Halloween Mix 2007 Track 17 - Doctor Jekyll

We're on to the next tune in our little Spooktacular and this one is straight from the mind of Robert Louis Stevenson and his 1886 novella The Strange Case Of Dr Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. To quote from Wikipedia, "The work is known for its vivid portrayal of the psychopathology of a split personality; in mainstream culture the very phrase "Jekyll and Hyde" has come to signify wild or bipolar behavior." The story became so popular that a stage adaptation followed in Boston the next year and went on to London where it ran for the next 20 years. Eventually, when technology caught up that is, 3 films appeared in the silent era alone. Two American versions debuted in 1912 and 1920 and a German film named Der Januskopf, or "The Janus-Head," Janus being a Roman God usually depicted with two faces, also in 1920. The sad thing about Der Januskopf is that the film has been lost and with it the performance of Bela Lugosi, in one of his earliest films, playing the roll of Dr. Jekyll's butler. The poster you see on the right was for director Rouben Mamoulian's 1931 film that many regard as the classic cinematic adaptation of Stevenson's work. I could go on for the next three hours recapping all the movies that followed the storyline but I think I'll stop right there and get to the music.

Dave Barker (born David Crooks, 1948) was raised by his grandparents and uncles in Jamaica when his mother moved to England in 1952. Eventually Barker would hone his voice and start a singing career, at one time serving as a temporary replacement for Pat Kelly when he left the Techniques, that was until he met Lee "Scratch" Perry in 1969. Perry encouraged Barker to abandon his tenor and to exclusively perform using his American-styled radio DJ "shtick" that was garnering him more attention anyway. Barker teamed up with veteran organist Ansel Collins and their 1971 single "Double Barrel" topped the charts in London and miraculously just missed the top 20 in the U.S. Dave and Ansel Collins went on to record an album originally called Heavy Heavy Monsters Sound (and repackaged in the 90's on CD by RAS Records as Double Barrel) which did quite well and to this day remains just as wacky and upbeat as the day it was recorded.

The Doctor Jekyll track we're going to hear today is from the Trojan Mod Reggae Volume 2 CD boxset and features Barker performing in his trademark hyper style alongside vocalist/producer Lloyd Charmers. I have sweetened the tune with even more audio from the previously mentioned Pickwick Sounds Of Terror album and I hope you like it.

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 16 - The Upsetters' Vampire

Despite the extremely sad news in the world of reggae, the show must go on...

Starting off the third week in the 2007 Halloween Spooktacular with a wicked tune straight outta the legendary Blark Ark. This one is called "Vampire (Horns)" and comes from the excellent 1999 compilation of Lee "Scratch" Perry productions dating from the early to mid 70's called Black Arkives released on the Justice League label.

To serve as a proper introduction to the tune I used a portion of audio from the 1931 Universal Studios adaptation of Dracula starring in my opinion, the real Drac himself Bela Lugosi. I have watched the many retellings and variations of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel and I have enjoyed many of them but Lugosi's portrayal will always be my favorite. He is the epitome of what Dracula is supposed to look and sound like and if you consider that the multitude of Dracula impersonations you see or hear every Halloween season are based on Lugosi's original performance, it makes you realize the importance of this film to Trick Or Treaters and our collective nightmares the world over.

I think you'll dig what I've done with the track... give it a listen!

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Your Blood Will Run Cold As 2006's Halloween Monster Returns!!

As another holiday offering to those who are following along and patiently waiting for each track to this years Halloween Mix... I have re-upped the complete spooky mix from last year to give you something to enjoy in the meantime.

1. Scientist - Blood On His Lips
2. Lord Kitchener – Love In A Cemetery
3. The Crystalites – Blacula
4. The Wailers – Mr. Brown
5. King Horror – Loch Ness Monster
6. Early B – Ghost Buster
7. Jackie Mittoo & The Soul Brothers – Voodoo Moon
8. Lone Ranger – Annie Palmer (The White Witch Of Rose Hall)
9. Tappa Zukie & The Revolutionaries – Escape From Hell
10. The Flames – Scare Him
11. Lone Ranger – Barnabas Collins
12. Yellowman – Me Kill Barnie
13. Scientist – Night Of The Living Dead
14. The Vulcans – Dracula
15. Peter Tosh – Dracula
16. Bobby Aitken – Vampire
17. The Upsetters – 10 Till 12
18. Lone Ranger – Frankenstein
19. The Aggrolites – Grave Digger
20. Leo Graham – Voodooism
21. The Wailers – Duppy Conqueror




The Complete Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2006

Lucky Dube - 1964-2007

I just received some terrible news. Quoting from the International Herald Tribune article by Michael Wines...

"JOHANNESBURG: A team of gunmen shot and killed Lucky Dube (pronounced Doo-Bay), an international reggae star and one of South Africa's best-known musicians, in an apparent carjacking attempt late Thursday that underscored the continuing peril of violent crime here.

Dube, 43, what shot by three hijackers in Rosettenville, just south of downtown Johannesburg, as he dropped off his teenage son at his brother's house. Another child, a 16-year-old daughter, was in the car at the time, the police said.

The hijackers fled after Dube crashed his car into a tree. He died at the scene.

As the provincial police commissioner appointed seven veteran investigators to chase down the attackers, President Thabo Mbeki called on the nation "to confront this terrible scourge of crime, which has taken the lives of too many of our people, and does so every day."

The principal opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, said that "the circumstances surrounding his murder again illustrate that violent crime in South Africa is out of control, and that the government's remedies to address this scourge have failed."

Below you will find the link to a 15 track mix of Lucky Dube's music that I have put together in honor of him. I started playing his music after I got the sad news and it has been a little tough. I've been finding tragic new meanings in Dube's lyrics that I've never contemplated before and I found myself getting choked up on more than one occassion. I hope you'll give this a listen.

Tracklisting
1. "Can't Blame You" from the 1991 CD House Of Exile on the Shanachie label
2. "Let Jah Be Praised" from the 1987 CD Slave also on the Shanachie label
3. "False Prophets" from the 1989 Shanachie release Prisoner
4. "On My Own" from his 1988 release Together As One on the South African Gallo label
5. "Lovers In A Dangerous Time" from the 1993 Shanachie CD Victims
6. "Reggae Strong" from 1996's Serious Reggae Business on Shanachie
7. "Crime And Corruption" from 1999's The Way It Is CD again on Shanachie
8. "Victims" the title track from the '93 album
9. "Don't Cry" also from the Prisoner album
10. "Number In The Book" from the 2004 Heartbeat release The Other Side
11. "House Of Exile" the title track from the '91 CD
12. "The Hand That Giveth" from the Slave album
13. "Different Colours/One People" again from the Victims CD
14. "Remember Me" again from the Serious Reggae Business CD
15. "Never Leave You" from his 2007 release Respect on the Australian MSI Music label

Rest in peace Lucky Dube.

