Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012 - Track Eights - Haunted House

This is a good one to wrap up the week... The Upsetters with a rockin' tune from 1970 paying tribute to the horror genre with a song called "Haunted House."  Originally released as the b-side to Double Wheel in 1970 on the Spinning Wheel label and credited to someone name Melanie Jones, this is a good one.  Put it together with its own spooky sounds and some embellishments from yours truly and you've got a Spooktacular classic!

TRACK EIGHT

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012 - Track Seven - Obeah Book

The Ethiopians, founded by Leonard Dillon, have been a part of Jamaican music from the start.  Dillon recorded some mento tunes in the late 50s until forming the vocal group we all know and love shortly after.  They got their start in 1966 recording for Coxsone Dodd's Studio One and later moving on to the W.I.R.L label where they had their first success with "Train To Skaville" and followed it up in 1968 with the timely hit "Everything Crash."  The rest is history, so they say.

The next tune in the Spooktacular is taken from the Ethiopians 1977 LP Slave Call and it is called "Obeah Book."  For those who are uninformed, obeah is folk magic, sorcery and religious practices with West African roots, similar to Voodoo, Santeria and Hoodoo.  In the song, Leonard Dillon, accompanied by some damn fine Max Edwards nyabingi drumming, sets out to let it be known that Rastafari is in no-way connected with the works of Obeah.  Not particularly spooky subject matter but thematically a part of what we've got goin' on here!

TRACK SEVEN

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012 - Track Six - Annie Pama

The Annie Palmer legend is a good ol' fashioned Jamaican ghost story, complete with a White Witch well versed in Haitian Voodoo who enjoyed fraternizing, torturing and killing slaves, murdering husbands with reckless abandon, casting evil spells on servants, etc.  Annie Palmer's reign of terror came to end when a former lover and powerful Voodoo priest murdered her in return for killing his daughter.  But did a little thing like death stop Annie Palmer?  Hell no!  Her spirit is said to still haunt the Rose Hall Plantation outside of Montego Bay.   To be honest with you, I think the whole story  would be perfect fodder for a daytime soap opera.  I have done some in depth write-ups about the White Witch over the years, if you want to read more, have a gander at the archives.

But we're talkin' music here... and next up in the Spooktacular is "Annie Pama" (Palmer) by Bunny Lee's Allstars and it comes from a 1970 7" on the UK based Pama label.  This is an upbeat instrumental tune that I have been diggin' for years and it has been patiently waiting on the reserve list until now.  Dig it!

TRACK SIX

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012 - Track Five - Jamboree

I have done so many versions of Zombie Jamboree over the last eight years that I'm having a hard time thinking of anything new or interesting that I haven't already revealed about the song... so let's keep it short and sweet.

"Zombie Jamboree" AKA "Back to Back" has become a yearly staple here in the Spooktacular and the version you're about to hear in the 2012 mix is probably one of the best!  The fifth track in our yearly spooky compilation is simply entitled "Jamboree" and comes from Laurel Aitken's 1966 7" on the Ska Beat label.

Cuban born Laurel Aitken came to Jamaica in 1938.  He got his start singing mento tunes for tourists who arrived at Kingston Harbor and night-lighting as a nightclub singer as well.  The rest is history, so they say, because after a lifetime in the music business, cutting records for countless producers and labels, as well as producing and jumping back and forth between England and Jamaica, he definitely earned his moniker The Godfather of Ska.

TRACK FIVE

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012 - Track Four - Bermuda Triangle

For the most part, the tracks on the Spooktaculars have been firmly planted on terra firma, but with with this next track we're heading offshore into the North Atlantic, more precisely we're heading off the Bermuda Triangle!  

You'd have to be in a coma not to have heard about the Bermuda Triangle and the mysterious disappearances of ships and aircraft in this geographically triangular expanse of ocean between Miami, Puerto Rico and Bermuda.  Popular culture has attributed these events to paranormal or even extra terrestrial activity but no one has provided proof of anything about this strange region, that is until now! You will hear the fantastic tale of survival from the man Bionic Steve himself!  

Bionic Steve, born Marcus Townsend, is best know for his 1993 hit "Fly De Gate" on the riddim of the same name, but "Bermuda Triangle" predates that one by a good 13 years!  Little, i.e. nothing, is written about Bionic Steve except for a few details regarding his tragic murder in 1997, so I can't contribute anything else factual about him. So let's get to the record itself... pressed in 1980 on Derrick Harriot's Crystal label, it tells of Steve's fearful journey through the Devil's Triangle and his subsequent survival.

