Greetings,

Jamaicans love horse racing too. Every Kentucky Derby Saturday I try to spin a set devoted to Jamaican horse racing. Just as the bugle starts and gates fly, open I drop the bass and go for m own musical horse race.

In Jamaica, their main track is called Caymanas Park. And the jockeys tend to be Chinese-Jamaicans rather than Latin Americans, as in the US.

<Caymanas Park; 39 sec.>

And because this is Reggae, the best song is a track by Bojangles from when the Two Sevens Clashed (’77) on a grooving Culture riddim, he relays the race between these contenders in the Selassie I Cup: 24 sec.

1. Babylon 2-1
2. Soul Youth 3-1
3. Rome – Even
4. Pope Pius 3-5 (the guy in the Vatican in 1977)
5. Dreadlocks 8-1
6. Baldhead 15-1

• Win! – Dreadlocks
• Place! – Baldhead
• Show! – Soul Youth

And here is what happened to Pope Pius….22 sec.

bless, Bobbylon

Smile Jamaica Annotated Playlist: May 5, 2018; 90 sec.

Set 1:

• Jah Lloyd – Reggae Feeling; Black Moses (Virgin Front Line) ’79 UK vinyl to Mike Brooks
• Armagideon – Spiral Galaxy; 12″ (Dubhead) ’96 UK mutant dub vinyl of the hour
• Big Youth – Hit the Road Jack (Tribute to Bob, Peter, Bunny); Jamming in the House of Dread (Danceteria) 8/20/90 Live at Reggae Japansplash
• Sandra Cross & the Wild Bunch – Free South Africa; Roots Daughters (Ariwa) ’88
• Little John – Smoke Ganga (sic) Hard; 10″ (Well Charge) ’81 JA 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement

Set 2: Kentucky Derby Set

• Dillinger – Caymanas Park; 7″ (Well Charge) Kentucky Derby Set; Caymanas Park = J’can race track
• The Pioneers – Longshot Kicked de Bucket; Greatest Hits (Trojan) ’79 UK vinyl
• The Specials – Longshot Kicked de Bucket; Too Much Too Young (Receiver) ’79 Live at Astoria College: Pioneers cover
• Racefans – Bookie Man; 7″ (Upset) ’70
• Bojangles – Selassie I Cup; 7″ (Joe Gibbs Record Globe) ’77

Set 3: Best of Smile Jamaica 28+ Years

• Misty in Roots – Judas Iscariot; Live at the Counter Eurovision (Kaz) ’79
• Judy Mowatt – Concrete Jungle; Black Woman (Shanachie) ’76 Wailers cover
• Johnny Clarke – Don’t Call I Daddy; Don’t Trouble Trouble (Attack) ’75
• Burning Spear – Down By the Riverside; Creation Rebel (Heartbeat/Studio One)
• African Brothers & King Tubby – Original Dub; African Brothers Meet  King Tubby in Dub (Nature Sounds) Dub Album of the Hour

Set 4:

• Hollie Cook – Stay Alive; Vessel of Love (Merge) 2018 UK mutant dubstress
• Flick Wilson – Lucifer; Don’t Give Up Your Culture (Moll-Selekta) ’80
• Lee “Scratch” Perry & Merlene Gifford – Solid As a Rock; Chicken Scratch (Heartbeat/Studio One) early Rock Steady
• Trinity – Healing of the Nation; 12′ (Burning Vibrations) ’82 herbtune
• Itopia Band – Why; 10″ (Wackies) ’82 Bronx

Set 5: Vinyl is Vital

• Black Stalin – Vampire Year; In Ah Earlier Time (Makossa Internation) ’81 Trinidad & Tobago soca 
• Sister Carol – International Style; Black Cinderella (Jah Life) ’84 Brooklyn
• Chalice – Dance Hall Daze; Crossfire (CTS) ’85 JA
• Bim Sherman & the Voluntary – Keep You Dancing (Century) ’84 UK
• Desi Roots – Nature Boy; Doing It Right (Hawkeye) ’80 UK

Set 6: Wailers Family Tree

• Peter Tosh – Burial; Dealing With the Shytstem (bootleg) Live at the Roxy 11/5/82 Los Angeles
• Bunny Wailer – One Drop; Hall of Fame (RAS) ’95 50 covers of Bob Marley for his 50th birthday
• Bob Marley & the Wailers – Who Colt the Game + Dub; Lost Black Ark Sessions (Ascension) rare Lee Perry prod’ns

Set 7: Rockers do Reggae

• Cymande – Brothers on the Slide; Cymande (Sequel) ’74 Dove of Peace – UK Caribeean expats
• Hot Chocolate – Confetti Day; Every 1’s a Winner (Infinity) ’78 UK
• David Lindley – Twist & Shout; El Rayo-X (Elektra) ’81 Beatles cover
• Pretenders – Private Life; Pretenders (Sire) ’80

Set 8: Mutant Dub

• The Archives feat. Ichelle Cole – Boof Baff; The Archives (ESL) 2012 DC w/ female vox
• Dub Syndicate – Bazooke; King Size Dub Volume 2 (Echo Beach) ’96 UK
• Iration Steppers – Kilimanjaro; Lead With the Bass II (Universal Egg) ’96 UK  
• Prince David & the Abassi All-Stars – Put Life First; 10″ Humble Lion EP (Deep Root) 2008 UK
• Thievery Corporation feat. Lou Lou – Le Monde; Mirror Conspiracy (ESL) 2000 Fr. female vox

Words of Wisdom: