Tag Archives: Jamaican Independence Day

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-gust 5, 2017 (Stream + Tracklist: Ella Fitzgerald does Clapton inna Rub a Dub Stylee!

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Ella makes her Smile Jamaica debut. Singing The Cream classic. Eric Clapton shows up too this week!

Greetings,

Before we start: Happy Jamaican Independence Day – 55 years old

<Aug. 6, 1962 – Jamaican Independence Day; 21 sec.>

Before the crappy Digital Millennium Copyright ACT (DMCA)  I used to spin one half of an album midway on Smile Jamaica. Usually something rare that hadn’t been issued on CD (much less digital).

Before Orrin Hatch’s DMCA this is the sort of out of print album. I would spin one half of the vinyl. Rarity for surety!

Orrin Hatch put a stop to that.

  1. DMCA verboten: Can’t play more than 4 songs by the same artist
  2. DMCA verboten: Can’t play more than three songs in a row of any one album.

So I switched up a new tradition: Rockers do Reggae

I ‘n’ I am a music obsessive who listens to a lot more than Reggae. So I have 2 CD Suitcases and then some of Rock, Soul, Jazz, Punk artists doing (usually) one shot Reggae riffs.

Every once in a while someone pitches a bitch. Got a nasty email when playing UK angry rocker Graham Parker’s soul riff down rub a dub “More Questions than Answers”.

Another time I had a caller asking me when Smile Jamaica would be over because I played a Camper Van Beethoven ska tune!

But you gotta trust me. Reggae is universal. Not all of it is great, but some of it is right on.

With that in mind enjoy this week’s Ark-Ive and listen for:  Last week it was jazbo Herbie Mann. Get set this week – Ella Fitzgerald, Eric Clapton, Bad Brains, Judy (Mowatt)  does Jerry (Garcia). From Bad Brains to Bob Dylan.

Check it!

bless, robt

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-gust 5, 2017 Annotated Playlist; 90 sec.

Liberated from British colonial rule: Aug. 6, 1962

Set 1:

  • Brigadier Jerry – Jah Jah Move; Jamaica Jamaica (RAS) ’85 DC vinyl
  • Desmond & Joe – Bristol Rock; Dubbing in the U.K. (Starlight) UK vinyl dub album of the hour
  • Peter Tosh – Coming in Hot; Honorary Citizen (Columbia/Legacy) ’82 Boulder, Collie-radio live
  • Bad Brains – Leaving Babylon; Babylon Central Soundtrack (ESL) ’83 DC punk-dubbers
  • Capital Letters – Rumours; Headline News (Greensleeves) ’79 UK youth group

<Headline News? Roots Reggae vs. The CIA News Network; 13 sec.>

  • Gracy & the Herbman Band – Forward Up; See Mi Yah (Funfundvierzig) ’91 Germ. Female herbtune
  • John Holt – Police In Helicopter; 12” (Holt) ’81 siren mix: 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement

<Police Siren in your rearview? Johnny Law or Smile Jamaica? 32 sec.>

Set 2:

  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – So Much Things to Say; Exodus 40 (Tuff Gong) ’77 original + 2017 Ziggy rmx

<Ziggy remixes Exodus 40 – 77 to 2017; 79 sec.>

<1977 to 2017: So Much Things to Say; 44 sec.>

  • Wailing Souls – Wild Wild Life; Cool Runnings Soundtrack (Chaos) ’93 Talking Heads cover
  • Christine Miller & Roots Hi-Tek – Trod Away Home (Roots Hi-Tek) 2005 UK militant steppers

Set 3: Best of Smile Jamaica 27+ Years

  • The Selecter – Bombscare; Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis) ’81 UK 2 Tone ska

<Pauline Black & The Selecter; 2 wars to 7 in 8 years: Bombscare! 25 sec.>

  • Barrington Levy – Please Jah Jah; Prison Oval Rock (RAS) ‘84
  • Aswad – Hooked On You; To the Top (Simba) ’86 UK
  • African Head Charge – Hold Some More; Songs of Praise (ON U Sound) ’91 UK African/dub
  • Jack Ruby & the Black Disciples – Marcus Garvey Dub; Black Foundation in Dub (Heartbeat) Dub Album of the Hour

Set 4:

  • Black Uhuru – Bull in the Pen; Anthem (Island) ’84 – US rmx

<Fence can’t hold 2 big bull inna the pen; 56 sec.>

  • Mungo’s Hi Fi feat. Top Cat & Soom T – Herbalist + Did You Know?; 12” (Scotch Bonnet)  2007 UK dubstep; herbtune + female vox

<Dubstep = the punk of the Reggae genre; 19 sec.>

Set 5: Vinyl Is Vital

  • Bunny Wailer – Whirly Girly; In I Father’s House (Solomonic) ’80 JA
  • Akimbo – So Long Trouble;  So Long Trouble (Forward Sounds International) ’85 UK w/ female vox

<Adventures in Cratedigging; 40 sec.>

  • Horace Ferguson – Tranquilizer; Sensi Addict (Prince Jazzbo Music) ’87 JA herbtune
  • Desi Roots – Black Justice; Doing It Right (Hawkeye) ’80 UK
  • New Age Steppers – 5 Dog Race; Foundation Steppers (ON U Sound) ’83 UK Adrian Sherwood/mutant dub instrumental

Set 6:

  • Judy Mowatt – They Love Each Other; Fire on the Mountain 2 (Pow Wow) ’97 Jerry Garcia cover

<Reggae Dead Mashup>

  • Jimmy Lindsay – Easy; 12 the Hard Way (Tribesman) ’77 Commodores cover
  • Squire Jon – Are We Really Free?; 10” (Hi Try) 2006 UK spoken word
  • King Jammy Meets Dry and Heavy In the Jaws of the Tiger – Do Dub Up Your Fight (BSI) 2001 Jah-pon: Dub Album of the Hour

Set 7: Rockers do Reggae

  • Ella Fitzgerald – Sunshine of Your Love; Groove Corporation Presents Remixes From Elephant House 2 (Distant Drummer) 2001 covering The Cream rmx 
  • Eric Clapton – Willie and the Hand Jive; 461 Ocean Boulevard (Island) ‘75
  • Garland Jeffreys – Zoo; Garland Jeffreys (Collector’s Music) ’73 NYC rocker
  • Bob Dylan – Man Gave Names to All the Animals; Slow Train Running (Columbia) ‘79
Welcome to Smile Jamaica, Ella!

Set 8: Mutant Dub

  • Dan-I & King Kietu – Pope; Rastafari Judgement Fire (Imperial Roots) 2009 Sicily: Mutant Dub Set
  • Allan Pillay – Demonic Forces; Wild Paarty Sounds vol. 1 (Cherry Red/ON U Sound) ’81 UK
  • Tony Tuff – The Answer; Time Will Tell: Henry & Louis Meet Blue and Red (BSI) 2001 Portland, OR
  • Grace Jones – Hurricane + Dub; Hurricane (Wall of Sound) 2011

Wordcs of Wisdom:

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: August 1, 2015 (Stream + Tracklist): Jah-maican Independence Weekend

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download (1)
Not advised for vinyl fetishists!

Greetings,

Since coming back from my Jah-tana Roadtrip: Southwest and North Central Montana I have dropped 3 thematic episodes of Smile Jamaica:

  1. Best of Smile Jamaica and 27 Years of Reggae Radio – The 70’s
  2. Best of Smile Jamaica and 27 Years of Reggae Radio – The 80’s
  3. Jah Love – 3 Hours for HIM Happy Birthday: July 23, 1892
download (2)
Killer record store in Missoula Montana – Rockin’ Rudy’s. Drop $200 here every summer

So now back to the usual Roots ‘n’ Dub Shuffle:

bless, robt

<Comin’ in Hot!: Roadmap for the 3 Hours; 50 sec.>

  • Wailers Family Tree: Mix and Match “Catch a Fire: Tosh live, Marcia Lovers Rock; Bunny dancehall
  • Best of 27 Years: Faves from the beginning ’88-’89
  • Rockers do Reggae: 1st Saturday of each month
  • Vinyl is Vital
  • Rastafari Tributes – Holdover, never left over from last week’s Ark-Ive
  • Mutant Dub

df0ccaa17e20b5ac30ffb9a16aede19b

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives Jah-gust 1, 2015: Annotated Playlist – photos, captions, soundbytes, reggae history lessons!

Set 1:

  • Melodians – Get Up and Dance; Irie Feeling (RAS) ’83 DC vinyl
  • Soul Syndicate/Sugar Minott – Ghetto-ology Dub (Easy Star) ’79 Dub Album of the Week
  • Bunny Wailer – Warrior; Gumption (Shanachie) ’90: Johnny Osbourne cover
  • Marcia Griffiths – It’s Impossible; Steppin’ (Shanachie) ‘79
  • Fred Locks – Vision of Redemption; 10” (Sip a Cup) 2003 UK militant steppers
  • Barry Brown – Pass Up the Chalice; Rich Man Poor Man (Moll-Selekta) 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
  • AKB – Where/Where’s da Dub; Future Present (AKB); ’96 Al Kirk Band = Halloween tune

<Where are the Priests and the Prophets to save us from the Vampires!?; 15 sec.>

Sugar-Minott-Ghettology
Sugar Minott: “Don’t know much about biology, geography, history. But I know ghetto-ology”

Set 2:

  • The Wailers – Concrete Jungle (JA + US/UK mix); Catch A Fire (Tuff Gong) ’73; much different mixes

<Jamaican ghetto mix of Concrete Jungle vs. Twangy guitar overdubs; 84 sec.>

<Concrete Jungle Recap: 57 sec.>

  • Hollie Cook – Win or Lose; Twice (Mr. Bongo) 2014 UK dubstress

<Hollie Cook – Dawta of a Sex Pistol; 10 sec.>

  • The Observers – Zorro/Cutting Sword; 10” (PK) ’79 Mine instrumental
download (3)
Catch a Fire and the Jimmy Cliff flick The Harder They Come – lit the fuse for Reggae

Set 3: Best of 27 Years

  • Sister Carol – Lost in a Space; Jah Disciple (RAS) ’89 space travel is a waste

<Cydonia on Mars; 36 sec.>

  • Dillinger – Loving Pauper; Cocaine (Charly) ’76 over Dobby Dobson
  • Michael Prophet – Righteous are the Conqueror; Righteous are the Conqueror (Greensleeves) ‘81

<Justin Hinds in DC, 1998; 22 sec.>

  • Justin Hinds & the Dominos – Sweet Lorraine; Travel With Love (Nighthawk) ‘84

<Space Travel no isms or schisms!; 22 sec.>

Face-on-mars
Cydonia “man made” Monument on Mars
pluto-heart-new-horizons
Livf on Pluto?

Set 4:

  • Peter Tosh – Coming in Hot; Live at the Jamaica World Music Festival (Peter Tosh): Nov. 27, 1982 – Montego Bay
  • Anthony B – Marley Memories; Universal Struggle (VP) ’97 Bob tribute over ska era “Put It On” Wailers riddim
  • Ika Black – Human Life; Special (Keyman) ‘86 female singer

1982-11-20

Set 5: Rockers doing Reggae

  • Johnny Nash – I Can See Clearly Now; I Can See Clearly Now (Columbia) ’72

<Bob Marley wrote for Johnny Nash; 7 sec.>

<Johnny Nash: reggae, soul, AM pop; 22 sec.>

  • The Ruts – Jah War (Live); Criminal Minds (Recall) UK Punks do Reggae

<Punkers in solidarity with Rastas in UK 14 sec.>

  • Nina Hagen – African Reggae; Nina Hagen Band (Columbia) ’80 German Reggae
  • Corey Harris – Walter Rodney; Zion Crossroads (Telarc) blues pays tribute to assassinated leader of Guyana

<Walter Rodney of Guyana; 15 sec.>

walterrodney2
Guyana’s Walter Rodney. Caribbean leader/martyr

Set 6: Vinyl Is Vital

  • Tyrone Taylor – Cottage in Negril; Cottage in Negril (Love) ’86 
  • Aura Lewis Meets Lee “Scratch” Perry – At Midnite; Full Experience (Blue Moon); Fr. EP w/ female vox
  • Prince Jazzbo – Jamaican Collie; Head to Head Clash (RAS) deejay herbtune
  • Burning Spear – Travelling; Knotty Vision (Nighthawk) ‘82
R-2643914-1294685082.jpeg
Nighthawk Records – St. Louis, Missouri

 

Set 7: Tribute to Haile Selassie

  • Black Slate – Calling Jah; World Citizen UK
  • King Kong – Jah is My Best Friend; Rumble Jumble Life (Massive B) ’97
  • Rastafarians – Jah Greatest Blessing; Orthodox (Makasound) ’81 Rasta Cruz, Collie-fornya
  • Israel Vibration – Jah Love; Strength of My Life (RAS) ‘88

<Israel Vibration – Polio survivors, Rastas; 38 sec.>

Set 8: Mutant Dub

  • African Head Charge – Conspiring (Dancing to My Own Drums); Pride and Joy: Live (ON U Sound) ‘91
  • Zion Train – Get Ready; Homegrown Fantasy (China) ’95 UK trance dub w/ female vox
  • Systemwide – Rise Up; Pure and Applied (BSI)
  • Snoop Lion – Rebel Way; Reincarnation (Berhane Selassie); Snoop vs. Major Lazer
  • Les Nubians – El Son Reggae; One Step Forward (Virgin) French/Chadian sistas