So put on your life preserver, roll up your pant legs and hold on because the seas are about to get rough!  

TRACK FOUR

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012 - Track Three - Frankenstein

Before I get on with my eloquent espousing on today's creepy tune I just wanted to mention something about this years presentation of the 2012 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular... As the first four posts this month show, I am a huge fan of vintage horror comics.  I have posted the occasional comic cover in previous years to highlight the appropriate tune but this year I've decided to combine my love of old horror comic books with my love of all tunes spooky and I had my friend Roger Wilkerson create individual vintage comic book cover variations on each song... and I've got to tell you, they have turn out awesome.  Be sure to collect them all!

Frankenstein, the monster that is, has always been my favorite monster.  I'm pretty sure my first exposure was as a kid, when TV stations would play old movies to serve as filler on Sunday morning, and I came across 1948's Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein.  Kinda roundabout way of getting into ol' Frankie but it worked nonetheless.

Frankenstein, the record, by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires is up next in our spooky cavalcade of mayhem.  This is one of those holy grail records I have been searching for for years.  Sure, I had a copy of the song on CD but I wanted the 45 and I spent nearly 4 years tracking it down.  My luck changed last summer when I finally found it for sale and without an exorbitant price tag.  But enough about that... 

If I remember correctly I gave a background on Byron Lee & The Dragonaires before so I won't get into it again.  What you're going to hear is just a fantastic ska tune that successfully captures all the creepiness that is Frankenstein but still manages to get your feet moving.  I have embellished the song with a cut from my favorite 1974 Halloween sound effects LP,  Sounds of Terror!  You remember that one?  That's the LP my mom bought me at Woolworth's before a Halloween party we hosted when I was 3 years old and it scared the living shit out of me!   But let's get to the tunage!

TRACK THREE

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012 - Track Two - Death A Come

Lloyd Robinson is up next in our distinguished anthology of spooky tunes... this one is called "Death A Come" and it comes from a 7" from 1969 on the Matador label.

Lloyd Robinson started out recording for Studio One in 1963 and worked his way through a few more producers such as Duke Reid, Sir JJ and Lloyd Daley, to name a couple.  Later, he would achieve further success when he teamed up with Glen Brown to form the vocal group Lloyd & Devon.

The story on the record is simple... no one wants to die.  I've embellished the audio with the trailer from the 1973 film Doctor Death starring John Considine and a multitude of nameless screaming female victims.  Enjoy!

TRACK TWO

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012 - Track One - Midnight Time

And we're off!  It's great to be back with another set of spooky tunes for your holiday listening pleasure!  It has been a hectic September and it wasn't until the middle of the month that I realized that I hadn't started on the 2012 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular but lo and behold I got my ass in gear and got it in the can!

We start off the 2012 Spooktacular with a tribute to the spookiest time on the clock... I of course am speaking about midnight and we get an upbeat horn-laden tribute to the "witching hour" from Tommy
McCook & The Supersonics.  "Midnight Time" comes from the 1999 Beatville CD Top Secret, which is in fact a re-release of a 1969 LP on the Techniques label and produced by the late great Winston Riley.

Just a smooth way to get into the Halloween mood and one that I hope you'll enjoy!

TRACK ONE

The Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2012!

Greeting friends!  Are you ready for the 2012 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular?  I am running a tad bit behind on getting the mix finalized but I can guarantee that you that the Halloween mix will live!!  Just like previous years, I will be posting a different song each weekday, complete with all the spookiness you've come to expect when the leaves change color and the weather takes a turn for the chilly.  I will start with our daily posts on Wednesday but I wanted to assure everyone that I am in fact ready to spread the Halloween vibes in a J-A Style!  I'm keeping the write-ups short this year because the lack of response is infuriating and I've finally learned to just let it go... Stay tuned!

I'm waking from my slumber...

RIP King Stitt (1939-2012)

King Stitt... the rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated.

I heard through the grapevine that the legendary Winston Sparkes AKA King Stitt has died...

Lesson Learned; never trust what you hear through the grapevine!

Quoting from the Gleaner...

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

"Veteran deejay King Stitt is sick but not gone. Rumours began circulating yesterday that the deejay was dead.

Speaking with The Gleaner, son of the legendary Studio One founder Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, Courtney Dodd, disclosed that Stitt was still alive.

Dodd, who also heard rumours about Stitt's passing, said, "He's sick and was in the hospital for two months."

