Took the Labor Day live cast off for some vacation. Enjoy this Digital Dubplate cooked up in the Secret Dubratory located within the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
bless, Bobbylon
0-30 min.
Aswad – African Children; (CBS); Not Satisfied (CBS) ’82 UK
Carlene Davis – Quicksand; 15 Hits (Sonic)
Black Uhuru – Right Stuff; Dub Factor (Mango) ’82 dub
Culture – This Train; Cumbolo (Shanachie) ’79
Doctor Alimantado – Marriage License; Born For a Purpose (Greensleeves) ’81
UB40 feat. Sister V – V’s Version; Baggariddim dj to Version Girl (Virgin) ’85
Fred Locks – Rastafari Rule; Missing Link (VP) ’79
Gregory Isaacs – Sweeter the Victory; Love Is Overdue (Heartbeat) ’74
Not counting box sets, the most I have ever paid for a CD. $80
Greetings,
Advice after forty years of cratedigging: Buy low, sell high. I ‘n’ I built the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives when people were shedding vinyl for these over priced gadgets called the compact disk.
Titles I bought for 4 bucks on Haight Ashbury fetches hundreds now on ebay and discogs.
It’s not that I’m cheap. I spend the GDP of small third world nations on music. But I believe a record that is worth hundreds that I paid less than a Lincoln for, makes the sound oh so sweet.
Vinyl to the left, CDs and books on the right: The Smile Jamaica Ark-ives
Yet I have wish lists. Things I can’t find cratedigging and must scope online. One of my “white whales” was the 8 track version of Thievery Corporations silky herb tune, Lebanese Blonde.
<$80 dollars for Lebanese Blonde; 55 sec.>
I was coming back from a cratedig in Missoula, Montana. I saw a disk on the new record rack that had a cool cover, name and song titles.
Thievery Corporation – Richest Man in Babylon
Heading back to Salt Lake from my parents’ house in Fort Benton, Montana, I detour through Missoula to cratedig in their cool indie stores: Rockin’ Rudy’s and Ear Candy.
I pushed it too far and hit the dreaded Monida Pass at sundown. Anyone travelling on I-15 heading North knows that pass right at the Idaho Montana border. Not a good place to be in a snow storm.
Twice in 25 years of driving that stretch I had to go 100 miles back to Butte, on icy roads, because the pass was closed to traffic.
Monida Pass
I left Missoula too late and hit this pass at the worst time: dusk. As the sun went down at 7,000 feet I watched the road ice up ahead of me.
What every Montana kid is prepared for yet still dreads. Driving over an iced free way with only the guard rails to keep you out of the ditch.
Shit, this is how people die. Slide off the road on Monida. You have about 15 minutes before your car is totally iced over and NO CELL SERVICE.
He died doing what he loved: record shopping.
All right. Here we go. My All Wheel Drive Subaru. This is what I bought you for. Slow way down to about 25 MPH and just pick your way through the sheer ice. Even with AWD, do not hit the brakes.
I soldiered through. What usually takes 15 minutes, took me over an hour. Foot off the gas, when a truck would go by kicking up crystals to make visibility almost zero.
Once you hit Spencer, Idaho on the other side of the Pass, the road thaws a little. All through this, I am listening to Richest Man in Babylon and focused on their supple riddims, heavy bass and international vocalists. Kept me from freaking out through the worst of the road hazards.
As soon as I got home, I ordered their entire catalog. So, yeah $80 for one of their rare singles. Priceless.
bless, Bobbylon
Thievery Corporation led to my last half hour Mutant Dub Sets: 21 sec.
As Judy Mowatt sang: Many are called but few are chosen. I have been offered a job. General Giorgio of the Space Force needs me.
Gen. Giorgio Tsoukalos, Leader of Trump’s Space Force. My new boss.
I will be the Minister of Lunar Agriculture; 103 sec.
From Space Dust to the Tree of Life
Scoffers tell I ‘n’ I that this is just more cash for the Military Industrial Complex. Maybe so, but as an Ancient Astronaut Theorist, I think the Anunnaki might return to put a stop their puny creation, mankind’s, weaponization of Space.
I plan to Make the Anunnaki Great Again! As a Sumerian Fundamentalist, I am with my people!
