Day 35 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Pioneers - Love Love Everyday

One more this week for my sweet Patricia... this one is called "Love Love Everyday" by the Pioneers and it comes from a 1969 release on the Amalgamated label produced by Joe Gibbs.  Just an upbeat, positive, horn-heavy song to keep spirits up this Saturday. 

Thank you to everyone who offered their words of support and love during this week, you don't know how much it is truly appreciated.

The uncut week-long mix coming in a few!

Day 34 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Ernest Wilson - Undying Love

Moving on to the 34th tune in the 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge and yet again it's dedicated to Patti... it's "Undying Love" by Ernest Wilson, produced by Coxsone Dodd and originally released in 1968 on Studio One and later on Coxsone.  In my honest opinion one of the most beautiful love songs ever recorded, bar none.  Sweet lyrics, sweet horns and a rhythm that warms you like a favorite blanket on a cold night.

Patti continues to amaze me... I get home from my first day back at work since her surgery to a complete Thanksgiving dinner that I unfortunately missed out on last week!  Three days after brain surgery she made a turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes and of course, I was beyond delighted!  Plain and simple she is the best!  

This song is for you Patti!  I love you!

Day 33 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Techniques - Queen Majesty

Sticking with yet another rocksteady tune from Treasure Isle... this one is the 1968 classic by The Techniques called "Queen Majesty" and like the rest of the week it also goes out to Patti.  A cover of the 1963 Impressions song "Minstrel & Queen" the Jamaican version sounds so much sweeter than the original... but then of course I may be just a little biased.

Today the recuperation continues, Patti is in great spirits as the mending continues.  I am thankful that she is getting back to being herself and each day that goes by I realize how much of a trooper she really is; you can't keep her down!  I don't know where she gets the strength... I know if the roles were reversed I'd wouldn't want to do anything but lie in bed and feel miserable and sorry for myself for the next six months but she is getting back on her feet!  She really is amazing!

Day 32 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Versatiles - I Love You My Baby

Another tune for Patti.  This one is by The Versatiles with Tommy McCook & The Supersonics and is called "I Love You My Baby," originally recorded and released in 1969 on Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label.

Yesterday, Patti was released from the hospital and has been home since resting as comfortably as expected.  Her follow-up MRI looked good and after what seemed like an extra two days of waiting for the paperwork to be completed she was released.  She was nearly desperate to sleep in her own bed and it's perfectly obvious that the familiarity instantly put her at ease and she was finally able to get a decent rest.  Truly there is no place like home.

Day 31 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Emotions - Buy You A Rainbow

This 1967 rocksteady tune by the Emotions "A Rainbow" AKA "Buy You A Rainbow" originally pressed on the Caltone label is also dedicated to my love. 

So far things are looking good... The doctor informed us that the operation was a complete success and that there were no complications. Patti was awake and talking less than an hour after the surgery and is being kept for observation for the next 24 hours... we are justifiably relieved and confident that things will only get better.  Patti has already begun making plans to switch the part on her hair so that the bald spot and stitches will be less noticeable... she is back to her "old self" and we couldn't be happier!  She is holding out hope that they will discharge her today so that she can get back home to recuperate but we'll take it as it comes.

Day 30 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Ike Bennett & The Crystalites - Patricia

Today is the day for the surgery and Patti has a long day ahead of her so I want to keep this short and sweet...

Appropriately, "Patricia" is the track for today.  Ike Bennett and the Crystalites from 1968 doing a rocksteady interpretation of Perez "The King of the Mambo" Prado's hit he recorded ten years earlier in 1958.  

When Patti and I first got together six years ago this track became her signature ring-tone on my cell phone and to this day it remains as such.  And every Jamaican Independence Day, when our suburban backyard becomes an island oasis complete with jerk chicken, rice and peas, rum punch, scores of rambunctious children and lots of highly amplified Jamaican music, I always play "Patricia" so that regardless of where she is around the yard or in the house and whether she's minding the food, keeping the kids from drinking all the Ting in the cooler or engaging the guests, I love and appreciate her.  It's my simple way of paying my respect to the woman who has made my life so fulfilling and happy.  I plan to do so for a long time to come.