According to Dodd, Stitt was in the Kingston Public Hospital for the last two months after coming from Brazil and reportedly not feeling well. Stitt was released from the hospital on Saturday, but according to Dodd, the doctors haven't yet discovered what is causing his illness.

"I saw him Saturday," Dodd said. He added, "He's not looking so good, He's still weak and not eating. He's lost a lot of weight and not talking much."

Born Winston Sparkes, he was called Stitt as a boy because of a stutter. Keeping the name, Sparkes called himself King Stitt on stage.

Stitt's long history with Studio One began in 1956 when he started deejaying on Coxson's Downbeat sound system.

Count Machuki noticed him for his dancing and gave him the chance to try his hand on the mic.

Following the folding of Coxson's Downbeat sound system around 1968, King Stitt found himself working as a mason in Ocho Rios. He had been deejaying at the mic for more than 10 years when he was first recorded over brand new reggae rhythms in 1969.

His first record releases came from producer Clancy Eccles with classic tracks like Fire Corner and Lee Van Cleef."

What I thought was a retrospective is now going to serve as a living tribute to Jamaica's Oldest Living DJ and a true originator!

King Stitt Mix!

1. Lick It Back
2. I For I
3. Fire Corner
4. Oh Yeah
5. Play It Cool
6. Jump For Joy
7. Be A Man
8. Herbman Shuffle w/Andy Capp
9. In The City
10. Rhyming Time
11. Sounds Of The 70s
12. Soul Language
13. Dance Beat 1
14. Reality
15. Rub A Dub
16. Rockers Corner
17. Live Jah Up
18. Lee Van Cleef
19. Vigorton Two
20. No Man Version

Enjoy!

The "Shitter Was Full" Jamaican Christmas Mix 2011

With only 10 more days until Christmas I finally present for your Yuletide enjoyment... the "Shitter Was Full" Jamaican Christmas Mix 2011! As I discussed earlier this month, it wasn't easy coming up with a good selection this year, due partly to the fact that I used every track off Jacob Miller's Christmas album about 2 years ago and because I didn't want to include a bunch of crap. But you're not here to hear me complain you're here for the mix so let's get to it!

We start off the 2011 Jamaican Christmas Mix with tenor sax superman Dean Fraser and his rendition of the traditional English Christmas carol "Deck The Halls." This one comes from the Blue Mountain Christmas Party from 1989 on the Blue Mountain label and it's the perfect festive tune to get things rollin'!

Next we get a little wacky with a tune from the Wackies stable... this one is by the man John C and it was unceremoniously ripped from the Wackies Reggae Christmas LP. Mr C gives us a nice interpretation of "We Three Kings" another traditional Christmas carol done inna Wackies reggae style!

Ken Boothe is up next with a good one... this song is called "This Christmas" and it comes from the Sonic Sounds 1990 CD Vintage Christmas. Good vibes on this one that is sure to put a smile to your face... Ken Boothe's smooth voice has a way of doing that regardless of the time of year!

The organ maestro Glen Adams follows up Mr. Boothe with a tune that absolutely kicks ass! A bad ass song called "Joyful Tidings" which is in fact a hardcore roots version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen! Reggae Christmas at its finest! This little gem is off a 7" on the Clocktower label.

Next we're taking a trip from downtown straight uptown with Byron Lee & The Dragonaires giving us a smooth violin embellished version of Doris Day's Winter Wonderland... called appropriately enough "Winter Wonderland Reggae" and lifted from the 2005 various artists CD called The Reggae Christmas Collection on the Pulse label.

Sticking with the cold weather theme here and taking it ska with the next track is the king of the trombone Don Drummond and a sweet tune from 1963 called "Snowboy" on the Island label. Not an obvious Christmas tune but the Snowboy title brings to mind good ol' Frosty the Snowman... I think you'll dig it!

Barrington Levy is up next with a song that I've held back from using for a few years now... it's called "Flash Your Dread" telling the tale of riding his Honda CB 400 with his dreadlocks flying in the breeze sung to the tune of Jingle Bells!

Trinity finishes this track on the same riddim with his DJ verse on "Flash Your Dread." Trinity gets a little more involved with including the Christmas vibe and it makes for a pretty wicked DJ tune! This track and the Barrington Levy ahead of it were both from the 1983 LP Yard Style Christmas on the MC Productions label.

Hopping over to Studio One for the next track. This smooth number comes from Johnny Osbourne and Jennifer Lara... it's called "Christmas Medley" and was borrowed from the Studio One LP Christmas Stylee from the late 70s... you can't go wrong with a Coxsone Christmas Carol which comes complete with a wicked version as well!

Horace Andy is up next with "Hark The Herald" which is incorrect because it's actually "The First Noel"... his take on the classic Christmas fare from the 18th century and covered and sung ad nauseum every Christmas since we were born. Mr. Andy does a good job with this one and it sure as hell beats any other version I have of this song... that includes you Mr. Sinatra!

Giving the mix a little "punch" is the man D.D. Dennis with a soulful and heartfelt sentiment called "Christmas Message." This one is from a 1971 7" on the Punch label.

Jumping back over to the aforementioned Reggae Christmas Collection on the Pulse label is Wain Nelson with a musical tribute to the jolly ol' elf that makes Christmas so much fun for kids all over the world... obviously it's called "Santa Claus."

Going from Santa to the booze, which just so happens to be one of my favorite Christmas traditions as an adult... and taking this runaway sleigh on a calypso path is Egbert Moore AKA Lord Beginner and a lighthearted hangover tune called "Christmas Morning The Rum Had Me Yawning." This baby comes from a CD called Where Will You Be Christmas Day? on the Dust To Digital label. Raise a glass of cheer to fully enjoy this one!

Raymond Harper is up next with his ska take on Irving Berlin's classic "White Christmas." This is an awesome tune that came off a 7" on the Doctor Bird label circa '63 or '64. The mellow horns combined with the upbeat ska bounce makes for one helluva Christmas tune! I could listen to this one on a loop for hours!

The man Jimpy is up next with a nice take of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" sung more in a Jackson 5 style than that of Bing Crosby. This one comes from a late 80s 7" on the Studio Starr Gate label. I could find no substantial proof but I would assume this Jimpy is the same Jimpy Haldane who produced a ton of good stuff back in the mid-80s!

I don't know where the next track has been hiding for the last couple years but here it is... Ripton Hylton AKA Eek A Mouse with his take on "Long Time Ago In Bethlehem" which Ripton entitled "Merry Little Xmas" and from his greatest hits compilation CD on the Shanachie label called The Very Best Of Eek A Mouse Vol. 2 It's actually pretty nice.

Niyah and The Sunflakes are up next with an upbeat number called "Merry Christmas" from a 1969 45 on the Sonet label. This is one of those tunes I came across this summer and though the pressing is not perfect I think you'll get the gist.

Its been a couple years since I featured anything by Lloyd Lovindeer but this drought is about to end... rippin' it up inna rub-a-dub style and taken from a 1982 7" on the Weed Beat label this one is called "Christmas Feeling." This too is one that I dug up this summer... kind of weird but I bought about 95% of my Christmas music in July and August... you can't say I wasn't planning ahead!

Don Carlos and Glenice Spencer give us "Jingle Bells" from the 2003 Trojan Christmas CD boxset on the Trojan label of course. There is something so funny about hearing Don's sweet voice singing songs of sleigh bells instead of Dice Cups and Dance Gates.

You remember a couple years back when I included Mutabaruka's "Postpone Christmas?" This one throws a bit of reality back into the Christmas season by wondering why Santa never visits the ghetto and praising Rastafari all at the same time... it's called "Dedicated To Santa" by Tippa Lee, Nardo Ranks, Half Pint and David Brevett and comes from a 7" on the Studio One label, circa 199os.

Staying with Studio One but goin' old school again... The Silvertones are up with a real scorcher on the classic Swing Easy riddim and borrowed from the Studio One LP Christmas Stylee. It also includes a bad-ass version at the end that I think you'll dig.

Dennis Brown is up next with "Ding Dong Merrily On High" from the various artists album 8 Stars For Christmas on the Josiah label. This is a super cool tune from Dennis Brown - probably one of my favorites on this years mix!

Sticking with the Ding Dong theme for the next track. Gregory Isaacs gives us a severely digital tune called "Ding Dong Bell." This little baby comes from the LP Christmas Party on the Jammys label and produced by the great King Jammy from the late 80s. Not Gregory's best Christmas offering but not bad either!

Sticking digi with the next one... the man Junior Roots and his tune "Christmas Time Again" from the Sugar Minott produced LP Youth Promotion Christmas Jamboree is the twenty fourth tune in the mix on the Youth Promotion label. Nice smooth tune...

Finally, we're wrapping it up with Owen Gray with the song "Collins Greetings" released as a 7" in 1967 on the Collins Downbeat label. I really wanted to end the mix on a high note and I think the old school vibes from this tune get the job done pretty well.

