Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts
Gonna roll a lickle spliff wif di papyrus for 3 hours on Smile Jamaica. Boo-tiful!
Greetings,
<Smile Jamaica’s 20+ Annual Jah-loween Dubhouse of Horror>
Been bunkered down in my Secret Dubratory pulling the Undead Rankings out of their crypts, tombs, sarcophagi, coffins and other otherworldly abodes for 3 hours of the best in Reggae and DubwizeJah-loween.
My task is to juggle 666 Jah-loween tunes into about 30. Including as many of the 75 sound bytes and horror movie clips that I have chopped up and stitched up. 7sec.
curse, robt
Here is the mangled menagerie of the Undead who you can expect to hear this afternoon:
Dub Album of the Week: Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires (Greensleeves)
<Scientist: I Wah Blood!>
Black Magic and Jamaican Obeah/Voodoo
<Egyptian Spell; 58 sec.>
Frankenstein
Ghosts and their West Indian cousins the Duppies
The Mummy
Satan, Lucifer and the Devil
Vampires: Dracula and his soul brother cousin Blackula, Dark Shadows soap opera stalwart Barnabas Collins
Smile Jamaica 20+ Jah-loween Jah-mboree: Sat. Oct. 25; 4-7 PM. 90.9FM krcl.org. The Undead are most certainly not Ital!
<Wolfman Jack; 13 sec.>
High-lights of this week:
Jah-loween Cauldron of Wickness: preview to next Saturday’s Jah-loween Jah-mboree; 3 hours of the Ranking Dreads vs. the Living Dead!
Dub Album of the Week: Augustus Pablo – East of the River Nile. Classic far east melodica sound ’78
Livicated to Peter Tosh: Oct. 19, 1944: story of his revenge against A-sad-ica. Because there is nothing “merry” about America for the poor man. 24 sec.
Roots Dawtas: Mutant dubstresses: Hollie Cook, Ranking Ann, Sevendub, Grace Jones
Seven Leaf: GT Moore mutant dub, Sugar Minott
Wailers Family Tree: dubble dose of Tosh, Marley last live show, Bunny Rule Dance Hall. Pato Banton pays tribute to Tosh
3 hours of Jah-loween and spooky soundbites “Chopped” up in my Secret Dubratory
<Peter Tosh crashes the market from beyond the grave! 34 sec.>
Peter Tosh – Day the Dollar Died; Mystic Man (EMI America) ’79: Happy Birthday, Stepping Razor: Oct. 19, 1944; 9 sec.
Ranking Ann – Love on a Mountain Top; Slice of English Toast (Ariwa) ’82 Mad Prof singjay
Englishman – Vampiar; Turning Point (Mighty Roots) ’95 DC bassie*
<Vampiar’s sucking the blood of the Ragamuffins; 8 sec.>
Tosh Unholy Trinity of Jah-loween Tunes: Dracula, Vampire, Mark of the Beast
Set 3:
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Is This Love; Live Forever (Tuff Gong) 9/23/80; Pittsburgh, Jah-sylvania
Sugar Minott – International Herb; 12” (Hamma) ’83 herbtune
Sevendub – Untitled Tribute (Peace Dove Mix); Dub Club Edition: Rock With Me Sessions (Collision); 2006 mutant dub female vox
Keith Hudson – Darkest Night; Flesh of My Skin, Blood of My Blood (Atra) ‘75*
<Blacula; 59 sec.>
“Hold di candle, take off your bangle, turn your neck pon di right angle. (Blackula) is the best in all di business. He’ll chew your neck like Wrigley’s”… Lone Ranger
Set 4:
Bunny Wailer – Reggae in the U.S.A.; Rule Dance Hall (Shanachie) ‘86
Zema – Joy in the Morning; Black Sheep (Melchizedek); female artist out of Los Jah-ngeles
Noah House of Dread – Don’t Let The Devil Hold You Back; Heart 2 (ON U Sound) ’88*
<The Thing With Two Heads; 55 sec.>
“I’ll give you some head…and shoulders to cry on”…Debbie Harry, Blondie
Set 5: Jah-loween Vinyl is V-Ital Set:
<Vinyl Evyl; 95 sec.>
The Gladiators – Duppy Conqueror; The Gladiators (Virgin) ’80 UK; Vinyl is Vital Jah-loween set. Marley cover. Duppy = Jamaican Ghost*
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts
<Smile Jamaica 20+ years of Jah-loween; 60 sec.>
Here are the High-lights of today’s Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive
Your station that rules the nation….
<Don’t touch that dial!>
Peter Tosh Birthday tomorrow. Oct. 19, 1944 marks the birth of Peter Tosh (born Winston Hubert McIntosh).
He was murdered….wait for it…. Sept. 11, 1987. I’m going to tell you a story about how Peter crashed the stock market on the anniversary of his Oct. birthday 5 weeks after his murder. Then we’ll hear him prophesize about it in The Day the Dollar Died. What about WTC Building 7?
Peter Tosh prophecy: The Day the Dollar Died. Russia and China are in process of that very notion. Nelstradamus told you!