<Ancient Astronaut Theorists approve of the Space Force; 25 sec.>
<Happy Birthday to the World’s First Hippie – Haile Selassie I> 68 sec.
Greetings,
Ras Tafari Makonnen: The Head Creator
Haile Selassie I: Power of the Trinity
<Power of Jah Trinity; 27 sec.>
Negusa Negast: King of Kings; 30 sec.
Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Elect of God, Ever Living God, Earth’s Rightful Ruler
<Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah; 13 sec.>
Without this little short man (Selassie was 5 foot 2) Reggae consists of love songs, novelty records and pop and soul covers. This is the heart of Smile Jamaica.
Rastafari gospel love songs to His Imperial Majesty from the Rastas. In Jamaican, when Nationalist hero Marcus Garvey was recruiting blacks to return to Africa, he prophesized: “Look to the east where a black king will be crowned. That will be the signal to load up the Black Star Liner (as opposed to the Titanic passenger liner White Star Line) to go back to Africa
<Garvey’s prophecy; 63 sec.>
Marcus Garvey: Look to the East, where a king will be crowned leading all blacks back to Africa
From that moment the movement grew from the impoverished in Jamaica who wanted a black Jesus not a colonial white Jesus. Selassie was the reincarnation of Jahova (Jah).
He ruled in Ethiopia until the communists in the hinterlands took advantage of corrupt Selassie courtiers who refused to acknowledge famine in the provinces. Selassie was deposed and most likely murdered in the basement of his Imperial Palace in 1974.
<Selassie’s downfall; 30 sec.>
I call myself a Rasta enthusiast or empathizer and even a Sumerian Fundamentalist like myself, is powerfully moved by such beautiful musical devotion that we will hear on this Ark-Ive Podcast.
Haile Selassie – July 23, 1892.
bless, Bobbylon
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 21, 2018: Happy Birthday His Imperial Majesty; 95 sec.
Smile Jamaica: 30 Years of Rastafari Gospel love songs
Set 1:
Naturalites – Picture on the Wall; Rub a Dubble vol. 1 (CSA) ’86 UK – 3 hours for Haile Selassie – July 23, 1892
Roots Radics/Bunny Wailer – Roots Raddics; Dub D’sco vol. 1 (Solomonic) ’77 JA vinyl Dub Album of the Hour
Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus – Ethiopian National Anthem; Movements (Dynamic) ’78 JA vinyl; nyahbinghi style drumming
<National Anthem of Ethiopia; 23 sec.>
Black Uhuru – I Love King Selassie; Tear It Up” Live (Mango) ’83
Chalawa – Jah Collie Weed; Capture Land (Green Weenie) ’78 Can. vinyl 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
African Princess – Jah Children Cry; 12″ (Jah Shaka) ’85 UK vinyl comp
Royal flag of Ethiopia
Set 2:
Keith Hudson – I Broke the Comb; Rasta Communication (Greensleeves) ’78
<The Old Testament Nazirite Vow and Dreadlocks; 84 sec.>
Sister Carol – Jah Is Mine; Black Cinderella (Jah Life) ’84 on McCartney/Jackson Girl is Mine
Peter “Roots” Lewis – Jah Is My Salvation; Wicked Roots (Reggae Retro) 2000
Hugh Mundell – That Little Short Man; 12″ (Rockers International) ’78; Selassie was 5 foot 2
Set 3:
Jacob Miller – False Rasta; Don’t Give Up Your Culture (Moll-Selekta) ’77
<Beware the Follow Fashion Dread; 47 sec.>
Judy Mowatt – Many Are Called; Black Woman (Shanachie) ’76
Aswad – He Gave the Sun to Shine; New Chapter (CBS) ’81 UK
Ranking Trevor – Give Thanks and Praise Unto Jah; 12″ (Greensleeves) ’78 UK to Heart & Soul
Augustus Pablo – Chant to Selassie I; East of the River Nile (Shanachie) ’78 Dub Album of the Hour
Set 4:
Cedric Myton & the Congos – Where He Leads; Face the Music (VP) ’81
Burning Spear – Jah Is My Driver; Farover (Heartbeat) ’83