Halloween Mix 2007 Track 15 - Oh No! The Duppy Has Come Again!

Here we are on another Friday and this week's final installment of the Spooktacular... racing forward from early reggae sounds to the digital era and the distinctive voice of the man known as Nitty Gritty. Nitty Gritty (born Glen Augustus Holness, August, 1957, Kingston, JA died June 24, 1991, Brooklyn, NY) began his musical career in 1973 with Joe Gibbs singing a song called "Let The Power Fall On I" with Dennis Brown, George Nooks and the Mighty Diamonds. But Nitty Gritty didn't release another record until nearly a decade later and eventually achieved notable success in 1985 when he teamed up with super producer King Jammy. The tune "Hog In A Minty" was his first big hit and hit first album Turbo Charged came soon after. Sadly his life was cut short when he was shot and killed outside the Super Power record shop in New York in 1991.

Today's tune is called "Duppy Come Again" and comes from a 2002 double CD various artists compilation called Ready When You Ready on the Smugg Label. "Duppy Come Again" isn't as much a ghost story as the name would have you believe but in the song Nitty Gritty professes his faith in the Almighty that protects him from the spirits of evil. I hope you like what I've done with it and hey, if you're planning on visiting a real haunted house or a spooky cemetery this Halloween season you might want to take some notes on which biblical psalms and passages he references... that way you can be prepared to protect yourself when the ghostly spirits start running amuck.

See you Monday! We've got seven more tunes to go!

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Oh, I wanted to mention... Monday I'll be uploading the complete 2006 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular for your listening pleasure! If you missed it last year you'll now have a chance to hear it in its entirety with no commercial or daily interruptions!

Halloween Mix 2007 Track 14 - Dennis Alcapone's Mr. Brown's Coffin

Staying in the cemetery for today's track... or at least on our way there. Today's tune is called "Mr. Brown's Coffin" by Dennis Alcapone (born Dennis Smith, August 6 1947, Clarendon, JA) and comes from the double CD set called Black Magic Reggae on the Castle Pulse label. When I found out about this collection last November I couldn't believe my luck, 40 spooky tunes in one place! To me it validated what I'd been doing in October because themes of the horrific and supernatural reoccur often enough in Jamaican music that it obviously warranted its own compilation! But anyway...

I recounted the story of the crow Mr. Brown two years ago when I presented the Wailers "Mr. Brown." Legend has it that this crow, that somehow picked up the moniker Mr. Brown, was observed riding around Kingston on top of a coffin as it was being taken to the cemetery. Now following with Jamaican superstition it was widely accepted that the event wasn't just coincidental it was actually the duppy (or ghost) of the deceased who had taken the form of the bird. Now a couple days passed until the same crow, dressed in a shirt and tie no less, was seen in a local courtroom. This seemingly unbelievable event convinced the general populace that the evil powers of obeah had been released and the fact that the Daily Gleaner, the local newspaper, had even run an article about it, made the final confirmation and scared the superstitious segment of the population even more. People were afraid to leave their "yard" (or homes) at night thinking they might fall victim to the demonic powers that were running rampant.

Dennis Alcapone started his musical career in 1969 DJing for a soundsystem called the El Paso Hi-Fi. He was the initially inspired to start recording when he witnessed the rising success of U Roy but Alcapone was so good that some of his earliest records began challenging the supremacy of the "Godfather" who he sought to emulate. He started out with producer and late reggae legend Keith Hudson before moving on to record with Duke Reid, Bunny Lee, Coxsone Dodd, Lee Perry, Sir JJ, Winston Riley, Joe Gibbs, Randy's and Prince Buster... to name a few.

But enough history for today... let's get to the music.

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 13 - The Reburial

Taking a turn from the corny to the downright creepy... aurally that is. With church bell tolling and a minister preparing for interment we are graveside for the next tune in our Spooktacular. But is the poor soul lying still and cold in his coffin ready to be laid to rest? You'll have to listen to today's chapter to discover the fate of the "deceased."

While we've got that macabre scene playing out in the background we're then treated to the odd juxtaposition of a seemingly upbeat ska number called "Reburial" by the Skatalites. It comes from a 1998 CD release of ska era tracks produced by the relatively unknown Justin Yap called Ska Boo-Da-Ba: Top Sounds From Top Deck, Vol. 3 on the WestSide label. I read elsewhere that unlike Duke Reid or Coxsone Dodd, Yap gave the Skatalites enough time and money to let them get creative and really hone their craft. The same source went on to say that Justin Yap freely allowed ganja smoking in house therefore making the musicians content... but I digress.

Before I used the term "seemingly" when describing "Reburial" because though it has that quick tempo ska trademark it's lacking in a light-hearted melody that many perceive is also mandatory. "Reburial" has a bit of a sinister, uneasy side courtesy of the horn section lead by the legendary Don Drummond. To me the horns just seem to add an urgency that makes the title of the track make complete sense. It's a race against time as the coffin's occupant tries to free himself from his entombment... but wait... I'm giving away the ending to the little spooky yarn I began weaving at the top of the post. Oh well, you probably already knew the fate of the deceased from the get-go. Besides it's getting closer to Halloween would you expect anything less?

I have always had a fear of being buried alive and I know my phobia can be owed to the aforementioned Halloween Sounds Of Terror record I had as a kid. I used the kiddie album's "Buried Alive" track last October to accompany the Aggrolites "Grave Digger" and of all the vignettes on the LP that one always scared me the most. Thanks go out to the seemingly innocent Pickwick Records and their horrific "child friendly" album for scarring me for life! Good job fellas!

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Oh I wanted to mention... the artwork for this post is by Harry Clarke (1889-1931) and was originally published in 1916 and appeared alongside the Edgar Allen Poe short story "Premature Burial" in a 1919 book called Tales Of Mystery And Imagination. Frightening stuff!

Halloween Mix 2007 Track 12 - He's Baaaaaack!!!

