Greetings,
Jump straight to the Jah-cember 27, 2014: Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive
<Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives sends seasons greetings to the Sky Deity of your choosing; 8 sec.>
***
Snuck away for a combo birthday/Christmas/cratedig with my family. Jah-buqureque, New Jah-xico. Flu shot ahead of time. Feeling good when everyone else in the vicinity had the crud.
Fly back, Friday AM the day after Christmas. Decided why not end the year, last Ark-Ive of 2014, with an All Vinyl Black Wax Attack. Yes I! Selah!
<Nyquil cocktail for 3 hours on air>
2 hour fog delay. Everyone cooped up on a non-moving tin can. Six in the Morning. Right there on the tarmac. Babies crying, everyone sniffling, coughing and wheezing.
Get back to the Ark-Ives, immediately start inoculating myself: Zicam for the Zinc; Nyquil just in case. Ate two oranges for the Vitamin C. Whatever…..
<One extra present after Christmas. Can’t hear the cue speaker on where to drop de needle pon de record with a massive head cold; 35 sec.>
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive: Jah-cember 27, 2014: Year-End Vinyl Blowout!
Smile Jamaica’s Lessons in Deejaying: Why They Call it the “One Drop”
- Radio Studio setup 8 Tracks: 3 CDs, 2 Turntables, 1 Microphone, 1 Computer. Any sound on a “hot” track goes over the airwaves.
- 1 CD for my Dub Album of the Week
- If a deejay wants to sample a portion of a song without that song going onto the airwaves, he puts the Track into “cue” mode
- The cue speaker is on a different, internal sound channel within the mixing board. Separate from the Tracks that go over the airwaves. The deejay hears those “live” Tracks over the studio’s monitor speakers.
- Had to turn the cue volume up to 11 to hear where to drop the needle on the vinyl, back-cue (reverse direction) on the Turntable till dead silence. This is where the next song starts on beat 1 – hot on the air. The One Drop!
Here’s the nitty gritty on Smile Jamaica’s Year-End Vinyl Blowout! (Jah-cember 27, 2014; 1 min. 55 sec.)
- Rarities/Vinyl Only classics out of the Ark-Ives
- Roots Dawtas
- Seven Leaf, 4 down, 46 to go.
<Smile Jah-pocrypha: Skilers want to be in their cars, heading home in time to hear the Smile Jamaica 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement>
- Jamaican Jukebox: 7″ 45 RPM
- Disco Mix 12″ boomshots
- Mutant Dub
Annotated Playlist (captions, photos, soundbytes, Reggae History Lessons): Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive: Jah-cember 27, 2014
3 HOURS OF VINYL
Set 1:
- Misty in Roots – Praises; Musi O Tunya (People Collective) ’85 UK
- Ja Man All Stars – Dub Zone; In the Dub Zone (Blood and Fire); Dub Album of the Week
- Dennis Brown – Concrete Castle King; Visions (Blue Moon) ’76 UK
- Augustus Pablo – The Big Rip Off; Ital Dub (Trojan) ’74 UK dub to Inner Circle Forward Jah Jah Children
- Ini Kamoze – Dreadlocks; 12” (Mogo Naba) ’82 JA
- Melodians – Irie Feeling – Irie Feeling (RAS) ’83 DC; 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
<Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Most Underrated Roots LP Nomination: Melodians – Irie Feeling; 29 sec.>
- Prince Far I – Jamaica; Jamaican Heroes (Trojan) ’80 UK, boxing theme
Set 2: Roots Dawtas
- Judy Mowatt – Mr. Dee Jay; Mr. Dee Jay (Ashandan) ’81 JA