<Zombies love the Roots ‘n’ Dubbers; 17 sec.>
Next week is Jah-loween Show. Twenty plus years of ghosts, vampires, witches and zombies. I’ll tell you why I do it 6 days early instead of one day late. (Halloween is Friday this year). Last week I played about 44% of the show. Nuff Jah-loween tunes this week as well! Pick up your cross and follow me! Lee “Scratch” Perry
All treats no tricks! Gorillaza have a dubble dose of Jah-loween on Smile Jamaica
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts
“Vncent Price: Can you dig it!>
Can you dig it? Pon the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives DVD Player this Jah-loween Season. Vincent Price unleashes plagues of Biblical proportions against the Hospital Staff who killed his wife in surgery. That is not covered under Obamacare!
<Greetings: This week on Smile Jamaica: 55 sec. intro>
Jump straight to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive Jah-tober 11, 2014: Stream. Below is the Annotated Playlist with photos and captions and soundbites
Reggae History Lessons: Robert Palmer Meets Scratch; When Doves Cry; Hooters Reggae, Jamaican minorities in the music business
Tributes: Malala Yousafzai Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Primal Scream
Fire and Brimstone: France’s war on the Seven Leaf
Back from two weeks of Radiothon: raising cash to keep Smile Jamaica commercial free. No Walmart for I ‘n’ I. Selah!
Getting into the Halloween, I mean Jah-loween, uh…spirit! The Island of Jamaica. Out of many one is the national motto.
Much like I have in excess of 800 4/20 Seven Leaf Reggae and Dub jams, I probably have 666 or so Reggae Jah-loween gems.
Superstition plus the evil metaphor of the living dead sucking the blood of the righteous, makes Reggae well attuned to the undead or Un-Dread.
Michael Rose of Black Uhuru: “I n I are the Living Dread Inna dis ya Dawn of the Living Dead!”
Black African folk tradition plus British concepts of spooks and spirits. Immigrant communities from Syria, India, China add their traditions of the Evil Eye into the stew.
Plenty of Reggae tunes devoted to witches, vampires, ghouls/duppies, zombies, mummies, werewolves and other assorted witchcraft and soul theft.
The French law on drug use is severe: every use, no matter the circumstances, is liable to penalty. The maximum penalties for cannabis use are a sentence from two months up to a year and/or a fine from 500 Euros to 25,000 Euros. ($636 – $31,815)
In what would be one of the more aberrant recent decisions of the French justice system, two pro-pot activists risk spending a year in jail for wearing T-shirts emblazoned with a picture of a cannabis leaf.
A zealous public prosecutor this week demanded 12-month prison terms for Jean-Pierre Galland, president of the Cannabis Information and Research Collective, and Laurence Duffy, head of the campaign group’s Lyon branch, for contravening article 630 of the French public health regulations.
The law bans French citizens from “portraying in a favourable light and promoting or inciting the consumption of any product classed as a banned substance”. The pair are also accused of selling CDs bearing the deeply suspect title of “A little piece of hemp music”.
This shirt could get you a year in jail in France. Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite….Bullshit all the way!
Set 2:
Aisha – Evil Spirits; High Priestess (Ariwa) ’88 female; Mad Prof. prod’n*
Culture – We Deh Yah Still; Lion Rock (Heartbeat) ‘88
4th Street Orchestra – One Life to Live; (Scientific) Higher Ranking Dubb (Rama) ’77 UK, Dennis Bovell
Junior X – Legalize It; 7” (Dollar Production); Tosh cover; Request
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: One of the earliest and still most beloved female Roots Reggae offering in the Ark-Ives
Set 3: Rockers do Reggae
Robert Palmer – Love Can Run Faster; From the Heart of the Congo (RUNNetherlands) ’78; Lee Perry prod’n
<Love Can Run Faster; 29 sec.>
Lee “Scratch” Perry Black Ark gem
Primal Scream – Higher Than the Sun (A Dub Symphony in Two Parts); Screamadelica (Sire) ’91 UK
Prince wrote and composed “When Doves Cry” after all the other tracks on Purple Rain were complete. In addition to vocals, he played all instruments on the track. The song’s texture is remarkably stark. There is no bass line, which is very unusual for a dance song; Prince has said that there originally was a bass line, but decided, after a conversation with singer Jill Jones, that the song was too conventional with it intact.[4] During live performances of the song on the Purple Rain Tour, Brown Mark, Prince’s then-bass player, added bass lines in this song and other songs without a bass line.
Out of Denver, Collie-rado. Prince’s original was bass free. WTF?
The Hooters – All You Zombies; Nervous Night (CBS) ‘85*
The Hooters were formed in 1980 and played their first show on July 4 of that year. They took their name from a nickname for the melodica,[1] a type of keyboard harmonica which is German in origin and created by Hohner after a friend of Eric Bazilian lent Rob Hyman a Hohner model Piano-36 which was used on their recordings and never returned to the friend.[That same year, Bazilian and Hyman were asked to write, arrange and perform on the debut album of a relatively unknown singer named Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual, which was being produced by their former producer and friend, Rick Chertoff. Hyman co-wrote the song “Time After Time” (and also performed the distinctive harmony vocals during the chorus), which would go on to hit Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
Or read the story and look below for the Annotated Playlist
Greetings,
Aww, strolling down memory lane. 25 years every Saturday on Smile Jamaica. As the Ark-Ive grows, it just takes too long to cull from A to Z. All the Vinyl especially. I just reminisce too much on each album. Where I bought it, why I bought it. Are there herb tunes or Marley covers I forgot about? Halloween ditties or other oddities….and on and on and on.