Day 29 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - John Holt - Stick By Me

You'll have to forgive me this week if I get a little sappy because it's gonna get personal.  No, I'm still going to have a track each day but I dedicate the entire week to my love Patricia Parker.  You see, on Monday she's going to be admitted to Johns Hopkins for a serious neurological procedure and to be completely honest… I'm scared shitless.  The thoughts of anything bad happening to her absolutely fills me with dread and fear and it is only my faith in God that I know everything will be okay.  As much as I'd like to perform this surgery to make sure it's done right, I can't because unfortunately I am not a surgeon nor do I play one on TV, so that aspect is completely out of my hands.  All I can do is show her my support and my unyielding love and this is the best way I know how to express it to her.  

So please… if you're the praying type please say a prayer for Patti and if you're not, good vibes are always appreciated.
 
We start things off this week with one of those tunes that really pulls-at-the-heartstrings.  John Holt's reggae rendition of a song originally written and performed by the American doo-wop group Shep and the Limelites, "Stick By Me" circa 1970/71 produced by the great Bunny Lee. 

I love you darling and that's no lie
Oh oh, stick by me, I'll stick by you
When you cry, I cry, too
Oh oh, stick by me and I'll stick by you
Remember my heart and my love belong to you
Oh oh, stick by me, I'll stick by you

The 4nd Week Mix! Available For Your Uninterrupted Listening Pleasure!

 What you're gonna hear in this fourth installment…

1.  Big Joe - Fisherman Skank
2.  Prince Jazzbo - Donkey Blind
3.  King Tubby - Homeward Dub
4.  Jackie Mittoo - Be Thankful
5.  The Wailers - Thank You Lord
6.  Upsetters - Dollar In The Teeth
7.  Mutabaruka - Postpone Christmas

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for the start of week 5!

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Day 28 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Mutabaruka - Postpone Christmas

Now with Thanksgiving in the rear-view we can hop into this Christmas mayhem with both feet but I'm not willing or prepared to jump.  From 1983 and lifted from a 7" on the High Times label, Mutabaruka gives us today's tune appropriately titled, "Postpone Christmas."  The perfect bitter antidote to the premature start of the Christmas season.  You tell 'em Muta!

Mek we postpone Christmas this year
Mek we postpone Christmas this year
De people dem nuh still have noting fi wear
Postpone Christmas this year.

Day 27 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Upsetters - Dollar In The Teeth

Line up at the Walmart and have your credit cards at the ready, it's Black Friday.  And that means one thing… spend until it hurts.... at least that's what the retailers want you to do.  Today marks the beginning of the Christmas shopping season and the dreaded march to Christmas.  Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with Christmas itself and I do enjoy the seasonal festivities but it's shoved down our throats sooner and sooner each year and it has made me a bit of a Scrooge as December rapidly approaches.  But enough about that…

In the spirit of the gaudy outlay of cash that have the fat cats drooling in anticipation, I have decided to go with the Upsetters "Dollar In The Teeth,"  originally released as a single on the Upsetter label in 1969 and eventually on their LP Eastwood Rides Again in 1970.  Now get out there and empty your wallets!

Day 26 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Wailers - Thank You Lord - Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, it is time for yet another tune in the 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge.  I had absolutely no trouble in picking this one, an absolute classic!  "Thank You Lord" by the Wailers from 1967 has become a holiday staple for me over the last 25 years and while everyone else is enjoying the time with their friends and family I'll be spending the day at work... again!  And no I'm not talking about a couple years here and there, this is my 19th consecutive Thanksgiving worked!  It's absolutely infuriating and has now gone on for so long that it's completely ridiculous.  But I'm not going to dwell on the negative... 