For the love of God... he's back!! Just when we thought it was safe to venture back into Collinswood he returns with a vengeance. Last year we all hoped that Barnabas Collins had met his demise at the hands of the fearless vampire killer King Yellowman but he has arisen once more to terrify the readers of this blog with his cheesy style of un-dead, blood sucking horror! Yes, for the third year in a row the DJ Lone Ranger (born Anthony Waldron) is back with the infamous tune that made him notorious.

Last year through first hand accounts we learned what may have inspired Waldron to come up with these lyrics... if you missed it you can revisit my post from October 13th, 2006.

I had forgotten about this Studio One version of "Barnabas Collins" until Heartbeat re-released Lone Ranger - On The Other Side Of Dub this year and I gave my 1991 issue a repeated listen. I immediately decided to include it in the mix considering it has been one of the most requested songs, usually by fans of Dark Shadows, year round. This version rides the Grave Yard Skank riddim that we heard yesterday and in my opinion isn't as good as the GG's version from 1979 but it's perfect for giving fans of the vampire soap opera their Jamaican crossover fix.

So here, by request, is the 12th chapter in our mix... the unstoppable "Barnabas Collins." Now I just need to dig up another version for next Halloween... perhaps a live version?

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 11 - Skankin' In The Grave Yard

Here we are again with another spooky tune to put you in the Halloween mood... this is in fact the half way point in our creepy countdown and I'm hoping you've been keeping up and enjoying what you've been hearing!

We're keeping it short today because unfortunately real life always has a way of interfering with my blogging time. Today it's a dub track from Studio One produced by the man himself Coxsone Dodd and would have come from the 1977 album called The Lone Ranger - On The Other Side Of Dub, if it had been included, and it's called "Grave Yard Skank." Interestingly enough this song only reappeared when it was digitally revived. My copy comes from the Heartbeat CD reissue from 1991 and it's perfect material for this time of year. I really wouldn't say this is dub as much as a straight forward instrumental since it does lack in any of the echo and wacky effects that one often identifies in dub.

I have embellished this track with a track called "Entering The Graveyard" from a Halloween CD called A Night In A Haunted House/A Night In A Graveyard - Spine-Tingling Tales Of Haunted Houses & Ghostly Graveyards - wow that's a mouthful. I think it turned out pretty cool and I hope you dig it. It'll serve as a nice segue into tomorrow's track as you'll see...

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 10 - Obeah Man Does Battle With A Duppy

Joseph, the man pictured on the left, is one of the most feared and respected men in Manchester Jamaica and all of its outlying parish. You see, Joseph is an obeah man. What is obeah you may ask? Obeah is a term used in the West Indies to refer to folk magic, sorcery, and religious practices derived from Central African and West African origins. Or as Joseph explains, "I know about obeah, voodoo, Arabic and Kabbalah. White magic is what it is called..."

In an excellent and informative article in the Jamaica Gleaner from June 28th of this year, staff writer Joseph Lalah paid the obeah man a visit and with utmost respect I shall henceforth quote directly from the article... which is available online in its entirety here.

"...I asked Joseph about the services he performs for his clients.

"You name it man. Anything you want done for you I will do it. If you want a visa I have something for that. If you woman leave you I can get her back for you. If you have a court case I will deal with that too," Joseph pounded his fist into his palm as he spoke and his eyes widened with excitement. He explained that $14,000 will get you a visa to any place in the world you'd like to visit and if the love of your life was silly enough to think she could leave you and go cavorting around town with another, he would get her back for you for a measly $7,000.

I asked Joseph how he got into the white magic business in the first place.

"Well, when I was 15 somebody try work science on me. Dem put a powder in my hymn book at church and it make my head feel like it was going to tear off! I was sick bad. I decide that I wouldn't want anybody to have that power over me again so I start to read all kind ofbooks. My father was a great science man himself as well so I learn from him and carry on the tradition. I was the only one of his children who carry on the teaching and the work for him," Joseph said.

He reached behind his bed and pulled out a small, black plastic bag. "These are some of the herbs I use," he said.

Joseph showed us bottles containing liquids that he said could cure cancer and mend broken relationships. "I perform any task the people want. If you sick I have something to heal you. Once you come here and I read you up then I can tell you how to proceed," he said."

Now you may be asking where am I going with this... read on and it'll all start making sense.

"Well you know I will take out duppy and demon out anybody because I am also an exorcist. Well, one day dem tell me that a duppy was in a young boy up the road so I take up my crystal ball and go up there. Well, when I reach I see about 70 people gather around and tell them to move. I look at the boy with the demon and realise that is the duppy of a Indian stillborn baby was in him. Anyway, I chant it out of him and when the people who gather around see what I do dem nearly faint! Dem know dat anybody who conquer a coolie (a Jamaican slang word for East Indians) duppy must powerful!" Joseph said."

Now that you're up to speed on what an obeah man does you'll have a better appreciation of the tenth track in our mix. It's a rocksteady tune, circa 1965, by legendary Jamaican music pioneer Derrick Morgan (born March 1940, Stewarton JA) and its called "Father Killam" from an excellent retrospective compilation on Heartbeat Records called Time Marches On. It is the story of an obeah man who is called on to exorcise a duppy from a woman who has suddenly fallen ill and it's perfect material for this month's theme. Unfortunately for Father Killam when he attempts to hit the duppy with a stick the evil spirit fires back. Killam ends up on the receiving end of a half a brick and to add insult to injury the duppy laughs so hard that he nearly died twice. Maybe he should have used a can of Go Away Evil.

Have a great weekend everybody... see you Monday!

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 9 - The Upsetters' Vampire

Lee "Scratch" Perry and the Upsetters are next in the mix... the tune is called "The Vampire" from the Trojan various artists CD Loch Ness Monster. The early organ driven reggae track has always given me a feeling more of lunacy than of actual vampirism. It doesn't hurt that the wacky intro, on the tale end of yesterday's track, involving the conversation between a patient, a doctor and a nurse seems to serve as a segue from reality to the "trippy" after effects of the injection that the delusional patient desperately needs. I have enhanced the track with some maniacal laughter that would seem so appropriate in not just this song but in so many of Perry's later works as well.