So my methodology was to try my best to re-create a potential first episode. (I actually debuted first Saturday of KRCL’s Fall Radiothon). So I knew I would have to have a representative from at least a dozen or so of my original favorite artists….all on Black Wax. 50 Records where I get to juggle, consistently from show to show, between 32-35 selections over 3 hours.
I knew I had to feature these artists:
Bob Marley
Don Carlos
Jimmy Cliff
Burning Spear
Lee Perry’s brooding Black Ark sound
Roots Dawtas
Seven Leaf
UK artists
Adrian Sherwood’s Mutant Dub ON U Sound label
The Clash – discovered Reggae via UK punkers before Marley, Tosh and Bunny
Everyone on the floor of my dorm at the U of U got to “enjoy” this album. Perhaps my all time favorite?
Plus songs that I absolutely loved in the 1986-1988 Era:
Culture – Calling Rastafari
UB40 female toaster V’s Version from the rare dubble disk UK version pared down to a single in the US – Baggariddim
Big Youth – Get On Up. Hardcore Reggae disco funk
Sister Frica – One in the Spirit: From Methodist Sunday School to Pablo’s “Far East” Jamaican sound
Arthur Louis – beautiful version with Eric Clapton of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Below is the Annotated Playlist: Reggae History Lessons, Soundbites, Playlist, photos and captions.
On this Playlist, I search deep in my LONG term memory to try and remember where I would have purchased these Black Wax Vinyls; 1986-1988. Most of these Record Stores are gone now, but back in the day it was a Vinyl Paradise. Lps were cheap to make way for these new gizmos called CDs.
Thanks for being a part of 25 years listening to Smile Jamaica. Forward ever, backwards never!
bless, robt
25 Years of the Red Gold and Green. Give Thanx!
Playlist: Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Sept. 20, 2014
Set 1: 25 Year All Vinyl Is Vital Showcase
Black Uhuru – Party Next Door; Anthem (Mango) ’84 US (Smokey’s Records, SLC)
Bullwackies All Stars – Recording Connection; Black World (Wackies) ’79 Dub Album of the Week; NYC
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Jah Live; Countryman Soundtrack (Mango) ’82 US (Cosmic Aeroplane, SLC); single recorded 1976
<Reggae History Lesson: Bob Marley: You cyaan (can’t) kill God! 25 sec.>
Rita Marley – Beauty of God’s Plan; Rita Marley (Trident) ’81 UK (Streetlight Records, SF)
Culture – Calling Rastafari; Calling Rastafari (Nighthawk) ’82 Various Artist St. Louis, Jah-ssouri (Randy’s Records, SLC)
<Reggae History Lesson: US Record Labels slinging Reggae; 30 sec.>
Black Slate – Legalize Collie Herb + Legal Dub; Rasta Festival (Alligator) UK 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement; ’81 Jah-cago blues label (Rasputin Records, Berkeley)
T Shirt from Year 1 of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive (circa 1988). 1976 single written after Haile Selassie was overthrown as Emperor of Ethiopia and imprisoned by the Dergue (Ethiopian Communists)
Set 2:
Desmond Dekker – Big Headed; Compass Point (Stiff) ’81 UK (Streetlight Records, SF)
Junior Byles – Cally Weed; Rasta No Pickpocket (Nighthawk) ’86 herb tune; St. Louis, Jah-ssouri (label promo)
The Selecter – Bristol and Miami; Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis) ’81 2 Tone Brit Ska; about riots in UK and FL (Mad Platter Records, SLC)
Don Carlos – Living in Harmony; Prophecy (Blue Moon/Magnum) ’85 UK (RAS mail order, DC)
Ferguson 2014. Miami 1980
Set 3:
The Congos – Children Crying; Heart of the Congos (Congo Ashanty) ’77 JA; Lee Perry/Black Ark/Upsetters (RAS mail order)
Big Youth – Get On Up; Rock Holy (Negusa Negast) ’80 JA (RAS mail order)
Burning Spear – Jah a Guh Raid; Hail H.I.M. (Burning Spear) ’80 JA (Rutabaga Records, SLC)
Sister Frica – One in the Spirit; Rockers All Star Explosion (Alligator) ’83 A. Pablo prod’n; Sunday School Hymn (label promo)
While my Dad was on the City Council. Methodist Sunday School hymn
Set 4:
Alpha Blondy & the Wailers – Jerusalem; Jerusalem (Stern’s) ’86 UK; Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa (RAS mail order)
Desi Roots – Weedfields; Doing it Right (Hawkeye) ’80 UK; herb tune (Esoteric Records, Sacramento)
Dillinger – Check Sister Jane; King Pharoah (Blue Moon/Magnum) ‘84 UK; Marley Waiting in Vain – Johnny Clarke (Greensleeves mail order, UK)
One of hundreds of gems my Smile Jamaica predecessor, John “Rutabaga” Resse, turned me on to circa 1987-88
Set 5:
Arthur Louis – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door; This is Reggae Music vol. 2 (Island) ’75 US Bob Dylan cover (Smokey’s Records, SLC)
<Arthur Louis and Eric Clapton cover Dylan; 32 sec.>
<Reggae History Lesson: Reggae’s love of AM pop and black soul; 23 sec.>