- Maxine Miller – How Many Times; Showcase (Wackies); ‘80 NY early Bob Marley doo wop lovers rock
- Sophia George – Tenement Yard; Tenement Yard (Winner) ’86 JA
- Marcia Griffiths – Feel Like Jumping; At Studio One (Studio One) JA
<Reggae History Lesson: Judy and Marcia, 2/3 of the I Threes; 17 sec.>
Set 3:
- Jackie Mittoo – Eleanor Rigby; Jackie Mittoo (United Artists) ’78 Los Jah-ngeles, Collie-fornya; Beatles Hammond B 3 cover
- Heptones – Soul Sister; Legends From Studio One (Trench Town) ’72 Allen Toussaint New Oreans soul cover
- The Gaylads – Little Candle; Vision of Reggae (Tamoki Wambesi); Roy Cousins prod’n best of
- Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse; 12” (Island) ’82 Roots Radics on the riddims
Set 4: Seven Leaf Herbal Vinyl Set
<Seven Leaf Set Livicated to Rockers International from WNMC, Traverse City, MI; Reggae Radio in town skiing; 45 sec.>
<Revelations 22:2 – The Healing of the Nations; 30 sec.>
- Jacob Miller – Healing of the Nations; Reggae Greats (Mango) ’84 US: Seven Leaf Set: Revelations 22:2 “the leaves were used for medicine for the healing of the nations”
<Cannabis History Lesson: Jacob Miller; 24 sec.>
- Barrington Levy – Sensimelea; Poor Man Style (Trojan) ’82 UK
- Pioneers – Feeling High; Greatest Hits (Trojan) ’76 UK
- I Roy – African Herbsman; African Herbsman (Joe Gibbs) ‘ over Johnny Clarke – African Roots ’81 JA
- Carlton Livingston – 100 Weight of Collie Weed; 100 Weight of Collie Weed (Greensleeves) ’84 UK
<Don’t go 55 inna 35 with 100 Weight of Collie Weed in your vehicle; 12 sec.>
Set 5:
- Krieger-Densmore Reggae Bonanza – Kinky Reggae; 12” (Rhino) ’83 Marley cover by ½ The Doors
<Smile Jamaica’s brush with Ray Manzarek, The Doors; 58 sec.>
- Yellowman – Strong Mi Strong; 12” (Columbia) ’84 Bill Laswell mix
- Zema – Ride on; Zema (Melchizedek) ’86 Culver City, Collie-fornya; female singer
<Rare 7″ 45: Keith does Jimmy & Chuck; 12 sec.>
- Keith Richards – The Harder They Come; 7” (Rolling Stones) ’78 Jimmy Cliff cover; 19 sec.
Set 6: Jamaican Jukebox 7″ 45
<Jamaican Jukebox: The Rarest Vinyl; 5 sec.>
<Black Sabbath on Smile Jamaica? Yes I!; 20 sec.>
- Black Sabbath vs. Black Uhuru – Guess Who’s Coming For Sweet Leaf; 7” (Peabody and Sherman); Seven Leaf mashup; 7” Set: Jamaican Jukebox
<Copy-wrong? 20 sec.>
- Frankie Paul – Ites, Gold and Green; 7” (Jusic) 2001 JA
- Leo Graham – Not Giving Up; 7” (Locks) ’75 JA
- Errol Dunkley – Train to Zion; 7” (Topco) ’75 JA
Set 7:
- I Roy – The Heathen (Commandment IV); Ten Commandments (Virgin Front Line); ‘ 80 yellow vinyl/picture sleeve cover of Marley’s Exodus album
- Barbara Paige – Babylon Must Fall; Hear Me Now (Epiphany) ’82 San Francisco, Collie-fornya
- Big Youth – When Revolution Come – Chi Chi Run (Prince Buster) ’72 JA
- Bunny Wailer – Conqueror; 12” (Solomonic) ’81 JA
Set 8: Mutant Dub
- African Head Charge – Heading to Glory; In Pursuit of Shashamane land (ON U Sound) ’93 UK Mutant Dub
<Reggae History Lesson: Shashamane Land; 12 sec.>
- Capital Letters – House Breaker (Rootical Rebuild); 12” EP (Reggae Archive Records) 2014 UK of 80s roots reggae rmx
- King Kong – Free de Herb; 12” (Ink Alink) 2008 herbtune
- Singers & Players feat. Bim Sherman – Run Them Away; Vacuum Pumping (ON U Sound) ’88 UK
- Dubkasm Meets the Disciples – Gideon Armour; 12” (Sufferah’s Choice) 2006 UK
- New Age Steppers – Foundation Steppers; 5 Dog Race (ON U Sound) ’83 UK
Smile Jamaica 