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
Happy Mother’s Day edition of Smile Jamaica. I always start off with a beautiful cover of Tammy Wynette country stylee from Sonya Spence
Tammy Wynette
“No Charge”
My little girl came into the kitchen this evenin’, While I was fixin’ supper, And she handed me a piece of paper she’d been writin’ on, And after wipin’ my hands on my apron, I read it – and this is what it said:For mowin’ the yard – five dollars, And for makin’ my own bed this week – one dollar, And for goin’ to the store – fifty cents, An’ playin’ with little sister, while you went to the store – twenty-five cents, Takin’ out the trash – one dollar, Gettin’ a good report card – five dollars, And for rakin’ the yard – two dollars, Total owed – fourteen dollars and seventy-five cents.Well, I looked at her standin’ there expectantly, And a thousand mem’ries flashed through my mind, So I picked up the pen, turnin’ the paper over, This is what I wrote:For the nine months I carried you, Growin’ inside me – NO CHARGE, For the nights I’ve sat up with you, Doctored you, prayed for you – NO CHARGE, For the toys, food and clothes. And for wiping your nose, there’s NO CHARGE, When you add it all up. The full cost of my love is NO CHARGE.Well, when she finished readin’, She had great big old tears in her eyes, And she looked up at me and said, “Mama, I sure do love you.” Then she took the pen, And in great big letters, She wrote: “PAID IN FULL.”When you add it all up, The cost of real love is – NO CHARGE
***
Brings a tear to my eye. Spent a week with my folks moving into a new place in Phoenix. Took a day to cratedig and explore Tempe. On my way out, mom gives me a benjamin. “Have a happy cratedig.” Well that’s not exactly her words but more or less. Love that woman.
bless, robt
Mother’s love: No charge but more precious than gold
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Annotated Playlist May 7, 2016:
Everton Blender – Live Up; Live at the White River Reggae Bash (Heartbeat) ‘99
Pablo Gad – Crying Gad; 10” (Reggae on Top) 2002 UK militant steppers
<Militant Steppers definition; 10 sec.>
Lucky Dube – killed in carjacking in Johannesburg South Africa
Set 8:
Botom Botom – Le Toit du Monde; This Is Not a Stereotype (Hammerbass) 2006 Fr. w/ female vox
2 Bad Card Specialist – Weed Specialist (Audio Active rmx); CD Single (ON U Sound) ’95 UK/Jah-pon herbtune
New Age Steppers – Animal Space; New Age Steppers (Statik) Adrian Sherwood prod’n; Slits on the vox
Dub Gabriel feat. The Spaceape – Is This Revolution? (Jack Dangers Colonia Dub rmx); Raggabass Resistance (Destroy All Concepts) 2013 feat. Dub poet
Burial – UK; Untrue (Hyperdub) 2007 UK dubstep
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 