Been organizing all my vinyl in my Ark-Ive. It’s a never ending proposition of memory refresh. I haul and pull about 40 gems for you on this show.
Find out from where I get my nickname. Bobbylon. (PS – not one of the Reggae good guys!); 51 sec.
When I was a youth in Montana I collected baseball cards and comic books. You had a visual/literary context. But not like the satisfaction of finding a rare record, pulling it from the sleeve, dropping the needle pon the groove and listening to the bass wash over the room.
Now that is the joy of collecting!
bless, Bobbylon
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives Annotated Playlist: May 18, 2019 – All Vinyl; 68 sec.
Set 1:
Half Pint – Greetings; Greetings (Power House) ’86 JA vinyl
Black Disciples/Burning Spear – The Ghost; Garvey’s Ghost (Mango) ’77 Dub Album of the Hour
Barbara Paige – Jah Love; Hear Me Now (Epiphany) ’82 San Francisco
Merge – Vision of Life; Prisoner of Your Love (Takoma) ’84 Hollywood, CA
Steel Pulse – Nyahbinghi Voyage; Caught You (Island) ’80 UK
Wailing Souls – Ishen Tree; On the Rocks (Greensleeves) ’83 UK herbtune (1) vox
Josey Wales – Love Me Ishen Tree; Ganja Pipe Is Harmless (Live & Learn) ’83 DC herbtune (2) dj
Pad Anthony – Praise Without Raise; 12″ (Sunset) ’85 JA
Set 2:
Yellowman & Fathead – Proud of Me; Yellow Man, Fat Head and the One Peter Metro (Absissa) ’82 JA
The Meditations – Fly Your Natty Dread; Greatest Hits (Shanachie) ’84 Ho Ho Kus, NJ
Mighty Invaders – Mr. Officer; Invasion! (Rave) ’83 Syracuse, NY youth group w/ female vox
Sister Nancy – One, Two; One, Two (Techniques) ’82 JA
Carl McDonald – Jah Is Coming; 12″ (Makdon) ’87 US
Set 3:
Gregory Isaacs & Christine – Rock On + Saturday Night; Rock On (Jah-Live) ’75 Fr.
Hugh Griffiths – African Dream; Motherland Africa – Gone Clear (My-0-Lantic) ’86 NY
Inner Circle – Rock the Boat; Rock the Boat (Trojan) ’74 UK – Hues Corp. disco cover
Dennis Brown w/ Nigger Kojak & Liza – Hole in the Bucket/Cork It; 12″ (Joe Gibbs Record Globe) ’78 JA – Luther Ingram cover
4th Street – Ah Who Seh? Ah Who Sey? Go-Deh1 (EMI) ’76 Dub Album of the Hour
Set 4:
Junior Reid – Love Mama; Original Foreign Mind (Harry J) ’85 JA
Lillian Allen – The Subversives; Revolutionary Tea Party (Redwood) ’85 Emoryville, CA; Toronto dub poet
When I was a youth in Montana, radio in the 70’s and early 80’s was “format agnostic.” The one pop radio station we could receive out of Great Falls would mix a singer songwriter, like Jackson Browne, next to a rock artist like the Rolling Stones or Boston and then expect to hear some classic 70’s soul from the Spinners.
In the late 70’s it was not unreal to go from a Kiss rocker straight into thumping disco.
Radio is not that way any longer. Everything is separated and boxed in with narrow playlists.
So having nearly two decades of pop music knowledge, even in a rural place like Northern Montana, I have a keen ear for pop hits.
We even had disco in Montana
In Jamaica, even cheap transistor radios could pick up stations from Miami and New Orleans. So what I heard in rural Montana was also picked up in Jamaica.
So nearly every pop hit had a local Reggae “chucka chucka” cover. That guitar chop in Reggae comes because of wave distortion in the radio single. The modulation was thought to be a part of the song.
I cold do dozens of shows of covers and we hear some of these examples on today’s Smile Jamaica.
The Pioneers cover one hit wonder Steam
Junior Murvin falsetto on Curtis Mayfield
Lloyd Charmers AM hit by Tommy James; 40 sec.
The Clash turn the tables and cover Reggae – Willi Williams
From Fort Benton Montana to Kingston Jamaica inna rub a dub stylee!
bless, Bobbylon
<Pioneers cover Steam>
Set 1:
Dillinger – Rock to the Music; Tribal War (New Cross) ’86 UK vinyl
Glenmore Brown – South East Rock; Dube From the South East (Rhythm Foundation) Stevanger, Norway vinyl Dub Album of the Hour
Judy Mowatt – Sing Our Own Song; Sing Our Own Song (Shanachie) 2003 UB40 cover
General Plough – No Pity in the City; One and One = Two (JA) ’83
The Pioneers – Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye; Give & Take (Trojan) ’69 Steam soul cover
Prince Hammer – Legalise (Discomix); Rastafari Bible (Patate) ’76 Peter Tosh cover 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
Lee “Scatch” Perry & the Upsetters – Stay Dread; 10″ (Upsetter) ’75 UK herbtune
Set 2:
Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers – High Tide or Low Tide; Spirit of Music (Elektra) ’99 riddim shower (1) – cover of Dad’s
The Wailers – High Tide or Low Tide; Songs of Freedom (Tuff Gong) ’73 riddim shower (2) original
<High Tide or Low Tide; 49 sec.>
Candy McKenzie – Jah Knows; Lee “Scratch” Perry Presents Candy McKenzie (Trojan) ’70’s Black Ark prod’n
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
King Tubby – Natty Dub; Roots of Dub (Moll-Selekta) ’75 Dub Album of the Hour
Linda McCartney on Smile Jamaica? WTF?
Set 7:
Andrea – Breathe; CD Single (vx) 2006 Can. dawta
Carlton & the Shoes – Just Me; Love Me Forever (Studio One) ’79
John Holt – Not Leaving; 10″ (Holt) ’83 US
Set 8: Mutant Dub
Hollie Cook – Together; Vessel of Love (Merge) 2018 UK dubstress: Mutant Dub Set
Dubxanne – Walking on the Moon; King Size Dub Chapter 13 (Echo Beach) 2010 Police cover
Thievery Corporation – Air Batucada; Mirror Conspiracy (ESL) 2000 DC
Dublife Soundsystem – Money on the Floors; 1977 BaSS Thunder (Dublife Soundsystem) 2008 SLC
Dry & Heavy – Strictly Baby; From Creation (Beat) 2002 Jah-pon
Ras Hassen-ti & Munky Lee – Build da Temple; 10″ (Dreadlyon) 2006 Fr.
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.
