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Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-ly 4, 2020: Ancient Astronaut Theorists 17, Scoffers 0

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Greetings,

Here’s hoping you had a pandemically correct 4th of July. It’s okay to be paranoid, they are watching  if you didn’t!

Do you know what else happened around the 4th of July? 1947? The Alien crash at Roswell, New Mexico.

Roswell is the air field that delivered the atomic bombs that destroyed Jah-pon. Created at Los Alamos in New Mexico. Do you think it is a coincidence that the ground zero for nuclear weaponry was “probed” (pun intended) by extra terrestrial watchers?

Sometime in late June 1947 a ranch foreman in the rural scrub land around the Roswell Army Air Field, named Brazel collected debris, that was non-earth metals in origin.  Ultimately, he delivered the pieces to the Army.

On July 8, 1947 the local paper, the Roswell Record, published a statement from the Army….

<Roswell UFO crash: June 1947 audio story>

Army press release is fascinating:

The many rumors regarding the flying disc became a reality yesterday when the intelligence office of the 509th Bomb group of the Eighth Air Force, Roswell Army Air Field, was fortunate enough to gain possession of a disc through the cooperation of one of the local ranchers and the sheriff’s office of Chaves County. The flying object landed on a ranch near Roswell sometime last week. Not having phone facilities, the rancher stored the disc until such time as he was able to contact the sheriff’s office, who in turn notified Maj. Jesse A. Marcel of the 509th Bomb Group Intelligence Office. Action was immediately taken and the disc was picked up at the rancher’s home.

Flying disc. It wasn’t theirs. Flying object. Disc. Disc, Disc. Extra Terrestrial.

Ancient Astronaut Theorists 1; Scoffers 0

Little known fact: other Roswell army officers believe multiple UFO’s crashed near Roswell late June 1947

Alas, it couldn’t be…

The higher ups in the military back in DC freaked out. They issued a weak sauce retraction. Jesse Marcel, the local intelligence officer assigned to the Roswell Army Air Field had to issue a mea culpa. It wasn’t flying disc. It was a  “weather balloon.”

Marcel’s family says that he was threatened to comply even though he knew it was not a weather balloon but a crashed spaceship.

He is holding a “piece” of the “balloon” as he bleats “weather balloon to the press.” Look at his eyes. He is not looking at the camera, but off camera. Regurgitating something he didn’t believe to please his superior officers.

Jesse Marcel walks it back: You can’t hide your lyin’ eyes

If you read this blog, your take on what I ‘n’ I says next comes down to the Manichean choice. Do you believe Wikipedia or your Ace From Outer Space, Bobbylon the Ancient Astronaut Theorist?

Pick your choice: Giorgio? or Wikipedia?

My brother in law used to sell high tech pipe to irrigation and water conservation clients in Roswell. One day he took his client to lunch and asked, “So what’s the deal with the UFO’s”.

His customer, a ranch supply distributor, salt of the earth Southwest cowboy said outright. “The local coroner was told by the Army to deliver 3 child size coffins to the base. Why do you need coffins for a weather balloon?”

Game. Set. Match.

Ancient Astronaut Theorists 2; Scoffers 0

Roswell, NM July 1947

If you don’t trust I ‘n’ I do you trust Dwight Eisenhower. (He signed a treaty with the aliens. They can surveill us and we get their technology.)In 1954 Pres.  Eisenhower went to play golf and developed a “tooth crisis” instead. He disappeared from Secret Service protection. Why?

He went up into a flying saucer to negotiate the treaty

Eisenhower signs treaty with Aliens

Ike’s treaty saved the planet from Alien annihilation

Ancient Astronaut Theorists 3; Scoffers 0

Don’t like Ike? How about Tricky Dick? Nixon showed entertainer Jackie Gleason alien cadavers in cold storage at an Air Force base in Florida. Gleason had the world’s biggest UFO collection at the time, but seeing the reality of the alien corpses haunted him.

Jackie Gleason sees dead Aliens

“To the Moon, Alice!”

Ancient Astronaut Theorists 4; Scoffers 0

How best to spread the truth of Ancient Astronaut Theory to the benighted masses? Via Reggae, Dub and Ska! Mutant Dub I-specially for the UFO mood!

 

<Alien fascination that rules the nation!>

I ‘n’ I favorite Smile Jamaica theme shows for 3 plus decades?

  1. 4:20 Cannabliss
  2. Jah-loween
  3. UFO-ria

Here is how I ‘n’ I celebrate the UFO-ria

  • Vegas Area 51s AAA baseball cap

  • Attach a couple pins:

  • Glow in the Dark Roswell Tee shirt
  • Rear view mirror on I ‘n’ I 2020 Subaru Legacy

  • License plate cover

  • Last but not least…

Because,  truly. They came for the nukes, but stay for the weed!

<Why are the Aliens still here? For our weed!l 24 sec.>

“Take us to your dealer!”

So enjoy the Extra Terrestrial mash up of Reggae, Ska, Rock Steady, Rock, Dub, Mutant Dub and even some Classical.

Stories on Ancient Astronaut Theory, Aliens in the Bible/Anunnaki Tales and famous men and mammals in space.

Look to the skies! Do not Scoff!

It’s Smile Jamaica UFO-ria Stylee. Acoustic Levitation inna Irie meditation!

bless, Bobbylon

Ancient Astronaut Theory

<Utnapishtim and his space ship. Not Noah’s Ark; 1 min. 45 sec.>

Not Noah and an Ark to survive the Great Flood. Just like outer space is the only way to escape the Covid, so was interplanetary travel the only way to survive the deluge. 500 years before the mud receded. No wooden ark with one family could survive that.

No ark. Spaceship….

Similar to The Borg in Star Trek: New Gen. The Tesseract spaceship was how to survive the Great Flood

More likely scenario? Sumerian immortal ancient alien, Utnapishtim, DNA seedbank to spaceship or . Noah’s Ark. 70 cubits by 70 cubits. Ricketty-ass wooden ark. One family to separate the carnivores from the herbivores, shovel shit and feed animals.

Ancient Astronaut Theory 5; Scoffers 0

 

Noah story predecessor: (Sumerian) Utnapishtim preparing his Space Ark

<Gilgamesh, immortality and the serpent; 56 sec.>

As part of the Epic of Gilgamesh, Gil was half mortal/half immortal. He sought out Utnapishtim on his tesseract spaceship. Utnapushtim gave him the Tree of Life. Immortality secured, an exhausted Gilgamesh returned to Sumer (Shinar in the Bible) and fell asleep on a river bank.

The treacherous serpent slithered out of the reeds and stole away the Tree of Life (Eden). Gilgamesh died a mortal. As did Adam and Eve after their encounter with the snake.

Ancient Astronaut Theory 6, Scoffers 0

Gilgamesh loses the Tree of Life (immortality) to a Serpent

In Revelation, John the Revelator mentions the New Jerusalem. But he isn’t describing a city. It is a massive spaceship 1400 miles x 1400 miles:

Revelation 21:2 – I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband

Coming down out of heaven, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed. The jeweled dressing are the lights on the spaceship.

<New Jerusalem from the Book of Revelation is a spaceship>

Ancient Astronaut Theory 7; Scoffers 0

From Revelation: The New Jerusalem is a Spaceship, not a city. 1400 miles x 1400 miles

The Anunnaki – Those who camr down from the sky. The Ancient Sumerian Skygods: Anu, Marduk, Enki, Ishtar, Enlil and more. They created mankind to mine gold and travel in from the Planet Nibiru. My fellow Ancient Astronaut, Rasta bredrin, Tena Stelin does the roll call of all of Biblical stories of Ancient Aliens.

Tena Stelin – Flying Saucers; 7″ (River Bank) 2000; 1 min. 29 sec.

Anunnaki, Anu-Anunnaki
Anunnaki, El Kuluwm

Flying Saucers
Them a chat bout on-ya
Flying Saucers
Up in the Sky near and far
It’s coming like Star Wars…Watch it!

Please tell me: what is the meaning?
The meaning of these sightings?
So many people claim to see the same thing
I guess it must mean something

Talking about Extra Terrestrials!
Ask yourself: is it real or is it impossible? Watch out!

In the Book of Ezekiel
It’s like he describes a Crystal Ship

I’ve got to wonder if he was for real?
Was he just a raving lunatic? Hallelu-Jah!

Enoch walked with God
And he was found not

Elijah was taken up into a Chariot
A Chariot of Fire!

Inna Ancient Mesopotamia
They talked about the Anunnaki
They said they came from beyond the Sky
Oh tell me! Was they telling a lie?

El Kuluwm means the Source
El Kuluwm the highest course
All and Iley and Allah is the Same
So the Rastaman tell me no feel no way

These are the Biblical, Islamic and Hindu examples of Ancient Astronaut Encounters:

  • Chariots of the Gods – space ship
  • Jacob’s Ladder – space ship
  • Burning bush – space ship
  • Prophet Ezekiel and his crystal ship – space ship
  • Stairway to Heaven – space ship
  • Noah’s grand dad Enoch “walked with God and then was not”. Taken to heaven in a space ship
  • New Jerusalem – space ship
  • Magic carpets in the Arabian Nights – space ship
  • Muhammad’s night journey to Heaven on a winged horse: El Buraq – Space ship
  • Vimanas from Hindu cosmology – space ship

Ancient Astronaut Theory 17; Scoffers 0

Ezekiel’s Crystal Ship: The wheel within a wheel gyroscopic spaceship

Stories: Space Travel

<1986 Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster; 36 sec.>

Sister Carol warns of the hubris of mankind treading on Jah’s Heavenly abode. The Challenger Space Shuttle crash was the comeuppance for human technological arrogance.

Neil Armstrong first man on the Moon. Yuri Gagarin, first man in space.

<Yuri Gagarin: First Man in Space – Soviet Cosmonaut; 25 sec.>

Yuri Gagarin

Space mammals

Before man could venture into space, mammals had to go first. The Soviets had Laika the space dog. Burned up within hours of flight on Sputnik 2.

<Laika, space pup martyred>

RIP Laika

America went with primates while figuring out space travel. Same result. Audio Active pays tribute to the Space monkey pioneer martyrs

 

Smile Jamaica UFO-ria July 4, 2020 – Playlist

  • Herbert von Karjan – Also Sprach Zarathustra; 2001 A Space Odyssey (MGM)
  • Alpha & Omega – The Dub Is Out There; Serious Joke (A & O) 2002 X-Files dub
  • Michael Franti & Spearhead – Earth From Outer Space; All People (Boo Boo Wax) 2013
  • Ancient Astronauts feat. Akua Naru – Last Night (I Fell in Love With an Ancient Astronaut); Ancient Astronauts; Into Bass and Time (ESL) 2011 female singer
  • Word Sound I Powa – Intro; Live From Planet Crooklyn (WordSound) ’96 – weed in McCarran Park (Brooklyn)
  • Devin the Dude – Zeldar; Just Tryin’ ta Live (Rap a Lot) 2002 Zeldar from Beldar finds weed
  • Prince Jammy – Conspiracy on Neptune; Prince Jammy Destroys the Invaders (Greensleeves) ’82***End of Set 1
  • Laurel Aitken – Apollo 12; The Pama Years (Grover) ’69
  • UFO feat. DeeDee Bridgewater – Flying Saucer; Saint Pres des Cafe IV (Wagram) 2004 female vox
  • Lee “Scratch” Perry – African Hitchhiker; From the Secret Laboratory (Mango) ’90 alien from outer space
  • The Police – Walking on the Moon; Reggata de Blanc (A & M) ’80
  • Space Lounge Syndicate – Enter the Spaceport; Live From the Omega Station (Crypticon) 2007***End of Set 2
  • Mighty Sparrow – Russian Satellite; King Sparrow’s Calypso Carnival (Cook) ’59
  • Spacemonkeyz Meets the Gorillaz – Starshine; Laika Come Home (Virgin) 2002
  • Toyes – Waiting For the Aliens; Strange Animals (CD Tunes) ’99
  • Roots Radics – Storming the Death Star; Scientist and Jammy Strike Back! (Trojan) ’82***End of Set 3
  • Anubian Lights – Outflight Edit; Outflight EP (Crippled Dick Hot Wax!) 2001 about the New Jerusalem space ship
  • Symarip – Skinhead Moonstomp; Skinhead Moonstomp (Trojan) ’70
  • Armgadieon – Galactic Travel; Natural Elements Dub (Armagideon Sounds) ’94***End of Set 4
  • Lone Ranger – UFO; Barnabas in Collins Wood (Wave) ’79 JA: Vinyl is Vital Set
  • Lincoln Thompson – Spaceship; Natural Wild (United Artists)
  • ’80 UK
  • U Roy – Your Ace From Outer Space; Version Galore (Treasure Isle) ’68 JA
  • Sister Carol – Lost in a Space; Jah Disciple (RAS) ’89 DC: about ’86 Challenger Space Shuttle tragedy
  • Bush Chemists – Star Dub; 10″ (Jah Tubby’s) 2006 UK Stormtrooper theme from Star Wars***End of Set 5
  • Systemwide – Gilgamesh; Live at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal (BSI) 2002
  • Thievery Corporation – Stargazing; Culture of Fear (ESL) 2011 DC w/ female vox
  • Ziggy Marley – I Don’t Want to Live on Mars; Fly Rasta (Tuff Gong) 2013
  • Nicky Thomas – Doing the Moonwalk; Love of the Common People (Trojan) ’70
  • Sly & Robbie – Space Invaders; Syncopation (Joe Gibbs) ’80 FL vinyl***End of Set 6
  • Audio Active – Return of the Space Ape; Apollo Choco (ON U Sound) ’97 Jah-pon
  • SoKo – I Thought I Was an Alien; I Thought I Was an Alien (Because) Fr. female singer
  • Derrick Morgan – Do the Moon Hop; Moon Hop (Doctor Bird) ’70
  • London Symphony – Cantina Theme; Star Wars (20th Century) ’77 US vinyl***End of Set 7
  • Tena Stelin – Flying Saucer; 7″ (River Bank) 2000 UK
  • Anjali – Space Lust in the Space Dust (Wiija) 2000 UK Hindi female
  • International Dub System – J’s Space Flight; I.D.S (Red Arrow) ’95
  • Public Service Broadcating – Gagarin; Beyond Saturn (Mojo) 2015 first man in Space

Set 1:

  • Herbert von Karjan – Also Sprach Zarathustra; 2001 A Space Odyssey (MGM)
  • Alpha & Omega – The Dub Is Out There; Serious Joke (A & O) 2002 X-Files dub
  • Michael Franti & Spearhead – Earth From Outer Space; All People (Boo Boo Wax) 2013
  • Ancient Astronauts feat. Akua Naru – Last Night (I Fell in Love With an Ancient Astronaut); Ancient Astronauts; Into Bass and Time (ESL) 2011 female singer
  • Word Sound I Powa – Intro; Live From Planet Crooklyn (WordSound) ’96 – weed in McCarran Park (Brooklyn)
  • Devin the Dude – Zeldar; Just Tryin’ ta Live (Rap a Lot) 2002 Zeldar from Beldar finds weed
  • Prince Jammy – Conspiracy on Neptune; Prince Jammy Destroys the Invaders (Greensleeves) ’82

Words of Wisdom:

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: June 27, 2020 – 32 Yrs of Reggae Radio: Vinyl Celebration!

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32 Years of Reggae Radio

<32 years of Reggae Radio; 2 min. 22 sec.>

Pres. 40 – The founder of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives

As the Rastas would say when I ‘n’ I was a youth learning Reggae music circa Fall ’86:

  • Ronald (6)
  • Wilson (6)
  • Reagan (6)

Maybe so, but I owe it all to the man…..I’ll explain below

Always been a huge music fan and collector since growing up in Fort Benton Montana (mid 70’s-mid 80’s). When I came to the University of Utah in Fall of ’86, I brought with me a couple crates of indispensable vinyl and a couple boxes of these shiny aluminum coated novelties called the Compact Disk.

I n’ I first record. Woolworth’s Sept. 1977. Mom paid

Back in 1986, when the compact disk market was so new, there wasn’t a lot of contemporary titles available yet. You had to seek them out. In the dorms,I met a Jewish kid from Baltimore, MD named Neil Cooperman. Physics Major. (Me? Middle East Studies).

He and I were loaning out our rare finds like trading baseball cards. Think of the mid 80’s. Too much MTV synthesizer. All the rock acts from  the 70’s: Rolling Stones, Dylan, The Who, etc. were issuing pretty crappy records. Even my favorite punkers like The Ramones and The Clash had fallen on hard times.

Like most college kids, I was into college rock:  My Big Three: The Replacements, Husker Du, The Minutemen. When D. Boon of the Minutemen died in a car crash, that was the musical low point in my musical consumption for traditional rock.

D. Boon. The Bob Marley of 80’s College Rock

I ‘n’ I was finally living in a city with a plethora of record stores. (90% gone now in Salt Lake City). With all that choice in an emerging CD market, where was I gonna go musically as I built my collection?

Bought some Blues (Robert Cray, Stevie Ray, Muddy Waters Hard Again). Bought some World (King Sunny Ade, Rai Arabic pop, South African jive). Bought some Reggae (Jimmy Cliff, Toots, Steel Pulse)*. Nice

*In 1986, there was almost no Marley or Tosh on CD

No Island label CDs in ’86. Grey market, middling, low budget offerings only

And then the epiphany moment. Neil played for me a disk by a group named Black Uhuru. (Uhuru – Swahili for freedom).

<Black Uhuru – Anthem. The disk that lit the fuse; 87 sec.>

Yeah, the cover is pure 80’s but Michael Rose in full dreads flashing the hairy eyeball, Puma Jones looking fetching in her 80’s fashion clash.

And the Riddim Twins in the back, Sly & Robbie controlling the scene.

1983 sound of them working with Bob Dylan and Grace Jones. They were the drum and bass standouts in an synthesized sound that was 80’s rock. (Mostly bad, but Sly Dunbar (drums) & Robbie Shakespeare (bassie) were the best of the bombast.

The dorms at the U of U were concrete bunkers. You probably had bigger closets in your home.  Within 30 seconds of the lead off track, What Is Life?, that synth bass and vocoder vox ricocheted and throbbed throughout the room. I ‘n’ I didn’t burn the hippie lettuce then, (Eff you Ronnie Raygun!), but that CD lit the fuse.

That was what I came to Utah to find. A new sound. Reggae music.

Enter Ronald Reagan. I’n’ I said I lived at my Grandmother’s house to qualify for student loans and grants. My first two years of U of U (even with out of state tuition the first year) was paid for in Pell Grants and loans. The grants paid for room, board and tuition. The loans went for my Reggae collection.

Used vinyl was cheap. People were selling vinyl to buy CDs which were rare and ridiculously expensive. I hoovered up both formats.

Most likely my very first Reggae CD purchase. Smokey’s Records Salt Lake City

My last year at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, I discovered their college radio station, KGLT. Very similar to KRCL. Free form format, mix of college rock and community shows like bluegrass, folk, Sunday gospel. Loved it much more than the noise of commercial radio.

I ‘n’ I assumed that the Univ. of Utah radio station, KUER, would be the same. WTF is NPR? Why is a college station playing classical music?

One of the student leaders recognized this and tried to re-boot a failed college managed “radio” station that would be broadcast from the Student Union to patrons in the cafe and study tables.

It was (and is) called K-UTE. I jumped at the chance to spin disks. I did a volunteer Reggae show called Positive Vibrations (after the Bob tune.) Spring of 1987. Pure amateur setup, but fun none the less.

A year later my friend and I were in the Pie Pizzeria and heard them call out for volunteers on the community radio station, KRCL. It was not college managed. I had been listening to them, when someone told me about Smile Jamaica.

They were looking for a late night show featuring a mix of Reggae with World and Ska. I ‘n’ I submitted a proposal and was trained Spring of 1988. First show as the last Sunday Night/Monday Morning in June. 3-6 AM.

I ‘n’ I called it 3 o’clock Roadblock – from Marley’s Rebel Music. Now I had an outlet for my Reggae collection. Even if the only listeners were cab drivers, 7-11 workers and insomniacs.

<Before Smile Jamaica; 2 min. 6 sec.>

Learned the ropes. Made all my mistakes, Tried to find an on-air announcing sound that wasn’t horribly monotonous and filled with ands and ums. Great year of apprenticeship before I ‘n’ I moved over to Smile Jamaica, October 1989.

That’s a story for another day.

From June 25, 1988 to June 27, 2020: by my Liberal Arts math that is 32 years. We celebrate that with the first vinyl additions to the Ark-Ives on this SJ podcast.

Thanks for listening for 1 week or nearly 1/3 of a century!

Bless, Bobbylon

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: June 27, 2020 = 32 Years of Reggae Radio

Jimmy Riley – Summertime; 12″ (DEB) ’76 UK Porgy & Bess cover- 32 years of Reggae Radio (Vinyl Show)

Sly & Robbie – Uhuru in Dub (CSA) ’82 Dub Album of the Hour

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Rebel Music (3 o’clock Roadblock); Natty Dread (Island) ’74 UK

<Cratedig re-collection: Bob Marley Vinyl Box Set>

Sister Candy – Laserbeam; Laserbeam (Enterprise) ’83 Brooklyn

Jah Lloyd – Dispencer; Black Moses (Virgin Front Line) ’79 UK 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement

Don Carlos – Mr. Sun; 12″ (Jah Guidance) ’82 JA***End of Set 1

Black Unuru – Antjem; Anthem (Island) ‘84 US Rmx

Bob Andy – Check It Out: Retrospective (I-Anna) ‘86 UK

Barbara Paige – Babylon Must Fall; Hear Me Now (Epiphany) ‘82 US

Prince Alla – Sun Is Shining; 12” ( Freedom Sounds ) ‘78 JA***End of Set 2

Culture – Lion Rock; Peel Sessions EP (Strange Fruit) Dec. 11, ‘82 UK John Peel Sessioms 

The Selecter – Celebrate the Bullet; Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis) ’82 UK 2 Tone Ska w/ Pauline Black vox

Dread Beat and Blood – Rainbow Warrior; Tribute to a Friend (Jayrem) ‘85 NZ Maori group

Eddy a Grant – Walking on Sunshime ; 12” (Ice) ‘79 UK

Mystic Youth feat. I Skeeda and Irie Ites – Save the Roaches: Best Wishes (Sunspot) ’82 SF: school group herbtune w/ female vo

Eek a Mousse – Hitler; Mouse and the Man (Greensleeves) ‘82 UK

Jimmy Becker & the Chariot Riders – Sunshine Kerry; 12″ JA (Crystal)***End of Set 4

Winston Fergus – Hail Rastaman; I Shall Sing (John Dread) ‘85 UK

Sophia George – Girlie, Girlie; Fresh (Winner) ‘85 UK

Gladiators – Small Axe, Symbol of Reality (Nighthawk) ‘82 St. Louis Wailers cover

Michael Administators – Summer Breeze; 12” (Cha Cha) UK Seals and a Croft cover blue vinyl***End of Set 5

Peter Tosh – Comin’ in Hot; Captured Live (EMI America) ‘82 LA

Joe Higgs – Tere’s a Reward; Life of Contradiction (Grounation) ’75 JA 

Jean Binta Breeze – Dubwise + Confusion (Warner); Tracks (LKJ) ‘90 UK female dub poet

Pat Kelly – Sunshine; 12” (KG Imperial) ’80 JA John Denver cover***End of Set 6

Bunny Wailer – Ballroom Floor; Rock ‘N Groove (Solomonic) ‘81 

Gregory Isaacs – Happiness Come; In Person (Trojan) ‘74 UK

Bam Bam – Star Wars; Power of a Woman (Bam Bam Internatioanal ‘87 LA female***End of Set 7

Aura Lewis Meets Lee “Scratch” Perry – Young Gifted and Broke;  Full Experience (Blue Moon) ’76 Aretha Franklin update; female vox

Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus – Mr. Brown; Rastafari (Top Ranking) ’75 JA

Ethiopian People; Rastafari (Trojan) ’82 UK

A.S. Brown – Sun Shines For are; 12” (Level Vibes) ’84 UK

Smile Jamaica Digital Dubplate June, 2020 – Crategdigging inna Pandemic!

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The Covid – Beautiful but deadly

Greetings,

I ‘n’ I been on lockdown since the Utah Earthquake: March 17, 2020. All the Smile Jamaicas “curated” out of the Secret Dubratory  within the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives.

Spring forward to mid May. The plan was to fly to Phoenix, drive my parents to Albuquerque for my nephew Aitch’s graduation. Poor kid, born two months after the 9/11 tragedy. Now, the New Mexico Gator Aid player of the year – baseball scholarship to Pepperdine University – his season gets scrapped b/c of the Covid.

Hayden Walker, lefty like his Uncle. Soon to be a San Francisco Giant is my hopes for this kid!

My plan was in between the graduation ceremony (which, of course never happened) and the party, I ‘n’ I was gonna make my pilgrimage to Roswell.

Jews have Jerusalem. Muslims have Mecca. I ‘n’ I have Roswell, New Mexico.

Change of plans. New route: Sun City West, AZ to Fort Benton, Montana.

Diary of a Cratedigger:

Day 1: Flight from Salt Lake to Phoenix.

Flying is surreal. Had no problem with getting an Uber to the airport. The airport was abandoned on a Monday. The big travel day. Two cars at drop off, no wait at the airline, no wait through security.

More workers than flyers. Get to the TSA line. I ‘n’ I have my mask on. So does the TSA ID checker. Put my phone on the scanner, show my driver’s license. The officer says, “Please remove your mask so I can check you against your ID.”

I ‘n’ I was like, “What? You want me to take off my mask? I thought the whole point of masking up was to prevent potential aerosol spread of the Covid? Now you want me to expose myself to the other flyers’ goomba who were ahead of me in line?  I’m sure they all had dry cough and were sneezing Covid like a machine gun. Why don’t I just lick the ticket scanner while I’m at it. WTF”.

Of course I said none of that. And spread my germ cocktail all over the effing place.

A couple of restaurants open. But most closed. Flying felt like going to a funeral. Surprisingly half full plane, no one in the middle seats. No beverage service. Guy in the seat ahead of me was mask shamed before take off. Phoenix 105 degrees.

No beverages, just here to check for masks

Day 2: Sun City West, AZ to Cedar City, UT – 432 miles.

Left 105 degree Arizona. I’m driving a stuffed Buick Enclave where my only view is the side mirrors. Passenger manifest: Pops (recovering from a neurological condition called NPH – wet, wobbly and wacky).  Beloved mother and bunny killer Bella.

Do not trust the sweet face of Bella the Bunny Killa

The plan was to stay at the Virgin River Casino in Mesquite, Nevada. Two problems:

  1. Nevada still a “Shelter in Place” state. No resort rooms until this week.
  2. The dispensary in Mesquite, was like a Seinfeld episode. Remember the Soup Nazi? Had to call in an appointment, meet  at a set time, order off a web menu, stay in the car, wear your mask. “Sorry you didn’t say Simon Says, NO VAPE FOR YOU!“

A loaded car, a fidgety dog, a dad in a wheelchair in 105 weather. Another first world problem/Covid inconvenience.

So we stopped in North Las Vegas. I ‘n’ I  told my Mom, there will be an Uber fee for this trip. Roll into Reef Dispensary in NLV. Mom and I walked right up. She got her CBD/THC “diet coke” vape. And I’n’ I got my elephant tranquilizer vape.

We arrive to our non-smoking, non-vaping, non-whatnot motel and unload for the night: Cedar City, Utah.

From 105 to 35 degrees in 400 miles. Everything is curbside. Cedar City is deserted. Highways are mostly empty. No reason to sight see because nothing is open. Everything is in a holding pattern and tense.

Taking Bella for a walk – looking for poor bunnies to kill – you could feel the Covid around every corner.

Dystopian almost. Three people and a rabbit killer trying to be normal. Will we actually make it to Montana. Second best Covid state when it comes to total cases. Third best in mortality (17 dead.)

Day 3: Cedar City, Utah to Idaho Falls, Idaho – 405 miles

Pretty uneventful. Grinding down an empty highway looking for handi-capable rest stops. Forced to listen to The Bridge on Sirius XM. 1400 miles of wimp rock: Cat Stevens vs. Seals and Croft to see who plays The Eagles in the Mellow Rock championship.

Idaho Falls is a beautiful river city, but we never got farther than curbside at Olive Garden.

Mom and I ‘n’ I vaped while watching Game 6 of the Bulls-Jazz Finals on ESPN. I ‘n’ I should be two months into a season watching my beloved San Francisco Giants struggle to reach .500.

Jordan pushed off

Day 4: Idaho Falls, ID to Fort Benton, MT – 401 miles 

Left Idaho Falls, 29 degrees. I ‘n’ I still in shorts and sandals from Phoenix. Heavy fog over the Monida border pass. Giving me vertigo. Ah, what would it be to not have treacherous weather heading into Montana.

We sailed home. Beautiful rivers and green wheat fields. Arrive at the birthplace of Montana and the house I ‘n’ I grew up in.

Fort Benton, MT – Birthplace of Montana

What better place to hide from the Covid than a river town where the mosquitos are the size of house flies.

Two days later Mom gets this letter from the Chouteau County Health Department:

It has been brought to our attention you may have recently returned from travel out of state in a non- business related capacity. 

You are required to do a 14 day self quarantine upon arriving in Montana. This directive is established by Executive Order of the Governor of Montana and is MANDATORY for visitors and residents alike.

This is essential because travel from another state or country is a common source of Covid-19 infection; with 25% of COVID cases in Montana being travel associated.

First and foremost, people don’t want to get sick and don’t want others to get sick. Montanans understand that. The Governor is confident that most Montanans will take this directive seriously and understand their role in cutting off the chain of transmission to save lives and minimize long term impacts to our economy.

Self-quarantine means that the resident MUST stay within the boundaries of the property on which they are residing in while in Montana and CANNOT leave those boundaries or interact with other people.

This includes the resident being prohibited from grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations/convenience stores, bars, places of worship/churches, schools, gatherings.

Exceptions will only be made in the event of medical emergency, fire, natural disaster or other acts of God preventing the ongoing healthful habitat in a residence.

Self-quarantine must be maintained through the expiration of June 1, 2020 for those arriving prior to June 1.

Please call us when you have completed your self-quarantine 

This is the world of Covid-1984. The state of Montana had license plate cameras and then harvested my Mom’s GPS locator info from her fancy Iphone. Since when did I need a passport to travel within the United States? But then, maybe trampling a few civil rights is how Montana smashed their curve.

How nice of the Governor of Montana to let my parents escape a burning house or act of God. To abide by this stricture, my parents would have starved before their 14 day home confinement were up.

And this applies to guests too. So how did I spend my self-quarantine?…….a favorite from Fort Benton keggers circa 1983. Judas Priest – Breaking the Law

Day 5: Cratedigging in Missoula.

Ah, the People’s Republic of Missoula. Once we got unpacked, found some rabbits for Bella to munch on and got the house ready for “self quarantine”, I got on the Google and tapped in “Record Stores — Missoula, Montana.”

It’s not enough that they are still in business.  (How many will be fatal victims of the Covid.  I shudder to think. I fear that more than the critter killing 80 year olds.) They have to be open for customers.

Curbside record shopping is a joke. I have a curbside record hut, it’s called Amazon. I ‘n’ I wanna go in and dig through the crates. Don’t care about curbside.

  • Rockin’ Rudy’s – still in business – open to customers
  • Record Heaven, Rockin’ Rudy’s vinyl sister; 2 for 2
  • Ear Candy records – 3 for 3.

I’m going!

More than a Record Store, it’s a lifestyle roots ‘n’ culture shop

Pack up, grab my vape works and hit the road. Still freezing, but the drive over mountain pass at Lincoln (home of the Unabomber), was free and clear. More rivers to cross, per Jimmy Cliff. Listening to a mix of Led Zeppelin Radio and Little Steven’s Underground Radio. Heard nuff Christopher Cross to last 10 lifetimes.

Cratedigging in a pandemic

Time to grow cannabis alongside the wheat and barley as Jah intended
  • Montana, as a Shelter in Place state. (As my Pops said – Jesus Christ, the whole state is already shelter in place). Mask mandatory. I ‘n’ I was talking to my Sister getting my vape on before a day of cratedigging. Anyone approaching Rock and Rudy’s without mask was turned away.

Grape Ape vape, 82% Sativa. I’m ready to dig. Fiya burn the Covid!

  • Rockin’ Rudys – $250 (Reggae, Stones bootleg, Marley banner I didn’t have)
  • Ear Candy – $30 (more of a college rock shop where I am looking for dubstep fill ins I didn’t have)
  • Record Heaven – $150. Very impressed. About $120 of that was Reggae collectors titles and 12″ mix I didn’t have. Bravo. That is more Roots Reggae than I’ve purchased in either Vegas or Phoenix in the past year.

Who knows? Maybe by 2022 KRCL will let me back into the station to juggle some of this great black wax on the turntables.

Better vinyl selection, new and collectors, than cities 10 times its size

So there you have it. Cratedigging under quarantine. I ‘n’ I write this blog post from the state prison at Deer Lodge, MT. I left the premises in Fort Benton and spread my goomba to Missoula. They had me before I put the first Bob Marley bootleg CD in the player!

Dammit, shoulda turned off my locator setting on my fancy Iphone!

bless, Bobbylon

Smile Jamaica Digital Dubplate – 2020 Roots Reggae Mashup

  • Zema – Fear Not; Black Sleep (Melchizedek) SoCal female Zap Pow – Last War; Zap Pow (Island) ’78

    Yellowman – Lost Mi Love; Mr. Yellowman (Shanachie) ’82

    Yabby You – Carnal Mindl; One Love, One Heart (Shanachie) ’84

    Winston Jarrett – Babylon Red; Bushwackers Gangbangers (Bigmore) 2010

    White Mice – Youths of Today; White Mice (Intelitc)

    Wackies All-Stars – Version Pipe; Dub Generals (Wackie’s) (30 min.)

    U Roy – Natty Rebel; Natty Rebel (Virgin Front Line) ’76

    UB40 – Little By Little; Signing Off (DEP/Sound) ’80

    Zion Tribe – Feelin’ High; Barre Chords (Zion Tribe) Equators ska/herb tune, SLC

    Toots & the Maytals – Funky Kingston; Funky Kingston (Mango) ’74

    Willie Nelson – The Harder They Come; Countryman (Lost Highway) 2005 Jimmy Cliff cover

    Wendy Shaw – Jah Rastafari; Passing Through the Flames (Issachar) ’92

    War – Why Can’t We Be Friends; Why Can’t We Be Friends (United Artists) ’75 (1 hr.)

    Third World – Lagos Jump; All the Way Strong (Columbia) ’83

    Twinkle Brothers – Distant Drums; Love (Virgin Front Line) ’78

    The Pioneers – Chucky; 20 Original Famous Hits (Pioneer International)

    The Gladiators – My Thoughts; Serious  Thing (Nighthawk) ’84

    The Ethiopians – One; Clap Your Hands (Sir JJ) ’69?

    Tena Stelin – Orthodox Music; Wicked Intention (Mr. Modo) ’89

    Tapper Zukie – City of Mt. Zion; Peace in the Ghetto (Virgin Front Line) ’78 (90 min.)

    Sugar Minott – Africa Is the Black Man’s Home; Ghetto-ology (Easy Star) ’79

    Sister Carol – Gimme Mi Freedom; Lyrically Potent (Heartbeat) ’99

    Sammy Dread – Black Princess; Wrap Up a Draw (Seven Leaf)

    Ras Midas – Kude a Bamba; Confirmation (JML) ’76

    Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus – I’m a Man (Just Like You); Know Now (Shanachie) ’89

    Ranking Dillinger – Don’t Take Another Man’s Life; None Stop Disco Style (Clocktower) ’77 (2 hr.)

    Queen Majeeda – Down in a Africa; Conscious (Heartbeat) ’93 female dub poet

    Prince Alla – Thank You Lord; Lion a Go Bite Yu (Headphone)

    Pablo Moses – Music  is My Desire; A Song (Mango) ’80

    Noah House of Dread – Dem People; Heart 2 (ON U Sound)  ’88

    Misty in Roots – Ghetto in the City; Live at the Euro Countervision 78 (Kaz) ’79

    Miliant Barry – Mojo Working; Green Valley (Manic) ’79 (2 and 1/2 hr.)

    Mikey Dread – African Map; Dread at the Controls (Trojan) ’79

    Mighty Diamonds – Country Living; Stand Up to Your Judgment (Channel One) ’78

    Michael Franti – Ganja Babe; Live at the Baobab (Boo Boo Wax) 2000

    Marcia Griffiths – I’ve Got to Go Back Home; Naturally (Shanachie) ’79

    Love Joys – Jah Light; Reggae Vibes (Wackies) ’81 female duo

    Likkle Mai – My Old Flame; Roots Candy (Beat) 2006 Jah-pon Dubstress

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: March 21, 2020 – Putting the Panic in Pandemic!

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Greetings,

Banished to your living room. No work, no school, no shopping, no travel, no toilet paper. In Chicago even going for a walk outside can get you arrested.

A whole lotta down time while we all wait for the virus to come get us!

I ‘n’ I was telling Tristin Tabish, KRCL station manager, that a “shelter in place” situation would be ideal for radio listeners. Already we are seeing Netflix and Prime streaming explode.

For. I ‘n’ I, home is a work space. In the Secret Dubratory of the Smile Jamaica Ark-ives, when called  upon to generate digital content while KRCL is on lockdown, I just do what I always do, cut and mix sound

Routine is how people can handle the doom porn the media has generated during this crisis. Whenever friends or family start to hyperventilate, I ‘n’ I remind them:

By my Liberal Arts science background, it is not a pandemic until newborns and third graders start dropping like flies.

But what about the boredom? Many diehard KRCL listeners have a weekend pattern of turning on classic rock for breakfast and listen all the way through to Roots Reggae for dinner. Repeat a similar pattern on Sunday.

If you are shut in and forced inside, KRCL ought to have a captured audience of weekday listening akin to weekend “radio companionship.”

Then I get a call from Program Director, Ebay Jamil Hamilton. KRCL is locking down its studio and offices. Mayday! He asked if I would curate a three hour Smile Jamaica from home.

I gladly complied. I’m stir crazy as everyone else.

Everybody is frazzled. Instead of repeating the same old reminders: “social distance, wash your hands, don’t eat bat soup, etc.”, Smile Jamaica listeners have a tether to normality as part of their weekend routine. How about three hours of distraction on a beautiful first Saturday of Spring?

Except…

So those listeners wanting to chill with “One Love” or “Irie Up Yourself” or “Burn One Down” you are in for a rude shock. I ‘n I introduced the show with “Smile Jamaica puts the panic in pandemic!”

<Pandemic show intro; 2 min.>

First five Reggae jams:

  1. Twinkle Brothers – Stomach Sick­­; Me No You (Twinkle) ’81
  2. The Police – Don’t Stand So Close to Me; Zenyatta Mondatta (A & M) ’81
  3. Tenor Saw – Fever; Fever (Blue Mountain) ’85
  4. The Clash – Lost in the Supermarket; London Calling (Epic) ’79
  5. Michigan & Smiley – Diseases; Dancehall (Soul Jazz) ’81

In the same way Pete Townshend wrote Tommy. Or Frank Zappa’s Joe’s Garage rock opera, I ‘n’ I was crafting a narrative through a digital medium.

I was driving around a deserted Salt Lake City looking for toilet paper and blasting Smile Jamaica, as a listener, from my car hi fi. When I got home a friend texted me: “After ten fever songs followed by Burial , I thought I had the virus.”

Just like Ira Glass. Digital storytelling in a quarantine. Nearly everyone who hit me up on social media wanted to know the same thing: “What was that song you played at the end of Smile Jamaica?”

Spiritual Rez – Let’s Go Out With a Bang

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LUUq_xk4ZE

Be well. Don’t hoard. Try to ration your panic like you are with using toilet paper

bless, Bobbylon

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: March 21, 2020 – Homegrown Pandemic Edition

Set 1:

  • Twinkle Brothers – Stomach Sick­­; Me No You (Twinkle) ’81
  • The Police – Don’t Stand So Close to Me; Zenyatta Mondatta (A & M) ’81
  • Tenor Saw – Fever; Fever (Blue Mountain) ’85
  • The Clash – Lost in the Supermarket; London Calling (Epic) ’79
  • Michigan & Smiley – Diseases; Dancehall (Soul Jazz) ’81
  • Neville Grant – Sick and Tired; Give Me Power (Trojan) ’73 Fats Domino cover
  • The Toyes – Green Doctor; Strange Animals (CD Tunes) ’99 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
  • Half Pint – It’s Too Late; Greetings (Power House) ’86 

Set 2:

  • Horace Andy – Fever; Studio One Classics (Studio One) ’73
  • The Clash – Clampdown; London Calling (Epic) ’79
  • David Lindley – Tu-ber-cu-lucas and the Sinus Flu; El Rayo-X (Elektra) ’81
  • The Pioneers – Reggae Fever; Best of (Trojan) ’77
  • The Ethiopians – Hong Kong Flu; Original Hot Sounds (Trojan) ’69
  • The Dynamics – Fever; Version Excursions (Groove Attack) 2007 dubby version of Little Willie John/Peggy Lee
  • Max Romeo – Horror Zone; Horror Zone (Nu Roots) 20016
  • Junior Byles – Fever; Curly Locks (Heartbeat) ’74 Little Willie John/Peggy Lee cover
  • Twinkle Brothers – Constipated People; Me No You (Twinkle) ’81 

Set 3:

  • Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse; Night Nurse (Mango) ’82
  • Thievery Corporation – Culture of Fear; Culture of Fear (ESL) 2011
  • Thievery Corporation – Sound the Alarm; Radio Retaliation (ESL) 2014
  • Yerba Buena – Fever; Island Life (Razor & Tie) 2005 African
  • Dennis Alcapone – Fever Teaser; My Voice Is Insured For Half a Million Dollars (Trojan) ’72 dj to Horace Andy Fever
  • Hepcat – Earthquake and Fire; Out of Nowhere (Moon) ’93 LA ska group
  • Laurel Aitken – Witchdoctor From Amsterdam; It’s Too Late (Unicorn) ’90
  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – No Water (Can Quench My Thirst)  ’70 

Set 4:

  • The Maytals – Fever; Sensational Ska Explosion (Jamaican Gold) ’65
  • Lady Ann – Doctor, Doctor; Bad Gyal Inna Dance (Jump Up)  2008
  • Jingo – Fever; Afro Rock (Evolver) African
  • Peter Tosh – Bush Doctor 12″; Bush Doctor (Rolling Stones) ’78 herbtune
  • The Rolling Stones – Dear Doctor; Beggars Banquet (abkco)  ’68
  • Peter Tosh – Reggae Myelitis; Wanted Dread and Alive (Rolling Stones) ’81

Set 5:

  • Dr. Alimantado – Still Alive; Born For a Purpose (Greensleeves) ’76
  • Susan Cadogan – Fever; Susan Cadogan (Trojan) ’76 cover to Little Willie John/Peggy Lee
  • Tenor Saw – Ring the Alarm; 200% Dynamite (Soul Jazz)
  • I Roy – Hospital Trolley; Don’t Check Me With No Lightweight Stuff (Blood & Fire) ’73
  • Laurel Aitken – It’s Too Late; It’s Too Late (Unicorn) ’71
  • Barry Brown – Burial; Rich Man Poor Man (Moll-Selekta) Peter Tosh cover
  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Redemption Song; Uprising (Tuff Gong) ’80
  • Third World – Dreamland; 96 Degrees in the Shade (Mango) ’76 Bunny Wailer cover

 

 Set 6: 

  • Fela & Afrika 70 – Zombie; Zombie (Polydor) ’76 African
  • 8750 Band – Stayin’ Alive; Run For Cover (Tommy Chong) Telluride reggae cover of Bee Gees
  • Spiritual Rez – Let’s Go Out With a Bang; Apocalypse Whenever (Spiritual Rez) 2014

Words of Wisdom:

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: March 14, 2020 – Reggae Virus Mini Opera!

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Greetings,

Wed. AM about 7 o’clock. On the computer seeing how my best gal did in the Tuesday primaries the night before. (Tulsi who?)

Cup of coffee and a green rip. Breakfast of champions. All of a sudden. I hear something rumble. WTF? Did some Corona Virus infectee just slam my house with their car? If so why I am feeling my floor ripple?

Nah, Earthquake. Watch everything shake, rattle and roll. By the time I stabilized my television set, the rumbling stopped. Casualty: one bookcase in my hallway and a Bob Marley picture askew.

5.7 Magna Utah Earthquake. Shouldn’t have cancelled church over Corona Virus

My first thought? “Wow this place is a mausoleum!” Got the notice from our Dean that the Marriott Library was closing down completely. Went up to a ghostly campus at the U of U to pick up a few things and make sure all the posters and such didn’t crash off my office walls post Magna 5.7 Earthquake.

On the way home, stop at Smith’s grocery. Praise Anu! Toilet paper. Every mope in the store had one roll in their basket.

Lots of items still out of stock. Cold cuts, cheese, bread. Melotonin section wiped out. No isopropyl alcohol. A lot of people out there needing to clean their bongs? Purell and Lysol a distant memory.

Get home to a call from Ebay Hamilton, KRCL’s program director. No station that rules the nation. Could I curate a 3 hour Smile Jamaica episode for upload? Station on lockdown.

“Working” from home, no deejaying, no record shopping (Record Store Day postponed til June. Summer is the low period for cratedigging). Liquor store closed!  No Saturday breakfast with my friends at Left Fork Grill.

THIS VIRUS IS PISSING ME OFF

Everyone is moping around like it is  the end of the world. I understand why the need for social distance, etc. But I don’t have to like it.

So here is how I intend to fight back

  1. Not much of a beer drinker anymore, but I’m going to buy a sixer of Corona beer
  2. Watching Andromeda Strain from 1971

3. Friday 4:20 or as I call it “worship”, will continue with my mates six feet away from each other

4. Gonna cratedig on Saturday just to get out of the house and see who is open

5. Listen to Smile Jamaica, as a listener. 3 hour show called: Putting the Panic in Pandemic 2020. From Stomach Sick to Burial

<Smile Jamaica: March 21, 2020 Putting the Panic in Pandemic; 2 min>

Enjoy this teaser from this week’s podcast:

<Smile Jamaica Reggae Virus Mini Opera; 90 sec.>

  1. Ethiopians get the Hong Kong Flu
  2. Susan Cadogan exhibits The Fever
  3. Jah Lloyd says, no vaccine it will leave an infection. Gonna smoke the main jax – the collie weed
  4. That unfortunately “ital” choice leads to the Twinkle Brothers Stomach sick
  5. Alas, Peter Tosh’s Burial

Eat your heart out Frank Zappa and Pete Townshend. Now I ‘n’ I gonna give you 3 hours tomorrow. Gallows humor staves off the doom and gloom

bless, Bobbylon

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives March 14, 2020 Annotated Playlist; 1 min. 44 sec.

Beautiful but deadly

Set 1:

  • Ricky Grant & Augustus Pablo – I Love Jah Rastafari + dub; I Love Jah Rastafari (Message) ’78 JA vinyl
  • Sir Coxson Sound – King of Dubb Rock; King of Dubb Rock (Safari) ’75 UK vinyl dub album of the hour
  • African Brothers – Mystery of Nature;  Want Some Freedom (Easy Star) ’70’s era
  • Abassi All-Stars feat. Sis Sanae – Free Jah Dub; Dub Showcase (Universal Egg) 2007 UK militant
  • Dennis Bovell – Bettah; Brain Damage (Virgin Front Line) ’81 herbtune
  • John Clarke – Good Collie Weed; Visions of John Clarke (Wackies) ’79 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement; over Only Sixteen riddim
  • Dub Syndicate – Can’t Take It Easy; 10″ (ON U Sound) ’93 UK mutant dub Gregory Isaacs cover; picture sleeve

Set 2:

  • Black Roots – Opportunity; In Session (Makasound) ’83 UK roots group
  • Mad Professor – Chillout Zone; Black Liberation Dub vol. 5: Afro-Centric Dub (Ariwa) ’99
  • Aisha – Prophecy; High Priestess (Ariwa) ’88 female cover of Faybian Miranda roots
  • Dubble – Southside Dub; 10″ (Dub Tunnel) 2012 UK militant steppers instrumental

Set 3:

  • Michigan & Smiley – Diseases; Dancehall (Soul Jazz) ’81
  • Mighty Diamonds – I Shall Be Releassed; Blowin’ in the Wind (RAS) 2002 Bob Dylan cover
  • The Selecter – On My Radio ’91; CD Single (Chrysalis) ’91 rmx/2 Tone ska w/ female vox
  • Daweh Congo – Jah Disciple; 10″ (Sip a Cup) 2005 UK militant steppers

 

Set 4: Jamaican Jukebox 7″ 45’s Roots Sisters

  • Sister Afreka – Rasta Light Is a Sunshine; 7″ (Jah Life)
  • Sister Carol – Get It Straight Africans’ 7″ (Jah Life Time) ’89
  • Sister Rasheda – Give Me More Jah Love; 7″
  • Sista Ruby – Woman D.J.; 7″ (Freedom Sound International) ’80
  • Sister Verna – No Broke No Fight; 7″ (N***** Kojak) ’80
  • Bob Andy – Hung Up Dub; Sweet Memories (Nectar) ’76 dub album of the hour

Set 5: Vinyl is Vital

  • Super Chick – Roach Killer; Sleeping Bag’s Dancehall Classics (Priority) ’87 US
  • Al Campbell – Give the People; Rainy Days (Burning Sounds)
  • Clint Eastwood – Blues Night; Sex Education (Greensleeves) ’80 US
  • Blues Busters – I Shot the Sheriff; Phillip & Lloyd (Scepter) ’75 US Wailers cover
  • Bim Sherman & Akabu – Stop That Train; 12″ (ON U Sound) ’86 UK Keith & Tex cover

Set 6: Wailers Family Tree

Peter Touch & the Wailers – Toughest; The Toughest (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’67 

<Song bio – The Toughest>

  • Bunny Wailer – Bide Up; Jamaican Singles vol. 1 (Solomonic) ’72
  • Judy Mowatt – Concrete Jungle; Black Woman (Shanachie) ’76 Wailers cover
  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Lyrical Satirical I; Fy-ah Fy-ah (JAD) ’68 instrumental
  • The Revolutionaries – Sensi Dub vol. 1 (Original) ’70’s era dub album of the hour

Set 7: Reggae Virus Mini Opera

  • The Ethiopians – Hong Kong Flu; Original Hit Sounds (Trojan) ’69 
  • Susan Cadogan – Fever; Susan Cadogan (Trojan) ’76 Little Willie John/Peggy Lee cover
  • Jah Lloyd – Dispencer; Black Moses (Virgin Front Line) no injection, leaves an infection
  • Twinkle Brothers – Stomach Sick; Me No You (Twinkle) ’81
  • Peter Tosh – Burial; Remedies For Babylon (bootleg)

 

Set 8: Mutant Dub

  • Thievery Corporation – Culture of Fear; Live at the London Roundhouse (ESL) 2017 
  • Alpha & Omega – Who Am I to Judge; Trample the Eagle and the Dragon and the Bear (Alpha & Omega) 2005 best of UK trance dub w/ female vox
  • Singers & Players feat. Prince Far I – Virgin; King Size Dub ON U Sound (Echo Beach) re: Richard Branson of Virgin Records
  • Dubblestandart – 51 Dub; Immigration Dub (Collision) 2007 Jah-stria
  • Sip a Cup All-Stars – Watch and Peep; 10″ (Sip a Cup) 2005
  • Natacha Atlas – I Put on a Spell On You; Best of (Mantra) 2005 Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Middle Eastern cover

Words of Wisdom:

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: 7″ Roots Dawtas for International Women’s Day

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Greetings,

It was about 20 years ago. I ‘n’ I was juggling Roots Reggae on Smile Jamaica. One roots gem after another. Phone rings.

Listener calls in. “I appreciate everything you do with Smile Jamaica, but I notice you don’t play very much female Reggae.”

Remember, I ‘n’ I deejay for a small, community radio station. I haven’t had a show review in over a decade. Surely, I ‘n’ I can get into ruts like any other media or arts person.

In my defense, 80% of Reggae recorded in Jamaica, or worldwide for that matter, is performed by male artists. And I ‘n’ I subscribed to Rasta militant dj Big Youth’s maxim: No more songs about girls!

Strictly haaard Roots telling stories about the political underdogs , Rastafari gospel and the 400 years of slavery.

No more songs about girls!

I ‘n’ I thanked the listener for the critical input.  From that day on, I want to sift in at least one Roots Dawta into the mix. My sets  average 3-4 songs. It has definitely improved the sound of Smile Jamaica  and broadens the universal appeal.

And after harvesting through my Ark-Ive, it is every easy to find female Reggae artists singing about roots topics beyond Lovers Rock.

So I ‘n’ I am at the point in organizing and cataloging my Ark-Ive of several thousand Reggae 7″ 45’s. Same as with LP’s and CD’s. Harvest the Roots Dawtas in all my various categories: herb, Marley covers and tributes, rock ‘n’ soul covers, etc.

So, what a great idea to celebrate International Women’s Day with a 3 hour showcase of Reggae Roots Dawtas 7″ 45’s. The Jamaican Jukebox

bless, Bobbylon

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: March 7, 2020 – Roots Dawta 7″ Jamaican Jukebox; 69 sec.

Set 1:

  • Dhaima – Ina Jah Children; 7″ (Joe Gibbs Record Globe) ’77
  • Prince Fatty – Hollie Cook in Dub (Mr. Bongo) 2012 Dub Album of the Hour
  • Anicia Banks – I Want to Thank You; 7″ (Ashandan) ’77 Curtis Mayfield/Bob Marley cover
  • Jennifer Gad – Survival; 7″ (Black Roots) Marcia Griffiths cover
  • Della Grant – Leggo Africa; 7″ (Twinkle) ’99
  • Audrey Hall – Groove Situation; 7″ (Kebar) ’76 Keith Rowe cover
  • Massawa – Free at Last; 7″ (Full Moon) livicated to Nelson Mandela
  • Sister Nancy – Telephone Challice; 7″ (Volcano) ’82 4:20 Herb
  • Queen Ifrica – Burn Some Herbs; 7″ (Fire Links)  20005 bonus herbtune

Set 2:

  • Daughter Whinny – Shame & Scandal; 7″ (Hitbound) ’82 rude mento cover
  • Debra Keese – Travelling; 7″ (Orchid) ’79 Lee “Scratch” Perry/Black Ark prod’n
  • Taliasha Love – Roots Man; 7″ (Jah Music) ’76
  • Sharon Black – Struggling; 7″ (Clintones) ’77
  • Brenda Harry – Rise Up Stand Firm (Twinkle) 2001

Set 3:

  • The Selecter – Celebrate the Bullet; 7″ (Chrysalis) ’81 UK 2 Tone Ska
  • Sharon Little – Mash Up Creation; 7″ (One Love) ’81
  • Lady Ann – Shine Eye Boy; 7″ (Roots Tradition) ’78
  • Dawn Love – Watering; 7″ (Ja Man) ’75 over Welding
  • Daughter Cherry – Babylon You Guilty; 7″ (High Note) ’78
  • Chuck Foster – California Dubbin’ Dub Album of the Hour

Set 4:

  • Little Natural – Put Good Lyrics in the Music; 7″ (Conscious) youth gal dub poet
  • Althia – Down Town Thing; 7″ (Joe Gibbs Record Globe)
  • Novellette Barnett – Fire de a Town; 7″ (High Note)
  • Barbara Jones – Slim Boy; 7″ (Impact!) ’75

Set 5:

  • Rita Marley – Beauty of God’s Plan; 7″ (Hansa) ’80 picture sleeve; Wailers Family Tree set
  • Cedella Marley Booker – Mommy’s Daddy; 7″ (Ghetto Youths) Bob Marley’s mom
  • Marcia Griffiths – Dreamland; 7″ (High Note) ’78
  • Yvonne Harrison – Knotty Screwface; 7″ (Mart’s) ’78 Bob Marley cover
  • Judy Mowatt – Hush Baby Mother; 7″ (Ashandan) ’85

Set 6:

  • Dawn & Christine – Panadol; 7″ (M & M) herbtune
  • Sheila Hylton – Mellow Mood; 7″ (Harry J) ’77 Bob Marley cover
  • The Marvels – Rock Steady (Pama) ’71 Aretha Franklin cover
  • Norma Frazer – First Cut Is the Deepest; 7″ (Studio One) ’67 Cat Stevens cover
  • Lee “Scratch” Perry – Jah; Black Ark in Dub (Black Ark) ’81 Dub Album of the Hour

Set 7:

  • Grace Jones – Love Is the Drug; 7″ (Island) picture sleeve
  • Veronica Adams – Midnight Train to Georgia; 7″ (Impact!) ’75
  • Sheila Hylton – Lotta Love; 7″ (Jaywax) ’79 Neil Young/Nicolette Larson cover
  • Doreen Schaeffer – Sugar, Sugar; 7″ (Studio One)
  • Joy White – My Guy; 7″ (Hawk)  ’75 Deborah Wells Motown cover

Set 8:

  • Aisha – Give a Little Love; 7″ (Rockers)
  • Duche Gold – I Have a Dream; 7″ (Massawa) ’94 hailing MLK
  • New Age Steppers feat. Ari Up – Fade Away; 7″ (ON U Sound) ’80 UK Jr. Byles cover
  • Cynthia Schloss – No Brother No Cry; 7″ (Merritone) ’80 Bob Marley cover
  • Ebony Sisters – Son of a Preacher Man; 7″ (FORM) ’75 Dusty Springfield cover
  • Claudette Miller – Too Much Heaven; 7″ (Roots International) ’79 Bee Gees cover
  • Nora Dean – Barbwire; 7″ (Treasure Isle) ’70 rudeness

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-bruary 29, 2020 – Leap Day Reggae Vinyl!

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Greetings,

Ah, yes. The endorphin rush of finding that record. I ‘n’ I been a vinyl collector since clothes shopping with my Mom at Woolworth’s the beginning of 7th grade: ‘Sept. 77. The year the two sevens clashed.

My first “dig”: Best of the Doobie Brothers. (For a Seven Leaf guy, who knew the significance of that purchase 40 years on!)

With an extra Saturday, during the shortest month of the year, why note celebrate that legacy of vinyl collection with a trip down black wax memory lane on Smile Jamaica .

I was getting crosseyed with my bredrins Mike and Aquaboy. Friday 4:20. I ‘n’ I brought over a 60 minute mix for Mixcloud of my favorite UK Reggae faves. Segue into the first Black Sabbath album.

WTF?

So I’n’ I said: Would you believe I have a 7″ record that mashes up Black Sabbath with Black Uhuru?

That’s the delight in record obsession. You’ve got Satanic Heavy Metal inna mi Rasta Roots Reggae!

<Guess Who’s Coming For Sweet Leaf>

bless, Bobbylon

Set 1:

  • Judah Eskender Tafari – Jah Light; Pirates Choice (Studio One) ’80 JA – 3 Hour Vinyl is Vital Show
  • Bullwackie’s All-Stars – Black Heart Dub; Dub Unlimited (Senrab) ’76 Dub album of the hour
  • Phillip Frazer – Watch This Sound; Big Showdown (Black Solidarity) ’85 JA Buffalo Springfield cover
  • The Specials – Friday Night Saturday Morning; 12″ (2 Tone) ’81 UK EP Ghost Train picture sleeve; 2 Tone ska
  • Quasar – Get Up Stand Up; Fresh (LASN) US Wailers cover
  • Chris Wayne – All the Plant Mi Plant; Progress (Heartbeat) ’89 US 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
  • Black Harmony – Our Feelings; 12″ (Cool Rockers) ’81 UK female lovers rock

Set 2:

  • Marcia Griffiths – Ghetto Stays in the Mind; Songs of Bob Andy (Jove) ’93 UK; her ex-husband
  • The In Crowd – More Employment; His Majesty Is Coming (Creole) ’78 Fr.
  • Johnny Osbourne & the Sensations – See and Blind; Come Back Darling (Techniques) ’70 JA
  • Leroy Sibbles – Garden of Life; 12″ (Big Spanner Disco) ’77 UK Lee “Scratch” Perry/Black Ark prod’n

Set 3:

  • Yellowman – Two to Six Supermix; Jack Sprat (Hit!) ’82 JA
  • Amjam feat. Leisa Salesman – 99 Times; Live Off the Board (Celluloid) ’87 US w/ female vox
  • Dillinger – Hearsay; Badder Than Them (A & M) ’81 US
  • UB40 – My Way of Thinking; 12″ (Graduate) ’80 UK
  • Israel Vibration – Dub Worry; In Dub  (Greensleeves) ’78 Dub Album of the Hour


Set 4:

  • Triston Palma – Out a Hand; Big Showdown (Black Solidarity) ’85 JA – request
  • Big Youth – Chi Chi Run; Chi Chi Run (Prince Buster) ’72 JA herbtune
  • The Selecter – Selling Out Your Future; Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis) ’81 UK 2 Tone ska w/ female vox
  • Jonathan Arthur – Burnin; 12″ (Emerald Isle) ’89 Ft. Lauderdale

Set 5:

  • Doctor Alimantado – This Little Bird; (Tell Me You are Having a) Wonderful Time (Keyman)
  • Jean Binta Breeze – Tracks + Nanny; Tracks (LKJ) ’90 UK female dub poet

<Nanny – Shero of Jamaica>

  • Unity – Rasta Man; Heat Your Body Up (Virgin) ’83 UK
  • Ranking Roger & Blue Riddim – America & Russia/Selective Service System (ORA Interntional) ’85 LA

Set 6:

  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Do It Twice; Best of Bob Marley & the Wailers (Beverley’s) ’71 JA

<Do It Twice>

  • Sister Carol – Black Woman; Liberation For Africa (Serious Gold) ’83 DC
  • Matumbi – Brother Louie; Best of (Trojan) ’77 cover of the Stories AM pop hit
  • Teddy Brown – Get Stoned; 12″ (Eruption) ’84 US herbtune

Set 7: Jamaican Jukebox 7″ 45’s

  • Black Sabbath Meets Black Uhuru – Guess Who’s Coming For Sweetleaf; 7″ (bootleg) 7″ 
  • Negus Dawtas – I Speak the Truth; 7″ (Natty Cong) ’78 UK female roots group
  • The Clash – Armagideon Time; 7″ (Epic) US picture sleeve cover of Willi Williams reggae
  • Leroy Smart & the Revolutionaries – Waiting in Vain+ dub; 7″ (Black Star + Channel One) ’77 JA cover of Bob Marley

Set 8:

  • Jimmy Cliff – Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow; Pop Gold (Warner Bros.) ’75 German
  • Singers & Players feat. Prince Far I – Bedward the Flying Preacher; Pay It All Back vol. 1 (ON U Sound) ’84 UK
  • Mungo’s Hi Fi feat. Soom T – I Need Weed; 12″ EP (Scotch Bonnet) ’84 UK female weedstepper
  • Noiseshaper – Only Redeemer; 12″ EP (Quango) 2002 UK

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-burary 22, 2020 – Reggae Apocrypha!

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June 13, 1980 – Dortmund (West) Germany

Greetings,

I ‘n’ I know Black History Month (February) as Bob Marley Month (Bob-ruary). Born Feb. 6, 1945 he would have been 75 had he not died of melanoma on May 11, 1981 (36 years old.)

In the Rasta community, they avoid death. So part of that Ras’pect is to say “livicate” not deadicate.

As a major Reggae collector I ‘n’ I had picked up some Marley reissues in the past year.

  • Boston, ’78

Plus, a CD/DVD combo that was published on the West German rock television show Rockpalast. (See image at top.)

If you were a youth in the 70’s as I was, weekend night time rock and roll TV programs, like Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack fed viewers music television fix before the advent of MTV.

The Uprising disk/DVD = Rockpalast performance was recorded in Dortmund (West) Germany on June 13, 1980.

It was haunting. Bob was at his high point. I ‘n’ I always tell people you can gauge Bob’s age by the length of his dreads. The short and wiry, athletic Bob roamed the stage like a lion. Dreads flashing. Moving about the other group members. Full of energy and passion.

Bob’s nickname was Skipper. He was an exacting band leader who would even fine his wife Rita, among other band members, if they made a mistake. This was the video performance of a man and group leading Reggae into the mainstream.

The 80’s would have seen him at the top of the pop music pinnacle alongside stalwarts like Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, U2 and Madonna.

Alas, it wasn’t to be. Almost 3 months later Bob collapsed running  in New York’s Central Park. He performed one more show in Pittsburgh, PA (Sept. 23, 1980). And made his Exodus to Jah’s Heavenly Choir less than 8 months later.

As someone with a Ph.D. in Bobology, I was stunned. On stage in front of thousands, this was not the look of a many being ravaged by cancer.

<Bob’s Rockpalast performance; 72 sec.> 

Bob’s passing shocked the Reggae world as well. In Jamaica, and elsewhere over the decades since May ’81, I ‘n’ I have  culled nearly 50 Bob Tributes.

One thing about music when it hits you, you feel no pain. Artists exacted their grief in an expression of platonic love. Every Bobruary, I’n’ I rinse out those songs throughout the 4 weeks of Smile Jamaica editions.

<Marley Tribute phenomena; 40 sec.>

***

For the past several months I ‘n’ I have been tracking through the Wailers’ early pre-Island label catalog. We are on the 1970 recordings for Chinese Jamaican restauranteur, Leslie Kong

The Wailers had huge ska success with Coxsone Dodd’s Studio One label. But they would sell 80,000 copies of a  record and be compensated $25.

Studio One owner made thousands on sales. The Wailers made $25 on 80k sold

 

So the group quit Studio One and created their own label: Tuff Gong. However, the Jamaican music business was cut throat. DIY groups like the Wailers couldn’t get their songs into the shops or on the radio as independents. So the label folded.

Thus they turned to one of Dodd’s competitors, Leslie Kong. Beverley’s, his label, was a successful Rock Steady label selling thousands of records in the UK, especially.

Record producer is the guy that funds the sessions.

  • Recording in a music studio; pay for time
  • Paying the musicians
  • Paying the sound engineer
  • Paying to mix the tape recording
  • Paying to press the records
  • Paying to distribute the records to shops domestically and internationally
  • Payola to get the song on the radio.

The Wailers recorded about 10 songs. What to call it. Since Kong knew the group was hot, but records by the Wailers were hard to find, he wanted to call it Best of Bob Marley and the Wailers.

The group were hostile to that notion and felt they were being ripped off again. These weren’t their best songs. “Best” signifies the group was at its end, not a re-boot. The album is not exactly filler, and there are some great performances. But Best was a misnomer…at best.

The group wanted the album to be called Caution. This is where the Reggae apocrypha sneaks in. The Wailers were sighting up Rasta. With all that mystical and magical revelation, they warned Kong this offense would not go unpunished….Caution indeed.

Here is how Bunny Wailer described what happened in the liner notes of the Bunny album I have introduced on this podcast edition of Smile Jamaica. As part of I ‘n’ I Wailers Family Tree selections.

<The mysterious death of Leslie Kong; 2 min. 48 sec.>

As Bunny noted, Kong wanted to exploit the group’s sales potential: notoriety + scarcity = $$$.  Call it Best Of and watch the records fly off the shelves.

He wasn’t interested in “art” but commerce. The Wailers took their craft seriously. Here was another rip off.  Call it black magic obeah, divine justice or just the eerie circumstance of timing.

On the very day the records were to be sent to the shops, Kong died of a brain aneurysm.  He was 38 years old. Caution indeed!

Caution – the road is wet. Black soul is black as jet. Caution the road is hot. You can do better than that

How about one more story:

Haile Selassie visited Jamaica in 1966. For Peter Tosh it was a foundation moment in the development of Rastafari worship.

<Rasta Shook Them Up: Peter Touch & the Wailers>

bless, Bobbylon

Haile Selassie

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-bruary 22, 2020 Annotated Playlist

Set 1:

  • Jah Woosh – Love Jah and Live; D.J. Legend (Original) ’70’s UK vinyl
  • Scientist & Forces of Music – Marcus Mosiah Garvey; International Heroes  of Dub (Tamoki Wambesi) early 80’s UK vinyl dub album of the hour
  • Horace Andy – Get Up; Living in the Flood (Melankolik) ’99 hidden track
  • Johnny Clarke – Hypocrites; Be Thankful (Foundation Music) 70’s Bunny Lee prod’n
  • Akabu – Blackbird; Warrior Queen (ON U Sound) ’89 UK roots dawta group
  • Prince Far I – Lambs Bread Collie; Ten Commandments (Rhino) ’79? 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
  • I Roy – Rootsman; 10″ (Observer Gold) ’76 UK

 

Set 2:

  • Bob Andy & Marcia Griffiths – Lean on Me; Sweet Memories (Nectar) ’76 married duo cover Bill Withers
  • Taxi Gang – Twilight Zone; Many Moods of Sly, Robbie & the Taxi Gang (Sonic) ’86 TV theme instrumental
  • Thievery Corporation feat. Black Uhuru – Boof ‘n’ Baff ‘n’ Biff; Abductions and Reconstructions (ES)
  • Ganja Tree – Hard Road to Travel; 10″ (I-Grow) 2006 Fr. militant steppers

Set 3: Best of Smile Jamaica 30+ Years

  • King Stitt – Fire Corner; Keep on Coming in the Dance (Trojan) ’69 comp.

<How King Stitch becomes King Stitt>

  • Zap Pow – Roots Man Reggae; Zap Pow (VP) ’78
  • Gregory Isaacs – Happiness Come; Love Is Overdue (Heartbeat) ’74
  • Judy Mowatt – Sisters Chant; Black Woman (Shanachie) ’76
  • Jah Power Band – No Formula Dub; Sensi Dub vol. 7 (Original) ’95 dub album of the hour

Set 4:

  • Bunny Wailer – Tread Along; Jamaican Singles vol. 1 (Solomonic) ’69
  • Triston Palmer & Jah Thomas – Give Me a Chance + Please Mr. Officer; In Disco Style Entertainment (Munich) ’80; Jah Thomas herbtune
  • Bedouin Soundclash feat. Vernon Buckley – Higher Ground; Street Gospels (Sideonedummy) 2008 vox from The Maytones
  • Abassi All-Stars feat. Minoo – December; No Answer 10″ EP (Deep Root) 2008 UK militant steppers feat. female vox

Set 5: Vinyl Is Vital

  • Ranking Joe – Tribute to Bob Marley; Rebel DJ (Jam Rock) ’81 Miami vinyl
  • The Blackstones – Soul Shakedown Party; Insight (Burning Sounds) ’81 UK red vinyl Bob Marley cover
  • Sophia George – Tenement Yard; Fresh (Winner) ’85 UK
  • Lee Milo – Hell is On Fire; Positive Movements (Rooney) ’89 Miami
  • Ini Kamoze – I Want it Ital; Here Comes the Hotstepper (Columbia) ’84 US comp.

 

Set 6:

  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Back Out; Best of Bob Marley & the Wailers (Beverley’s) ’70 JA vinyl
  • Chalice – Master Blaster Jammin; Best of Bob Marley Stevie Wonder Bob Marley Tribute
  • Aisha – Tribulation; High Priestess (Ariwa) ’88
  • Sane Inmates – Masquerade Dance; 10″ (Ariwa) 2006 UK
  • Burning Babylon – Roots Fi Kool; Knives to the Trebel (Mars) 2004 Dub Album of the hour
This erroneously titled LP got the producer, Leslie Kong

Set 7:

  • The Wailers feat. Peter Touch – Rasta Shook Them Up; The Toughest (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’66 about Selassie’s visit to Jamaica
  • Bobby & Carol Kalphat – Memories of Bob; 7″ (Hit Vibes) ’81?
  • Faith D’Aguilar – Reggae Pioneers; 7″ (Gorgon) ’83
  • Lone Ranger – Tribute to Bob Marley; 7″ (Studio One) ’81
  • Jennifer Lara – Natural Misty; 7″ (Studio One) ’81 Bob Marley’s Natural Mystic

Set 8; Mutant Dub

  • Dub Syndicate feat. Big Youth – Wake Up; Fear of a Green Planet (Shanachie) ’98 Mutant Dub Set
  • Aldubb feat. Longfingah – Straight From the Heart; Welcome to Bassland (One Drop) 2012 Germ.
  • African  Heard Charge feat. Prof. Stretch – Brother of Reality; Drums of Defiance (ON U Sound) ’98 UFOria
  • Kid Loco – Three Foot High Reefer; Kill Your Darlings (Division One) 2001 Fr. herbtune
  • 2 Badcard – Noise Polluters; Chainstore Massacre (ON U Sound) 2003 comp.
  • Alpha & Omega feat. Nishka – Stepping Up + The Firmament; Dub Plate Selection vol. 2 (A & O) 2001 UK trance dub w/ female vox

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-bruary 15, 2020 – Aliens Don’t Stream!

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They are here and they are coming!

Greetings,

Sometimes I get asked: “What’s with all the UFO tunes on Smile  Jamaica. It’s even been mentioned in KRCL staff meetings: “Does he really belief that stuff?”

I do. My code of life is – Your perception is not my reality.

From my Sumerian Fundamentalist heritage through Ancient Aliens, Reggae is right in the middle.

Spaceship Egyptian glyph

Those who don’t like it, can scoff on over to another radio station. Because I ‘n’ I am vindicated in my belief.

Radio SOS signals from the next galaxy. Radio. Just like Carl Sagan reached out in 1977, the Aliens heard his message and are calling back.

A literal gold record

The Voyager mission when the 2 7’s clashed (1977) was meant to reach out to any sentient beings in the vastness of space. The gold record, which included Sumerian greetings: “May all be well” along side Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode.

Well, it appears they got our gift. And here they come…..

Deep space radio signals on 16.5 day repetitive cycle

<Radio signals from outerspace; 33 sec.>

“Mysterious radio signals from space have been known to repeat, but for the first time, researchers have noticed a pattern in a series of bursts coming from a single source half a billion light-years from Earth”

Not random. But on a cycle. Like we would do: Are You There?…(repeat). Now they are doing the same to us: We got your message (repeat). If you have ever seen the Jodie Foster movie, Contact, that is the plot.

The Bulgarian libertarians at Zerohedge muse:

So could it be aliens seeking to establish contact via hidden messages meant to be deciphered from rational patterns?

Naw. This is what I think happened. They got our package from the Voyager. But those fools at NASA didn’t include a record player. Plus zero gravity in space makes it impossible to “drop the needle pon the record.”

I ‘n ‘I think it is fascinating that the contact is by a “dead medium” of radio. In 10 years, on Earth, 70% of all media will be streamed. Not broadcast (radio, satellite radio, television).

Aliens, embrace my philosophy: No digital for I ‘n’ I.

So just like Pres. 45 listens to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives while watching CNN with the sound muted, maybe someway, somehow,  some miracle, the Aliens found a fellow traveller, via I ‘n’ I Mixcloud archive, and appreciate the outer space inna terrestrial rub a dub.

Black wax. Shiny aluminum disks. No 1’s and 0’s. Why not?

Remember: Your perception is not  my reality.

Smile Jamaica’s Three reasons why Aliens made radio contact; 1 min. 44

  1. They need our gravity to play records

2. Qanon told I ‘n’ I that the radio signal on repeat isn’t an SOS but was deciphered as “Play more Bob Marley”

3. No oxygen in space to spark a doobie

bless, Bobbylon

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-bruary 15, 2020 Annotated Playlist; 61 sec.

Set1:

  • Dillinger – Rockers; Tribal War (New Cross) ’86 UK vinyl
  • Roots Radics – Roy Cousins Presents Kings and Queens of Dub (Tamoki Wambesi) 80’s UK vinyl dub album of the hour
  • Lorna Asher – It Comes From Afar; Straight to Your Heart (Twinkle) ’99
  • Bunny Lye Lye – Keep on Dancing; Protect Me Lord (Twin Bros) 80’s
  • Dubblestandart feat. Devon D – We All Have to Get High; Immigration Dub (Collision) 2007 Jah-stria: 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
  • Junior Dan – Give Thanks No Skanks + Yanks & Ises; 10″ (Hi Try) ’76 JA

Set 2:

  • Hollie Cook – Vessel of Love; Vessel of Love (Merge) 2018 UK dawta of Sex Pistol Paul Cook
  • Sly Dunbar – Mr. Music; Sly, Wicked & Slick (Virgin) ’79 dub to Brothers Johnson “Strawberry Letter No. 23”
  • Asherman Meets Dub Street Rockers – Jah Seed + Seed Grow;  Zion Ready (Jump Up) 2002 vox + dj
  • Max Romeo & Dennis Brown – African + I Am the Conqueror; 10″ (Observer Gold) ’75

Set 3: Smile Jamaica’s 30+ Years of Bob Tributes

  • Cedella Marley Booker – Mother Don’t Cry; Awake Zion (Rykodisc) ’84 Bob’s Mom 
  • Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers – Lyin’ in Bed; Best of (EMI America) ’88
  • Lui Lepki – Tribute to Bob Marley; Latenight Movie (Joe Gibbs) ’81
  • Prince Far I & the Suns of Arqa – ’83 Struggle; Musical Revue (ROIR) 12/7/82 in Manchster UK
  • Aba-Shanti-I & the Shanti-Ites – Tower of Babel; Jericho Walls Verse III (Falasha) ’99 UK Mut tant dub album of the hour

Set 4:

  • Sister Carol – Man to Man; Lyrically Potent (Heartbeat) ’96 Marley cover
  • Horace Andy – Bob Marley (His Songs Live On); Exclusively (Solid Groove) ’81 UK vinyl
  • Ringo – Great Superstar; 12″ (Top Ranking) ’81 FL dj to Horace Andy

Set 5: Vinyl Tributes to Bob Marley Set

  • Yellowman – In Memory; Rides Again (RAS) ’88 DC –
  • Session feat. Azeem – Tribute to Marley; Tribute to Bob Marley (M. Al’s) ’81 Oakland
  • Roots Uprising – Master Blaster; Beautiful Music (Top Ranking) ’81 Opa Locka, FL
  • Psalm of Bob Marley + Dub – Culture; Good Things (RAS) ’89 DC

Set 6:

  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Cheer Up; Best of Bob Marley & the Wailers (Beverley’s) ’70 JA vinyl

<Cheer Up; 97 sec.>

  • Carlene Davis – Harder They Come; 15 Classic Hits (Sonic) ’80 Jimmy Cliff cover
  • Cocoa Tea – The Weed; The Herbalist (Xterminator) ’98 herbtune
  • Doctor Alimantado – Nat King Cole/Bob Marley; 12″ (ISDA) ’80 UK
  • Bunny Wailer – Dub D’sco vol. 2 (Solomonic) Dub Album of the Hour

Set 7:

  • The Wailers feat. Peter Tosh – Sinner Man; The Toughest (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’66 gospel cover

<Sinner Man; 42 sec.>

  • Afro Omega – All My Love; Pick Up the Pieces (Afro Omega) 2006 SLC w/ female vox
  • R. Zee Jackson – Come Now Father; 10″ (Sip a Cup) 2006 UK militant steppers

Set 8: UFOria

  • Devin the Dude – Zeldar; Just Tryin’ to Live (Rap a Lot) 2002 herbtune
  • Nicky Thomas – Doing the Moonwalk; Love of the Common People (Trojan) ’70
  • U Roy – Your Ace From Space; Version Galore (Virgin) ’68
  • UFO feat. Dee Dee Bridgewater – Flying Saucer; Saint Germain des Pres Cafe’ IV (Wagram) 2004 female vox
  • Thievery Corporation – Stargazing; Culture of Fear (ESL) 2012
  • Tena Stelin – UFO; Lion Symbol (Jah Warrior) ’99

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-bruary 8, 2020 – From One Bob to Another!

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Happy 75th birthday Robert Nesta Marley

Greetings,

Livicated, never dedicated to the life and legacy of Bob Marley. Born Feb. 6, 1945; 2020 would have been 75 years

<Livicated nah “dead” icated”; 61 sec.>

Let’s hear some Bob stories from Smile Jamaica’s 20+ years of Marley celebrations.

<Smile Jamaica’s Bob Marley 75 Tribute Show; 62 sec.>

First, watch this amazing clip of Redemption Song put together by the Marley Family

Bob and crew had really crossed over with Uprising. College kids and whites in America always loved Reggae, but blacks in America were rather cool to the music. It’s militancy and Old Testament songbook was out of step with 70’s secular disco and soul stylings.

But a disco mix of Comin’ in From the Cold was starting to be played at the end of the 70’s disco supremacy and even black radio was playing the album in limited rotation.

The year 1980 was gonna be the year the Wailers punched through. Blacks and whites at their North American concerts bringing the masses together in love and unity which would have probably lead to Ronald Reagan’s defeat in November that year and who knows what life would have been like had that scenario come to pass

He would have been on the pantheon of 80’s music titans like Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Madonna and Prince. Of that, I am certain.

Alas, it wasn’t to be. Bob collapsed jogging in Central Park….livicated nah dead-icate and come May, 1981 dozens of Bob’s contemporaries crashed the studios to pay homage.

<Bob Marley tribute songs; 27 sec.>

After Bob Marley was nearly assassinated by the CIA (According to Alex Jones and yours truly) at the….wait for it…..Smile Jamaica Concert, Dec. ’76. Bob made his “Exodus” to England.

While recording that landmark album, he was exposed to the punk rock movement happening. Rastas were outcasts in Jamaica. So were the punks in England.

<Bob loved punk rock; 36 sec.>

New wave, new rave
New wave, new wave, new rave
Let me tell you, we’re going to a party
And I hope you are hardy
So please don’t be naughty
For it’s a punky reggae party
New wave, new rave
New wave, new rave
Tell you what, take a joyful sound
To make the world go ’round
Come with your heart and soul
Come-a, come-a and rock your boat
‘Cause it’s a punky reggae party
And it’s tonight
It’s a punky reggae party
And it’s alright
Oh-oh-oh?
Rejected by society (do re mi fa)
Treated with impunity (so la te do)
Protected by their dignity (do re mi fa)
I face reality (so la te do)
New wave, new rave
New wave, new wave, new rave
Wailers be there
The Dammed, The Jam, The Clash
Maytals will be there
Doctor Feelgood too, ooh
No boring old farts, no boring old farts,…
Yet, Judy Mowatt, one of the songbirds in the I-Three, Bob’s female backing trio, thought Bob was more like the Biblical Prophet, Joseph. Leading his people out of bondage, not in Egypt, but Babylon. Heading to Zion in Africa.
<Bob Marley = Joseph; 34 sec.>
Last story was about the prodigious father Bob was. Eleven kids (two adopted from Rita) by seven different women. I give the scorecard:
<Bob’s brood; 46 sec.>
And let’s end with this couplet from Punky Reggae Party. Pure brilliance!
Rejected by society 
Treated with impunity 
Protected by their dignity 
I face reality
If mankind gets 500 more years, they will still mention the 3 B’s. Not Beethoven, Bach and Brahms. It will be Bob Dylan, The Beatles and Bob Marley!
Selah!
bless, Bobbylon

Set 1:

  • Cedella Marley Booker – He’s a Rastaman; Awake Zion (Rykodisc) ’84: Bob’s Mom: 3 hours of Bob Marley 75th Birthday Celebration
  • Chalawa – Natural Mystic Dub; Exodus Dub (Weston’s) ’78 Canadian dub of Bob Marley
  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Smile Jamaica; Kaya (Deluxe) ’77 Lee “Scratch” Perry show theme!
  • Macka B – Bob; Hold Onto Your Culture (Ariwa) ’96
  • Culture – Double Tribute to the O.M.; Lion Rock (Heartbeat) ’82 – Order of Merit (Jamaica’s highest civilian honor)
  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Easy Skanking; Boston ’78 (Tuff Gong) 6/8/78 live at the Boston Music Hall: 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
  • Jah Thomas – Tribute to the Reggae King; 12″ (Midnight Rock) ’81 JA

  • Set 2:
  • Alpha Blondy – Mystic Night Move; Masada (World Enterprise) ’92 Ivory Coast
  • Ijahman Levi – Bob and Friends Over There; Inside Out (Jahmani) ’89
  • Brigadier Jerry – Tribute to Marley; On the Road (RAS) ’90
  • Sue Chaloner – Missin’ Mr. Marley; 12″ (CNR) ’84 Neth.

Set 3: Best of 30+ Years of Bob Marley Tributes

  • Mikey Dread – In Memory (Jacob, Marcus, Marley); S.W.A.L.K. (Heartbeat) ’82 Best of Smile Jamaica 30+ Years Set
  • Sister Carol – Dedicated to Bob Marley; Black Cinderella (Jah Life/Heartbeat) ’84
  • Bunny Wailer – Stay With the Reggae; Marketplace (Shanachie) ’85
  • Prince Far I – Tribute to Bob Marley; Voice of Thunder (Trojan) ’83
  • Barrett Brothers – Bradsta Dub; Macka Dub (Clocktower) ’80 Familyman & Carly of the Wailers. Dub album of  the hour

Set 4: 7″ Jamaican Jukebox Bob Marley Tributes

  • The I Three – He’s  a Legend; 7″ (Tuff Gong) ’86 7″ 
  • Prince Ital Joe – I Miss Mr. Marley; 7″ (Royal Safari Music)
  • Errol Scorcher – Sounds of Hon. Marley; 7″ (Dance Hall) ’82
  • Toots & the Maytals – Marley’s Gone (His Songs Live On); 7″ (Louv) 8/4/82 live at Reggae Sunsplash

Set 5: Vinyl Tributes to Bob Marley

  • Bankie Banx – Remember Bob; Soothe Your Soul (Redemption) ’82 Antigua
  • Papa Finnigan & Junior Ranking – Tribute to Bob Marley; Two the Hard Way (Heartbeat) ’83 Cambridge, MA
  • Shaka Man – If It Wasn’t For the Rastaman (Tribute to Bob); 2030 A.D. (Majicaa) 80’s Los Angeles
  • Carlton Livingston – Tribute to Bobby; Soweto (El Bebo International) ’81 DC

Set 6:

  • Judy Mowatt – Joseph; Black Woman (Shanachie) ’76 – Bob as biblical prophet
  • Ky-Mani Marley; Dear Dad; CD Single (Gee Street) ’98 Bob’s son
  • Abyssinians – Jah Marley; Last Days (Tabou1) ’99
  • Stevie Wonder – Master Blaster (Jammin’); Hotter Than July + dub 7″ (Tamla) ’81
Stevie Wonder in dub!

Set 7:

  • Randeesh – Bob Marley is a River of Love; Courage (Mountain Lion) 2004 Canada
  • Isaac Haile Selassie – Dear Bob; CD Single (Resin Music) ’99
  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Punky Reggae Party; CD Single (Tuff Gong) ’77 Lee “Scratch” Perry mix

Set 8:

  • Bob Marley & the Wailers – Iron, Lion, Zion; CD Single (Tuff Gong) ’92
  • Everton Blender – Bob; Piece of the Blender (Heartbeat) ’96
  • Alpha & Omega – Freedom Fighters; Sound System Anthology (ROIR) ’95
  • Winston Groovy – Nightshift; 12″ (Sound City) ’85 Commodores cover

Words of Wisdom: