Greetings,
I was born in a small north central Montana town called Fort Benton. Along the Missouri river, it was the furthest the steamboats could go before you had to pack wagon trains of goods to Oregon and Canada.
Brutally cold in the winter. Gorgeous in the summer, although the mosquitos are the size of kittens. A town of 1500 didn’t have much in the way of shopping, so you had to drive 35 miles to Great Falls.
Movies, clothes shopping, better restaurants. When the drinking age in Montana was 19, we would buy beer where no one knew us. They had a good record store there called Hastings. It was across the street from the mall, so I would always try and swing by there before I left for home.
Usually, I would buy vinyl. But, it was about 45 minutes to drive home, at 55 max MPH speed limit. So I would tend to buy a cassette to listen to for the drive home.
I was getting ready to graduate May of 1983. I remember the album I bought: Ramones – Subterranean Jungle. The cassette was the big novelty hit of ’83. MTV crossover: Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie.
Youth group from UK singing and toasting over a sanitized version of the Mighty Diamonds’ Pass the Kutchie.
Kutchie = cannabis utensil. Can’t have kiddies singing about the Seven Leaf, so they switched up the lyrics to the cooking pot, dutch pot = dutchie.
I bought it for the song, not because it was Reggae. That was #2 Reggae addition to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive. Over the years, I picked it up on LP and various 12″ promo singles. Then, cratedigging in Minneapolis a few years ago, I got their 2 albums on 1 CD for $5 in the discount rack. Nice price!
I was cleaning out my garage and came across a shoebox full of cassettes and found it there. (First Reggae album you are wondering? Peter Tosh – Wanted Dread & Alive; Xmas ’81. Thanks Mom!
bless, Bobbylon
<Musical Youth – second addition to the Smile Jamaica Ark-ive>
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: June 1, 2019 annotated playlist
Set 1:
- Michael Prophet – Jah Jah Is My Master; Yabby You & King Tubby’s All Stars (Yabby You) early 80’s JA vinyl
- Augustus Pablo – The Big Rip-Off; Ital Dub (Trojan) ’74 UK vinyl dub album of the hour
- Cymande – Zion I; Renegades of Funk (Newhouse) ’72 UK soul/rock/reggae
- Sugar Minott – Devil Is At Large; Tempo Explosion (Black Victory) ’85
- Natural Vibes – Life Hard a Yard; King Jammy a Man and His music Volume 1 (RAS) ’82
- Tristan Palma – Sensimilla; Return of the Rub-a-Dub Style (Echodelic) 2011 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
- Lucy Clark – Just One Look; 12″ (Bullet) US Doris Troy cover
Set 2:
- Sister Carol – Natty Live Up; Lyrically Potent (Heartbeat) ’96
- Nerious Joseph – Guidance; Fashion in Fine Style vol. 1 (Fashion) ’92
- The Royals – Pick Up the Pieces: Full Up: Best of Studio One vol. 2 (Heartbeat/Studio One)
- Wingless Angels feat. Justin Hinds & Keith Richards – Come Down Wicked Man; Wingless Angels II (Mindless) ’96 nyahbinghi
- Junior Delahaye – Working Hard For the Rent Man; 12″ (Wackies) ’83 Bronx
Set 3: Best of Smile Jamaica 29+ Years
- Dennis Brown – Westbound Train; Some Like It Hot (Heartbeat) ’75:
- Aisha Morrison – Ethiopias; Stay Red (Esoldun) 77? Black Ark prod’n
- Freddie McGregor – Rastaman Camp; Bobby Bobylon (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’79
- Musical Youth – Rub ‘N Dub; Youth of Today (MCA) ’82 UK youth group
- Aswad – Dub Fire; New Chapter of Dub (Mango) ’82 Dub Album of the Hour
Set 4:
- Thievery Corporation feat. Puma – Babylon Falling; Temple of I & I (ESL) 2017
- Afro Omega – Don’t Stop; Love Emergency (Afro Omega) 2011 SLC w/ female vox
- Junior Reid – Free That Little Tree; Hi Grade Ganja Anthems 3 (Greensleeves) ’94 herbtune
- Flick Wilson – My Lady; 12″ (Greensleeves) ’80 UK
Set 5: Vinyl is Vital
- Anthony Johnson – Mother, Mother; Reggae Feelings (Vista Sounds) ’83 UK –
- Dilinger – Tribal War; Tribal War (New Cross) ’86 UK
- Zulu Warriors – Chalwa Dub; Warrior Dub (Mr. Modo) ’89 UK herbtune
- Nicodimus (sic) – Keep It In the Family; She Love It In the Morning (Hitbound) ’82 JA
- Sinead O’Connor – Curly Locks; Throw Down Your Arms (That’s Why There’s Chocolate & Vanilla) 2005 UK – Jr. Byles cover
Set 6: Wailers Family Tree
- Bob Marley & the Wailers – He Who Knows It Feels It; Best of Studio One (Studio One) ’66 JA vinyl
<Song history; 88 sec.>
- Bunny Wailer – Fancy Curls; Hall of Fame (RAS) ’95 50 Bob covers for 50th
- Soon Come/I’m the Toughest/Bush Doctor; Live at the Bayou (bootleg) Mar. 14, 1979 Wash’n DC
- Black Uhuru – Ion Storm; Dub Factor (Mango) ’83 Dub Album of the Hour
Set 7: Rockers do Reggae
- Rockers Hi-Fi w/ Ella Fitzgerald – Sunshine of Your Love; Groove Corporation Presents Remixes From Elephant House (Guidance) 2001 Cream cover
- Daryl Jenifer – Away Away; In Search of Black Judas (ROIR) 2010 Bad Brains bassie
- Jeff Beck Group – She’s a Woman; Live With the Jan Hammer Group (Epic) ’77
- Blues Brothers – Groove Me; Briefcase Full of Blues (Atlantic) ’78 herbtune King Floyd cover
<75 pounds of lambsbread from Jamaica; 29 sec.>
Set 8: Mutant Dub
- Bob Marley/Bill Laswell – So Much Trouble in the World; Dreams of Freedom (Axiom) ’97 ambient translations
<Bob not a fan of UFOs; 22 sec.>
- Dub Syndicate – The Corporation; Ital Breakfast (ON U Sound) ’96 conspiracy theory
- Alpha & Omega – Twelve Fruits; Tree of Life (A & 0) ’96 UK trance w/ female vox
- Sugar Dee – Humble Mr. Babylon; 12″ (Know Thyself) 2012 UK
- Roots Manuva feat. Wrongtom – Wol’ a Mine; Duppy Writer (Big Dada) 2010