Jimmy Cliff – Keep Your Eyes on the Sparrow; Best of Jimmy Cliff (Island) ’75 Jah-taly; folk ballad (Half Price Records, Berkeley)
UB40 & Sister V – V’s Version; Baggariddim (Virgin) ‘85 dubble disk. Update of Boy Friday rock steady classic (Randy’s Records, SLC)
Perhaps the best Zimmy cover of this out of hundreds. Eric Clapton on guitar
Set 6:
Ruffy & Tuffy – Third World War; Climax (Black Star) ‘88 Finland (Tower Records, SF)
<World War III as predicted by Nelstradamus last Feb. during Ukraine Coup; 16 sec.>
<Cold War II, Electric Boogaloo: Obama v. Putin; 20 sec.>
Lone Ranger – Legalise the National Herb; Hi-Yo, Silver, Away! (Greensleeves) ’82 UK herb tune (Tower Records, Las Vegas)
Leroy Smart – Rock and Come On; On Top (Micron) ’82 Can. (RAS mail order)
Full Experience feat. Aura – Young, Gifted and Broke; Aura Meets Lee “Scratch” Perry at Black Ark Studios (Blue Moon) Fr. Nina Simone cover; Black Ark w female vox (RAS mail order)
Cold War II – Proof that the sequel is never as good as the original
Set 7:
Casselberry & DuPree – Coming in From the Cold; City Down (Icebergg); ’86 Jah-waukee Marley cover (label promo)
The Clash feat. Mikey Dread – Bankrobber/Robber dub; Black Market Clash (NuDisk) 10” US (Randy’s Records)
Johnny Clarke – Rebel Soldering; Don’t Trouble Trouble (Attack) ’88 UK; Bunny Lee comp (Smokey’s Records)
<Smile Jamaica Reggae Lexicon: Soldering or Welding; 10 sec.>
Flick Wilson – Slave Master; School Days (Jah Life) ’80 JA (The Beat, Sacramento, CA)
10″ Vinyl picture sleeve Nu Disk. One of the very first additions to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives. Randy’s Records, Salt Lake City; Oct. 1986
Sept. 1989: co-host Smile Jamaica. 25 years uninterrupted. Slice of the cake: Red – for the blood of Africa; Gold for the riches of Africa; Green for the bounty of Africa – the Red, Gold & Green
Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts
Greetings,
Smile Jamaica: The King’s Music, Jamaican Blues, Your College for Musical Knowledge with the Dub Confessor. All killer, no filler. Roots Reggae Sounds for your listening pleasure, 25 years! 10 sec.
Today marks a Quarter of a Century laying down the Roots on Smile Jamaica
Wheel it back 25 years to 1989:
Pete Rose lifetime ban for betting on baseball
Berlin Wall came crumbling down
Bay Area Quake Series. Bad mojo for my beloved Giants
Panama Invasion on my Birthday (Dec. 20)
Bay Bridge collapse in the 1989 Bay Area Quake. Drove over this bridge about a dozen times cratedigging. Visited SF first post quake New Year’s ’89 week.
My radio career at KRCL 90.9FM was late June 1988 til Aug. 1989: 3 AM to 6 AM Sunday Night/Monday Graveyard: 3 O’clock Roadblock. Reggae, World and Ska program.
My listening audience must have consisted of a couple dozen bored 7-11 clerks, insomniacs and cab drivers.
Juggled wax and these new fangled doo-dahs called the Compact Disk through the Alaska Clipper winter of 1988. Twice, that brutal winter, (I hail from the Highline in Northern Montana so I know Winter like I know Roots Reggae), AAA had to jump my crappy Chrysler Cordoba*
You know what a let down doing 3 hours of Reggae in the middle of the dead cold night, drag ass to the car with a crate of Records and 2 suitcases full of CDs, and then hear that telltale click click of a dead battery? Bumba klaat! Fiyah bu’n!
In the immortal words of Ned Flanders, “Son of a Diddly!”
*My Cordoba did not have “rich, Corinthian leather” but pea green crushed velour.
My Green 1981 Chrysler Cordoba did not survive the Alaska Clipper: Winter of ’88: Salt Lake City, Utah
At the end of Summer ’89 I let station management know that I was going to retire from Graveyard Rockers. I had a new girlfriend, it was my last year in college and I couldn’t stagger through Monday and half of Tuesday dead tired from getting home at 7AM as everyone else was Risin’ & Shinin’.
Yeah, and I wasn’t gonna schlep Roots and Vinyl from the University Student Housing on the hill to the Westside of SLC – KRCL’s home – another cold ass winter for a dozen diehards and shift workers marking time. There was no podcast or stream options in ’89.
I had a great time. Hang on tightly, let go lightly. I figured I would just sub on Smile Jamaica from time to time to keep my skills sharp.
KRCL 90.9 FM. Born Dec. 1979. I have been a volunteer there since June of 1988
The guy who was doing Smile Jamaica was a dude named John “Rutabaga” Reese. Prince Far I sings, “The humble calf suckles the most milk”. That’s how Rutabaga was for me. Salt of the Earth Utah kid, loved his Roots Reggae – he had impeccable taste in good One Drop and Rub a Dub Roots Rasta Reggae. Plus he turned me on to Adrian Sherwood and the ON U Sound I call Mutant Dub when I took over the reins on Saturday Afternoon.
John had a crate in a funky bohemian clothing store on the West side of Salt Lake called Grunts and Postures. Even before I met him through KRCL, I had pulled some gems from that crate: Aswad – Bubblin’ 12″; Bob Marley picture sleeve of Buffalo Soldiers. Some really experimental vinyl from ON U Sound: African Head Charge, Dub Syndicate, Singers & Players, New Age Steppers. Mark Stewart and Tackhead Sound System. Suns of Arqa South Asian trance dub.
Salt Lake City funky chic. East side. In its West Side location, I dug a whole heap of crates
I got in to Reggae around Oct. 1986. Someone hyped me to KRCL and Saturday Reggae, early Winter 1987. Back then Smile Jamaica was on at 1pm til 4pm!
I had a listener call me last month and thank me for 25 years and he said that for him, 3 hours of Smile Jamaica was his version of “going to church”.
I told him I knew exactly what he meant because as a “civilian” listener circa 1987, I listened to the Show with the fervor of a Jihadi and the active absorption of Roots Reggae as a University Academic wanna be Undergrad.
I would listen on my Hi Fi in my dorm room with a pad and paper writing down titles that John played and would announce. John played long, half hour sets. Sometimes he didn’t always announce the set list. I learned good quality Roots via Rutabaga’s radio selection.
Rutabaga Reese’s #1 Smile Jamaica influence on Iyah. Trouble You, a Trouble Me!
Ten Random and Essential Rutabaga Reese era Smile Jamaica selections that were a HUGE influence on me:
Don Carlos – Prophecy (Blue Moon)
UB40 – Signing Off (DEP)
Peter Broggs – Rastafari Liveth (RAS)
Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey (Mango)
Benjamin Zephaniah – Rasta (Workers Playtime) – UK dubpoet
Rita Marley – One Draw 12″ extended mix (Shanachie). My favorite Seven Leaf tune Summer of ’88
African Head Charge – Stebeni’s Theme. (ON U Sound). Mutant dub African music with female vox
Alpha Blondy & the Wailers – Jerusalem (Stern’s). The best Sons of Abraham Peace Song sung in French, African, Hebrew and Arabic via Cote d’Ivoire
Culture – Two Sevens Clash (Shanachie); 7/7/77 July 7, 1977 – When the Two Sevens Clash’d. Just another Doomsday
Bunny Wailer – Blackheart Man (Mango). Bought this off the display rack on first sight, cratedigging at the Cosmic Aeroplane, Oct. 1986
Impulse buy – Put the cover pon my dorm room wall. Loved the music even more
I could name a 100 more Rutabaga boomshots and not stop for a breath!
When I got involved at KRCL Summer of ’88, Rutabaga and another dread named Papa Pilgrim were great mentors to me in how to “do” radio. Segues, being on the mic. (Praise Jah, I was so stiff and monotone. I wanted to let the music do the talking. My air check was just the facts about the 4-5 songs per half hour set over a featured dub album for the music never stops.)
Papa Pilgrim did a Wed night show called Nite Roots. His show was as popular mid week as Smile Jamaica was on Saturday Afternoon. Roots Reggae fans in Northern Utah had a dubble dose of great radio. Many towns much bigger than SLC have their Reggae Radio shows in the middle of the Night.
KRCL’s Wed. Night Reggae Ambassador, Papa Pilgrim. Spinning Nite Roots for Jah’s Heavenly Choir. Selah!
Rutabaga let me “sub in” on a hot summer Saturday, July 1988. I was so nervous laying the needle on the record. Took me 3 attempts to drop the needle and back cue the platter on my Rita Marley 12″. It was the major leagues from my fumbling around late night Sundays mumbling for the Nite Owls. It was great fun and I think half of the show turned out to be requests.
To quote philosopher Sally Field, “You like me! You really, really like me!”. Getting to do Radio of any sort is a pretty rare thing in this country and I got my taste of volunteer broadcast media. Give thanks!
When I gave up the ghost on 3 o’clock Roadblock I figured I would just tag along every now and then on either Saturdays or Wed. 10pm. Great times, both, for Roots Rub a Dub Reggae!
Rutabaga decided he wanted to share Smile Jamaica. I had no problem saying yes. So he and I tag teamed together Radiothon (Oct.) 1989. We alternated sets each Saturday until Spring Radiothon ’90. Then we did every other week until All Star Break July ’90.
<Your Station that Rules the Nation!>
My fellow UFOrian, Ronald Reagan was pretty generous with his Student Loan kasheesh back in the day. I would take a huge chunk of my Sept. loan check and put it in a savings account. Summer that year I would do a full court blitz of Nevada and Northern California cratedigging for quality Roots Reggae.
Smile Jamaica’s 3 favorite things about Ronnie Raygun: 1. Believed in UFO’s. Star Wars was aimed at Alien Invasion not the Soviets; 2. Funded the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives via his Student Loan and Pell Grant Program 3.
It was early July 1990 and I had just returned with a trunk full of Roots hauled from Reno, Auburn, Collie-fornya, Sacramento, San Francisco, North Oakland, Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, El Cerrito, San Mateo, Mill Valley.
Vinyl: Lps, 10″s, 12″s, 7″s, Cds, Cassettes, Books and magazines. T shirts, badges, stickers. Anything Red Green and Gold down to my shoelaces. Posters, tapestries bumper stickers. Rasta or African necklaces, pendants, charms and pins.