Daweh Congo – Jah Is My Shepherd; Human Rights & Justice (Roots & Culture) 2000
Hortense Ellis – Jah Mysterious Works; Women in Reggae (Shanachie) ’75 extended
Set 5: Vinyl Is Vital
Leroy Smart – Jah Jah Forgive Them; Live Up Roots Children (Striker Lee) ’85 UK
Clint Eastwood – Whip Them Jah Jah; Step It in a Zion (Third World) ’78 UK
Michigan & Smily – Jah Ruled Over I; Step By Step (Hitbound) ’82 Brooklyn
Jah Malla – Jah Love; Jah Malla (Modern) ’81 US – children of Reggae players in JA
<Jah Malla: songs of Reggae players: Val Douglas, Roland Alphanso, Ernest Ranglin, Sylvan Morris; 30 sec.>
Zema – Selassie; Zema (Melchizedek) ’86 So Cal female singer
2nd gen Reggae group
Set 6: Wailers Family Tree
Peter Tosh – Iziabeher (Let Jah Be Praised); Legalize It (Columbia) ’76
Bunny Wailer – Rasta Dread (Natty Dread); Hall of Fame (RAS) ’95 50 tunes for Bob’s 50th Birthday
Rita Marley – Good Morning Jah; Who Feels It Knows It (Shanachie) ’80
<Rita encounters Haile Selassie; 81 sec.>
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Conquering Lion; One Love Peace Concert: Kingston, JA 4/22/78
Dub Specialist – Fire Coal Version; Version Dread (Studio One/Heartbeat) ’75 17 Dub Shots From Studio One
Set 7:
Cymande – Rastafarian Folk Song; Cymande (Sequel) ’74 UK – World’s first hippie
Aisha – One God, One Aim, One Destiny; True Roots (Ariwa) ’95
Winston Jarrett – Selassie Is the Chapel; By the Rivers of Babylo (Shanachie) ’95 comp: cover of the Orioles Crying in the Chapel
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Selassie Is the Chapel; Rebel Box Set (JAD) ’66
Set 8:
Alpha & Omega – Who Is the Ruler; Watch and Pray (A & O) ’89 UK vinyl trance dub
Doctor Alimantado – Chant to Jah; Born For a Purpose (Greensleeves) ’75
Johnny Osbourne – Jah Promise; Truths & Rights (Studio One/Heartbeat) ’80
Misty in Roots – How Long Jah; Live at the Euro Countervision (Kaz) ’79
Bim Sherman – Lamb of Judah; Bim Sherman Meets U Black and Horace Andy in a Rub a Dub Style (Original) ’79
Wailing Souls – Jah Gives Us Life; Very Best of (Greensleeves) ’78
The first song I played after being off air for six weeks with a blood infection/Sepsis that landed me in Intensive Care
Just say no to starving kids, eh Nancy? Thanks to your husband, Smile Jamaica was well stocked with fresh roots! Selah!
Greetings,
It was July 2, 1988. Late Sunday Night/early Monday Morning. I jumped in my car and drove from my apartment by the University of Utah campus downtown to community radio station KRCL 90.9FM.
Unloaded a suitcase full of CDs and a crate full of LPs. At 3 am on a hot summer night, I cued up Black Uhuru’s “What Is Life” from the album that made me a Reggae fanatic – Anthem.
Drop the needle pon the record and that began a 30 year legacy of Reggae Radio.
<Sunday Night/Monday Morning, July 2, 1988; 3-6AM, debut of 3 o’Clock Roadblock on KRCL; 30 sec.>
Not Bob Marley. Not Peter Tosh. Not Jimmy Cliff. Not UB40. Black Uhuru lit the Reggae fuse that led to Smile Jamaica
I had returned that Sunday afternoon from a massive cratedig in the Bay Area. Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, Berkely, Mill Valley, El Cerrito, Oakland, Santa Cruz.
I was glad my car didn’t break down. It would be bad juju to be late for my debut radio show. Not to mention how would I keep two crates full of vinyl from melting on the side of the road somewhere.
Ronald. Wilson. Reggae. 666 as the Rastas might say. Not I ‘n’ I. I didn’t see eye to eye with Ronnie politically, but I am forever grateful to him as the benefactor of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives, even if it was a misuse of funds.
