Tag Archives: Ronald Reagan

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-ly 2, 2022 – 34 Years of Reggae Vinyl!

July 8, 2022 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

Greetings,

Imagine a time long ago. Before Facebook, Netflix and Itunes. Ronald Wilson Reagan in the White House.

Last Sunday of June 1988. Salt Lake City, Utah. Hot summer. Middle of the Night. A callow youth from Montana debuted on the late night airwaves of community radio station KRCL.

The show was called: 3 O’clock Roadblock – after the Bob Marley tune. Reggae with a mix of Ska and World Beat.

I ‘n’ I had been doing a little Reggae show on the Univ. of Utah campus station called Positive Vibrations (also Bob Marley). My roommate and I were in the Pie Pizzeria and they had KRCL on the Hi Fi. We heard a call out for new volunteers. And they were looking for a late night Reggae mix show. I ‘n’ I was selected, six weeks of trainings and started fumbling on the airwaves for late night insomniacs, cab drivers, graveyard shifters, cat burglars and night owls.

Thirty four years later. Trodding on prime time with Smile Jamaica

<34 Years of Reggae Radio: on KRCL; 2 min.>

I ‘n’ I had discovered the gem that is KRCL. Non commercial music. No commercials. No slick presentation. (Early 1987). And the station had two really great Reggae shows: Smile Jamaica, with my mentor, Rutabaga Reese. And Nite Roots with Papa Pilgrim. I ‘n’ I would listen intently, especially on Saturdays (1 to 4pm in those days; not 4-7). Great roots gems spun by Rutabaga. He taught I ‘n I about ON U Sound – What I ‘n’ I re-invented as the music genre Mutant Dub.

I ‘n’ I would keep a notebook of classic albums to fill up my collection before I could ever think of committing to a weekly radio show.

<Reggae Radio mentors at KRCL; 40 sec.>

The original KRCL radio Reggae thank you gift

Fall 1986 I moved from Bozeman, MT to SLC to attend the Univ. of Utah. I ‘n’ I had always been a music collector. And in 1986 I discovered the compact disk.

In the dorms I met a Jewish engineering student named Neal. He had a rich kid’s stereo and in the concrete block dorm rooms, sound really reverberated. We traded disks back and forth. One night we listened to the group Black Uhuru.

Heavy electronic 80’s era Sly & Robbie; Michael Rose’s Afro-Arab vocals and balanced harmonies: Puma Jones (roots dawta) and Ducky Simpson (Rasta dread.)

I ‘n’ I had about a dozen Reggae CDs but Black Uhuru “Anthem” was the epiphany moment. I became a Reggae obsessive after that!

In gratitude to Black Uhuru, I used to start each late night 3 O’clock Roadblock with a Black Uhuru tune.

<Black Uhuru and Reggae Fanaticism; 63 sec.>

Not the first Reggae album for I ‘n’ I. But THE one that made me a Reggae Fanatic for life.

Now that I ‘n’ I had the show, I needed to expand my Reggae collection through the unintended, and probably unwilling President at the time:

Ronald

Wilson

Reagan – 666 as the Rastas say.

<Funder of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives Ronald Wilson Reagan; 37 sec.>

Hey, I ‘n I bear no grudges against the man. Back in the mid 80’s there were more grants that loans. I would take a big fat Ronnie check and deposit into savings. Then either around the Holidays or Summer I would scour the Bay Area record shops. Dozens of them, large and small, back before digital killed the record hut.

San Francisco
East Bay: Oakland, Berkeley, El Cerrito
Mill Valley – Marin county
Sacramento and Reno if I ‘n’ I was driving.

<Bay Area cratedig circuit; 44 sec.>

Village Music – Mill Walley, CA. North on the Golden Gate Bridge

I used to stay at a Travelodge on Columbus and Bay. Right across from the Tower Records. Or couch surf at an Aunt’s apartment over by San Francisco State U.

I would descend like a plague of locusts in the shops. CDs (new). LPs bargains as people sold vinyl for the CDs. Cheap and plentiful.

$4 dollar records cast off in 1989 can go for hundreds today on Ebay and Discogs.

<That effort became the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives; 51 sec>

Jews have the Wailing Wall. Muslims have the Kaaba. I ‘n’ I had Tower Records San Francisco

Salt Lake City was well represented in good record stores, before digital set in, during the mid 80’s. I used to deliver mail and had to use my own car. So the gas reimbursement was usually enough to buy two new disks every two weeks at the late lamented Smokey’s Records. Other gems at places like Randy’s (still in business) and Cosmic Aeroplane, Raspberry Records and Mad Platter (all gone to that record hut in the sky)

Quick Smokey’s story: Near the end of the store’s life, the owner Smokey Koelsch, started giving me the hairy eyeball. Why? Thieves kept breaking to Smokey’s shop to steal all the Reggae cds.

And those are the stories I ‘n’ I collect and share for 34 years.

Forward ever, backwards never1

bless, Bobbylon

<Cratedigging in SLC; 47 sec.>

Used to spend my Post Office gas reimbursement here, Summer 1987

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 2, 2022 – 34 Years of Reggae Radio (Vinyl)

Set 1

Prince Far I & the Arabs – The Message; Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter 1 (ROIR) ’78 Dub album of the hour
Black Uhuru – Party Next Door; Anthem (Island) ’84 US
I Roy – Deck of Love Many Moods of I Roy (Trojan0 ’74 UK
Inner Circle – Burial; Blame It on the Sun (Trojan) ’75 UK Peter Tosh Cover
Arthur Louis – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door; This Is Reggae Music vol. 2 (Island) ’75 US comp.
Burning Spear – Lion; Man in the Hills (Mango) ’76 US
Rita Marley – One Draw; 12″ (Shanachie) ’82 US – 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement

Teacher Rita schooled about the One Draw by students: Herbie, Smokey, Little Milla (as in Sensimilla!)

Set 2:

Marcia Griffiths – Feel Like Jumping; Feel Like Jumping (Receiver) ’68 UK comp.
The Heptones – Cool Rasta; Cool Rasta (Trojan) ’76 UK
Lion Zion – Gas Guzzler; Reggae in America (House of Natty) ’76 Oakland; Lee “Scratch” Perry prod’n
Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus – Rasta Liveth; Tribute to the Emperor (Trojan) ’76 UK
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Punky Reggae Party; 12″ (Tuff Gong) ’77 JA

No boring old farts at the Punky Reggae Party

Set 3:

Judy Mowatt – Mr. Dee Jay; Mr. Dee Jay (Ashandan) ’75 JA
Big Youth – Hurting Inside; Progress (Nichola Delita) ’78 JA Bob Marley cover
Dennis Brown – Malcolm X; Visions (Blue Moon) ’78 UK
Keith Hudson – Musicology; Rasta Communication (Greensleeves) ’78
The Gayladds – Little Candle; Love & Understanding (Ballistic) ’79 UK

Autobiographical – Mr. Dee-J for 34 years!

Set 4:

Matumbi – Music in the Air; Seven Seals (Harvest) ’79 UK green vinyl
Linton Kwesi Johnson – Inglan Is a Bitch; Bass Culture
Soul Syndicate – There’s a Fire; Was, Is & Always (Epiphany) ’80 Santa Cruz, CA; Gaylads cover
African Princess – Jah Children Cry; Hits From the House of Shaka (Jah Shaka) ’85 UK

Set 5:

Bunny Wailer – Mellow Mood; Sings the Wailers (Mango) ’80 US – rock steady covers
Desmond Dekker – Moving On; Black & Dekker (Stiff) ’81 UK
Akimbo – So Long Trouble; So Long Trouble EP (Forward Sounds) ’85 UK
Johnnie Osbourne – Love Comes and Goes; Reggae on Broadway (Cha Cha) ’81 UK

Set 6:

Peter Tosh – Reggae Myelitis; Wanted, Dread & Alive (EMI America) ’81 US
Toots & the Maytals – Beautiful Woman; Knock Out! (Mango) ’81 US
Casselberry & DuPree – Take It to the Limit; City Down (Icebergg) ’86 Milwaukee, Wi; two women cover the Eagles

Very first addition to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Xmas ’81. Thanks Mom!

