Greetings,

My Grandfather owned a hardware store in Fort Benton, Montana. Sold and laid carpet and before Wal Mart, Best Buy or Amazon, that is where you would buy your electronics.

He closed the store and retired when I was in Elementary school. But somehow, I “inherited” a felt, vinyl cleaning record mitt.

Quick-shine mitt for a silicone sparkle! 27 sec.

My record collecting journey began Fall 1977. School shopping with Mom in downtown Great Falls, Montana. In Woolworths: conned Mom into buying me Doobie Brothers Greatest Hits

So, I used this felt mitt to swipe any dust off the record before dropping the needle. I don’t use any of that chemical goop. Just a nice swipe of felt across smooth black wax.

Took it with me to Bozeman, Montana when I bought my fancy laser tracking turntable. (Horrible for Reggae vinyl, I was to discover).

And I tossed it in a box of records when I moved to Salt Lake City.

It has been a part of Smile Jamaica for nearly 3 decades.

This summer I thought I lost it. Left it at the station, it fell out of one of my record bags. For most of Summer of ’18 I was bumming.

Part of the Deejay ritual:

1. take the record out of the sleeve
2. place it on the turntable platter
3. swipe the record mitt to clean off dust
4. put the needle pon the record
5. back cue to start
6. hit remote start on the station’s mixer

So without #3, it really put a hitch in my giddyup. My grandfather passed away in 1981, I felt bad that the one thing I still had to remind me of him and my youth, I carelessly lost somewhere.

Well, of course, I was moving records into my Ark-Ive and saw a record bag that had fallen behind an end table.

I blindly reached in and felt a familiar feeling. Soft felt big enough to place your hand inside.

I kissed it and said Praise Anu!  Smile Jamaica is back to full strength, slinging dust free Roots.

bless, Bobbylon

 

Annotated  Smile Jamaica Playlist: Jah-gust 18, 2018; 102 sec.

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Set 1: 420 Vinyl

<9 down, DC all of Canada, 41 to go; 63 sec.>

• Anthony Johnson – Reggae Feelings; Reggae Feelings (Vista Sounds) ’83 UK – All Vinyl Showcase
• Blackbeard – Cut After Cut; Strictly Dub Wize (More Cut) ’78 UK dub album of the week
• Joe Higgs – One Man Kuchie (Pipe); Unity is Power (1 Stop) ’78 UK
• Jah Lloyd – Cocaine; The Humble Lion (Virgin Front Line) ’78 UK Dillinger
• Lovindeer – Grow the Ganja; De Blinkin’ Bus (TSO) ’82 JA – soca

<Cannabis over the IMF predatory loans in Jamaica; 42 sec.>

• Steel Pulse – Drug Squad; Caught You (Island) ’80 UK
• Peter Tosh – Legalize It (Secret Circuit Shockblast Mix + Dub); 10″ picture vinyl (Delicious Vinyl) 2012 record store day rmx

Set 2:

• Capital Letters – Fire; Headline News (Greensleeves) ’79 UK youth group
• Rasta Generation Band feat. Miss Mack – Stop Crying the Blues; Stand By Jah (Black Spade) ’90 San Francisco
• Peter Culture – Behold; Behold (Top Beat) 2000 UK 10″
• Lloyd Charmers – Darker Than Blue; 10″ (PK) ’75 UK – Curtis Mayfield cover

Set 3:

• Ken Boothe – Ain’t No Sunshine; 10″ EP (Trojan) ’72 UK Bill Withers cover
• Meditations – Rome; Message From the Meditations (United Artists) ’76 US
• Ijahman Levi – Bubble On; Forward Rastaman (Jahmani) ’87 UK
• Bam Bam – Deja Vu + Dub; Power of a Woman (Bam Bam International) ’87 LA female vox

Set 4:

• Judy Mowatt – Love Seed; Mellow Mood (Ashandan) ’75 IA
• Yellowman & Fathead – Honour Your Mother; Jack Sprat (GG’s) ’82 JA
• Mighty Maytones – Serious; Madness (Burning Sounds) ’76 UK
• Earl Sixteen & Nick Manasseh – Natural Roots & Organic Dub; 10″ (Merge) 2006 UK

• Set 5:
• Marcia Griffiths – Truly; At Studio One (Studio One) ’80 JA; Aretha Franklin of Reggae

<Aretha Franklin joins Jah’s Heavenly Choir; 46 sec.>

• Prince Far I – Light My Fire; Free From Sin (Trojan) ’79 UK
• Pablo Moses – Ready, Aim, Fire; In the Future (Alligator) ’83 Chicago blues label
• Earl Zero – Shackles and Chain; Reggae All Stars (Freedom Sounds) ’79 JA
• Winston Fergus & Chris Jay – Rough Times; 10″ (Dubwise) ’98 UK militant steppers
• Twilight Circus – Bassie Dub I; Essential Dub (ROIR) 2007 dub compilation: Dub Album of the Hour

Set 6: Roots Dawta vinyl set

• Sister Netifa – Don’t Talk to Me Babylon; Woman Determined (A Luta) ’79 UK dub poetess
• Wild Bunch – Indestructible Woman; Wild Bunch (Ariwa) ’84 UK
• African Woman – Warrior Queen; In Progress (People Unite) ’84 UK
• Senya & Familyman Barrett – Natural Woman; Juvenile Delinquent (Clappers) ’81 Bronx; female singer

Set 7: Rockers do Reggae

• Donna Summer feat. Musical Youth – Unconditional Youth; She Works Hard For the Money (Mercury) ’83 US 

<Soul reggae on MTV, summer of ’83; 34 sec. >

• Blue Riddim Band – Cuss, Cuss; Alive in Jamaica (Flying Bird) ’83 live at Reggae Sunsplash, Montego Bay Jamaica
• Jah Sabi – Africa; Remember Soweto 76-86: Bullets Won’t Stop Us Now (Konkurrel) ’86 Neth.
• Ian Dury & the Block – Lullaby for Francis; Do It Yourself (Stiff) ’79 UK pub rocker
• Tassili Players – Interstellar Overdub; Outer Space (Universal Egg) ’96 UK dub album of the hour

Set 8: Mutant Dub Vinyl

• New Age Steppers feat. Ari Up – Stormy Weather; Foundation Steppers (ON U Sound) ’83 UK blues cover w/ female vox
• Singers & Players – Resolution (Part 2/Version 2); Revenge of the Underdog (ON U Sound) ’82 UK
• The Upsetters – Patience Dub; Super Ape (Mango) ’76 US
• Aldubb – What the Funk Is Dubstep?; 10″ (One Drop) 2008 Germ.