The 80’s were a time you could get more student grants than student loans. Tuition was a fraction of what it is today. That left me about $2k left over to front load music for a Radio show. LPs and these recent creations called CDs. I was format agnostic. Good Reggae for the masses.
And I have Ronald Wilson Reagan to thank!
<Ronald Wilson Reagan – benefactor of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives; 2 min.>
Ronald Wilson Reagan or as I call him – the Smile Jamaica financial enabler
So from July 2, 1988 to July 14, 2018 – 3 o’Clock Roadblock (July 1988-August 1989) to Smile Jamaica (Oct. ’89), let’s celebrate with the Sequel to my 30th Anniversary showcase (cd versions) from 2 weeks ago.
All vinyl this time out!
After 26 years, I might have to put Yammy down. Yammy is my Yamaha #Subwoofer. Blew a cone tonight listening to Prince Fari Dub Encounter Chapter IV. A moment of silence. Literally. My 1st night in a world without bass https://t.co/pJ664OhGbEpic.twitter.com/nUQCEvkye9
<Help me celebrate 30 years of Reggae Radio; 7 sec.>
Greetings,
After six weeks of Radio training, I ‘n’ I made my radio debut (most likely) July 2, 1988. KRCL 90.9FM was the station. 3 o’clock Roadblock was the show. Hot summer night I cruised down to the station located at 800 S. 200 W. in SLC and dropped the needle pon the record for the very first time.
Well stocked with tunes funded by the Student Loan Program….
<Special thanx to Ronald Wilson Reagan; 39 sec.>
Ronald Wilson Reagan – Rastas called him 666. But he gave me student loan cash to build the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive
3-6 AM Sunday nights/Morning morning. Named after the Bob Marley tune, but I always led off with a Black Uhuru tune – the group that got me into Reggae. Hook, line and sinker.
<July 88 to Aug 89: 3 o’Clock Roadblock on KRCL; 24 sec.>
3 o’clock Roadblock from July 1988 to Aug. 1989 on KRCL
The first time I guest hosted Smile Jamaica, I was so nervous I couldn’t cue up a record!; 20 sec.
But I got the hang of it and after 30 years, (56% of my entire life). And spinning tunes on Saturdays is my favorite thing on earth to do. 23 sec.
So on today’s Ark-Ive let us celebrate that legacy with 40 tracks that I might have played that first Summer night at 3 in the morning to Night owls, insomniacs and graveyard shifters. Thank you for listening along the way
bless, Bobbylon
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives – 30 Years of Reggae Radio Playlist: June 30, 2018; 96 sec.
The very first song of a 30 year Reggae Radio legacy. Selah!
Set 1:
Black Uhuru – Party Next Door; Anthem (Island) ’83: 30 years of Reggae Radio
❤ o’clock Roadblock used to start every show with Black Uhuru; 16 sec.>
Augustus Pablo – Roadblock; Ital Dub (Trojan) ’75 UK vinyl dub album of the hour – 3 O’clock Roadblock 1988-89
Naturalites – Picture on the Wall; Rub-a-Dubble vol. 1 (CSA) ’86
<The best Reggae song of all time; 65 sec.>
Culture – Down in Jamaica; Cumbolo (Shanachie) ’79
Sister Carol – Black Cinderealla; Black Cinderella (Heartbeat/Jah Life) ’84
Ethiopians – Well Red; Original Reggae Hit Sound (Trojan) early 70’s 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
Don Carlos – Prophecy; Prophecy (Blue Moon) ’84
This LP made me a Reggae fanatic Fall 1986
Set 2:
Burning Spear – Distant Drums; People of the World (Blue Moon) ’88
Aswad – Bubbling; To the Top (Simba) ’86 UK
Carol Kalphat & Clint Eastwood – African Land/African Melody; ON U Sounds Presents the Reggae Archives vol. 1 (ON U Sound) ’79 Hit Run 12″
Tower Records, Las Vegas
Set 3:
Eddy Grant – Electric Avenue; Killer on the Rampage (Ice) ’83
Pablo Moses – Dubbing Is a Must; A Song (Mango) ’80
Tackhead Sound System – Hard Left; Tackhead Tape Time (Nettwerk) ’87 UK
The Special AKA – Free Nelson Mandela; In the Studio (2 Tone)’84 UK ska
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.