I am thankful for the family and friends who make my life worth living… the people who I unconditionally love and who unconditionally love me right back. I may not be rich, handsome, cultured, Ward Cleaver or Albert Einstein but I am that I am and it feels good that there are people who accept me as I am regardless of my warts, foul mouth, unconventional outlook on life and propensity for wasting money on booze, horror movies and reggae records.  I am thankful for the life I lead and for all those daily little things that make life worth living!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Day 25 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Jackie Mittoo - Be Thankful

Sticking with thankful tunes and providing you with something super laid back to soothe you after battling the atrocious holiday traffic... this one "Be Thankful" comes from the great Jackie Mittoo and his album Now produced by Coxsone Dodd and released on Studio One in 1970.  "Be Thankful" wasn't originally included on the vinyl release but thankfully it was included on the CD release years later.  So pour yourself the beverage of your choice, put your feet up and relax while Jackie takes you on a musical ride to Mellowland... a land where all days are sunny, the commutes are always easy, the kids go to bed early and the turkey is served with homemade cranberry sauce instead of that crimson gelatinous blob that still retains the can marks when squeezed out on the plate.

Day 24 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - King Tubby - Homeward Dub

Slipping into something dubby for today... King Tubby is up with the tune "Homeward Dub" from the excellent 2004 CD compilation from Auralux called Whip Them King Tubby - Linval Thompson and Friends.  As you may have noticed, if you live here in the United States, I'm slowly slipping into a theme here for the fast approaching Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday.  For those outside the States and are unfamiliar, Thanksgiving is the one of those big holidays where everyone makes their way back home to count their blessings with their loved ones and consume an absolutely huge dinner that leaves them comatose for the following 12 hours afterwards.  It also is one of the heaviest travel days in the United States and today's tune fittingly pays tribute to the journey home... with lots of deep down heavy bass of course.

 

Day 23 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Prince Jazzbo - Donkey Blind

Sticking with the DJ vibes for just another day... this time we've got a tune called "Donkey Blind" by the late great Prince Jazzbo.  Originally released in 1975 as the b-side to "Wise Shepherd" on the Canadian Action label, the dialogue at the top about one man's inability to "start" his donkey serves as a perfect analogy of me not being able to get my ass into gear on any given Monday morning.

Day 22 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Big Joe - Fisherman Skank

Hopping right into our fourth week of the Jamaican Music Challenge... we kick this week off with a DJ tune by the man Joseph Spalding AKA Big Joe called "Fisherman Skank."  Recorded and released in 1978 on the Gorgon label and riding the Weatherman Skank riddim, it makes for a nice Sunday treat.

The 3nd Week Mix! Available For Your Uninterrupted Listening Pleasure!

What you're gonna hear in this third installment...

 

1.   U-Roy & Hopeton Lewis - Tom Drunk
2.  Melodians - Come On Little Girl
3.  Gregory Isaacs - Thief A Man
4.  Dr. Alimantado - Gimme My Gun
5.  Al Brown - Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City
6.  Twinkle Brothers - Ghetto Life
7.  Jacob Miller - All Night Till Daylight

Check It Here!

 

Be sure to stop back tomorrow for the start of week 4!

Day 21 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Jacob Miller - All Night Till Daylight

The 21st track in the 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge is by the legendary Jacob Miller.  Recorded and originally released in 1976 on Miller's album Tenement Yard on the Jam Sounds label, "All Night Till Daylight" has always been one of my favorite Jacob Miller tunes!  His trademark vibrato, feel-good lyrics and an uplifting horn-driven rhythm make this the perfect tune for a Saturday!  Enjoy!

Week 3 Mix coming a little later!

Day 20 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Twinkle Brothers - Ghetto Life

Staying with the roots for today's tune... this one is called "Ghetto Life" and it's by the Twinkle Brothers from their 1982 LP Underground on their own Twinkle Music label.  Brothers Norman and Ralston Grant first formed the Twinkle Brothers in 1962, cut their first track "Somebody Please Help Me" for Leslie Kong in 1966 and haven't looked back... still recording and producing today!  