Set 7:

Singers & Players feat. Prince Far I – Quante Jubila; War of Words (ON U Sound) ’81 UK
Twinkle Brothers – Since I Threw the Comb Away (Sunsplash) 8/7/82 Montego Bay
Don Carlos – Lazer Beam; Spread Out (Burning Sounds) ’83 UK
Lilian Allen – Conditions Critical; Conditions Critical (Redwood) ’87 Emeryville, CA; Toronto dub poet

Reggae mentor Rutabaga Reese hyped me to Adrian Sherwood/ON U Sound. The dub/electronic crossover I started calling Mutant Dub

Set 8:

Singers & Players feat. Sister P – Holy Scripture; Vacuum Pumping (ON U Sound) ’88 UK
Caribbean All Stars – Snake in de Grass; Live & Direct (Raw Life) ’84 Oakland
Krieger-Densmore Reggae Bonanza – Get Up Stand Up; 12″ (Rhino) ’83 US Wailers cover
Ruffy & Tuffy – Third World War Is a Must; Climax (Black Star) ’88 Finland

First live Reggae concert: Summer 1987. Caribbean Allstars open for Third World

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives Jah-gust 1, 2020: 32 Years of Dead Media!

August 7, 2020 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

Greetings,

Pity the Compact Disk. Gone the way of the 8-Track cartridge and cassette tape. Relegated to the dustbin of dead media formats: VHS tapes and soon come, DVDs.

Digital on your phone. Fetishization of vinyl, the hipster medium. (I ‘n’ I never lost faith in vinyl, even when people told me that CDs were what’s happening.)

The shiny aluminum coaster thingees suffered the ignominious fate of being outsold by the black wax in 2019:

https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/vinyl-cds-revenue-growth-riaa-880959/

<The CD is a relic; 17 sec.>

Bobbylon’s cratedigging autobiography:

CD player for Christmas 1985: Fisher brand. Only showed track number. Low frills deck from Montgomery Ward. Bozeman Montana record shops. Summer vacation to Edmonton, CA Summer ’86

Very first CD in what was to become the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives. Didn’t get the CD player til Xmas, 2 months later.

Moved to Salt Lake City, Utah Fall 1986 – Started adding CDs: Reggae, Blues, World, College Rock: from about a dozen great SLC record shops. (All but one out of business in 2020.)

Built my Reggae CD collection here. Smokey quit stocking Reggae b./c his shop was continually broken into to steal Reggae CDs…..gave I ‘n’ I the hairy eyeball afterward

Reggae fanatic; Oct. 1986-. I ‘n’ I had a pretty decent CD collection considering I had just moved from the rural Montana mountains. Dorms, Univ. of Utah. Met a Jewish upperclassman from Baltimore named Neil Cooperman. His CD collection was incredible. This was at a time when major stars like Beatles, Stones, Marley had very little available on CD.

Neil and I would trade out disks like baseball cards. The U of U dorms were concrete bunkers. Neil had a top rank stereo, as did I. One day we were listening in his room. He chose the disk that changed my life.

Black Uhuru – Anthem; 1 min. 20 sec.

1983 – Prince influence duly captured. From left to right: the Riddim Twins (Sly & Robbie)/ Puma Jones (dawta), Michael Rose (front man)

By then I ‘n’I had a nice little Reggae CD stash: Legalize It, No Nuclear War, Marley’s Uprising. Cliff, Toots, UB40 imports. Some grey market roots collections from Germany and Japan.

Neil started up Anthem on his NakamIchi with the Bose 301’s. When Anthem was recorded, 1983, Sly & Robbie were at the synth best. Worked with stalwarts like Bob Dylan, Grace Jones, Joan Armatrading. They added electronic drum and base to Reggae riddims.

80’s were all about synth drums. Everyone from the Stones to Springsteen were overdosing on amplified drum sound. When the lead off selection, What Is Life, built to the vox I ‘n’ I was staggered. This is what I have been looking for!

Music you felt, through the bass throb, as well as heard.

Michael Rose had an Afro-Arab vocal style that was aggressive, female harmonies from Puma Jones added to the militance. Sly & Robbie brought Jamaica to NY discos.

Militant roots: Michael Rose lead vox; Puma Jones & Duckie Simpson harmonies

Ka-boom! All my other genres receded to the background and I focused on building 80/20 into Reggae.

I ‘n’ I had the desire to binge as more Reggae cds hit the market, but disks were expensive. As much as $18.99 in ‘1987 dollars. (Probably 35 bucks today).

Meet the funder of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Ronald Wilson Reagan

Ronald (6)
Wilson (6)
Reagan (6)….as the Rastas would say. (35 sec.)

Back in the mid 80’s Pell Grants and Student Loans. Loans you had to pay back, grants were free and clear. I ‘n’ I would bank one of those checks and every summer from about 1987-1993. A couple New Year’s Eves. Time to feed the Reggae habit.

<Cratedigging with student loan cash>; 1 min. 27 sec.

I’m sure Pres. Reagan would give the screwface to my misuse of funds but in the end, I paid him back. I ‘n’ I like to joke: It took me 15 years to pay off my Reggae collection.

When I ‘n’ I had an aunt in SF and then Hayward, across the bay I would couch surf for two weeks:

Heading west on I-80: Sacramento, Reno,

San Fran, San Mateo, Mill Valley (across the Golden Gate), Oakland, Berkeley, El Cerrito, Hayward (East Bay).

When I didn’t have a relative to freeload, I would stay at the Travelodge: Columbus and Bay, near the Wharf. Literally across the street from Tower Records.

I ‘n’ I would scour the city or the hinterlands during the day, grab some dinner and then spend the evenings til closing in Tower Records (deceased 2006)

I ‘n’ I nearly cried when Tower Records went out of business mid 2000’s. 500 stores since 2008 Recession. How many more Covid?

The justification of any addict: How do I rationalize my consumption? In 1988 I ‘n’ I went from Reggae fan to the airwaves. With a radio show, I ‘n’ I can’t play the same thing twice. (Like a fashionista who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing the same outfit twice.)

Needed the Reggae Roadtrips for the masses on the radio. When I ‘n’ I started 3 0’Clock Roadblock – It was 3-6 AM Sunday Nights/Mondays.

Probably spent more dollars than ever had listeners: cab drivers, 7-11 workers and insomniacs.

But when I ‘n’ I hit “prime time” – Saturday afternoons: Smile Jamaica. Rationalization became justification.

Was it worth it? 32 years of Reggae CDs. 32 Years of Reggae Vinyl.

bless, Bobbylon

IIRC, the first Reggae CD addition to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Sept. 1986

Smile Jamaica Annotated Playlist: August 1, 2020 – 32 Years of Reggae Radio (CDs) 1 min. 27 sec.