Today's image is a still of Max Schreck in the roll of the evil vampire Count Orlok from the 1922 German film Nosferatu. This F.W. Murnau adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula has got to be one of my all-time favorite horror films regardless of its historical significance and artistry. Schreck's ghastly bat-like appearance is the stuff that nightmares are made of and its nice to see that nightmares haven't changed much in eighty five years. Where some casual viewers might complain that the movie is silent and "crudely" made I see pure delight. The creepy images are enhanced by the grainy black & white and the silence helps alleviate the distraction of your other senses while you soak in the visual terror. Put it on, turn down the sound to drown out the added musical accompaniment, turn out the lights and prepare to be horrified... now that I think about it, a Jamaican Halloween mix might make Nosferatu all the better!

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 8 - Pablo Gad's Blood Suckers

On to the next tune... up next we've got Pablo Gad's "Blood Sucker" from his 1979 LP of the same name on the Celluloid label. Pablo Gad was an English singer/DJ who began recording in London in the late 70's and was renowned for his militant and politically charged lyrics during the late roots era. Sadly Gad disappeared from the music industry for over 20 years but came out of "retirement" in the new century to record again.

The eighth song in our mix, as you probably already imagined, deals with vampires... in the figurative sense that a lot of reggae does. In the Jamaican/Rastafarian reasoning a vampire is not necessarily a mythical creature who awakens when the sun goes down to seek human blood, he is in fact someone in the place of power that sucks the life from those who are suffering and unable to defend themselves. A vampire could be a corrupt power tripping politician (aren't they all?), a heavy-handed police force, a heartless landlord or even a sleazy self-righteous religious leader. Simply put vampires are people and corrupt systems which wield their power to hurt those who they are supposed to be helping. Pablo Gad's "Blood Sucker" speaks of this everyday monster.

Now you might ask why would I go and throw a "political" song into our maddening mix of macabre musings? My answer would be two-fold... First, even though "Blood Sucker" doesn't directly speak about the Transylvanian Count we've come to expect when the leaves start to change and the brisk wind begins to blow but I think it does a good job of re-connecting some of those ideals so prevalent in reggae music that I asked everyone to suspend when we started this last week. I'm hoping it gives the new or un-seasoned Jamaican music listener the chance to hear what makes roots reggae so powerful. Second, unlike our fond childhood memories and appreciation and fascination with all "things that go bump in the night," the creatures of Halloween are products of folklore, literature, cinema and usually our own overactive imaginations... thankfully this allows us to safely revisit them anytime we're looking for a fright in a controlled, sane environment. We don't have that option with Pablo Gad's bloodsucker. We can't stop listening, reading, watching or imagining this evil... it's lurking in the dark shadows of corruption and greed waiting to drain us of our spirits and our abilities to live a happy life. What could be more scary?

Don't worry I'm not getting all political and the Halloween mix isn't going to take a turn for the serious. "Blood Sucker" is completely in tune with the rest of the songs you've heard thus far and will continue to hear until Halloween. I've included the trailer to the 1960 Hammer classic Brides Of Dracula, hence the photo, and even give a "shout-out" to Peter Cushing about halfway through so I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 7 - Eastwood & Saint's Talk About Run!

Artist background info. borrowed from my October 2005 post here...

"Jamaican born Clint Eastwood had a few solo successes with British reggae fans in the late 70’s when he teamed up with London’s Front Line International DJ General Saint. The duo became instrumental in introducing Jamaican DJ Style to a wider pop audience and this track should prove why..."

This track is called "Talk About Run" and comes from the duos 1981 Junjo Lawes/Chris Cracknell produced album Two Bad DJ's on the Greensleeves label. It deals with Saint's duppy encounter after he decided that the peaceful late night graveyard would make the perfect place for romance. "Saint yu brave, yu kissin' yu girlfriend pon toppa mi grave?!" An absolutely classic rub-a-dub interpretation of a Lord Kitchener calypso favorite! I know you'll dig this one... if you'll pardon the pun.

Regardless of genre, this is one of my all-time favorite Halloween songs... a straight forward ghost story inna rub a dub style. I get requests to re-up this one throughout the year but I never did because I wanted to save it for this years mix complete with enhanced spooky cemetery sounds.

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 6 - Bewitching Organ!

You wouldn't know it by following this blog but I've been a fan of vintage pin-up art for nearly as long as I've been a fan of Jamaican music. So I thought this bewitching witch would be great for the next tune in the mix...

As you probably guessed the song is called "Bewitched" and its by the artist known as Johnny Organ, who as you would also probably guess was an organ player. This is an awesome early reggae tune and its taken from the 1970 Winston Riley produced Trojan LP called Come Back Darling by Johnny (Osbourne) and the Sensations. It of course features plenty of witchy background sounds for your enhanced listening pleasure.

Now that we've brought up the topic of witches it would be a perfect time for me to recount another famous Jamaican witch story... I told you about Annie "The White Witch of Rose Hall" Palmer last year now we've got another to thrill and horrify you... seriously it's not that scary so there's no need to worry.

One of the most popular tourist attractions near Montego Bay is a winding three mile river named the Martha Brae. Taking a scenic ride on one of the 30 foot long piloted bamboo rafts has been a "must do" for first time Jamaican visitors for decades. But here's where it gets a little supernatural... Now I'm quoting verbatim from the information placard posted alongside the river itself...

"The legend tells of an old Arawak witch, who lived on the bank of the River Matibereon (which was translated into English and twisted into being pronounced as Martha Brae). Having heard tales of the Arawak gold, Spanish treasure hunters captured the witch to lead them to the treasure. Pretending to comply she led them into a cave, then suddenly disappeared. Frightened, the Spaniards ran out of the cave but the river engulfed them. The witch then changed the course of the river forever..."

...not nearly as juicy as the Annie Palmer story but a witch tale nonetheless.

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 5 - Harry J All-Stars' Jack The Ripper

Okay, this is as gory as I'm gonna get... image wise that is. Mwuhahahahahahaha!!

Quoting from Wikipedia... "Jack the Ripper is an alias given to an unidentified serial killer (or killers) active in the largely impoverished Whitechapel area and adjacent districts of London, England in the latter half of 1888. The name is taken from a letter to the Central News Agency by someone claiming to be the murderer, published at the time of the killings. The legends surrounding the Ripper murders have become a combination of genuine historical research, conspiracy theory and folklore. The lack of a confirmed identity for the killer has allowed Ripperologists — the term used within the field for the authors, historians and amateur detectives who study the case — to accuse a wide variety of individuals of being the Ripper. Newspapers, whose circulation had been growing during this era, bestowed widespread and enduring notoriety on the killer owing to the savagery of the attacks and the failure of the police in their attempts to capture the Ripper, sometimes missing the murderer at his crime scenes by mere minutes."

