genre's best practitioners. "Jamaican musicians are really approachable, and we'd hang out with them -- a cultural exchange," McLane explains. Equally accessible were Jamaican DJs. "When I flew down there in late '81, I brought a box of 25 records, and I thought, What the hell. I'll drive them up to [Kingston radio stations] RJR and JBC. While I was driving to JBC, I heard the song come over RJR -- and I just about drove off the road. I thought, I'm driving around Jamaica, and I'm hearing my own music on the radio!"

Six months later, Blue Riddim became the first American band to play Sunsplash in Jamaica. "We were voted co-'Best Band' of the entire festival," McLane says. "It blew me away that we blew them away. I was expecting pineapples and cantaloupes thrown at us. We're playing these old songs, and we're also from America, and we're also white. It's five o'clock in the morning, and they're going, 'What in the ... ?'"

The track is "Nancy Reagan" and being that I absolutely love some brass in my reggae, this one is my favorite song on the whole album! Enjoy!

Blue Riddim Band - Nancy Reagan Enjoy!

Roots of Reggae: Mento (No, not Mentos the Fresh Maker!)

After failing to come through with a couple tracks for Thanksgiving I really feel as if I've been neglecting my duties here in providing a well-rounded sampling of Jamaican music but today I'm gonna try to make up for that. I'm going to touch on a genre of music that was an important predecessor of what we know today as reggae. The music is Mento, the Jamaican variant of Trinidadian Calypso, that was popular in the 1950's. Mento was first recorded music to appeal to local Jamaican ears but due to the lack of record pressing facilities on the island it reached them in a round-about way. Producers would record the tracks in Jamaica and would send them to London to have them pressed on fragile 78 RPM discs which accounts for their scarcity.

I could go into more about Mento but I'll let the excellent website Mentomusic.com give you all the info you'll ever need!

I present the track "Country Gal" by Charlie Binger and His Quartet from a great Mento sampler called Mento Madness. Surprisingly this album is available for download in its entirety from Itunes! If you like what you hear this is a great place to start... so pull out your rhumba box, don your favorite straw hat, pour yourself a tasty rum punch and transport yourself to sunny Jamaica circa 1952! If you don't dig it don't worry, I'll be back with some more familiar sounding music soon!

Charlie Binger & His Quartet - Country Gal Sorry I had to use Rapidshare for this but I've been trying to upload to Yousendit for 45 minutes!

Lee Perry Stays Dread

Enough has been written about the genius that is Lee "Scratch" Perry and being that time is limited I'm not going to recap. I've been so busy this week I haven't had a chance to post as often as I would like but I wanted to share a couple Lee Perry/Upsetters tracks that should keep you groovin' this weekend. The tracks Stay Dread and Kingdom of Dub were given to me on a wicked CD of Upsetters' singles ripped from vinyl so I don't have the details concerning label or year released. See you next week with some "Thanksgiving" tracks!

Lee Perry - Stay Dread & The Upsetters - Kingdom of Dub Zip

Sister Nancy DJ Pioneer

Shame on me for not mentioning any of the talented ladies of reggae yet! I’ve decided to share with you today one of my favorite DJs of any sex, Sister Nancy. Sister Nancy born Ophlin Russell in 1961 (in the parish of St. Andrew) was one of fifteen children, most noticeably the sister of Brigadier Jerry. Nancy was the first female DJ of note to get her start on the Chalice sound system in 1977. She went on to work with a number of big sounds and later scored a top hit in the early 80’s with “One, Two” which she recorded for Winston Riley’s Techniques label. She followed that up with more hits including “Transport Connection,” “Bam Bam” and “Dance Pon the Corner” (for Junjo Lawes) to name a few. She still remains partially active today but her earlier music was the stuff that I’ve always enjoyed! Today I present “Papa Dean,” her first single. Good stuff!

Sister Nancy - Papa Dean 7"

Barry Brown - I Can't Hide

Barry Brown (born 1962) was one of the greatest underrated vocalists of the late 70’s on… His conscious lyrics and topical subject matter earned him the nickname “Jamaica’s Bob Dylan.”

“Barry Brown penetrated the early dancehall scene of the late '70s with a slue of durable roots records that today stand as evergreen gems. Like Clarke, Thompson, Sammy Dread, Rod Taylor, Sugar Minott and other popular vocalists of the day, Brown brought an immediate, street-level atmosphere to his records. His passionately raw delivery wasn't candy-coated sweet or silky smooth. It was simple, direct, amicable and real. Listening to records like "No Wicked Shall Enter The Kingdom Of Zion" and "Politician" you knew this young brother wasn't from uptown.” Full Watts Vol. 3 Number 2.