Day 19 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Al Brown - Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City

Up next is a smooth reggae cover of "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" by Al Brown.  The tune was originally recorded by Bobby "Blue" Bland in 1974 and released on his album Dreamer.  Since then, "Ain't No Love..." has been covered and sampled countless times from the Allman Brothers to Jay Z, with varying success and appeal to yours truly, but Mr. Brown's interpretation is absolutely killer.  Backed by Skin, Flesh and Bones who take on a bluesy yet completely roots vibe, Al Brown's sincere and heartfelt delivery calling for "more love in the heart of the city" is just as relevant today as it was the day it was recorded.

The Youtube clip for today's song is the Disco mix and is different than the version I will be including in this weeks mix on Saturday but unfortunately I can't find the version I have, from the 2001 Blood & Fire Compilation called Darker Than Blue, available for listening online.  Oh well.

Day 18 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Dr. Alimantado - Gimmie Mi Gun

Riding the same riddim we've got a tune today that would make the NRA proud... it's called "Gimmie Mi Gun" by DJ Doctor Alimantado and is lifted from his 1978 LP Best Dressed Chicken In Town on the Greensleeves label.  The album itself was a collection of Alimantado's singles released from 1972 until 1977 and engineered by Lee Perry, King Tubby and Scientist respectfully.  In the song the Good Doctor states his case for gun ownership for the law-abiding citizenry of Kingston in need of self protection during one of its most turbulent and violent times.  

Day 17 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Gregory Isaacs - Thief A Man

I can't believe I waited 17 days before throwing in a Gregory Isaacs track... I have the feeling there will be a few more to come in the remaining 348 days; everybody loves the Cool Ruler!  Today's song is "Thief A Man," released in 1975 on both Gregory's own African Museum label and the Advance label concurrently.  One of reggae's greats performing one of his multitude of great tunes!  As you can imagine with close to 500 of albums being released during his lifetime, it also appears on a multitude of compilations as well!

Day 16 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - The Melodians - Come On Little Girl Come On

The vocal trio The Melodians (Tony Brevett, Brent Dowe and Trevor McNaughton) got together in Greenwich Town area of Kingston around 1963.  They started recording for Prince Buster before stepping over to Coxsone Dodd's Studio One and in 1966 hey tracked "Lay It On" one of the first acknowledged rocksteady tunes.  In 1967 they moved over to Duke Reid's Treasure Isle label and soon after the next year they released "Come On Little Girl Come On" which is today's track in the 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge... a delicious slice of rocksteady goodness!  Enjoy!

Day 15 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - U-Roy & Hopeton Lewis - Tom Drunk

Starting off week three with a scorcher from Hopeton Lewis and U Roy called "Tom Drunk," produced by Duke Reid and released on his Treasure Isle label in 1971 and appearing on a heap a' various artists compilations since, it's a great, upbeat tune to get this week rolling properly... an all time favorite!

The 2nd Week Mix! Available For Your Uninterrupted Listening Pleasure!

What you're gonna hear in this second installment...

1.  The Black Brothers - Give Me Loving

2.  Lloyd Charmers - Confidential

3.  Charlie Ace - Silver & Gold

4.  Scotty - Skank In Bed

5.  The Tonettes - I'll Give It To You

6.  Marcia Grffiths - Feel Like Jumping

7.  Michigan & Smiley - Compliment To Studio One

Come back tomorrow for the start of Week 3!

Check It Out Here!

Day 14 of 365 Day Jamaican Music Challenge - Michigan & Smiley - Compliment To Studio

What the hell, let's finish off the second week with one more Studio One tune!  This one by Michigan & Smiley called "Compliment To Studio One" and riding the Pretty Looks riddim comes from their 1980 LP "Rub A Dub Style" on Studio One of course... dig it!

Second week mix will be uploaded today!  Stay tuned!