Give it a listen and have a very Merry Christmas! Lots of love everyone!

The Complete Jamaican Christmas Mix 2011

Here's the tracklisting minus the verbiage...

1. Dean Fraser - Deck The Halls
2. John C - We Three Kings
3. Ken Boothe - This Christmas
4. Glen Adams - Joyful Tidings
5. Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Winter Wonderland Reggae
6. Don Drummond - Snowboy
7. Barrington Levy - Flash Your Dread
8. Trinity - Flash Your Dread (DJ Version)
9. Johnny Osbourne & Jennifer Lara - Christmas Medley
10. Horace Andy - Hark The Herald
11. D.D. Dennis - Christmas Message
12. Wain Nelson - Santa Claus
13. Lord Beginner - Christmas Morning The Rum Had Me Yawning
14. Raymond Harper - White Christmas
15. Jimpy - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
16. Eek A Mouse - Have A Merry Little Xmas
17. Niyah & The Sunflakes - Merry Christmas
18. Lovindeer - Christmas Feeling
19. Don Carlos - Jingle Bells
20. Tippa Lee, Nardo Ranks, Half Pint & David Brevett - Dedicated To Santa
21. Silvertones - Merry Merry Christmas
22. Dennis Brown - Ding Dong Merrily On High
23. Gregory Isaacs - Ding Dong Bell
24. Junior Roots - Christmas Time Again
25. Owen Gray - Collins Greetings

The Ghosts Of Christmases Past...

Here are the Jamaican Christmas Mixes from previous years... 125 songs in total and with a combined running time of around 7 hours, there's enough here to keep you reggae-ing around the Christmas tree all month long!

The 2006 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Carlene Davis – Santa Claus (Do You Ever Come To The Ghetto)
2. King Stitt – Christmas Tree
3. Johnny Osbourne – Christmas Stylee
4. The Joe Gibbs Family – We Three Kings
5. Gregory Isaacs – Christmas Behind The Bars
6. Yellowman – Where Is Santa Claus?
7. Eek A Mouse – Christmas A Come
8. Cocoa Tea - Christmas Is Coming
9. The Aggrovators – Santa Claus Dub
10. Ras Pidow – Winter Storm
11. The Wailers – White Christmas
12. Toots & The Maytals – Christmas Feeling Ska
13. Alton Ellis & The Lipsticks – Merry Merry Christmas
14. Jacob Miller – On The Twelve Days Of Ismas
15. Trinity – Video Christmas
16. Eek A Mouse – The Night Before Christmas
17. Michael Palmer – Happy Merry Christmas
18. The Granville Williams Orchestra – Santa Claus Is Ska-Ing To Town
19. Tiger – Tiger Claus
20. Freddie McGregor – O Come Let Us Adore Him
21. Dillinger – Hi Fashion Christmas
22. Jacob Miller – Deck The Halls
23. Trinity – All I Want For Christmas
24. The Ethiopians – Ding Dong Bell
25. Rico And His Boys – Silent Night

The 2007 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Jacob Miller - All I Want For Ismas
2. Horace Andy - Christmas Time
3. The Aggrovators - Santa Claus And The Aggrovators Conquer The Martians Inna Holiday Rockers Style
4. Kingstonians - Merry Christmas
5. Cocoa Tea - Please Come For Christmas
6. Mutabaruka - Postpone Christmas
7. Brent Dowe - Christmas In Jamaica
8. Steve Golding - Strictly Rock Christmas
9. Kashief Lindo - Someday At Christmas
10. Frank Cosmo - Merry Christmas
11. Al & The Vibrators - Merry Christmas
12. Lovindeer - It's Christmas Time Again
13. Jackie Mittoo - Joy Joy
14. The Cimarons - Holy Christmas
15. Ringo - Christmas Time
16. Little Kirk - Gee Whiz
17. Half Pint - Christmas Vibes
18. Gregory Isaacs - White Christmas
19. John Holt - Winter World Of Love
20. Sugar Minott - Christmas Jamboree
21. Peter Broggs - Twelve Days Of Christmas
22. Barrington Levy - Christmas Day
23. The Wailers - Sound The Trumpet
24. Little John - Save A Little For Christmas
25. Ernest Wilson - We Wish You A Merry Christmas