Unfortunately Barry Brown died May 29, 2004, at the Soundwave Recording Studio at Ivy Green Crescent in Kingston where he reportedly fell and hit his head. He will sadly be missed…

I have decided to share a great 12” he recorded for Junjo Lawes on the Jah Guidance label (circa 1983). Backed by the incomparable Roots Radics the song is “I Can’t Hide” and includes the wicked dub version. Enjoy!

Barry Brown - I Can't Hide 12"

The Cool Ruler at Sunsplash

Gregory Isaacs is single-handedly responsible for taking up an entire shelf in my record collection! Ever since he started recording in the early 70’s, the man has released a ton of music for every producer under the sun as well as some real treats on his own African Museum label and I unfortunately for my shelf space I have liked the majority of it… But instead of yanking a track that everyone has probably heard I decided to provide a track off a various artists live album entitled Sunsplash Live. The album was recorded at the Bob Marley Performing Center in Montego Bay in July 1983. The album was mixed at Tuff Gong Studios and released on the 56 Hope Road label. Surprisingly this LP featured an extremely diverse sampling of music from Third World, Michigan & Smiley, Sugar Minott, Gil Scott Heron and of course Mr. Isaacs. The song “Love is Overdue” which was originally produced and released by Alvin “G.G.” Ranglin in 1974 on his G.G. label and was a monster hit. Here it is performed 9 years later and judging by the crowd’s reaction, it was still a favorite! Enjoy!

Gregory Isaacs - Love is Overdue (Live!)

Michael Smith - Mi Cyaan Believe It

More dub poetry... I've been looking for this album for years and after listening to it all weekend I decided it was too good not to share! Thanks Kerppu!

“Born in 1954 to a working-class family, after attending various schools, Mikey Smith in 1980, graduated from the Jamaica School of Drama with a diploma in theatre arts.

In 1978, Michael Smith represented Jamaica at the 11th World Festival of Youth and Students in Cuba. That year, saw the release of his first recording, a single titled, Word, followed by perhaps his most famous piece Mi Cyaan Believe It and Roots.

In 1981, he performed in Barbados during CARIFESTA and was filmed by BBC Television performing Mi Cyaan Believe It for the documentary From Brixton To Barbados.

In 1982, Smith took London by storm with performances at the Campden Centre for "International Book Fair of Radical Blacks and Third World books". And also at Lambeth Town Hall in Brixton for "Creation for Liberation".

While in Britain, together with Oku Onoura, Michael Smith also did a successful poetry tour and recorded the Mi Cyaan Believe It album for Island Records.

Linton Kwesi Johnson recalled how the circumstances of Smith's death was shrouded in controversy…

"As far as I understand the facts, Mikey had attended a political meeting in Stony Hill where the ruling JLP Minister of Education was speaking and [he] had heckled her. The following day, he was confronted by three [persons believed to be] party activists, an argument ensued, stones were thrown and Mikey died from a blow to his head," LKJ said.”

Taken from an article that appeared in the
Jamaica Observer on Friday January 18th, 2002.



Michael Smith - Mi Cyaan Believe It LP

With all this talk of dub poets and serious cultural/societal wrongs and injustices... I promise I'm gonna lighten the mood a little this week! Stay tuned!

Oku Onuora - Dread Times

After seeing an interest in dub poetry I decided to do a request. I know I’ve got Okuora’s album “I a Tell - Dub Wise and Otherwise” on cassette but I can’t find it as of yet. I set to pouring through a few reggae books and wasn’t able to come up with a biography so I borrowed what I found from Wikipedia…

“Oku Onuora (formerly Orlando Wong) came to public attention in the mid-1970s, while incarcerated for robbery, when his poetry, with its sharp description of lower-class urban life, came to the attention of Jamaican writers who arranged for the publication of his first collection, Reflections in Red. Well-known literary and cultural personalities, and students at the University of the West Indies, campaigned for his release, which was achieved in 1977.”

Scouring the various artist collections in my possession I came across this track on the 1986 Heartbeat LP, “Heartbeat Reggae.” (God I’m starting to sound like I must be working for these people!) It’s not the track I wanted to share but it’s better than nothing for those who’ve never heard the man.

Oku Onuora & AK7 - Dread Times