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
<Smile Jamaica: Ancient Astronaut Theory HQ; 21 sec.>
UFO by Tena Stelin (lyrics transcribed by Bobbylon)
Everywhere I stare, everywhere I go
Almost everyone is talking about UFOs
More and more each day I hear the people them say
Men and men are talking about UFOs
Aliens are coming
They say the time is now dawning
Sometimes if I wonder if the aliens are here already
Astronomers are debating
And their religions are arising
Jah what is to be if it is the will of He
Everywhere I stare, everywhere I go
Almost everyone is talking about UFOs
More and More each day I hear the people them say
Men and men are talking about UFOs
Elijah went up into a Chariot of Fire
Dragon objects were recorded in ancient America, Australia and Asia
So many paintings and drawings were found in many caves and mountains
Could this be the evidence that Spacemen came?
Everywhere I stare, Everywhere I go
Almost everyone is talking about UFOs
More and more each day I hear the people them say
Men and men are talking about UFOs
Greetings,
Ancient Astronaut Theory is: Were they Sky Gods or Ancient Astronauts?
The modern phenomena of UFOria: Euphoria + UFO started on July 2, 1947 with a crashed space ship on a ranch near Roswell, New Mexico.
Scoffers and the Deep State would call this a “weather balloon”
Why Smile Jamaica?
2 reasons
My brother in law told this story about coffins and Roswell
Happy #Roswell#UFO Anniversary. July 2, 1947, a UFO crashed down. My bro in law had a sales territory in Roswell. Locals said the undertaker was told to bring 3 child size coffins to the air base. Who u believe? My 3rd hand info or the Government? Weather ballon my ass! #laienspic.twitter.com/MWZY3V6FTB
2. After I retired from doing Radioactive interviews on KRCL, I needed a new time suck away from Progressive politics.
That led to my 10 year bromance with this guy and Ancient Aliens TV show on the History Channel.
Giorgio Tsoulakos. Head of Trump’s Space Force
As an Assyrian-American, I knew full well who Marduk, Ishtar and Anu were. In my benighted state, I just thought they were mythic gods of Assyria, Babylon and Sumer (Shinar in the Bible).
Oh, but no! They were Sky Gods and Space Travellers who invented mankind to mine gold, sleep with Earth women and then tried to get rid of us noisy humans, their creation, with a massive flood.
Ancient Astronaut Theory about these Sky Gods aka Anunnaki – Those whom came from the sky. All those stories of the Bible and quite a bit of Greek mythology derived from each Anunna (Anunna singular; Anunnaki plural).
Ishtar/Inanna – Goddess or Ancient Astronaut/Geneticist
Jacob’s Ladder, Ezekiel’s Wheel, Enoch’s disappearance, Stairway to Heaven, Burning Bush, Noah’s Ark, Elijah and his Chariots of Fire – all UFOs. Add in the Arabian 1001 Nights Tales of Magic Carpets and the Hindu Vimana fighting space ships.
Lot’s wife was turned into a pillar of smoke, not salt. From a nuclear attack on the Sinai when the Anunakki unleashed a hellish civil war that destroyed Sumer/Shinar in a “bitter wind”.
Back to UFOria…..
So I start to do what I always do: comb through the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives looking for Reggae and other songs devoted to UFOs.
And last year, near the Roswell crash anniversary in early July, I lead off with the theme from 2001 Space Odyssey, the Kubrick film, and juggled about 40 Space Oddities. Most Reggae/Dubbish. Some not. Today as well.
Joe Cocker, Nina Hagen, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Elton John and the bad ass Vulcan, Leonard Nimoy
Mr. Spock always had a good ear for the drum & bass
Last year, my bredrin Mike was in a coffee shop. He over heard the baristas talking: “I don’t know what Robert was doing on Smile Jamaica. It was more about UFOs than Reggae.”
Is that good? Is that bad? Yes!
Either way, it makes you think about radio. You don’t get stories from Pandora or Itunes.
And that is why I do it for 30 years. To make you think even if it is out there on the perimeter where are there are no stars. And we is Stoned Immaculate……
<What Aliens are “probing” for…>
bless, Bobbylon
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-ly 7, 2018: UFOria; 1 min. 51 sec.
Set 1:
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra – Also Sprach Zarathustra; 2001: A Space Odyssey Soundtrack (CBS) ’68
Tena Stelin & Jah Warrior – UFO + Unidentified Flying Dub; Lion Symbol (Jah Warrior) ‘99
Michael Franti & Spearhead feat. K’naan – Earth From Outer Space; All People (Boo Boo Wax) 2013
Lee “Scratch” Perry – African Hitchhiker; From the Secret Laboratory (Island) ’90 Alien from outer space living in your brief case
Laurel Aitken – Apollo 12; Legendary Godfather of Ska (Grover) ‘69 2nd Moon landing
Nicky Thomas – Doing the Moonwalk; Love of the Common People (Trojan) ‘71
Bam Bam – Star Wars; Power of a Woman (Bam BamInternational) ’87 LA vinyl; female singer
Run for your life Reagan’s/Ray Guns gonna get you!
Set 2:
Jimi Hendrix Experience – EXP; Axis Bold as Love (Polydor) ’67
Anjali – Space Lust in the Space Dust; Anjali 2000
Space Monkeyz vs. Gorillaz – Star Shine; Laika Come Home (Virgin) 2002
Audio Active – Return of the Space Ape; Apollo Choco (ON U Sound) ’97 Jah-pon; song about Albert, the first monkey in space
Utah Medical Marijuana in 2018? Life elevated indeed!
Greetings,
Congratulation to the hard workers who want to add Utah (Utah!?) to the list of states with Medical Marijuana. If successful, Utah would be the 30th state with either Medical or legal status for cannabis.
154,000 (including I ‘n’ I) voted for this initiative to make the ballot. It’s about time. Especially in Utah under the crushing weight of opioid deaths and over medication of anti-depressants.
It’s not about kickin’ the bong around. This plant has been with us for 10,000 years of mankind. We have cannabinoid receptors in our brain! The Sumerians called it the Tree of Life. It wasn’t an apple Eve partook of in the Garden of Eden.
Hey Marduk, don’t bogart that Tree of Life. Puff, puss pass it pon the left hand side!
And for any Blble enthusiasts. It wasn’t an Apple that gave Eve knowledge in the Garden of Eden. It was Cannabis. Unless they used an apple bong
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
****
Fruit of the Tree? Buds off the Cannabis plant. Nothing about apples. Biblical “fake news”
Hey Adam, let’s twist up a spliff. We can eat apples when we get the munchies
All I ‘n’ I can say is:
Get registered to vote
On election day 2018, wake ‘n bake
Get in your car, bike, pony, walk or skank to the polls
Vote yes for cannabis compassion
Don’t let governments, cops nor religions dissuade you
Maureen Thomas and Jim Nastic(?) – Wicked Intention; Untitled (Studio One) JA
A++ record out of Canada
Wailers Family Tree
Bob Marley & the Wailers – I Need You; Wailing Wailers (Studio One) ’65 JA vinyl
<Wailers at Studio One 1 min.;>
Bunny Wailer – Ambush; Hall of Fame (RAS) ’95 50 Bob tunes for his 50th birthday
Peter Tosh – I’m the Toughest; Dealing With the Shytstem (bootleg) 11/5/82 Live at the Roxy, LA CA
The Melody Makers feat. Stephen Marley – Sugar PIe; Reggae Sunsplash 1981 Tribute to Bob Marley (Elektra) ’81 live in Montego Bay, JA
King Tubby – Natty Dub; Roots of Dub (Moll-Selekta) ’75 Dub Album of the Hour
The Wailers first LP in 1965
Set 7:
Iration – The End; Time Bomb (Law) 2010 Isla Vista, Collie-fornya
Dubblestandart feat. Gudrun – Summerrain; Are You Experienced (Collision) 2006 Germany w/ female vox
Pama International – Evening Time; Float Like a Butterfly (Asian Man) 2005 UK ska/dance supergroup, herbtune
Matic Horns – Yanga!; 10″ (Sip a Cup) UK militant steppers instrumental
Isla Vista, Collie-fornya
Set 8: Mutant Dub
Thievery Corporation feat. Pamela Bricker – Lebanese Blonde (French Version); Lebanese Blonde CD Single (4ad) ’98 female vox, herbtune: Mutant Dub Set Noiseshaper Daemons; Rough Out There (Echo Beach) 2005 Jah-stria Sandeeno – Put Down the Guns; Universal Roots UK Reggae Stars (Universal Roots) Ripple & Taso – Gimme the Fiya; Bay Area Dub Step volume 3 (Full Melt) 2011
Now that we hit June, it’s Reggae Season as I ‘n’ I celebrate the last month on 2 decades of Reggae Radio before I celebrate 30 years in July; 1988-2018. From Reagan to the Cheetolini. All killer, no filler
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.
Babylon 2-1
Soul Youth 3-1
Rome – Even
Pope Pius 3-5 (the guy in the Vatican in 1977)
Dreadlocks 8-1
Baldhead 15-1
Win! – Dreadlocks
Place! – Baldhead
Show! – Soul Youth
And here is what happened to Pope Pius….22 sec.
Pope Pius couldn’t finish out in the Selassie I Cup and the ambulance was called — Bojangles, ’77
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
Good thing we smoked the peace chalice. Not another war!
<Korean Peace Talks – Light up the chalice!; 16 sec.>
Greetings,
I graduated High School in 1983. Right as I was getting ready to matriculate at Montana State University in Bozeman, three major events sent me off:
Soviets shot down a Korean airliner
Marine barracks bombing in Beirut killed several hundred Americans
America invaded the tiny island of Granada.
Fall 1983: Ronnie Raygun saving the Granadan people from an invasion of Cuban doctors
Welcome to the Cold War, son. After surviving the first one, who wants to live through the sequel: Russia/China/Syria Iran vs. US/UK/France/Israel.
China rattling Taiwan. India and Pakistan nose to nose. And Trump came in and immediately gave North Korea the hairy eyeball. So I was very encouraged that the two Koreas want peace.
Everyday I get to drop the needle pon the record at KRCL instead of a nuclear bomb shelter, it’s a good day.
So enjoy another World War III free edition of Smile Jamaica
bless, Bobbylon
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-pril 28, 2018 Annotated Playlist; 18 sec.
Set 1:
Eek a Mouse – You Na Love Reggae Music; Skidip! (Greensleeves) ’82 UK vinyl
Black Uhuru – Ion Storm; Dub Factor (Mango) ’83 Dub Album of the Hour
Hepcat – Coming on Strong; Push ‘N Shove (Hellcat) 2000 SoCal ska
Carlene Davis – The Harder They Come; 15 Tracks (Sonic) ’80 Jimmy Cliff cover
Dennis Brown – Tenement Yard; Best of Dennis Brown – Niney the Observer Years (Heartbeat) ‘77
Fred Locks – Collie Herb; 10″ (Sip a Cup) 2003 UK 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
<Collie weed for Kali the Goddess of Destruction 36 sec.;>
Hindus from India brought cannabis to Jamaica. Kali the Liberator of souls. Collie – Jamaican herb
Set 2:
Afro Omega – Music Revolution; CD Single (Afro Omega) SLC roots w/ female vox
Charlie Chaplin – Chalice Burn; Take Two (RAS) ’90 herbtune
Winston McAnuff – Get Behind Thee Satan; Diary of the Silent Years (Makasound)
The Congos – Congoman Chant; 10″ (Glimmer) ’77 UK Lee “Scratch” Perry/Black Ark prod’n
Bob Marley – I Know a Place + Dub; Black Ark Sessions (Ascension) rare 4 track EP of Lee “Scratch” Perry prod’ns
Skatalites – Christine Keeler; Foundation Ska (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’65 instrumental album of the hour
50 songs for Bob Marley’s 50th Birthday – 1995
Set 7: Jamaican Jukebox of 420 45’s
Tipper Lee & Rapper Robert – Minister For Ganja; 7″ (Studio One) ’85 JA
<Smile Jamaica’s dream job: Minister for Ganja; 31 sec.>
Charley Ace – Herb Man Special; 7″ (Swing a Ling) instrumental take on Rita Marley’s One Draw
Pauline – Bush Weed; 7″ (Uhuru) singjay over Light of Saba riddim
Jimmy Dean & Jah Wally – Peace Chalice; 7″ (New Flower) ’77
Set 8: Mutant Dub
Scott Hardkiss – Hey Deejay; Technicolor Dream (God Within) 2009
Thievery Corporation – Temple of I & I; Temple of I & I
Dubblestandart feat. Lee “Scratch” Perry & Gudrun – Chase the Devil Dub; Return From Planet Dub (Collision)
The Archives feat. Ras Puma – Sensibility The Archives (ESL) 2012
Kraftwerk – Robots; Man Machine (Mojo) 2009
Kraftwerk on Smile Jamaica? WTF?
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.