Now, you're probably thinking that this musical installment is going to be as gruesome as the series of events across the pond over 100 years ago but it's not. The man Harry Johnson (born in Kingston circa 1945), or Harry J as he became to be known, was a Jamaican record producer from the early reggae era. Harry J first achieved success in 1969 when his session band's track "The Liquidator" hit it big in London. Johnson went on to set up his own recording studio in 1972, where Bob Marley & The Wailers recorded a bunch of their albums from 1973 to 1976, prior to Bob building his own Tuff Gong studio. Harry J went on to produce music for a slew of other reggae including Burning Spear, Augustus Pablo and Ken Boothe to name a few. But back to "Jack The Ripper." This is an upbeat, danceable, organ driven early instrumental reggae track that I borrowed from the Trojan CD Liquidator - The Best Of The Harry J All Stars and without enhancement would seem completely out of place with the subject matter at hand. I enhanced this track with the "Jack The Ripper" cut from my all-time favorite kiddie Halloween record Sounds Of Terror on the Pickwick label from 1974. As you can see from the image below I still own this record even though time hasn't been kind to the sleeve or the vinyl for that matter. Through the marvels of the internet I was able to reconnect with this creepy piece of my childhood last October thanks to Jason over at Scar Stuff. This record scared the hell out of me as a child and I still have fond memories of my Mom buying this for me at Woolworths so we could play it at our Halloween party. I remember shreading the cellophane off the sleeve, dropping the needle and scaring my little sister so bad that she ran out of the room screaming and I turned down the volume so low in hopes that it would somehow deaden the terrifying images that were seeping into my impressionable mind. How this ever got released as a children's record I'll never know... you definitely couldn't get away with this stuff nowadays!

I'll Be back on Monday with another weeks worth of spooky tunes, have a great weekend!

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 4 - Lord Jellicoe's Zombie Jamboree

Short and sweet today... I've probably got four different versions of "Zombie Jamboree" and they all are pretty good but Lord Jellicoe and the Calypso Monarchs' take is my all-time favorite. I've tried to do some research on Lord Jellicoe but I've come up blank so I can't give you any background on the artist. I also tried to determine if Jellicoe's record was the first recorded version but again... nothing. Anyway here it "Zombie Jamboree (Back To Back)" and if you've never heard it you're in for a treat. A great song that always puts me in the Halloween mood anytime I hear it. I embellished this one with the "They're coming to get you Barbara" audio from the 1968 George Romero classic "Night Of The Living Dead." And though I love the movie I'd admit I'd rather come across Jellicoe's brand of partying, festive undead any day as opposed to Romero's grainy, black and white flesh devourers.

Oh, thanks to Michael Garnice and his excellent Mento Music website for the label scan! Like last year, image searches for zombies were a little too graphic for the blog and I didn't want to scare anyone off or more appropriately gross them out.

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Halloween Mix 2007 Track 3 - Who Want To See A Midnight Movie?

With a blood curdling shriek we’re off to track number three… an instrumental scorcher from Joe Gibbs and the Professionals called "Midnight Movie" from the LP African Dub All-Mighty on Gibbs’ own label and embellished with audio from the classic 1959 William Castle film "The House On Haunted Hill." I thought long and hard about what film I was going to blend with this track and I finally made the decision when I posed myself the question, "What horror movie would you most want to see at a midnight screening on Halloween?"


The House On Haunted Hill would never be considered the best film ever made and it's full of those time-honored comic book style haunted house cliches that we've known since childhood which makes it that much more enjoyable. Besides, being a fan of vintage/campy horror I've always wished I could see the film complete with the original theatrical gimmick that Castle had devised for the House On Haunted Hill's theatrical release which he called "Emergo." Emergo was an elaborate pulley system that allowed for a plastic skeleton to be flown over the heads of the audience at the appropriate times in the film. As you can imagine the film was a box office success and it has been said that Alfred Hitchcock was so inspired by the mighty performance of the low-budget thriller that he created Psycho in 1960. An interesting side note and on a completely unrelated topic, the house that cameos as the House On Haunted Hill was a 1923 Frank Lloyd Wright designed home in Los Angeles called Ennis House. But enough about that let's get back to Jamaica for Joe Gibbs' "Midnight Movie." Take your seat, the show is starting soon.

Track 3

Halloween Mix 2007 Track 2 - Dillinger's Duppy Boasty

This wacky picture that I found on the web on a Japanese blog, that I couldn't decipher, does a good job at visually illustrating to those who are unfamiliar with the duppy... a fairly common reoccuring theme in a bunch of these spooky tunes from the little island in the Caribbean.

To quote from my post in October of 2005...

"Jamaican society has long been steeped in superstition by way of its aural folklore rooted in ancestral Africa. The concept of the “duppy” or ghost comes from a West African belief that each human holds 2 souls. Upon departure from the living, the first soul goes to heaven for judgment; the second remains here among the living. In order to summon a duppy someone would have to perform an “obeah” or voodoo ritual that involves tossing rum and coins onto a grave. The spirit would then rise from its grave and go out causing mayhem. In Jamaican folklore the breath of a duppy is said to cause disease and its touch causes fits. The duppy is “considered the personification of all the evil found in men.”

In "Duppy Boasty," taken from a 1988 7" on the Romantic label, DJ legend Dillinger (born Lester Bullocks in 1953) disagrees that the duppy is the personificaton of all evil and argues that in fact being a duppy isn't really as bad as its cracked up to be and that there are some things attainable being dead that the common person in Jamaica would never be able to aquire in life. First, Dillinger reasons that the duppy has reason to boast because he owns his own "home" in the cemetery that no living person would ever be able to rent or steal from him; a snide comment on the antiquated housing/land ownership system in JA. He then goes on to explain that because a duppy is technically dead he can look as rank, nasty, fat or slim as he wants and he has to answer to no one; a crack at vanity amongst the living. The other points Dillinger raises in the song are not as satirical so I won't go any further with my explanation of the content.

Towards the end of the song the duppy gets to speak his mind and his ghostly reasoning that a living man claiming to be fresh (or clean) when the duppy is a ghost and therefore wears no flesh makes complete sense... at least around Halloween.