North Beach (SF) Tower Records at Columbus & Bay. I would stay at the Travelodge across the street and literally cratedig until closing time and walk back to my room. Tower went out of business 2006. I shed tears. Like losing your girlfriend to a sudden illness
For some reason I remember that it was the night of the 1990 All Star game. I was subbing on a Tuesday Night KRCL rock show rinsing out my favorite non-Reggae delights. Groups like Camper Van Beethoven, The Minutemen, The Replacements. The Clash. The Studio Line rings and it was Rutabaga. After a little chit chat, he offered that he was “retiring” from Smile Jamaica. We weren’t going to alternate weeks. I became solo host of Smile Jamaica the following Saturday and have never looked back for 25 years.Forward ever, backwards never!
I love doing every minute of every show. Some people sing or play instruments or draw. My artistic talent is stitching Reggae and Riddim based musics together in a flow.
“Itch its up, Selekta! Nuff drum ‘n’ bass mek you wine up yer waist, put a smile pon yer face!”
Sat. Sept. 20, 2014. 90.9FM. 4-7 PM Mtn. Smile Jamaica Best of 25 Years: Vinyl is V-Ital Selection!
What better way to celebrate 25 years of juggling wax on the Radio? Same day (Saturday). Same time (since 1990 from 4-7PM). Same guy (yours truly). Same station: 90.9FM. Just like the Simpsons Sunday Night, you have Smile Jamaica Saturday Afternoon. Give thanx and praise, let Chalice blaze!
Saturday, 4-7 PM Mountain Time. 90.9FM. Vinyl is V-Ital. I spent this (Sat.) morning in the Ark-Ives harvesting 50 albums I pulled from year one and two of collecting Reggae Music: 1987-1988. Not my all time favorites. But a variety of what I purchased as I learned how to buy quality Reggae and the serendipity of what you find when you leave no crate unturned in a music Mecca that is the Bay Area.
The album that lit the fuse! Tracked this in the U of U dorms with a friend Oct. 1986. Never looked back. Reggae-myelitis for which there is no cure!
High-lights:
Black Uhuru – Anthem (Mango). The album that started the obsession. On 3 O’clock Roadblock I started every show with a Michael Rose or Jr. Reid Black Uhuru scorching roots gem. 30 sec.
The Congos – Heart of the Congos. The Holy Trinity of Roots: Lee “Scratch” Perry mix, Black Ark brooding sound, Cedric Myton’s beautiful falsetto
Countryman Soundtrack. For Bob Marley’s sublime “Jah Live”
Rare roots cover of Zimmy’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Arthur Louis)
Roots Dawtas: songbirds, toasters, folkies
Seven Leaf Herbal Meditations
Mutant Dub in the last half hour. ON U Sound and the role those Black Wax dub jams meant for my development of quality Mutant Dub*
*Smile Jamaica is the intergalactic portal for what I have been calling Mutant Dub for two plus decades. Therefore, I “discovered” Mutant Dub just like Columbus “discovered” India.
Vinyl is V-Ital, rhymes with Ital!
bless, robt
Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:
Aswad – Pass the Cup; BBC Sessions (Strange Fruit) ’82; 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
<Cannabis History Lesson: Pass the Cup; 15 sec.>
Black Uhru. The group that got me into Reggae: Oct. 1986
Set 2:
Peter Tosh – You Can’t Blame the Youth; Equal Rights (Legacy Edition) (Columbia/Legacy) ’77; bonus track from dubble disk; riddim shower (1): Original
Ben Harper – You Can’t Blame the Youth; Reggae Sampler (Virgin) ’97 CD EP; riddim shower (2); cover
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Stay Red; 10” (Upsetter); ’73 herb tune
Aisha – Evil Spirits; High Priestess (Ariwa) ’88 UK female/Mad Professor
Prof. Tosh: Education as brainwashing. You can’t blame the youth!
Set 3: Rockers doing Reggae
Bob Dylan – Dead Man, Dead Man; Shot of Love (Columbia); ’81
<Bob Dylan, “loping whiteboy Reggae”; 44 sec.>
The Members – Clean Men; 1980: The Choice is Yours (Virgin) ’80; UK new wave/pub group
<The Members: Whiteboy UK Reggae; 14 sec.>
BLK JKS – Skeleton; After Robots (Secretly Canadian) 2009 black South African hybrid
Jai Alai Savant – Data Massagana; Flight of the Bass Delegate (Gold Standard Labs) 2007 Jah-cago; take on Abyssinians tune; 7 sec.
