Celebrating 25 Years of Reggae Radio with the Best of Smile Jamaica: CD Edition
<Records come from vinyl; what are CDs made of? Aluminum? 5 sec.>
Jump straight to the Jah-vember 15, 2014 Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive. Read below for the Tracklist
I pulled 50 tracks from my early days of Reggae collecting (1986-1990). Then I put those 50 in chronilogical order and started juggling the Disks from 4-7 PM.
Essentially: I am trying to recreate what my first show would have sounded like: Jah-tober 1989: Smile Jamaica.
Prince Buster – Nyabinghi drums from 1967. Earliest selection from Smile Jamaica’s Top 50
<Best of Smile Jamaica 25 Years High-lights; 77 sec.>
Probably the first time in a decade no Black Wax on Smile Jamaica
<Vinyl Free edition; first time in a decade; 17 sec.>
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-vember 15, 2014: Best of 25 Years.
Annotated playlist (soundbytes, Reggae History Lessons, photos, captions.)
25 years of the Red, Gold and Green. Africa: Red (blood); Gold (riches); Green (harvest)
Set 1:
Black Uhuru – Solidarity; Anthem (Mango) ‘84
<Anthem: The album that made me a Reggae fanatic; 29 sec.>
Jah Shaka Meets Aswad – Addis Ababa; In Addis Ababa Studio (Jah Shaka) ’84: Dub Album of the Week; 15 sec.
Prince Buster – Chubby; Original Golden Oldies vol. 2 (Blue Beat) ’67; nyabinghi drumming
Bunny Wailer – This Train; Blackheart Man (Mango) ‘76
<Woody Guthrie’s – This Train; 25 sec.>
Burning Spear – Red, Gold and Green; Marcus Garvey (Mango) ‘75
<Significance of Red, Green & Gold; 45 sec.>
The Diamonds & the Upsetters – Talk About It; Open the Gate (Trojan) ‘75
Michael Rose meets Sly & Robbie. This album started a 28 year journey into Reggae & Dubwize
Set 2:
<Smile Jamaica used to air at 1pm when I started in ’89; 28 sec.>
Jacob Miller – Keep on Knocking; Who Say Jah No Dread (Greensleeves) ‘75
Judy Mowatt – Black Woman; Black Woman (Shanachie) ‘76
Dillinger – Ragnampiza; Bionic Dread (Mango) ’76; 17 sec.
Max Romeo – Smokey Room; War ina Babylon (Mango) ’76; 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement; 17 sec.
Peter Tosh – Till Your Well Runs Dry; Legalize It (Columbia) ’76; William Bell cover
<Blues Reggae hybrid; 10 sec.>
Set 3:
<Smile Jamaica Best of 25 Years; 15 sec.>
Junior Murvin – Roots Train; Police and Thieves (Mango) ‘77
I Roy – Tiddle le Bop; Heart of a Lion (Virgin Front Line) ’78 nursery rhyme
Wailing Souls – Jah Give Us Life; Very Best of (Greensleeves) ‘78
<First song back after being in the hospital; Nov. 2012; 35 sec.>
The perfect song after surviving 5 days in ICU with blood poisoning and six weeks off air to recover. Blessings
Set 4:
<Saturday Volunteer History on KRCL 90.9FM: 120+ years of Radio volunteering; 23 sec.>
Earl Zero – Please Officer; Visions of Love (Epiphany) ’79 herbtune
<4 down, 46 to go!; 10 sec.>
Errol Dunkley – A Little Way Different; Darling Ooh (Attack) ‘79
Itals – Don’t Wake the Lion; Early Recordings (Nighthawk) ‘79
<Tiger loose in Eurodisney; Paris; 11 sec.>
As if the ticket prices at Disneyland weren’t bad enough. Tiger on the loose. Not looking for Mickey or Minnie
Set 5:
<Smile Jamaica Best of 25: From 50 cuts to 33 gems: diamond ruff; 13 sec.>
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Forever Loving Jah; Uprising (Tuff Gong) ‘80
<When Bob Marley CD’s were first released; 54 sec.>
The Beat – Mirror in the Bathroom; I Just Can’t Stop It (Go Feet!/IRS) ’80 2 Tone ska
Linton Kwesi Johnson – Fite Dem Back; Forces of Victory (Mango) ’80 UK dub poet
<Skinhead shoelaces: Red laces – anti-Racist skins; White laces – Racist skins; 37 sec.>
When Island finally got around to releasing the Marley catalog on CD, I took part of my student loan check and bought every one: From Catch a Fire to Rebel Music. Ronald Reagan was a great supporter of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives via the Pell Grant and Loans. Give thanks!
Set 6:
<Smile Jamaica: 25 years of Bass in ur Face! 18 sec.>
Rita Marley – One Draw; Big Blunts vol. 1 (Tommy Boy) ’81 herb tune
Dennis Brown – If I Had the World; Foul Play (A & M) ‘81
One draw. Draw is a verb. To inhale, draw, smoke from a smoking utensil or spliff. Probably comes from draft. As in pour me a draft of Heineken while I take a draw off my spliff. 4 down, 46 to go!
Set 7:
<25 Years!; 13 sec.>
Toure’ Kunda; E’mma; E’mma Africa (Celluloid) ’81; Senegalese West African reggae
<Weaponized Ebola got loose in West Africa? 18 sec.>
The Selecter – Celebrate the Bullet; Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis) ’81 2 Tone ska w/ Pauline Black on vox
Culture – Lion Rock; Lion Rock (Heartbeat) ‘82
<Put HIM on the currency: Lion Rock; 13 sec.>
Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse; Night Nurse (Mango) ‘82
Summer of 2014: ISIS, downed Malaysian airliner, Gaza and ebola all happened in the same week. Google weaponized ebola. Conspiracy theory? No, conspiracy fact!
Myself (KRCL vet since 1988); Brian Kelm blues savant since 1980 and Renee and Dawn, Drivetime Imposters, 2002-2008 talk about how we got involved at KRCL.Your station that rules the nation!
Radioactive was KRCL’s listener call in show that ran from 2003 Labor Day until summer 2012.
I did the very first hour long interview on Labor Day 2003. The show was born from the 3 hour call in we did on Smile Jamaica when the 2003 March Iraq Invasion went hot. No music. Just listeners calling in with their thoughts on the war and me talking about Middle East politics which I have two college degrees in.
I probably did 400 interviews. Nick Burns, who was there the nearly nine years the show aired, interviewed us on our history at KRCL. Nice.
Radioactive Progressive Interviews. Sept. 2003 – July 2012. I did 400 of them: Howard Zinn, Amy Goodman, Ralph Nader
That Black Uhuru album above pretty much lit the fuse on nearly three decades of collecting, listening and promoting Roots Reggae and Mutant Dubwize.
25 years of Reggae Radio on Smile Jamaica.
Since Jah-tober 1989: krcl.org 90.9FM SLC
So to celebrate that legacy I am going to try and recreate what my first Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive show might have sounded like: Jah-tober 1989.
Now I am going to do the same with those antique aluminum by-products things which can serve dubble duty as a drink coaster:
Best of 25 Years of Smile Jamaica: All CDs.
Rare that I don’t bust out any Black Wax, but today I’m going through what I was deep into, Roots and Dubwise, back in the mid 80s (Oct. 1986 is when I first touched down on Black Uhuru – Anthem) up until 1988 when I started early mornings on KRCL (3 o’Clock Roadblock) and then primetime Saturdays on Smile Jamaica: Jah-tober ’89.
Dub Album of the Week: Early addition to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
So I spent the week jotting down tunes and artists that I would have really played in the first two years of being on air. Year 1: 3 o’Clock Roadblock, learning how to do radio. Then a little more than a year later doing Saturday Afternoons to a bigger and loyal Salt Lake Reggae audience on Smile Jamaica.
Wailers Family Tree: Bob (Uprising); Peter (Legalize It); Bunny (Blackheartman); Marcia – Naturally; Judy – Black Woman; Rita – One Draw
Heavy Roots: Spear, Culture, Israel Vibration
Seven Leaf: Rita, Max Romeo
2 Tone Ska: The Selecter and The Beat
Deejays and Dub Poets: LKJ, Mutabaruka, I Roy, Dillinger
Early addition to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
So I get 3 hours and that means about 33-35 songs. I pulled 50 and then put them in chronological order. (As a Librarian I have a database of my music.) “Year” is one of my data entry cells.
From the earliest (1967) Prince Buster to 1990 (African Head Charge). Tune in to see how it all sounds.
bless, robt
Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts
When Island released the entire Marley LP catalog on CD, I bought every one on the first day of release. Graywhale CD – SLC. Thanks to Ronnie Raygun’s student loan program.
Mutant Dub World Tour: France, Los Jah-ngeles, Jah-pon, UK
<Praise Jah for Daylight Savings: UFO watching soundtrack>
Roots Dawtas: Pacific Islander duo, Soom T from Scotland; Aisha UK; Canadian dub poetess; Los Jah-ngeles, Collie-fornya, French dubstress
Vinyl is Vital …. rhymes with Ital: Canadiandub poetry, herbage, JA harmony trio, JA deejay; Marley tribute
Wailers Family Tree: Bob last live ’80; Peter at the One Love Peace Concert ’78; Bunny Wailer digital ’86; Johnny Clarke covers Bob inna herbal stylee.
Slaying the Drug War with riddim!
Below is the Annotated Playlist: photos, captions, Reggae History Lessons, soundbytes: Jah-vember 1, 2014 Smile Jamaica
Set 1: Vinyl Seven Leaf Election Celebration Set
<4 down, 46 to go!: Smile Jamaica’s Pot Prediction 75% success rate; 85 sec.>
Aisha – His Imperial Majesty; Daughters of Zion (Twinkle) ’93 UK vinyl
Bush Chemists – Raw Raw Dub (ROIR) 2005, Dub Album of the Week; UK mutant dubbers
Azeem & Session – Big Head Spliff; Dreadfly (Joe Gibbs) ’82 FL vinyl: 4:20 Vinyl Set. 4 down, 46 to go!
Chris Blackwell is a Vampire. Lee “Scratch” Perry: I am a stud, I do NOT drink blood!
Jump straight to the Jah-loween Ark-Ive…if you dare!
Here is the musical torture of Smile Jamaica Jah-loween Spooktacular: Jah-tober 25, 2014
<Ranking Dreads vs. the Living Dead!>
Unlike Fox running the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror in November when it loses its impact after All Hallow’s Eve, the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives celebrates the last Saturday before Oct. 31st!
<Dubhouse of Horror; 43 sec.>
Word Series in October, means Treehouse of Horror in November. WTF?
Me being a librarian by trade, I had to be extra organized. I separated my 666 Jah-loween tunes by demography. Then I had my cheat sheet of 75+ horror soundbytes and movie trailers that I chopped up inna vivisection stylee during the month of Jah-tober in my Secret Dubratory buried in the crypt of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
A rare glimpse of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives located in the bowels of the Sugarhood, downtown Salt Lake City, Utah
Here is my Jah-loween Demonology:
Witchdoctors practicing Black Magic, Voodoo and Jamaican Obeah
Blood Suckers: Barnabas Collins, Dracula and assorted vampires
Devils: Lucifer, Satan with the Mark of the Beast pon their ugly faces
Dungeons, Coffins, Graveyards and Boneyards
Frankenstein
Ghosts and Jamaican duppies
The Mummy
Skeletons
Werewolves
Injustice League of Super Demons skanking for 3 hours on Smile Jamaica
< 3 hours of Reggae Spooktacular: Pick up your Cross and follow me!>
<Greetings: This week on Smile Jamaica: 55 sec. intro>
Jump straight to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive Jah-tober 11, 2014: Stream. Below is the Annotated Playlist with photos and captions and soundbites
Reggae History Lessons: Robert Palmer Meets Scratch; When Doves Cry; Hooters Reggae, Jamaican minorities in the music business
Tributes: Malala Yousafzai Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Primal Scream
Fire and Brimstone: France’s war on the Seven Leaf
Back from two weeks of Radiothon: raising cash to keep Smile Jamaica commercial free. No Walmart for I ‘n’ I. Selah!
Getting into the Halloween, I mean Jah-loween, uh…spirit! The Island of Jamaica. Out of many one is the national motto.
Much like I have in excess of 800 4/20 Seven Leaf Reggae and Dub jams, I probably have 666 or so Reggae Jah-loween gems.
Superstition plus the evil metaphor of the living dead sucking the blood of the righteous, makes Reggae well attuned to the undead or Un-Dread.
Michael Rose of Black Uhuru: “I n I are the Living Dread Inna dis ya Dawn of the Living Dead!”
Black African folk tradition plus British concepts of spooks and spirits. Immigrant communities from Syria, India, China add their traditions of the Evil Eye into the stew.
Plenty of Reggae tunes devoted to witches, vampires, ghouls/duppies, zombies, mummies, werewolves and other assorted witchcraft and soul theft.
The French law on drug use is severe: every use, no matter the circumstances, is liable to penalty. The maximum penalties for cannabis use are a sentence from two months up to a year and/or a fine from 500 Euros to 25,000 Euros. ($636 – $31,815)
In what would be one of the more aberrant recent decisions of the French justice system, two pro-pot activists risk spending a year in jail for wearing T-shirts emblazoned with a picture of a cannabis leaf.
A zealous public prosecutor this week demanded 12-month prison terms for Jean-Pierre Galland, president of the Cannabis Information and Research Collective, and Laurence Duffy, head of the campaign group’s Lyon branch, for contravening article 630 of the French public health regulations.
The law bans French citizens from “portraying in a favourable light and promoting or inciting the consumption of any product classed as a banned substance”. The pair are also accused of selling CDs bearing the deeply suspect title of “A little piece of hemp music”.
This shirt could get you a year in jail in France. Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite….Bullshit all the way!
Set 2:
Aisha – Evil Spirits; High Priestess (Ariwa) ’88 female; Mad Prof. prod’n*
Culture – We Deh Yah Still; Lion Rock (Heartbeat) ‘88
4th Street Orchestra – One Life to Live; (Scientific) Higher Ranking Dubb (Rama) ’77 UK, Dennis Bovell
Junior X – Legalize It; 7” (Dollar Production); Tosh cover; Request
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: One of the earliest and still most beloved female Roots Reggae offering in the Ark-Ives
Set 3: Rockers do Reggae
Robert Palmer – Love Can Run Faster; From the Heart of the Congo (RUNNetherlands) ’78; Lee Perry prod’n
<Love Can Run Faster; 29 sec.>
Lee “Scratch” Perry Black Ark gem
Primal Scream – Higher Than the Sun (A Dub Symphony in Two Parts); Screamadelica (Sire) ’91 UK
Prince wrote and composed “When Doves Cry” after all the other tracks on Purple Rain were complete. In addition to vocals, he played all instruments on the track. The song’s texture is remarkably stark. There is no bass line, which is very unusual for a dance song; Prince has said that there originally was a bass line, but decided, after a conversation with singer Jill Jones, that the song was too conventional with it intact.[4] During live performances of the song on the Purple Rain Tour, Brown Mark, Prince’s then-bass player, added bass lines in this song and other songs without a bass line.
Out of Denver, Collie-rado. Prince’s original was bass free. WTF?
The Hooters – All You Zombies; Nervous Night (CBS) ‘85*
The Hooters were formed in 1980 and played their first show on July 4 of that year. They took their name from a nickname for the melodica,[1] a type of keyboard harmonica which is German in origin and created by Hohner after a friend of Eric Bazilian lent Rob Hyman a Hohner model Piano-36 which was used on their recordings and never returned to the friend.[That same year, Bazilian and Hyman were asked to write, arrange and perform on the debut album of a relatively unknown singer named Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual, which was being produced by their former producer and friend, Rick Chertoff. Hyman co-wrote the song “Time After Time” (and also performed the distinctive harmony vocals during the chorus), which would go on to hit Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and was subsequently nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
Jah-loween. Nuff Reggae tunes about witches, vampires, ghouls, zombies, duppies, Frankenstein. “Pick up your Cross and follow me!” — Lee “Scratch” Perry
Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts
Greetings,
Give thanks and Praise for those of you who made a pledge to Smile Jamaica during KRCL’s recent Fall Fund Drive. The Reggae ‘n’ Dub massive pulled together 20,000 dollars for my 25 years and KRCL’s 35 years. Even held our own against the Ute football homecoming game. bless indeed!
Community/Public Radio is the last bastion of media that is for its listeners and not for advertisers. Always is a blessing to see an ethnic music program, Reggae: Smile Jamaica, holds it own against the rock and indie programs in planting that flag for Saturday Afternoons devoted to Roots ‘n’ Dubwize. We – all together = have the skillz to pay the bills!
Six hours in the chair pleading for kasheesh. Now let’s get on with the tunes for the next six months.
Sat. Jah-tober 25; 4-7 PM. Smile Jamaica’s 20+ Jah-loween Extravaganza. 3 hours of all kiiller spooky tunes and horror flick sound bytes. Boo-tiful!
I started the Smile Jamaica blog during the 20 Days of Jah-pril. Cannabis Service Month. That annual 4:20 blowout, with all the sound bytes segueing between the Cannabliss and Seven Leaf meditations, is probably my favorite show during the year.
For the same reasons, my co-favorite Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive show takes place on the last Saturday before Halloween. Same method to my madness as on or near 4/20. Take 35 or so songs devoted to Evil Forces and otherworldly spirits and stitch in sound bytes and clips from various Horror movies!
We will be hearing a Reggae cover of this plus Vincent Prices’s sound interlude during Jah-tober Jah-loween on Smile Jamaica
Here is the High-lights for today’s show: Jah-tober 11, 2014 Ark-Ive
Dub Album of the Week: Delixx – Uprising in Dub (Micron) ’80. Trumpet instrumentals of Bob’s last album. So the music never has to stop!
Cannabis Service Announcements: Let’s see how many Seven Leaf Disco Mix 10″ and 12″s I’ve got in the crate this week.
Mutant Dub: Last half hour of UFO-ria
Rockers do Reggae: First Saturday tradition since last Sat. was Radiothon: Good and rare. Check it!
Lee “Scratch” Perry rarity
Dub re-imagination out of Denver, Collie-rado
From the Ark-Ives. Mystery Rockers do Reggae inna Jah-loween Style. Cyndi Lauper connection, MTV staple, one hit wonders
Roots Dawtas: Every generation: 70’s (Marcia G.); 80’s (Aisha), The Selecter; 90”s (Zion Train); 2010ers(?): Hollie Cook
Wailers Family Tree: Bob in Pittsburgh 9/23/80: Last Live Performance; Tosh Live @ One Love Peace Concert (4/22/78); Bunny Wailer “Rule Dance Hall” ’87; Marcia Steppin’
Vinyl Is Vital – Whole Heap of Jah-loween! (Midway of 3 hours; 5:30 live)
Lone Ranger’s Unholy Trinity of Jah-loween: Barnabas Collins – Soap Opera vampire. Annie Palmer (Jamaican witch). Frankenstine (sp.)
bless, robt
Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:
Or read the story and look below for the Annotated Playlist
Greetings,
Aww, strolling down memory lane. 25 years every Saturday on Smile Jamaica. As the Ark-Ive grows, it just takes too long to cull from A to Z. All the Vinyl especially. I just reminisce too much on each album. Where I bought it, why I bought it. Are there herb tunes or Marley covers I forgot about? Halloween ditties or other oddities….and on and on and on.
So my methodology was to try my best to re-create a potential first episode. (I actually debuted first Saturday of KRCL’s Fall Radiothon). So I knew I would have to have a representative from at least a dozen or so of my original favorite artists….all on Black Wax. 50 Records where I get to juggle, consistently from show to show, between 32-35 selections over 3 hours.
I knew I had to feature these artists:
Bob Marley
Don Carlos
Jimmy Cliff
Burning Spear
Lee Perry’s brooding Black Ark sound
Roots Dawtas
Seven Leaf
UK artists
Adrian Sherwood’s Mutant Dub ON U Sound label
The Clash – discovered Reggae via UK punkers before Marley, Tosh and Bunny
Everyone on the floor of my dorm at the U of U got to “enjoy” this album. Perhaps my all time favorite?
Plus songs that I absolutely loved in the 1986-1988 Era:
Culture – Calling Rastafari
UB40 female toaster V’s Version from the rare dubble disk UK version pared down to a single in the US – Baggariddim
Big Youth – Get On Up. Hardcore Reggae disco funk
Sister Frica – One in the Spirit: From Methodist Sunday School to Pablo’s “Far East” Jamaican sound
Arthur Louis – beautiful version with Eric Clapton of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
Below is the Annotated Playlist: Reggae History Lessons, Soundbites, Playlist, photos and captions.
On this Playlist, I search deep in my LONG term memory to try and remember where I would have purchased these Black Wax Vinyls; 1986-1988. Most of these Record Stores are gone now, but back in the day it was a Vinyl Paradise. Lps were cheap to make way for these new gizmos called CDs.
Thanks for being a part of 25 years listening to Smile Jamaica. Forward ever, backwards never!
bless, robt
25 Years of the Red Gold and Green. Give Thanx!
Playlist: Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Sept. 20, 2014
Set 1: 25 Year All Vinyl Is Vital Showcase
Black Uhuru – Party Next Door; Anthem (Mango) ’84 US (Smokey’s Records, SLC)
Bullwackies All Stars – Recording Connection; Black World (Wackies) ’79 Dub Album of the Week; NYC
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Jah Live; Countryman Soundtrack (Mango) ’82 US (Cosmic Aeroplane, SLC); single recorded 1976
<Reggae History Lesson: Bob Marley: You cyaan (can’t) kill God! 25 sec.>
Rita Marley – Beauty of God’s Plan; Rita Marley (Trident) ’81 UK (Streetlight Records, SF)
Culture – Calling Rastafari; Calling Rastafari (Nighthawk) ’82 Various Artist St. Louis, Jah-ssouri (Randy’s Records, SLC)
<Reggae History Lesson: US Record Labels slinging Reggae; 30 sec.>
Black Slate – Legalize Collie Herb + Legal Dub; Rasta Festival (Alligator) UK 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement; ’81 Jah-cago blues label (Rasputin Records, Berkeley)
T Shirt from Year 1 of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive (circa 1988). 1976 single written after Haile Selassie was overthrown as Emperor of Ethiopia and imprisoned by the Dergue (Ethiopian Communists)
Set 2:
Desmond Dekker – Big Headed; Compass Point (Stiff) ’81 UK (Streetlight Records, SF)
Junior Byles – Cally Weed; Rasta No Pickpocket (Nighthawk) ’86 herb tune; St. Louis, Jah-ssouri (label promo)
The Selecter – Bristol and Miami; Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis) ’81 2 Tone Brit Ska; about riots in UK and FL (Mad Platter Records, SLC)
Don Carlos – Living in Harmony; Prophecy (Blue Moon/Magnum) ’85 UK (RAS mail order, DC)
Ferguson 2014. Miami 1980
Set 3:
The Congos – Children Crying; Heart of the Congos (Congo Ashanty) ’77 JA; Lee Perry/Black Ark/Upsetters (RAS mail order)
Big Youth – Get On Up; Rock Holy (Negusa Negast) ’80 JA (RAS mail order)
Burning Spear – Jah a Guh Raid; Hail H.I.M. (Burning Spear) ’80 JA (Rutabaga Records, SLC)
Sister Frica – One in the Spirit; Rockers All Star Explosion (Alligator) ’83 A. Pablo prod’n; Sunday School Hymn (label promo)
While my Dad was on the City Council. Methodist Sunday School hymn
Set 4:
Alpha Blondy & the Wailers – Jerusalem; Jerusalem (Stern’s) ’86 UK; Cote d’Ivoire, West Africa (RAS mail order)
Desi Roots – Weedfields; Doing it Right (Hawkeye) ’80 UK; herb tune (Esoteric Records, Sacramento)
Dillinger – Check Sister Jane; King Pharoah (Blue Moon/Magnum) ‘84 UK; Marley Waiting in Vain – Johnny Clarke (Greensleeves mail order, UK)
One of hundreds of gems my Smile Jamaica predecessor, John “Rutabaga” Resse, turned me on to circa 1987-88
Set 5:
Arthur Louis – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door; This is Reggae Music vol. 2 (Island) ’75 US Bob Dylan cover (Smokey’s Records, SLC)
<Arthur Louis and Eric Clapton cover Dylan; 32 sec.>
<Reggae History Lesson: Reggae’s love of AM pop and black soul; 23 sec.>
Jimmy Cliff – Keep Your Eyes on the Sparrow; Best of Jimmy Cliff (Island) ’75 Jah-taly; folk ballad (Half Price Records, Berkeley)
UB40 & Sister V – V’s Version; Baggariddim (Virgin) ‘85 dubble disk. Update of Boy Friday rock steady classic (Randy’s Records, SLC)
Perhaps the best Zimmy cover of this out of hundreds. Eric Clapton on guitar
Set 6:
Ruffy & Tuffy – Third World War; Climax (Black Star) ‘88 Finland (Tower Records, SF)
<World War III as predicted by Nelstradamus last Feb. during Ukraine Coup; 16 sec.>
<Cold War II, Electric Boogaloo: Obama v. Putin; 20 sec.>
Lone Ranger – Legalise the National Herb; Hi-Yo, Silver, Away! (Greensleeves) ’82 UK herb tune (Tower Records, Las Vegas)
Leroy Smart – Rock and Come On; On Top (Micron) ’82 Can. (RAS mail order)
Full Experience feat. Aura – Young, Gifted and Broke; Aura Meets Lee “Scratch” Perry at Black Ark Studios (Blue Moon) Fr. Nina Simone cover; Black Ark w female vox (RAS mail order)
Cold War II – Proof that the sequel is never as good as the original
Set 7:
Casselberry & DuPree – Coming in From the Cold; City Down (Icebergg); ’86 Jah-waukee Marley cover (label promo)
The Clash feat. Mikey Dread – Bankrobber/Robber dub; Black Market Clash (NuDisk) 10” US (Randy’s Records)
Johnny Clarke – Rebel Soldering; Don’t Trouble Trouble (Attack) ’88 UK; Bunny Lee comp (Smokey’s Records)
<Smile Jamaica Reggae Lexicon: Soldering or Welding; 10 sec.>
Flick Wilson – Slave Master; School Days (Jah Life) ’80 JA (The Beat, Sacramento, CA)
10″ Vinyl picture sleeve Nu Disk. One of the very first additions to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives. Randy’s Records, Salt Lake City; Oct. 1986
Saturday, Sept. 20; 4-7 PM Mtn. Time – 25 Years with All Vinyl!
Greetings,
<Smile Jamaica, The King’s Music; Jamaican Blues for 25 Years>
Here is the Sept. 13, 2014 Ark-Ive edition of Smile Jamaica
Read below for the Weekly High-lights of the 3 hour show!
Be sure to tune in next Saturday. (9/20). 4-7 PM. Mountain Time. Live celebrating 25 years in the chair laying down Roots, Dub and your college for musical knowledge. “Don’t be a faka, listen to Smile Jamaica!”
My favorite Vinyl from 1986-87 when I became a Reggae Fanatic. Been strolling through the Ark-Ives. Letters A and B and I already pulled 50+. An average Smile Jamaica is about 33-35 songs.
<Smile Jamaica 25 Years of Vinyl: 9/20/14; 30 sec.>
Annotated Playlist: History Lessons, sound bytes, photos & captions.
Reggae/Cannabis History Lessons
Sleng Teng, the Birth of Dancehall (Computerised) Reggae
Marley Anti-War (NO WAR IN SYRIA!)
Marley biography. Bob in Germany
Operation Eradication: Anti-marijuana crop burning imposed on Jamaica by Reagan for monetary/trade assistance. Neoliberal war on the poor
The Middle Passage: African Slavery
High-Lights of 9/13/14 Smile Jamaica:
Dub Album of the Week: Skatalites Jazz-Frican drums & horns
Wailers Family Tree: Bob Live ’80; Peter Jah-loween preview, Bunny ’87
Vinyl is V-Ital: Lps black wax, 7″ Jamaican Jukebox, 10″ Disco Mix
Roots Dawtas: Euro Dubstresses, Sister Carol does Bob Andy, 2 Tone ska, Collie-rado dubhoppers
Mutant Dub World Tour: Jah-cago, UK, Fr., Collie-rado
Operation Eradication: Neoliberal attack on Marijuana in Jamaica as the “poor man’s banker”. To get US money, Jamaican gov’t had to eradicate a source of income for poor rural farmers: Cannabis, The Seven Leaf, Collie Weed. Raaas claat, Bumba claat, Fiya burn!…Literally
Set 7: Jamaican Jukebox: 45 7″ RPM
Lloyd Hemmings – Africa; 7” (Jama) ’74 UK
<Reggae History Lesson: Slavery & the Middle Passage; 70 sec.>
Stanley Braveman – Pumps & Pride; 7” (Rebel Force)
Roland Burrell – Johnny Dollar; 7” (Sonic) ’83
Don Taylor – Africa Must Be Free; 7” (Foundation Sounds)
The Middle Passage: 12 million plus Africans made this journey on floating coffins. “We were packed like sardines in a tin. When the boat overload, they throw some of us overboard” — Prince Far I with Singers & Players “Dungeon”
Set 8: Mutant Dub
Jai Alai Savant – Low Frequent See; Flight of the Bass Delegate (Gold Standard Laboratories) 2007 Jah-cago
Dubterror – Shinobi; Dubterror (Universal Egg) 2009 UK
King General & Bush Chemists – Joker Smoker; Money Run Tings (Conscious Sounds) ’96 UK herbtune
Kanka – Make It This Time; Sub.Mersion (Hammerbass) 2009 Fr.
Heavyweight Dub Champion feat. Lady K – Trouble; Return of the Champion (Champion Nation) 2009 Collie-rado
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.