The 2008 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Nigger Kojak - Christmas Style
2. Bunny & Skully - White Christmas
3. Lord Nelson - Party For Santa Claus
4. The Wailers - Go, Tell It On The Mountain
5. Frankie Paul - Merry Christmas
6. Alton Ellis - Christmas Coming
7. Glen Adams - Xmas Rock
8. Michigan & Smiley - Little Drummer Boy
9. Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Christmas Day
10. Iron Phoenix - Natty Dread Christmas
11. Gregory Isaacs - It's Christmas Time Again
12. Johnny Clarke - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
13. Winston Groovy - Merry Christmas
14. Jacob Miller - Silver Bells
15. Ray I - Natty No Santa Claus
16. Jah Walton - DJ Christmas
17. Toots & The Maytals - Happy Christmas
18. Horace Andy - Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
19. The Silvertones - Bling Bling Christmas
20. Freddie McGregor - Irie Christmas
21. Charley Fresh - Jam Down Christmas
22. Tippa Lee & Rappa Roberts - Christmas Is Coming
23. Hortense Ellis - Black Christmas
24. Trinity - African Christmas
25. Richard Ace - Joyful Reggae

The 2009 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Tristan Palmer - Christmas Jamboree
2. Roman Stewart - Christmas Affair
3. Frank Cosmo - Greetings From Beverley's
4. General Trees - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
5. Jackie Edwards - White Christmas
6. Shorty The President - Christmas Fair
7. Norman T. Washington - It's Christmas Time Again
8. Colin Roach & Anthony Malvo - Merry Christmas
9. J.C. Lodge - Joy To The World
10. Lloyd Seivright - Mary's Boy Child
11. Lui Lepke - Christmas Season
12. Winston Francis - Here Comes Santa
13. Verna Lee Powell - He Is My Santa Claus
14. Sandra Robinson & Lee Scratch Perry - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year
15. Ringo - Never Forget Christmas
16. Sonny Bradshaw - Peace And Love
17. Barry Brown - Christmas Christmas
18. Anthony Selassie - Rub A Dub Christmas
19. Hopeton & Primo - Peace On Earth
20. Tennessee Brown & The Silvertones - Jingle Bells
21. Don Cornell & The Eternals - Christmas Joy
22. Gable School Choir - Reggae Christmas
23. Neville Willoughby - Christmas In JA
24. Rupie Edwards - Christmas Rush
25. Go Home Productions - Karen Meets Roots Radics Uptown

The 2010 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Barrington Levy - Once A Year
2. Jah Thomas - Christmas Shopping
3. Tennessee Brown & The Silvertones - Little Drummer Boy
4. Gregory Isaacs - The Christmas Song
5. Sachmoore - Wuh You Got To Gimme For Christmas
6. Leon Danger & Mr. Culture - This Christmas
7. Chris Wayne - Silver Bells
8. Cedric Bravo w/Rico & The Five Stars - Merry Christmas
9. Norman T. Washington - Happy Christmas
10. Norman T. Washington - Happy Christmas Version
11. The Silent Choir - Silent Night
12. Alton Ellis - Praise Jah It's Christmas
13. Trinity - Santa Claus Comes Once A Year
14. Shinehead - Reggae Christmas Medley
15. Tyrone Taylor - Winter Wonderland
16. Admiral Bailey - Christmas Style
17. Ruddy Thomas - Reggae Happy Christmas
18. Tony Tuff - Christmas Irie
19. Little John - It's Christmas Time
20. Triston Palmer - Oh Holy Night
21. Arcanians - Christmas In Jamaica
22. Alton Ellis - Joy To The World
23. Delroy Melody - Christmas Time
24. King Everald - Santa Claus
25. Cimarons - Silent Night/White Christmas

Stay tuned for the all-new 2011 Christmas Mix - Coming Soon!!

Christmas Mix 2011 - Good News & Bad News

I've got some good news and I've got some bad news... with the holiday season upon us again, I have started the long and arduous process of compiling the 25 tracks to make it into this year's Christmas mix...

The good news is, aside from one record that I'm still waiting to arrive in the mail, the playlist is complete.

The bad news is, this is definitely going to be the last year for the 25 track Christmas extravaganzas... Including the upcoming 2011 Mix, I've dug up and compiled 150 songs but it now looks like the well has run dry... I have dug, scratched, clawed and scoured for decent tunes but alas I have exhausted my resources.

Now that's not saying that I couldn't put together a 25 track mix of crap reggae Christmas music from a multitude of artists, mostly from the digital age, but I don't want to sully the "good years" by just keeping this going for ol' times sake and making this thing utterly unlistenable... I want to finish on a high note here!

Future Christmas projects will require a rehash of Christmases past... a remix of some of the top tunes from previous years with an occasional addition of something "new" that I haven't shared before... when and if they should appear.

But anyway, stay tuned... the 2011 Christmas Mix is coming soon to make your spirits bright!

RIP Heavy D 1967-2011

A small tribute to a man gone way before his time...

RIP Joe Frazier 1944-2011

A small tribute to a true icon...

The Complete Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Happy Halloween!

I hope the Halloween Spooktacular has added a bit of holiday spice to your October and for those of you who have provided comments and thanks, I sincerely appreciate it! I would do these mixes for myself if I didn't have an audience but I'm grateful that I have this space to share them with all those who love Halloween as much as I do! Happy Halloween everyone!

Here it is... in its entirety... the complete Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011!

Enjoy!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Twenty One - Duppyman Skank

We've arrived at Halloween and though it means the end of this years Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular, but for the kids the fun is just beginning.

Yes I've got a busy night of transportation duties for my kids again as we prepare to get some serious trick or treating done and to be honest, I couldn't be happier! I don't mind the walking, the costume repairs, or lugging the costume accessory which may become too cumbersome or heavy as the night progresses. I have fond memories of Halloween when I was a kid and I always delight in seeing the smiles on my kid's faces and their looks of accomplishment when the piles of accumulated candy hit the kitchen table. I always hope that my over-the-top enthusiasm for this holiday rubs off on them and helps encourage the kids to carry on the Halloween traditions that make this holiday something to truly anticipate and enjoy.

But enough about that, let's get to the final track in the Spooktacular! This one is called "Duppyman Skank" by Larry Marshall and it comes from a 1996 7" on Harry Mudie's Moodisc label. This tune is actually a tribute to a long list of reggae artists who are no longer among the living and a fictional dance with their duppies which would really be something to behold. Listen to this line-up... Slim Smith, Jacob Miller, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jeff "Free-I" Dixon, General Echo, Lee Van Cliff, Lui Lepke, Tenor Saw... with King Tubby at the control? Yeah, where do I get a ticket!? Oh, and remember this... "We make music not noise!"

Enjoy and Happy Halloween everyone!

Weekend Calypso Treat #8 - Zombie Jamboree (Back To Back)

Lord Jellicoe is one artist whose background information remains illusive. I originally included his version of "Zombie Jamboree" in 2007's Spooktacular and couldn't give you any background info. then and four years later... I'm still coming up with nothing.

To me, this is the definitive version of Zombie Jamboree! It probably has a lot to do with the fact that it was the first version I ever heard years ago and anyone else's tends to pale in comparison.

Weekend Calypso Treat #7 - Love In The Cemetery

Lord Kitchener (born Aldwyn Roberts, 1922, Trinidad) was one of those calypso artists who achieved success when he moved to England, via Jamaica in 1948. There he recorded a great wealth of material on the Parlophone, Melodisc and Lyragon labels, most of which was exported back to the West Indies and even to West Africa where he had a rather large following. Years later, Lord Kitchener had begun recording in the emerging soca sound before his death in 2000.

"Love In The Cemetery" is one of my all-time favorite Halloween songs and its influence was felt in Jamaican music during the early 80s when DJ combo Clint Eastwood and General Saint used the song for the basis of their recording, "Talk About Run."

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Twenty - Voodoo Man

So we're arrived at the last Friday in our Halloween Spooktacular and we're gonna take you into the weekend on an up-note.

At the ripe age of 13 and under the auspices of Coxsone Dodd, Delroy Wilson (Oct. 1948 - March 1995) began his recording career at Studio One. He cut his first track "Emy Lou" in 1961 and emerged in the ska era as the first line of offensive armament in a feud amongst rival record producers Duke Reid and Prince Buster.

By the time rocksteady rolled around Wilson's voice had matured and he had a string of hits including "Dancing Mood," "Riding For A Fall" and "Conquer Me." Around that time he left Studio One and went on to record for Bunny Lee, Joe Gibbs and others. But that's going far beyond where we need to go today.

This tune, "Voodoo Man," which is actually the b-side to the Lee Perry penned attack on Prince Buster "Spit In The Sky," was produced by Dodd in 1963 during ska's heyday and released on the Island Records UK subsidiary Black Swan.

In the tune, Delroy Wilson basically addresses the belief the some Jamaican's have about the benefits of voodoo. Whether it involves a cure for medical ailments or repairing a broken heart, Wilson concludes that the only thing a Voodoo Man is good at taking away is the heft of your wallet when he robs you blind.

At the top of this post you'll see a poster for the 1957 film Voodoo Island. Now I've never seen this film but came across the trailer when I was putting together this years mix and it worked perfectly to establish our thematic change from yesterday's tune. Judging by the synopsis of Voodoo Island on IMDB...

"A wealthy industrialist hires the renowned hoax-buster Phillip Knight to prove that an island he plans to develop isn't voodoo cursed. However, arriving on the island, Knight soon realizes that voodoo does exist when he discovers man-eating plants and a tribe of natives with bizarre powers."

...it definitely sounds like the kind of bad film that I would absolutely love! Besides, with Boris Karloff in the starring role how can it be as bad as the reviews have suggested?

Have a great weekend and I'll see you again on Halloween for the final track!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Nineteen - Deep In The Dark

Short and sweet today...

The next song in our mix is a bad-ass roots tune by Barrington Levy called "Deep In The Dark," produced and arranged by himself and off a 1979(ish) 7" on Levy's own, short-lived B.L. Sounds label.

Though this is technically far from being a directly spooky tune, it has a feel to it that just emotes a dreamlike and longing quality that verges on the uneasy. I believe the mournful sounding saxophone just has a late-night desperation to it that casts a moon-lit cold shadow on what may be considered an everyday love song.

"Deep in the dark,
secrets are unfolding,
things I only dreamed of,
happening to me.

Deep in the dark,
messages are reaching me
strange and sweet sensations
are tantalizing me."

As you can see by the lyrics, "Deep In The Dark," had it been coupled with an upbeat Roots Radics backing and a healthy dose of bright horns, it might not seem to shadowy... but as it stands, it can't help but reflect a sense of desperation and unattainable longing that nearly verges on the deranged thoughts of a jilted lover.

There's an old adage that says "Nothing good happens after midnight." And "Deep In The Dark" may just confirm that!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Eighteen - I Shall Fear No Evil

I remember the first time my friend Nick and I got together to watch The Evil Dead and the most vivid memory I have of the whole event was that this movie scared the hell out of me!

The story of five friends spending a weekend at a cabin in the woods, playing around with black magic, releasing the evil spirits and fighting for their survival as one by one they are possessed and killed... The Evil Dead just had me on edge the entire time and I remember, though I hate to admit it now, that I was relieved when it was over. To this day it remains one of those scariest film experiences I've ever had!

Doctor Alimantado (born Winston James Thompson, 1952, Kingston) got started like the majority of DJs from the era by getting in his licks with the soundsystems. Alimantado honed his skills with Coxsone Dodd's Downbeat and Lord Tippertone. He began recording for Lee Perry and Bunny Lee using a wide variety of names; Winston Price, Winston Cool, Ital Winston, or Youth Winston. In 1976 he recorded the DJ portion of Devon Irons' "Ketch Vampire," and continued cutting tracks and accumulating an impressive string of solid singles.

Greensleeves records compiled those singles into one collection and released Best Dressed Chicken In Town in 1978. The album enjoys the distinction of being the first LP the company ever produced and the song we're going to hear "I Shall Fear No Evil" was taken from the aforementioned set. Originally released as the b-side of the Ital Sound 7" "Poison Flour" in 1976 which was in essence two different DJ variations of Horace Andy's killer "Quiet Place," often referred to as Man Next Door riddim.

Subject matter is pretty self-explanatory and in fact very Halloween appropriate!

Enjoy!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Seventeen - Thunderstorm

Did you know that thunderstorms are responsible for about 93 deaths and 300 injuries each year in the United States alone? Did you also know they cause several hundred million dollars in property and forest damage each year? So judging by those numbers your chances of being effected by a meteorological event is a lot better than being attacked and killed by a werewolf, vampire, duppy, zombie, gigantic nuclear-mutated ant, alien or even a common everyday Frankenstein combined.

It is with those statistics in mind that we hop along to the next tune in the Spooktacular. The seventeenth track is courtesy of Karl "Cannonball King" Bryan and it's called "Thunderstorm." This blazing baritone sax tune, released in 1968 as a 45 on the Upset label is in my opinion one of the coolest tunes in this years mix! What makes it even cooler is that there are already thunderstorm sound effects thrown into the original mix so additional embellishments were only icing on the cake!

Bryan began his career in the late 50's, joined the Carlos Malcolm's Afro-Jamaican Rhythms in 1964 and even went on to play with the Lyn Taitt's legendary Comets before going solo in 1967.