Track 2

Halloween Mix 2007 Track 1 - The Crystalites' Ghost Rider

The Headless Horseman, he's the ghostly rider we all know and love and he starts off this year's Jamaican Halloween Mix... kinda. To those who are new visitors to the blog and or Jamaican music in general, you may find it odd that I've juxtaposed an 1820 Washington Irving short story with a fairly wicked early 1970's instrumental reggae song but I offer a word of advice... in order to really enjoy this mix some may need to suspend their pre-conceived beliefs that reggae all sound the same and that those who perform this music are only capable of revisiting the same similar subjects adnauseum. Give it a chance I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Well enough about the disclaimer...

The first song we're going to hear is called "Ghost Rider" by Derrick Harriot's studio band the Crystalites. I've added some embellishments that enhance the spooky aspects of the tune as well as an introduction from Alfred Hitchcock from a 1960 kiddie album called Ghost Stories For Young People, just to get us off in the right direction.

Track 1

It's 90 Degrees and It's the End of September... Who's Ready for Jamaican Halloween 2007?!

The Weather isn't exactly cooperating with setting the proper Autumnal mood for Halloween which is a little more than a month away, and though I'm not complaining it's nonetheless time for the 2007 Jamaican Halloween Mix... For those of us who are new to Distinctly Jamaican Sounds the Halloween mix is when I take a bunch of Jamaican tunes from all eras dealing with supernatural or scary themes, blend them up and spit 'em back out complete with creepy/spooky aural enhancements courtesy of vintage sound effects records, horror movie trailers and whatever else works.

Just like last Halloween, I'll not be posting the complete mix in one big lump. I will finish the mix this weekend, chop it into individual tracks and then post them one a day throughout the month. When each tune is placed together in order on a CDR or on your Ipod they'll make a complete Jamaican Halloween Mix. Each track will definitely stand alone but will be that much more enjoyable when assembled in order with all of the others. Be sure to collect them all!

First track coming soon... stay tuned!

The Voice Of Thunder - Prince Far I

Prince Far I, born Michael Williams circa 1944, known as the Voice Of Thunder started his musical career as a bouncer for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One label in the late 60's and early 70's. One day King Stitt, the regular DJ at Studio One, failed to turn up to voice a track and Williams convinced Dodd to give him a try on the mic. Coxsone gave him the new name of King Cry Cry and a legend was born. After recording a couple tracks using the monnicker he was bestowed he eventually changed his name to Prince Far I. His gruff, deep voice, chanting style initially appeared to limit his talents but unlike many DJ's before and after had failed to do he continued to maintain his popularity throughout his lifetime. After recording a decent amount of records in Jamaica for labels such as Joe Gibbs, Virgin Front Line and Trojan he eventually spent time in England with Adrian Sherwood's On-U Sound. Unfortunately Prince Far I's life was cut short on the streets of Kingston on September 15, 1983 at the age of 39.

Now before we get to the mix I have a word of warning. Prince Far I is definitely not for everybody. My wife is a relatively seasoned reggae listener and she has never been able to stomach Prince Far I. His style is raw and tends to lack that certain "light-hearted" tone that unacoustmed listeners usually equate as the trademark of reggae music as a whole. Prince Far I definitely had a voice of thunder and the topics discussed, usually of a biblical or "sufferah's" nature, are not for those looking for some light listening while settling down to dinner. If you've never heard Prince Far I I'm not trying to dissuade you from giving him a listen, because he is an important link in the chain of Jamaican music as a whole, but the guy is hardcore. Well enough about that.

On an unrelated side-note... I do have fond memories of my friend Nick and I calling the weekly reggae program on a local radio station and requesting Prince Far I once a week. At first the female DJ who did the show would kindly pacify us by saying she'd play something but of course she wouldn't. So after a few months of unrelenting requests, sometimes 3 or 4 times a night, in different disguised voices mind you, she would just hang up on us. Nick would convincingly start off by asking a legitimate question about a song that was playing at one instant and the next he was requesting Prince Far I and she would slam the phone down. She never played the "Voice Of Thunder" and as teenage boys are often known to do we gloated in the fact that we had stumped her with an artist she had either never heard of or didn't own.

Now to the music...

1. "Foggy Road" from the 1977 Virgin album Message From The King
2. "The Lord's Prayer" from the 1975 Carib Gems album Psalms For I
3. "Show Me My Enemy" from the 1977 Joe Gibbs album Under Heavy Manners
4. "Throw Away Your Gun" from the 70's era Virgin various artists CD compilation Natty Rebel Roots
5. "Jamaican Heroes" from the 2001 CD compilation The Golden Years on the Cleopatra label
6. "Praise Him With Psalms" from the 1978 Virgin album Long Life
7. "Go Home On The Morning Train" from the 1979 Trojan album Free From Sin
8. "Johnny Get Worse" from the 2005 Blood & Fire CD compilation Silver & Gold
9. "Uncle Joe" with Gregory Isaacs from a 1979 Frontline 12"
10. "Some With Roof" from the 1981 album Livity on the Charisma label
11. "Every Time I Hear The Word" from the 2005 Trojan Dancehall Roots various artist boxset
12. "House Of Jah" from the 1997 Pressure Sounds CD Health & Strength (originally recorded 1978-1979)
13. "Mr. President" from the 2000 CD Ten Commandments on the Cactus label
14. "The Dream" from the 2005 Virgin CD Black Man Land
15. "How Love Devine" with the Wailing Souls from the Pre album Showcase In A Suitcase
16. "Shuffle And Deal" from the 1994 Blood & Fire various artists CD compilation If Deejay Was Your Trade
17. "Natty Champion" from the 1980 Trojan album Jamaican Heroes
18. "Clean Hands Pure Heart" from the 1999 Pressure Sounds CD Sounds And Pressure Vol. 4
19. "Ten Commandments" from the 1981 Trojan album Voice Of Thunder
20. "Heavy Manners" from the 1992 Heartbeat various artists CD The Mighty Two

Hear the Voice Of Thunder!

The Club Paradise Trivia Contest...

I've decided on a fun way to distribute the complete Club Paradise Soundtrack to those fans of the film who would like to hear it again...

Instead of just posting a link to download the album we're going to do a little Club Paradise trivia, where you'll have the chance to win a copy via download. Man, I feel like Chuck Woolery here... Now I know not everyone has seen the film and there are probably countless others who have no interest in hearing a bunch of Jimmy Cliff tunes recorded for an 80's era Harold Ramis comedy. So if you fall into either one of those categories you can just ignore this post... we'll have something more to your liking soon.