Familiar with the One Drop
Set 4:
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Redemption Song; Live Forever (Tuff Gong); last live performance: 9/23/80, Pittsburgh Jah-sylvania
<Thought 34 of 56 Thoughts From 56 Hope Road; 37 sec.>
4th Street Orchestra – Scientific (Hurting Dubb); Scientific (Higher Ranking Dubb) (Rama) ’77 Dennis Bovell w/ female vox
Robbie Levi – War; 10” (Digital Conscious); 2010 cover of Marley’s Selassie speech
<Haile Selassie’s War Speech at the United Nations; 25 sec.>
H.I.M. Haile Selassie I Speech to the United Nations (excerpt) New York City, NYOctober 4, 1963
“…until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned: That until there are no longer first-class and second class citizens of any nation; That until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil…”
Dennis Alcapone – I Want a Draw; Good Old Days of the 70’s (Teams); herb tune cover of Mike Brooks “Rum Drinker”
<Cannabis History Lesson: I Want a Draw; 13 sec.>
Haile Selassie at the United Nations; Oct. 4, 1963
Set 5: Vinyl is Vital
Gregory Isaacs/Prince Far I – Uncle Joe/Come Off Mi Toe; Crucial Cuts (Virgin Front Line); Vinyl is Vital set: ’83 UK
AmJam – 99 Ties – Live at CBGB (CBGB); ’87 NYC: American/Jamaican feat. Leisha Salesman on vox
Meditations – Woman Piabba; Message From the Meditations (United Artists) ’76 US; herb tune by Winston Watson
<Nelstradamus Picks 6 to legalize in 2014; 40 sec.>
Bloodfire Posse – Pink Panther; Are You Ready? (Synergy) ’86 UK; Henry Mancini theme
Vinyl is Vital
Bunny Wailer – Camouflage; Rule Dance Hall (Shanachie) ‘87
Happy Anniversary to I ‘n’ I: 26 Years of Reggae Radio: July 4, 1988: 3 O’Clock Roadblock
Greetings,
Monday July 4, 1988 I unveiled a Graveyard hour Reggae, World and Ska show called 3 O’Clock Roadblock. Thus, I ‘n’ I (WE) celebrate together 26 years. Give Thanks!
Before I ‘n’ I move forward, let’s see how last week’s Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive charted on Mixcloud:June 21, 2014
Yes I! Another Top Ten Black Wax result for 26 years of Love & Devotion at 33 and 1/3 or 45 REVOLUTIONS! per Minute
I moved to Utah to go to University Fall 1986. I had spent the previous 3 years in Bozeman, Jah-tana. Go Bobcats!
My last (and coldest) year at Montana State, I discovered their community/college radio station KGLT.
My musical tastes were sort of in limbo. I had just started subscribing to this new magazine, Spin.I was big into college rock: The Minutemen, (Double Nickels on the Dime,), The Replacements (Pleased to Meet Me) and Husker Du (New Day Rising).
When I wasn’t listening to the local radio, I was watching MTV when the station actually played music videos: The Cult, Big Audio Dynamite, Jesus and Mary Chain.
Before the Real World and all that junk, I watched this about two hours a night in the mid 80’s
I was alienated from most contemporary Rock (too many synth drums, Neil Young as a Republican), Hair Metal balladry (Perfect for the culturally bereft Reagan “Just Say No” era). The Clash fell apart.
And the only King of Pop for me is the King of Kings: The Negus; Negusa Negast; Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Elect of God, ever-living Jah. Earth’s Rightful Ruler
<Smile Jamaica Reggae History Lesson: Definition of Negus. 17 sec.>
Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia. Born July 23, 1892. From the line of King David. My brother, David: also born July 23. Baraka!
So when I got my Student Loan check from Uncle Ron, I had some easy cash for these new fangled things called the Compact Disk. Moving from 25,000 people in Bozeman to a couple hundred thousand in Salt Lake City gave me more musical choices.
I bought a little blues, I picked up some quality world music. Mostly in Salt Lake stores long gone: Smokey’s Records, Raspberry Records, The Mad Platter. The (real) Cosmic Aeroplane.
My first Reggae acquisitions: Jimmy Cliff Harder They Come soundtrack and Reggae Greats. Bob Marley’s whole catalog had just been reissued on CD for midline price. Bought them all. Sly and Robbie – Taxi Fare: The very first CD purchase. Steel Pulse – True Democracy. UB40 – Labour of Love
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: The first CD addition; Fall 1986; Smokey’s Records, Salt Lake City, Utah
***
As usual my timing sucked. When I was scouting Utah as a move, I dialed in to their excellent Indie station: KCGL. Listened to it every day all day when I relocated. Alas, about six weeks into Fall of 1986, it was bought out and converted to a religious station. WTF?
As Bob Marley said, “When one door closes, another will open.” A friend I had met in the dorms turned me on to Salt Lake’s Community station, KRCL.
That’s how I learned about Reggae Radio: from their Saturday Afternoon program, Smile Jamaica (then heard 1-4pm.)
My friend was a Jewish kid from Baltimore, computer programming major who had a really great CD collection and the stereo setup to make it pop. The dorms at the University of Utah were glorified closets encased in brick. Excellent environment for sound ricochet.
I told my buddy Neal that I had been, sort of, gravitating towards Reggae out of these compelling sub genres thanks to my radio consumption of Smile Jamaica.
He went to his book shelf and grabbed Black Uhuru’s Anthem off a rack. Popped it into his Nakamichi super duper CD player. Bose 901 speakers. Itched up the volume for a Friday night. And KABOOM!!!
Foundation album in the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives. This release took me from casual observer to Reggae and Dub fanatic on the first listen!
Sly & Robbie were in high demand during the midpoint of this decade of wretched excess wiring the groove of synthesized drum & bass. Perfect for Roots Reggae. Dylan, Springsteen, Clapton and The Stones? Meh, not so much.
Michael Rose’s Afro Arab singing was right in line with my understanding of African vocalists like King Sunny, Youssou N’Dour and Fela Kuti.
Female singer Puma Jones’ a-syncopated harmonies clashed with Ducky Simpson’s growl foreshadowed my complete and never ending immersion in Reggae ever since. 28 years of collecting it. 26 years of promoting it on the extra terrestrial Radio waves.
Uhuru – Swahili for freedom. The late, great Puma Jones rockin’ the sexiest underarm hair since Patti Smith
Black Uhuru – Anthem. More than any of the 70s Roots or UB40’s pop groove.
This was protest music for me. Anthems for the underdogs. I had found something to synchronize my politics, too, as a life long anti-authoritarian Progressive who has voted Third Party since 1984 when I became old enough to vote.
Pretty much all my expendable income was and is going to Roots Reggae from Fall of 1986 till I join Jah’s Heavenly Choir.
“I see a Vision of Jah Rainbow in his Heavenly Abode”
I tell you how I got on KRCL with this Anniversary Preview Post. This Ark-Ive Stream Edition Podcast celebrates that legacy with All Vinyl.
Give thanks,
Hit the link above or below and feast your ears on these musical treats
Vinyl liberated from 112 degrees Las Vegas: Third World, Jimmy Riley, Josey Wales
Roots Dawtas. Hard hitting UK Dub poetesses
Seven Leaf and 420 Cannabis Service Announcement
<Seven Leaf Jah-sterity; 1 min 34 sec?>
Osterity: “Do as I say, not as I do”. Jah-sterity: Legalize It, I will advertise it”.
Mutant Dubwize to end the program. Black Wax stylee
Heavy Roots & Culture stretched out with Extended Mix dubjams
bless, robt
The Playlist:
Black Uhuru – What Is Life?; Anthem (Mango) ’84 US
The Scientist Meets Ted Sirota’s – Scientific Strut; Heavyweight Dub (Liberated Zone) 2013; Dub Album of the Week
Jimmy Riley – I Wish It Would Rain; Rydim Driven (Mango) ’81 US: Temptations soul cover
Misty in Roots – City Runnings; In Progess (People Unite) ’84 UK
Sister Netifa – Daughters of the Soil; Woman Determined (Aluta) ’88 UK female dub poet
John Holt – Police in Helicopter; 12” (Holt) ’83 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement***End of Set 1
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: 3 different Vinyl mixes of the first Reggae Grammy Winner: US, UK, Jamaican
Third World – The Story’s Been Told; 12” (Island) ’79 German pressing
Mighty Diamonds – One Brother Short; Vital Selection (Virgin Front Line) ’81 UK best of
Jean Binta Breeze – Tracks + Nanny; Tracks (LKJ) ’91 UK dub poet. Nanny national hero of Jamaica***End of Set 2
LKJ Production: UK female dub poet
Josey Wales – Who We Baby; 12” (Volcano) ‘83
The Selecter – Deep Water; Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis) ’81 2 Tone ska; Pauline Black vox
Niccodemus (sic) – Spar With Me; Dance Hall Style (Black Joy) ’82 UK***End of Set 3
2 Tone Brit Ska with Pauline Black on vox
10 Ft. Ganja Plant – Sing and Dance; Skycatcher (ROIR) 2013 Upstate Jah York
Sis Nya – Serious Time; Jah Music (Jah Shaka) ‘87 UK female vox
Michael Palmer – Ghetto Living; Ghetto Living (Bebo’s Music) ’85 Wheaton, Maryland
Barrington Spence – Jah Jah Train; Speak Softly (Trojan ‘76 UK***End of Set 4
Jah Jah Train a comin’ Better get on board!
Sister Carol – Liberation For the African; Liberation For Africa (Serious Gold) ’83 NYC Sevenleaf Vinyl set
Lovindeer – Free the Marijuana; De Blinkin’ Bus (TSOJ) ’82 JA
Lion Youth – Natty Bring de Couchi; Love Comes & Goes (Virgo Stomach) ‘81 UK clear vinyl
The Heptones – Sensemenia Collie; One Step Ahead (Sonic) JA***End of Set 5
The Anunnaki will return to Earth when we Free the Weed!
Carlton Livingston – 100 Lbs. of Collie; 10” (Roots Injection) 2010 mutant dub herbal update of his classic 420
Capital Letters – Fire; Headline News (Greensleeves) ’79 UK youth group
Junior Ross and the Spears – You Can’t Run; Babylon Fall (Stars) ’76 JA
Jennifer Lara – Hand to Mouth; High Times All Star Explosion (Alligator) ’85 Jah-cago; blues label/reggae ***End of Set 6
Before CNN: The CIA News Network
Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus – Black Vibes; Revelation (Trojan) ’82 UK niyabinghi drums
New Age Steppers feat. Ari Up – Stormy Weather; Foundation Steppers (ON U Sound) ’82 UK Billie Holiday feat. Female vox
Singers and Players feat. Sister P. – Holy Scripture; Vacuum Pumping ’88 UK mutant dub set
Motion Detector – Dubtrain; 12” (LSF) 2002 US red vinyl
The Outsider – Rumours of War; The Outsider Meets the High-Tech Roots Dyanmics (Jah Works) ’93 UK melodica dubs
Smile Jamaica is hosted by Robert Nelson on 90.9 FM KRCL in Salt Lake City, Utah (Saturdays, 4-7 p.m. MT). Ark-ives available weekly here at the Smile Jamaica blog.
Smile Jamaica 