Now this is the way it's going to work. The soundtrack has 10 tracks - you'll get 10 trivia questions relating to the movie and or a specific song from the album. The number of correct answers on the quiz will coincide with the amount of tracks you receive for your specific download link. Requests to take the quiz will be posted in the comments section and all correspondence will be facilitated via e-mail so as to not reveal the answers to those who are out of the loop.

If you're a real fan of Club Paradise then these questions won't be too hard.

Leave a comment with your e-mail address and I'll forward you the quiz - I won't publish the comments that contain your address so I can promise you won't get flooded with offers to buy prescription drugs or bogus plans to increase your penis size.

Annnnd.... begin!!

Let's Cut Through The Bull And Get A Little Wackie

I’m back from vacation and it’s time to cut through the bull, literally, as I give you a taste of Wackies, by request.

Lloyd “Bullwackie” Barnes emigrated to New York in the early 1970’s and by utilizing production and recording techniques he learned in Jamaica he was able to establish one of the first reggae studios in the United States and in turn created his own unique sound that is still highly popular and sought after today by fans of hardcore roots reggae, hence the countless and unending amount of repressing going on. You could easily blow the whole bank account just trying to get caught up! Initially using his house band the Reckless Breed he recorded with local and seasoned Jamaican talent in his basement studio in the Bronx and initially releasing music on labels such as Hamma, City Line and Bullwackie to name a few until Wackies became his main outlet around 1983.

Now before we get to the mix I need to admit… I’m not very knowledgeable about the Wackies Sound or a lot of the artists that recorded for Barnes but I do have an appreciation for what I have heard and own. So if you go into this mix not expecting unearthing of some long-lost super rare tunes we’ll be good. I did try to mix it up by including a few B-sides but it's nothing spectacular so don't get your hopes up. I just wanted to put together a sampler, if you will, so I can give everyone a taste of this important studio, producer and era in reggae music.

Up first we have the group of Christopher Harvey and Clive Davis that called itself Jezreel and the song “Cheating Girl” which is the B-side to the Wackies 12” single “Stop Playing Tricks” from 1983.

Next up is tenor sax superstar and Jamaican music veteran Roland “The Chief Musician” Alphonso from his 1984 Wackies LP called Roll On and the song is named “Gentle Prophet.”

Third we’ve got a Wackies 10” single from Jah Batta and Skatee “Style And Fashion” which is the DJ Version of Super T’s cover of the Dennis Brown hit “West Bound Train.” This is a recent repress of tunes dating from 1983.

Going back to 1976 with the next tune are the Wackies studio band the Reckless Breed with “Basement Scrub.” This is the B-side to the Bullwackies 7” single “Basement Session” from the artist named Joe Morgan.

The Meditations are up next with “We Gonna Make It” from a six-track Wackies CD reissue of an album from 1982 called I Love Jah. This song definitely has a Lee “Scratch” Perry/Black Ark feel to it and it makes for some great listening.

Bullwackie’s All Stars give us the next tune called “Dance Dub.” This one is also a B-side from a Wackies 12” from Joe Sealy and Barrington Spence called “You Don’t Have To Dance.” A nice sampling of Wackies early digital style.

The Rockstones from a Wackies 10” follow it up with the song called “Be My Queen” from 1983.

The Bullwackie’s Rhythm Force give us the eighth tune in the mix called “African Rootie” from the 1999 CD reissue of a 80’s era album Dub Generals. Check out the flute... it provides a nice mellow vibe.

Up next is Jerry Hitler, an artist who miraculously never got mainstream airplay with such a nice name, and the wicked song “What’s Wrong With You” taken from a Bullwackie 7” from 1976. Such a great voice.

One time Heptones lead vocalist Leroy Sibbles provides us with the tenth track in the mix. It’s called “Now You’re Gone” from a Wackies 7” single from 1979.

The Chosen Brothers are up next with the tune “So Much Loving” from a 1976 Bullwackies 7” presumably featuring vocals from the man Lloyd Barnes himself.

Wayne Jarrett follows it up the classic “Youth Man” taken from a Wackies 2002 12” repress. If you’ve never heard this one you’re in for a treat because it is a smooth tune!

Horace Andy is next in the mix with a track called “I Don’t Want To Be Left Outside” from a Wackies repress 12”. Probably the hardest roots tune in the entire mix.

Next we get a little “Lover’s Rock” flavor from Joy Card and a tune that was originally released in 1982 called “Boy I Love You” taken from a relatively recent German Wackies repress.

Finally we end our Wackie Trip with a little tribute to the place that started it all. The final tune is called “Jamaica Sun” by Jerry Johnson from the Wackies LP called For All Seasons circa '84/'85.

Enjoy!

Takin' A Vacation - Be Back Soon

I'm going to be away for a couple weeks for a much needed vacation. Unfortunately the locale won't be anywhere nearly as pleasant as the picture would suggest but nonetheless it will be nice to get away. I'll be rested and ready to tackle some new posts as soon as I get back. So forward me any requests in the meantime and I'll see what I can do.

Happy Independence Day 2007

Monday August 6th is Jamaica's 45th Independence Day and I want to wish a hearty and heartfelt happy Independence Day to all the Jamaicans living at home or abroad.

People usually find it odd that a "white guy" living in the middle of America's Suburbia, far removed from the Caribbean would make such a big deal about Jamaica's Independence. But if you happen by my house over the next three days you'll see the Jamaican green black and gold gracing the spot where the stars and stripes usually hang. Thankfully I've have a chance to celebrate Independence Weekend today with some jerk chicken on the grill, a couple Red Stripes and of course a continuous mix of Jamaican music being played at high volume throughout the entire house all day. Tomorrow I'm planning on attending the Independence Sunday Market sponsored by the Jamaican Embassy in Washington DC which is featuring a performance by Bob Andy!

I love Jamaica, its people, its history, its culture and obviously its music more than I have ever been able to explain and I feel an overwhelming sense of unexplainable yet sincere admiration and pride for this little island thousands of miles away from my home and even further from my everyday reality. But enough about me... let's get to the music.

I decided to start the Independence Day mix appropriately with the Jamaican National Anthem which was composed by Robert Lightbourne with lyrics by Hugh Sherlock. Originally the song's two components were not related until pianist/bandleader Mapletoft Poulle, who incidentally went on to contribute his talents to a 1960's WIRL release called Jamaica Mento, did the arrangement. The song was written and chosen as the new national anthem in a contest just before Independence in 1962. I searched for a good vocal version of the anthem but unfortunately either the sound quality was lacking or the instrumentation didn't do it justice. So I chose a stirring orchestral rendition by the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra and included the lyrics from the first verse so that you can sing along at home.

Eternal Father, Bless our land
Guard us with thy mighty hand
Keep us free from evil powers
Be our light through countless hours
To our leaders, Great Defender,
Grant true wisdom from above
Justice, truth be ours forever
Jamaica, land we love
Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love

An interesting note... the word Guard in the second line was a cause for dispute in 2003 when it was discovered that the lyric originally printed had been inadvertently changed to what was actually being sung... "Guard us with thy mighty hand" was now "Guide us with thy mighty hand." And though the public was encouraged to make the lyrical correction it's been so ingrained in so many minds for so long that the incorrect word is still commonly used.

Now before this post turns into another epic we're going to do the "semi-lazy man's" tracklisting with the rest of the tracks and call it a day. I could easily deviate from the task at hand of providing you a soundtrack for your Jamaican Independence Weekend festivities and don't want to spend the rest of said weekend doing little write-ups about every song in the mix so I won't.

Following the national anthem we have a calypso styled tune from Count Lasher called "Jump Independently", taken from the excellent Trojan Jamaica Box Set. A perfect song to get the celebration off on an upbeat note!

Max Romeo is next with the song called "We Love Jamaica" from an essential CD set, again from Trojan, called Wet Dream: The Best Of Max Romeo. A rather touching tribute to Jamaica from the early reggae era.

Next up is Eric Donaldson with a tribute to his homeland called "Proud To Be Jamaican" taken from a 7" on the Stage Records label from 1984 when Jamaican was then celebrating its 22nd Independence.

The "Big Belly Man" Admiral Bailey kicks it up a notch with the scorching "Jamaica Way" from a 7" on the Jammys label. This one didn't really go with a lot of the other tracks era-wise but the is too good to pass up.

Al T. Joe, whose real name was Trevor Alijoe, gives us "Rise Jamaica (Independence Time Is Here)" originally from 1962 and now available on the Trojan Jamaica set. Like Stephen Nye explains in the liner notes Al T. Joe... "cleverly spells out the benefits of independence." This is a great song!

Again from the aforementioned box set, is Lloyd Charmers and his track called "Jamaica Song." A smooth track which starts off on its own and becomes a medley of two of the best known Jamaican oldies; "Island In The Sun" and "Jamaica Farewell"

Yellowman and Fathead give us "Jamaica A Fi We Country" from the Junjo Lawes produced album Just Cool on the Jah Guidance label. A little pinch of rub-a-dub to give it some spice!

Freddie Notes & The Rudies are up next with "Montego Bay" the title track from the 1995 CD re-release of the group's 1970 album of the same name, again on the Trojan label.

The next song is by Basil Gabbidon and it's called "Going Back To JA" from the excellent VP Records CD release called The Skatalites & Friends At Randy's. A great ska tune to keep things rolling along!

The late great Joseph Hill and Culture continue the mix with a tune called "Down In Jamaica" from their 1979 release called Cumbolo, produced by Sonia Pottinger and released on the High Note label in Jamaica and Virgin and Shanachie abroad. I love this one, besides it's Culture... what's not to like?

Going back to mento we've got the next tune courtesy of the man Lord Lebby, it's called "Sweet Jamaica" and is lifted from the Dip & Fall Back - Classic Jamaican Mento compilation CD set from Trojan Records... man I'm starting to think I should have prefaced this post with a short ad for Trojan, "This Distinctly Jamaican Sounds mix is brought to you today by Trojan Records... that's T.R.O.J.A.N. Your number one source for Jamaican music, available directly online or through finer retailers near you." There... now we can move on.

Jumping back inna rub-a-dub style...Billy Boyo gives us "Jamaica Nice" from the 2002 release of an album originally recorded in 1983 called Zim Zim on the Connecticut based Silver Camel label.

Here we go again with another Trojan release... from the Trojan Club Reggae Box Set is "I Love Jamaica" by Neville Willoughby who was a veteran broadcaster, actor, author and obviously a singer as well. Sadly, Willoughby who spent 5 decades in broadcasting with both the Radio Jamaica and the now defunct JBC, died of injuries sustained in a car accident last December. A good song and a fitting tribute to a man who devoted his life's work to his homeland.

Falsetto master Junior Murvin is up next with a tribute to the girls of Jamaica called oddly enough "Jamaican Girls." Go figure... Odd thing is that he did the chorus without the high octaves. This one comes to us from a Junjo produced 7" on his Volcano label.

The late great, Desmond Dekker gives us the next Independence tune called "Happy Birthday Jamaica" from the double CD set called Israelites - Anthology 1963-1999 on a label called Silverline. Not one of my favorite songs in the mix but it works to well to not include it.

The Voice Of Thunder, Prince Far I is up with his tune called "Jamaican Heros" from his 1980 Trojan release of the same name. Aside from discussing the historical relevance of Jamaica's heroes, this song is pretty odd because you actually get to hear the Prince singing in his distinctively familiar baritone. Wait'll you hear this one.

John Holt follows up Far I with the classic song "Jamaica Farewell" originally written by Irving Burgie and made popular internationally by Harry Belafonte on his 1956 album Calypso. Interestingly enough Belafonte's Calypso was the first record in history to sell a million copies and was number one on the Billboard chart for 32 weeks. Anyway this reggae version, courtesy of Mr. Holt is again from the Trojan Jamaica Box Set.

Eric Donaldson is next in the mix with "Land Of My Birth" from the CD called "The Very Best Of Eric Donaldson" released on the Rhino label. "Land Of My Birth" not surprisingly won the 1978 Jamaican Song Contest; a great proud, patriotic song.

The Gaylads give us another tribute to the girls of Jamaica with "My Jamaican Girl" from the CD called Over The Rainbow's End - Best Of The Gaylads released by our friends at Trojan in 1995.

We end the mix with a rollicking ska instrumental from Baba Brooks & His Band from the 2001 various artists compilation CD called Street Corner - Ska Classics And The Original Rude By Sound on the Metro Music label.

Enjoy!



Bob Andy at the Jamaican Independence Market yesterday - awesome!