Set 1:

Black Uhuru – Solidarity; Anthem (Island) ’84 rmx of Little Steven
Blackbeard – Jazzz; I Wah Dub (More Cut) ’80 UK vinyl dub album of the hour
Keith Hudson – I Shall Be Released; Flesh of My Skin, Blood of My Blood (Atra) ’74 Bob Dylan cover
Aswad – Ire Woman; Aswad (Mango) ’76
Third World – Dreamland; 96 Degrees in the Shade (Mango) ’76 Bunny Wailer/Wailers cover
Rita Marley – One Draw; Who Feels It Knows It (Shanachie) ’80 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
Gregory Isaacs – Motherless Children; Sly & Robbie Present (RAS) ’80

Set 2:

Dr. Alimantado – I am the Greatest Says Muhammad Ali; Best Dressed Chicken in Town (Greensleeves) ’73 instrumental
Althea & Donna – If You Don’t Love Jah; Uptown Top Ranking (Virgin Front Line) ’78 female dj duo
Ijahman Levi – Zion Train; Haile I Hymn (Mango) ’78
Michael Prophet – Love & Unity 12″ mix; Serious Reasoning (Mango) ’80

Set 3:

Inner Circle – We a Rockers; Rockers (Mango) ’79 soundtrack
Horace Andy – Tonight (Dub); Bim Sherman Meets U Black & Horace Andy in a Rub-a-Dub Style (Original) ’79
Cassandra – Thank You; Babylon Soundtrack (EMI) ’80 UK female lovers rock
UB40 – Burden of Shame 12″; Sounding Off (Sound) ’80 comp.
King Tubby – The Dub Master Dub vinyl of the hour

Sam Goody’s – Crossroads Mall, SLC, Fall 1986

Set 4:

Johnny Osbourne – Jah Promise; Truths & Rights (Heartbeat/Studio One) ’80
Sisters Jam – People of the World; Rockers International (Greensleeves) ’81 A. Pablo prod’n
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Dreadlock; Black Ark in Dub (Esoldun) ’77 Lee “Scratch” Perry/Black Ark prod’n
Mikey Dread – Jah Jah Love in the Morning; World War III (Dread at the Controls) ’81

Set 5:

Dhaima – Ina Jah Children; Uptown Top Ranking (Perfect Object) ’77
Pablo Moses – Dubbing Is a Must; A Song (Mango) ’80
Toots & the Maytals – Beautiful Woman; Knock Out! (Mango) ’81
Prince Fari I – Survival; Umhonto we Sizwe (Spear of the Nation) (Tamoki Wambesi) ’83

Sad irony: Prince Far I killed during the making of his last album. Survival is the Game

Set 6: Lee “Scratch” Perry/Black Ark Set

<Reggae History Lesson: Black Ark Studio; 90 sec.>

The Congos – Children Crying; Heart of the Congos (Blood & Fire) ’77 –
Native – Rockstone ’77
Max Romeo – Uptown Babies Don’t Cry; War in a Babylon (Mango) ’76
Jolly Brothers – Conscious Man; Conscious Man (Seven Leaf) ’77
Elektro Robotik Dub Orkestra – Kentucky Was a Chicken (Ariwa) ’84 UK vinyl dub album of the hour

Lee “Scratch” Perry @ the controls of his mythic Black Ark studio, 1974-1979

Set 7: Wailers Family Tree Set

Bunny Wailer – Dreamland; Blackheart Man (Mango) ’76
Peter Tosh – Legalize It; Legalize It (Columbia) ’76
Judy Mowatt – Screwface; Love is Overdue (Shanachie) ’87 Bob Marley cover

<Screwaface – the look you get if you don’t wear your mask at the grocery store; 13 sec.>

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Comin’ in From the Cold 12″; Uprising (Tuff Gong) ’80

Set 8: Mutant Dub

Jah Woosh – Woodpecker Sound; ON U Sound Celebration (Trance) ’88
Alpha & Omega – Ancient African Dub 12″ Mix; Sound System Dub (ROIR) ’95
London Underground – Watch Your Step; Compilation 80-84 (ON U Sound) ’89
Tena Stelin – Political Confusion; Wicked Intention (Mr. Modo) ’89
Singers & Players – Resolution Pt. 2 and v. 2; Revenge of the Underdog (ON U Sound) ’82

Covid Humor:

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives Jah-ly 14, 2018 (Podcast & Playlists): 30 Years of Reggae Vinyl!

July 20, 2018 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

Just say no to starving kids, eh Nancy? Thanks to your husband, Smile Jamaica was well stocked with fresh roots! Selah!

Greetings,

It was July 2, 1988. Late Sunday Night/early Monday Morning. I jumped in my car and drove from my apartment by the University of Utah campus downtown to community radio station KRCL 90.9FM.

Unloaded a suitcase full of CDs and a crate full of LPs. At 3 am on a hot summer night, I cued up Black Uhuru’s “What Is Life” from the album that made me a Reggae fanatic – Anthem.

Drop the needle pon the record and that began a 30 year legacy of Reggae Radio.

<Sunday Night/Monday Morning, July 2, 1988; 3-6AM, debut of 3 o’Clock Roadblock on KRCL; 30 sec.>

Not Bob Marley. Not Peter Tosh. Not Jimmy Cliff. Not UB40. Black Uhuru lit the Reggae fuse that led to Smile Jamaica

I had returned that Sunday afternoon from a massive cratedig in the Bay Area. Reno, Sacramento, San Francisco, Berkely, Mill Valley, El Cerrito, Oakland, Santa Cruz.

I was glad my car didn’t break down. It would be bad juju to be late for my debut radio show. Not to mention how would I keep two crates full of vinyl from melting on the side of the road somewhere.

Ronald. Wilson. Reggae. 666 as the Rastas might say. Not I ‘n’ I. I didn’t see eye to eye with Ronnie politically, but I am forever grateful to him as the benefactor of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives, even if it was a misuse of funds.

The 80’s were a time you could get more student grants than student loans. Tuition was a fraction of what it is today. That left me about $2k left over to front load music for a Radio show. LPs and these recent creations called CDs. I was format agnostic. Good Reggae for the masses.

And I have Ronald Wilson Reagan to thank!

<Ronald Wilson Reagan – benefactor of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives; 2 min.>

Ronald Wilson Reagan or as I call him – the Smile Jamaica financial enabler

So from July 2, 1988 to July 14, 2018 – 3 o’Clock Roadblock (July 1988-August 1989) to Smile Jamaica (Oct. ’89), let’s celebrate with the Sequel to my 30th Anniversary showcase (cd versions) from 2 weeks ago.

All vinyl this time out!

After 26 years, I might have to put Yammy down. Yammy is my Yamaha #Subwoofer. Blew a cone tonight listening to Prince Fari Dub Encounter Chapter IV. A moment of silence. Literally. My 1st night in a world without bass https://t.co/pJ664OhGbE pic.twitter.com/nUQCEvkye9

— Bobbylon (@SmileJ_KRCL) July 20, 2018

<Who wants to live in a world without bass? 30 sec.>

bless, Bobbylon

Hoping Interwest Electronics can bring Yammy the Subwoofer back from the dead

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: 30 Years of Vinyl: July 14, 2018; 83 sec.

Set 1:

Prince Far I – Reggae Music; Free From Sin (Trojan ’79 UK vinyl: 30 years of Reggae Vinyl
Black Beard – Electrocharge; I Wah Dub (More Cut) ’80 UK Dub Album of the Hour
Jah Lion the Humble One – Dis Ya Sound; The Humble One (Virgin Frontline) ’78 UK
Sister Carol – Principle; Liberation For Africa (Serious Gold) ’83 DC
Zap Pow – Irie Land; Reggae Rules! (Rhino) ’80 US 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
Bunny Wailer – Love Fire; In I Father’s House (Solomonic) ’80 JA

When you hear the beat, you gonna move your feet!

Set 2:

Peter Tosh – Get Up Stand Up; Dealing With the Shytstem (bootleg) 11/5/82 at the Roxy; LA CA
Sophia George – Tenement Yard; Fresh (Winner) ’85 UK
Eek a Mouse – Do You Remember; Skidip! (Greensleeves) ’82 UK

<The Middle Passage; 54 sec.>

Jah Shaka – Revelation 18; Hits From the House of Shaka (Jah Shaka) ’85 UK

<Revelation 18 and UFOs; 18 sec.>

Set 3:

Casselberry & DuPree’ – Coming in From the Cold; City Down (Icebergg) ’86 Milwaukee; Bob Marley cover
Gregory Isaacs – Mothers Day; Reggae It’s Fresh (Tad’s) ’88 US
Itals – Herbs Pirate; Brutal Out Deh (Nighthawk) ’81 St. Louis herb tune
Musical Youth – Pass the Dutchie; 12″ (MCA) ’82 UK; youth update of Mighty Diamonds Pass the Kutchie
King Tubby Meets the African Brothers – Original Sound; In Dub (Nature Sounds) 70’s Dub Album of the Hour

Set 4:

Bob Marley & the Wailers – One Love; Wailing Wailers (Studio One) ’65 JA
The Meditations – Do Mama Do; Message From the Meditations (United Artists) ’76 US
Lovindeer feat. Wailing Souls; Man Shortage; De Blinkin’ Bus (TSOJ) ’82 JA
UB40 feat. Chrissie Hynde – I Got You Babe; 12″ (DEP) ’85 cover of Sonny & Cher

Set 5: Heavy politics set

Papa Kojie & Blue Riddim – Nancy Reagan (ORA International) ’85 US

<Man a fight man over lollipops; 33 sec.>

Pablo Moses – Bomb the Nation; Tension (Alligator) ’84 Chicago blues label
The Wild Bunch – Mr. President; Wild Bunch (Ariwa) ’84 UK female group
Ruffy & Tuffy – If the Third World World War is a Must; Climax (Black Star) ’88 Finland; twin youths

<World War III: No Cold War 2.0; 89 sec.>

Meme all you want. If this is what it takes to prevent Cold War 2.0? You may kiss the bride

Set 6:

Jimmy Riley – Sweet Sensimilla; Put the People First (Shanachie) ’82 US herbtune

<North Dakota legalization in 2018; 37 sec.>

Anthony Johnson – Dread Locks; Reggae Feelings (Vista Sounds) ’83
Zema – Blood Money; Zema (Melchizedek) ’86 SoCal female
Black Survivors – President; 12″ (Witty) UK
Sly & Robbie – Plastic Dub; Overdrive in Overdub (Sonic) Dub Album of the Hour

North Dakota legalization

Set 7:

Sister Netifa – Woman Determined; Women Determined (A Luta) ’89 UK female dub poet
Carlton Livingston – Call of the Rastaman; 100 Weight of Collie Weed (Greensleeves) ’84 UK
Junior Delgado – Disarm the World; High Times All Star Explosion (Alligator) ’85 Chicago blues label
X-O-Dus – See Them a Come; 12″ (Factory)*80 UK

Set 8: Mutant Dub

<What is Mutant Dub? 18 sec.>

Singers & Players w/ Sister P – Holy Scripture; Vacuum Pumping (ON U Sound) ’88 female tour of the Bible: Mutant Dub Set
Alpha & Omega – Africa; Watch and Pray (A & O) ’88 UK trance dub
The Clash – This Is England; 12″ (CBS) ’85 UK picture sleeve
Bim Sherman & Akabu – Stop That Train; 12″ (ON U Sound) ’80 UKKeith & Tex update
Steel Pulse – Heart of Stone; Reggae Fever (Island) ’80 UK Request

Words of Wisdom:

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: June 24, 2017 (Stream + Tracklist): Livicated to Ronald Wilson Reagan!

Image June 30, 2017 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

President Raygun regrets funding the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives through the Student Loan Program

<Livicated to Ronald Reagan; 10 sec.>

Greetings,

The Rastas called him:

Ronald
Wilson
Reagan – 666

I pay tribute to his legacy in funding the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives through the 80’s student loan program. 30 years ago it was more Pell Grants than 9% Loans.

So I would take the check, put in a savings account and once in the summer and usually once during the Holidays, I would travel to the Bay Area and descend upon the plentiful record stores from Reno to San Jose.

So it is hard not be nostalgic after I have been moving into my 400+ square foot Ark-Ive: 31 sec.

From the Garage:

To the Ark-Ive:

Spent 2k on CD towers to empty out the cardboard boxes and onto shelving. Every Saturday before Smile Jamaica since New Year’s I have prepared for this move.

Now that I am inside the house, I have to make sensi of the entropy. A journey of a thousand miles begins with unloading a single box.

A luta continua – The struggle continues

bless, robt

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: June 24, 2017: Annotated Playlist: 40 sec.

Set 1:

Jimmy Riley – Summertime; 12” (DEB) ’76 Porgy & Bess cover
Hi Tech Roots Dynamics – M.S.G.; New York Dub (Channel One UK) ’96 UK Vinyl Dub Album of the Hour
Aswad – African Children (Part 2); Not Satisfied (Columbia/Legacy) ’82 UK ballad
Dennis Brown – Should I; Money in My Pocket (Shanachie) ‘79
Gracy & the Herbman Band – Time is the Master; See Me Yah (Funfundvierzig) ’91 Germ. female
Capital Letters – Smoking My Ganja 12” Mix; Headline News (Greensleeves) ’79 UK youth group: 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement

Set 2:

Thievery Corporation feat. Notch – True Sons of Zion; Temple of I & I (ESL) 2017 DC dubbers
Bunny Wailer – Dance Ha Ti Gwan; Dance Massive (Shanachie) ‘92

<grumpy roots guy does dancehall; 25 sec.>

The Equators – Feelin’ High; Hot (Stiff) ’81 UK ska herbtune
Christine Adelsi – Life; 10” (King Earthquake) 2012 UK militant steppers

Set 3: Best of Smile Jamaica 27+ Years

Black Uhuru – Journey; Red (Mango) ’81
Jean Binta Breeze – A Simple Thing + A Song to Heal; Tracks (LKJ) ’91 UK dub poet female
Benjamin Zephaniah – Rasta; Rasta (Workers Playtime) ’83: UK dub poet male
Peter Tosh – Legalize It; Legalize It (Columbia) ‘76
Peter Tosh – Legalize It Version; Honorary Citizen (Columbia/Legacy) ’76 box set

<Jawara Tosh beaten into coma in jail; 64 sec.>

Like father, like son: Them Ha Fe Get a Beatin’

Set 4:

I Roy and Lee Perry – Space Flight; Chapter Two of Words (Trojan) UFOria

<Roswell inna Rub a Dub Stylee; 57 sec.>

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Jammin’; 12” (Tuff Gong) ’77 alternate extended mix
Lee Perry – Noah Sugar Pan; Upsetter Shop v.2 (Heartbeat) Dub ’77 Album of the Hour

<Captain Lee “Scratch” Perry driving the Space Shuttle? WTF?; 18 sec.>

Set 5: Vinyl is Vital

Sister Carol – Murdee & Stylee; Black Cinderella (Jah Life) ’84 Brooklyn
Prince Far I – Deck of Life; Jamaican Heroes (Trojan) ’80 UK deejay
Barrington Levy & Jah Thomas? – Collie Weed; Hunter Man (Burning Sounds) ’83 UK herbtune
Gregory Isaacs – Musical Revenge; Reggae It’s Fresh (Tad’s) ’88 NY
Junior Brown – Warriors; Hits From the House of Shaka (Jah Shaka) ’85 UK

Set 6:

10cc – Dreadlock Holiday; Snatch Soundtrack (Maverick) ’76 rockers do reggae
Trevor Hartley – Smoke and Chill; Hartley (Jove) ’94 herb tune
Fabiane Miranda – Prophecy; 12 the Hard Way (Tribesman) ’77 female
Paul Blake & the Bloodifre Posse – Get Flat; Reggae Dance Party (RAS) ’87 dance number

<Jamaican dance = Get Flat; 40 sec.>

Set 7:

Jah Pecker & the Wailers – Jammin’; 21^st Century Dub (ROIR) ’87 Jah-ponese cover of Bob Marley

<From Jah-pon: Jah Pecker & the Wailers>

Sister Beverley – Rasta Woman; 12” (RAMA) ’76 UK

Set 8: Mutant Dub

Ikonika – Sahara Michael; contact, love, want, have (Hyperdub) 2010 UK Sara Abdel Hamid
Herbaliser – Worldwide Connected; Something Wicked This Way Comes (Ninja Tune) 2002 UK
Massive Attack – Safe From Harm; Blue Lines (Virgin) ’91 UK feat. Shara Nelson
Audio Active – Psycho Buds (Game Mix/Asian Dub Foundation); CD Single (Birdman) ’99 Jah-pon

Is It the End? Asteroid Attack: 4/19/2017

April 18, 2017 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

Greetings,

Massive Asteroid set to Attack Earth

Self-described ‘expert’ Dr Dyomin Damir Zakharovich believes the asteroid will have the impact of a huge atomic weapon, boiling the seas and causing catastrophic tsunamis.

Hot take: “NASA is lying through its teeth”

The irony is delicious.

Our taxes are due today. Yet a massive asteroid is poised to strike the planet tomorrow on the 19th. So no 4/20, 420, 4:20 for the weedsters.

Reggae singjay, Sister Carol, talks about how space travel is an offense to Jah. How dare mankind trod upon Jah’s Heavenly abode? Learn from her cautionary lyrics…

Trusted news source, The Sun, tells us what the fake news/corporate media continues to lie about

<Corporate media on imminent Asteroid attack; 86 sec.>

Jahdgement Day soon come for arrogant mankind trodding pon Jah’s domain

When will asteroids hit Earth. Not if

And don’t get me started on NASA. Those charlatans have been lying to us since the bogus moon landing

Apollo 11 Moon Landing fraud

Apollo 11 bullshit

NASA says there is nothing to worry about, “near miss”, they say. I don’t believe them anymore than I believed the Presstitutes that told us Hillary Clinton had a 98.3% chance of winning the Presidency against the Cheetolini. Liar, liar pantsuit on fire

“You’ve got fake news in my alternative facts!”

***

All our space endeavors are meant for one thing. Planetary defense against Alien vengeance. Ronald Reagan created the Strategic Defense Initiative not to stop Putin’s KGB, but wanted to give the technology to the Soviet Union to coordinate Earth defenses alongside the Americans.

False Flag Alien Attack

So my advice?

Kiss your kids, call your parents, tell them you love them
Don’t pay your VISA bill yet
Say a prayer to the Skygod of your choosing

Praise Anu! Please guide the planet killing Asteroid away from Earth

Ask the dinosaurs how their “near miss” with an Asteroid worked out for them.

bless, robt

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 18, 2015 (Stream + Tracklist): 27 Years of Reggae Radio II – The 80’s

July 21, 2015 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

10958175_770339053015340_1697177288_n — Ronnie Raygun is to blame

Greetings,

<Thanks for the positive feedback spinning Reggae Radio for 27 years! bless, robt; 17 sec.>

I have been fortunate enough to do Reggae Radio for 27 years now. July 1988-Aug. 1989 Graveyard stylee on 3 o’clock Roadblock (3 to 6am) Then by pure good luck of timing I moved over to Saturday Afternoons with Smile Jamaica (4 to 7 pm.) Oct. 1989-

<Much love to Juan Verde – John Greene. Who hired me to work for free on KRCL way back in 1988; 44 sec.>

6761357 — John Greene, or as I call him Juan Verde, headman of KUER radio. Used to manage KRCL. The Lion of Community Radio in Utah

I got accepted into grad school at UCLA but didn’t get a fellowship so I stayed put in Utah. Worked my way into the U of U’s academic library about the same time as I did Smile Jamaica.

Planted my flag and never left both institutions. Last week I decided to celebrate that legacy with a stroll down musical memory lane. Tried to recreate my first show. Being a Librarian I put all my faves into some semblance of chronological order. Pretty much from 1970-1979 for 3 hours.

Had lots of great listener feedback. Thanking me for 27 years of service and killer music selection. When you have something in the neighborhood of 10,000 pieces of Reggae. 30 songs out of that Ark-Ive are are hard as diamond.

download — Why I have never moved from Salt Lake City. Too much hassle to move all this!

But I didn’t get into Reggae until 1986. So my contemporary absorption of Reggae would have been the 80’s era.

This week’s Podcast Ark-Ive celebrates that era.

Bob Marley died 1981
Yellowman became King of Reggae: slackness began to ascend while Roots started to wobble when Edward CIA-ga, the right wing Ronald Reagan fan took over Jamaica. The Socialists fell away and the Rastas lost their power base.
Cocaine took over for Ganja
Like all genres in the 80’s synthesized music began to replace traditional drum and bass.
Dancehall eclipsed Roots Reggae

15837421 — Edward Seaga. Called by the Rastas CIA-ga. Right wing Neoliberal PM of Jamaica. Eradicated the weed while cocaine and dancehall took over culturally

***

I was alienated by modern dancehall. My contemporary fix was more into Mutant Dub. I paint a rather bleak picture!

But there was some great Roots Reggae even if the riddims started to blend traditional Reggae with digital drum and bass. This show fixates on the best of the 80’s Reggae that I collected alongside Reggae Revives and 70’s rarities.

I learned from the deejay on Smile Jamaica when I was a civilian listener, John “Rutabaga” Reese. He had the best Roots Reggae instincts of anyone around. I used to listen like the student I was, notebook in hand, jotting down names and titles of killer shots. One after another. Then I would take my list to the Bay Area and spend my student loan money building my Roots Collection; 22 sec.

bless, robt

Don-Carlos-Prophecy — Former Smile Jamaica host Rutabaga Reese turned me on to this. Best of the 80’s today

Here’s what’s on tap for the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 18, 2015 – Best of 27 Years Version 2: Favorite 80’s: 1980-1988; 1 min. 52 sec.

Set 1:

Black Uhuru – Party Next Door; Anthem (Island) ‘84

<During 3 O’Clock Roadblock I led off each show with a Black Uhuru jam; 29 sec.>

Jah Shaka Meets Aswad – Addis Ababa; In Addis Ababa (Jah Shaka) ’84 Dub Album of the Week
Peter Tosh – Reggaemyelitis; Wanted Dread & Alive (EMI America) ’81

The Beat (aka The English Beat) – Tears of a Clown; I Just Can’t Stop It (Go Feet) ’80; 2 Tone Ska; Smokey Robinson cover

<The Beat called English Beat in US to avoid confusion over SoCal new wave/power pop group; 27 sec.>

John Holt – Police in Helicopter; Police in Helicopter (Greensleeves) ’82; 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement

<John Holt – You burn down our weed fields, we’ll burn down your sugar cane and cassava fields; 31 sec.>

Black Slate – Reggae Music; Amigo (bbr) ’80 UK
Michael Prophet – Help Them Please; Gunman (Greensleeves) ‘80

download (2) — #1 of thousands. Play on word: Not Wanted Dead or Alive. Wanted Dread and Alive

<Reggaemyelitis – There is no cure!; 25 sec.>

Set 2:

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Coming in From the Cold; Uprising (Tuff Gong) ‘80
Ranking Roger & Blue Riddim – America and Russia/Selective Service System (Nancy Goes to Moscow); 12” (ORA) La Habra, CA
Linton Kwesi Johnson – Street 66; Bass Culture (Mango) ’80 UK dub poet
The Selecter – Three Minute Hero; Too Much Pressure (2 Tone) ’80 UK; 2 Tone ska

Set 3:

Dennis Brown – If I Had the World; Foul Play (A & M) ‘81
Aswad – Back to Africa; Showcase (Mango) ’81 UK
Rastafarians – Hold on Jah Jah Children; Orthodox (Makasound) ’81 Santa Cruz, CA

download (4) — Dennis Brown – The Crown Prince of Reggae. Died in 1999 of pneumonia. 42 years young. Member of Jah’s Heavenly Choir

Set 4:

Steel Pulse – Ravers; True Democracy (Elektra) ’82 UK
Peter Broggs – Rastafari Liveth!; Rastafari Liveth! (RAS) ‘82
Fab 5 – Ooh! Ahh!; Countryman (Mango) ’82 sountrack
Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse; Night Nurse (Mango) ‘82

<Jah’s Heavenly Choir: The Crown Prince of Reggae and his bredrin The Cool Ruler; 11 sec.>

maxresdefault — Gregory Isaacs – The Cool Ruler. Passed away of lung cancer, 2010. 59 years young

Set 5:

Twinkle Brothers – Since I Throw the Comb Away; Live at Reggae Sunsplash (Genes) Aug. 7, 1982 Montego Bay, JA

<Since I Throw the Comb Away – lost my job, my family and my girl; 27 sec.>

Mutabaruka – Everytime A Ear de Soun; Check It! (Alligator) ’83 dub poet
Prince Far I – Survival; Umkhonto we Sizwe – Spear of the Nation (Tamoki Wambesi) ’83

<Prince Far I: You know a rude bwoy by the way he wears his cap; 34 sec.>

hqdefault — Gravel voiced deejay. Murdered in mysterious circumstances 1983. “Don’t drink Schweppes, drink Heineken”

Set 6:

Bad Brains – Rally Round Jah Throne; Rock For Light (Caroline) ’83 DC Rasta punks do reggae

<Bad Brains produced by The Cars – Ric Ocasek; 19 sec.>

Aisha – Prophecy; High Priestess (Ariwa) ’88; Faybiane Miranda cover
Bunny Wailer – Ceasefire; Roots, Radics, Rockers, Reggae (Shanachie) ’83 herbtune

<United States vs. Iran – Ceasefire 2015. Light the chalice! 26 sec.>

Don Carlos – Jah Jah Hear My Plea; Prophecy (Blue Moon) ‘84

map — Urmia, Iran. My grandfather Jibrael from the Assyrian village of Borashan near the Lake

Set 7:

Ini Kamoze – General; Mini LP (Taxi) ‘84
Sister Carol – Jah Is Mine; Black Cinderella (Jah Life) ’84 Michael Jackson/Carpenters mashup

<Sister Carol singjay: singing mixed with deejay, toasting; 16 sec.>

Roots Radics – Everywhere Natty Go; Freelance (Kingdom) ‘85

Yellowman – Strong Mi Strong; King Yellowman (Columbia) ’84 Bill Laswell

120764250354 — One of the first 10 Lps added to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives, 1986. All killer, no filler!

Set 8:

UB40 – All I Want to Do; Rat in Mi Kitchen (A & M) ’86 UK

<Traded a cassette dub of this album for U of U football tickets when a linebacker from Collie-fornya heard this booming out of my dorm room 1986; 28 sec.>

Sophia George – Girlie, Girlie; For Everyone (Pow Wow) ‘86
Toots Hibbert – Love and Happiness; In Memphis (Mango) ’88 Al Green cover
Alpha Blondy & the Wailers – Jerusalem; Jerusalem (Shanachie) ’86; Cote d’Ivoire artist

download (6) — Livicated to dreads listening in Mali, West Africa

Words of Wisdom:

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-vember 15, 2014 (Stream + Tracklist) – Best of 25 Years (CD era)

November 20, 2014 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

Greetings,

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.

5221-390054 — 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.)

5f854ef07de0f7b008ed097005a8fa1f — 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

Unknownbu — 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
Marcial Griffiths – Melody Life; Naturally (Shanachie) ‘78
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.>

171233_01_360 — 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.>

tiger-in-france-seine-et-marne — 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.>

Unknownupr — 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

<Wailers Family Tree: Bob, Bunny, Peter, Rita, Marcia, Judy; 22 sec.>

Dennis Brown – If I Had the World; Foul Play (A & M) ‘81

113764220 — 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

Unknownebola — Summer of 2014: ISIS, downed Malaysian airliner, Gaza and ebola all happened in the same week. Google weaponized ebola. Conspiracy theory? No, conspiracy fact!

Set 8:

<Smile Jamaica 25: From my hands to your ears!>

Mutabaruka – Intro + Check It!; Check It! (Alligator) ‘83 dub poet
Clint Eastwood & General Saint – Stop That Train; Stop That Train (Greensleeves) ’83; Melodians cover
Prince Far I – Survival; Umkhonto we Sizwe – Spear of the Nation (Tamoki Wambesi) ’83 posthumous deejay release

Prince Far I: him don’t drink Schweppes, just the Heineken!

Unknown — The guerrilla army of the Zulu Nation fighting apartheid in South Africa. Army of Mandela’s African National Congress

Set 9:

<Out of 50, who didn’t make the cut list for Best of Smile Jamaica; 25 sec.>

UB40 – Tyler; More UB40 Music (DEP) ‘83
Don Carlos – Jah Jah Hear My Plea; Prophecy (Blue Moon) ‘84
Ini Kamoze – World a Music; Mini LP (Mango) ‘84

<Rutabaga Reese: My mentor on Smile Jamaica>

bless, robt

IniKamozeLP1050 — One of the earliest additions to the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives.

Smile Jamaica Preview: Jah-tober 18, 2014: Jah-loween Sundown Soon Come!

October 18, 2014 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

Smile Jamaica 20+ Jah-loween Jah-mboree! Sat. Sept. 25, 2014; 4 to 7 Mtn. krcl.org. 90.9FM Afternoon of the Living Dread!

<Jah-loween Seasons Greetings from the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives!); 62 sec.>

Greetings,

7304482 — Even year magic. Kansas City will feel no pity from Bruce Bochy who is well Nitty ‘n’ Gritty! GO GIANTS!

Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:

90.9FM in Utah
Stream: Tune In Radio
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts

<Smile Jamaica 20+ years of Jah-loween; 60 sec.>

Here are the High-lights of today’s Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive

Your station that rules the nation….

<Don’t touch that dial!>

Peter Tosh Birthday tomorrow. Oct. 19, 1944 marks the birth of Peter Tosh (born Winston Hubert McIntosh).

He was murdered….wait for it…. Sept. 11, 1987. I’m going to tell you a story about how Peter crashed the stock market on the anniversary of his Oct. birthday 5 weeks after his murder. Then we’ll hear him prophesize about it in The Day the Dollar Died. What about WTC Building 7?

P2260542 (Custom) — Peter Tosh prophecy: The Day the Dollar Died. Russia and China are in process of that very notion. Nelstradamus told you!

<Zombies love the Roots ‘n’ Dubbers; 17 sec.>

Next week is Jah-loween Show. Twenty plus years of ghosts, vampires, witches and zombies. I’ll tell you why I do it 6 days early instead of one day late. (Halloween is Friday this year). Last week I played about 44% of the show. Nuff Jah-loween tunes this week as well! Pick up your cross and follow me! Lee “Scratch” Perry

Gorillaz_Halloween_by_Engorn — All treats no tricks! Gorillaza have a dubble dose of Jah-loween on Smile Jamaica

<Vincent Price: Abominable Dr. Phibes; 14 sec.>

Roots Dawtas: Mutant Dubstresses: Sevendub, Ranking Ann, Grace Jones, Zema, Hollie Cook
4:20 Seven Leaf: Vinyl mystierioso!

<Big Youth: Don’t get stoned pon mi tombstone! 9 sec.>

Disco Mix: Extended mix Vinyl
Vinyl is Vital: Jah-loween with spooky soundbytes (half-way point)
Jamaican Jukebox: 7″ 45 vinyl rarities obscurities
Mutant Dub: More Jah-loween plus Orson Welles War of the Worlds (last half hour)

images — Do not scoff like mi bredrin Aqua Boy: Ronald Reagan and Nestradamus tried to warn you!

<Orson Welles War of the Worlds. Soon come fi real! UFO-ria for sure-ya!; 90 sec.>

bless/curse, robt

Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:

90.9FM in Utah
Stream: Tune In Radio
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts

“Vncent Price: Can you dig it!>

Abominablephibes1 — Can you dig it? Pon the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives DVD Player this Jah-loween Season. Vincent Price unleashes plagues of Biblical proportions against the Hospital Staff who killed his wife in surgery. That is not covered under Obamacare!

Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: 25 Years: The Silver Jah-bilee (Jubilee)

September 20, 2014 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:

90.9FM in Utah
Stream: Tune In Radio
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts

Greetings,

Smile Jamaica: The King’s Music, Jamaican Blues, Your College for Musical Knowledge with the Dub Confessor. All killer, no filler. Roots Reggae Sounds for your listening pleasure, 25 years! 10 sec.

Today marks a Quarter of a Century laying down the Roots on Smile Jamaica

Wheel it back 25 years to 1989:

Pete Rose lifetime ban for betting on baseball
Berlin Wall came crumbling down
Bay Area Quake Series. Bad mojo for my beloved Giants
Panama Invasion on my Birthday (Dec. 20)

loma-prieta-world-series-earthquake-300x199 — Bay Bridge collapse in the 1989 Bay Area Quake. Drove over this bridge about a dozen times cratedigging. Visited SF first post quake New Year’s ’89 week.

My radio career at KRCL 90.9FM was late June 1988 til Aug. 1989: 3 AM to 6 AM Sunday Night/Monday Graveyard: 3 O’clock Roadblock. Reggae, World and Ska program.

My listening audience must have consisted of a couple dozen bored 7-11 clerks, insomniacs and cab drivers.

Juggled wax and these new fangled doo-dahs called the Compact Disk through the Alaska Clipper winter of 1988. Twice, that brutal winter, (I hail from the Highline in Northern Montana so I know Winter like I know Roots Reggae), AAA had to jump my crappy Chrysler Cordoba*

You know what a let down doing 3 hours of Reggae in the middle of the dead cold night, drag ass to the car with a crate of Records and 2 suitcases full of CDs, and then hear that telltale click click of a dead battery? Bumba klaat! Fiyah bu’n!

In the immortal words of Ned Flanders, “Son of a Diddly!”

*My Cordoba did not have “rich, Corinthian leather” but pea green crushed velour.

cordoba2 — My Green 1981 Chrysler Cordoba did not survive the Alaska Clipper: Winter of ’88: Salt Lake City, Utah

At the end of Summer ’89 I let station management know that I was going to retire from Graveyard Rockers. I had a new girlfriend, it was my last year in college and I couldn’t stagger through Monday and half of Tuesday dead tired from getting home at 7AM as everyone else was Risin’ & Shinin’.

Yeah, and I wasn’t gonna schlep Roots and Vinyl from the University Student Housing on the hill to the Westside of SLC – KRCL’s home – another cold ass winter for a dozen diehards and shift workers marking time. There was no podcast or stream options in ’89.

I had a great time. Hang on tightly, let go lightly. I figured I would just sub on Smile Jamaica from time to time to keep my skills sharp.

krcl_w1 — KRCL 90.9 FM. Born Dec. 1979. I have been a volunteer there since June of 1988

The guy who was doing Smile Jamaica was a dude named John “Rutabaga” Reese. Prince Far I sings, “The humble calf suckles the most milk”. That’s how Rutabaga was for me. Salt of the Earth Utah kid, loved his Roots Reggae – he had impeccable taste in good One Drop and Rub a Dub Roots Rasta Reggae. Plus he turned me on to Adrian Sherwood and the ON U Sound I call Mutant Dub when I took over the reins on Saturday Afternoon.

John had a crate in a funky bohemian clothing store on the West side of Salt Lake called Grunts and Postures. Even before I met him through KRCL, I had pulled some gems from that crate: Aswad – Bubblin’ 12″; Bob Marley picture sleeve of Buffalo Soldiers. Some really experimental vinyl from ON U Sound: African Head Charge, Dub Syndicate, Singers & Players, New Age Steppers. Mark Stewart and Tackhead Sound System. Suns of Arqa South Asian trance dub.

300x300 — Salt Lake City funky chic. East side. In its West Side location, I dug a whole heap of crates

I got in to Reggae around Oct. 1986. Someone hyped me to KRCL and Saturday Reggae, early Winter 1987. Back then Smile Jamaica was on at 1pm til 4pm!

I had a listener call me last month and thank me for 25 years and he said that for him, 3 hours of Smile Jamaica was his version of “going to church”.

I told him I knew exactly what he meant because as a “civilian” listener circa 1987, I listened to the Show with the fervor of a Jihadi and the active absorption of Roots Reggae as a University Academic wanna be Undergrad.

I would listen on my Hi Fi in my dorm room with a pad and paper writing down titles that John played and would announce. John played long, half hour sets. Sometimes he didn’t always announce the set list. I learned good quality Roots via Rutabaga’s radio selection.

ini-kamoze1 — Rutabaga Reese’s #1 Smile Jamaica influence on Iyah. Trouble You, a Trouble Me!

Ten Random and Essential Rutabaga Reese era Smile Jamaica selections that were a HUGE influence on me:

Don Carlos – Prophecy (Blue Moon)
UB40 – Signing Off (DEP)
Peter Broggs – Rastafari Liveth (RAS)
Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey (Mango)
Benjamin Zephaniah – Rasta (Workers Playtime) – UK dubpoet
Rita Marley – One Draw 12″ extended mix (Shanachie). My favorite Seven Leaf tune Summer of ’88
African Head Charge – Stebeni’s Theme. (ON U Sound). Mutant dub African music with female vox
Alpha Blondy & the Wailers – Jerusalem (Stern’s). The best Sons of Abraham Peace Song sung in French, African, Hebrew and Arabic via Cote d’Ivoire
Culture – Two Sevens Clash (Shanachie); 7/7/77 July 7, 1977 – When the Two Sevens Clash’d. Just another Doomsday
Bunny Wailer – Blackheart Man (Mango). Bought this off the display rack on first sight, cratedigging at the Cosmic Aeroplane, Oct. 1986

410GY7EX38L — Impulse buy – Put the cover pon my dorm room wall. Loved the music even more

I could name a 100 more Rutabaga boomshots and not stop for a breath!

When I got involved at KRCL Summer of ’88, Rutabaga and another dread named Papa Pilgrim were great mentors to me in how to “do” radio. Segues, being on the mic. (Praise Jah, I was so stiff and monotone. I wanted to let the music do the talking. My air check was just the facts about the 4-5 songs per half hour set over a featured dub album for the music never stops.)

Papa Pilgrim did a Wed night show called Nite Roots. His show was as popular mid week as Smile Jamaica was on Saturday Afternoon. Roots Reggae fans in Northern Utah had a dubble dose of great radio. Many towns much bigger than SLC have their Reggae Radio shows in the middle of the Night.

Rutabaga let me “sub in” on a hot summer Saturday, July 1988. I was so nervous laying the needle on the record. Took me 3 attempts to drop the needle and back cue the platter on my Rita Marley 12″. It was the major leagues from my fumbling around late night Sundays mumbling for the Nite Owls. It was great fun and I think half of the show turned out to be requests.

To quote philosopher Sally Field, “You like me! You really, really like me!”. Getting to do Radio of any sort is a pretty rare thing in this country and I got my taste of volunteer broadcast media. Give thanks!

When I gave up the ghost on 3 o’clock Roadblock I figured I would just tag along every now and then on either Saturdays or Wed. 10pm. Great times, both, for Roots Rub a Dub Reggae!

Rutabaga decided he wanted to share Smile Jamaica. I had no problem saying yes. So he and I tag teamed together Radiothon (Oct.) 1989. We alternated sets each Saturday until Spring Radiothon ’90. Then we did every other week until All Star Break July ’90.

<Your Station that Rules the Nation!>

My fellow UFOrian, Ronald Reagan was pretty generous with his Student Loan kasheesh back in the day. I would take a huge chunk of my Sept. loan check and put it in a savings account. Summer that year I would do a full court blitz of Nevada and Northern California cratedigging for quality Roots Reggae.

1983-reagan-sdi-4-apr-60 — Smile Jamaica’s 3 favorite things about Ronnie Raygun: 1. Believed in UFO’s. Star Wars was aimed at Alien Invasion not the Soviets; 2. Funded the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives via his Student Loan and Pell Grant Program 3.

It was early July 1990 and I had just returned with a trunk full of Roots hauled from Reno, Auburn, Collie-fornya, Sacramento, San Francisco, North Oakland, Oakland, Berkeley, San Jose, El Cerrito, San Mateo, Mill Valley.

Vinyl: Lps, 10″s, 12″s, 7″s, Cds, Cassettes, Books and magazines. T shirts, badges, stickers. Anything Red Green and Gold down to my shoelaces. Posters, tapestries bumper stickers. Rasta or African necklaces, pendants, charms and pins.

tower-records — North Beach (SF) Tower Records at Columbus & Bay. I would stay at the Travelodge across the street and literally cratedig until closing time and walk back to my room. Tower went out of business 2006. I shed tears. Like losing your girlfriend to a sudden illness

For some reason I remember that it was the night of the 1990 All Star game. I was subbing on a Tuesday Night KRCL rock show rinsing out my favorite non-Reggae delights. Groups like Camper Van Beethoven, The Minutemen, The Replacements. The Clash. The Studio Line rings and it was Rutabaga. After a little chit chat, he offered that he was “retiring” from Smile Jamaica. We weren’t going to alternate weeks. I became solo host of Smile Jamaica the following Saturday and have never looked back for 25 years. Forward ever, backwards never!

I love doing every minute of every show. Some people sing or play instruments or draw. My artistic talent is stitching Reggae and Riddim based musics together in a flow.

dj-reggae — “Itch its up, Selekta! Nuff drum ‘n’ bass mek you wine up yer waist, put a smile pon yer face!”

Sat. Sept. 20, 2014. 90.9FM. 4-7 PM Mtn. Smile Jamaica Best of 25 Years: Vinyl is V-Ital Selection!

What better way to celebrate 25 years of juggling wax on the Radio? Same day (Saturday). Same time (since 1990 from 4-7PM). Same guy (yours truly). Same station: 90.9FM. Just like the Simpsons Sunday Night, you have Smile Jamaica Saturday Afternoon. Give thanx and praise, let Chalice blaze!

Saturday, 4-7 PM Mountain Time. 90.9FM. Vinyl is V-Ital. I spent this (Sat.) morning in the Ark-Ives harvesting 50 albums I pulled from year one and two of collecting Reggae Music: 1987-1988. Not my all time favorites. But a variety of what I purchased as I learned how to buy quality Reggae and the serendipity of what you find when you leave no crate unturned in a music Mecca that is the Bay Area.

Black_Uhuru_Anthem — The album that lit the fuse! Tracked this in the U of U dorms with a friend Oct. 1986. Never looked back. Reggae-myelitis for which there is no cure!

High-lights:

Black Uhuru – Anthem (Mango). The album that started the obsession. On 3 O’clock Roadblock I started every show with a Michael Rose or Jr. Reid Black Uhuru scorching roots gem. 30 sec.

The Congos – Heart of the Congos. The Holy Trinity of Roots: Lee “Scratch” Perry mix, Black Ark brooding sound, Cedric Myton’s beautiful falsetto
Countryman Soundtrack. For Bob Marley’s sublime “Jah Live”
Rare roots cover of Zimmy’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (Arthur Louis)
Roots Dawtas: songbirds, toasters, folkies
Seven Leaf Herbal Meditations
Mutant Dub in the last half hour. ON U Sound and the role those Black Wax dub jams meant for my development of quality Mutant Dub*

*Smile Jamaica is the intergalactic portal for what I have been calling Mutant Dub for two plus decades. Therefore, I “discovered” Mutant Dub just like Columbus “discovered” India.

Vinyl is V-Ital, rhymes with Ital!

bless, robt

Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:

90.9FM in Utah
Stream: Tune In Radio
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts

Smile Jamaica Preview: July 12, 2014: Armageddon Stylee!

July 12, 2014 Robert Nelson Leave a comment

6323802012_51bee0a55e — “Put da needle pon de record. It’s World War III”

Greetings,

26 years of Reggae Radio on KRCL: 45 shows avg./year, 3 hours per show for 26 years: 3500+ hours (146 straight days, Selah!)

<26 Years of Reggae Radio: 3500 hours; 50 sec.>

Plus 3 months of Global Gumbo summer of ’89 (30 or so). Plus 9 years of Radioactive (over 400 hourly interviews of Progressive politics). Before KRCL went pro during the daytime I loved to fill in on shows like Breakfast Jam, Roots and Blues and Drive Time. Plus, I kept the chair warm for Reggae Ambassador Wednesday Night stalwart Papa Pilgrim for about six months when he recovered from surgery. Add another 1000 hours. Give thanks!

myJ18s23u9dW2uFSLMXRadg — Reggae Radio in the era of Ronnie Raygun. Fighting war with his lollipops and jellybeans. He did fund my Ark-ives with his student loans though. Ron also believed in Extra Terrestrials.

Too much Tribal War. Driving me crazy. Brother killing brother. Old as Cain and Abel but there are more than a dozen countries in the Middle East, nearly that many in Africa and Ukraine vs. Russia., actively killing and bombing and destroying themselves. Jah-pon is about to re-militarize. WTF? Whatever happened to the Summer of Love?

Armageddon around the corner, I am afraid we are all Fukashima’d.

866 — A reality so horrifying there is a press embargo. We are all Fukashima’d

Here are two songs to fit my bummer mood.

1. Sun Ra Arkestra – Nuclear War

2. Spiritual Rez – Let’s Go Out With a Bang

Either way you’re getting probed! I try to stay positive, but Reggae always points the way. I’m going to play some prophecy, (actually Ska-phecy), from The Special AKA when this happened in the Holy Land 30 years ago.

Bombs to settle arguments, the order of the boot
Can you hear them crying in the rubble of Beirut?I can still see people dying, now who takes the blame?
the numbers are different, the crime is still the sameFrom the graves of Belsen where the innocent were burned
To the genocide in Beirut, Israel was nothing learned?I can still hear people crying, now who takes the blame?
The numbers are different, the crime is still the sameBombs to settle arguments, the order of the boot
From the graves of Belsen, to the ruins of BeirutI can still see people dying, now who takes the blame?
The numbers are different, the crime is still the same

Very Ska-phetic, no?

Forward ever, backwards never!

reggae-peo — Cease fire and light the Chalice — Bunny Wailer

Uploaded my 26th Anniversary All Vinyl Show yesterday. Go deh so Smile Jamaica can make the Mixcloud charts. Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: July 5, 2014

Here what you can expect to here this afternoon on July 12th Ark-Ive

Dub Album of the Week: Aswad – New Chapter of Dub (Mango) ’82; so the music never stops

A CD set worth of scores from my Vegas/Cedar City crate dig: Culture, Joe Gibbs 12″ collection, Tosh bootleg
Wailers Family Tree: Bob’s last live performance; Pittsburgh, Jah-sylvania, Peter Tosh – rarities from dubble disk version of Equal Rights ’77. Introducing Bunny Wailer – Rule Dance Hall ’87.
Vinyl is Vital midway – The Black Wax World Tour
420 and Seven Leaf Meditations from Ganja Farmers like Niney and Tosh

<Osterity vs. Jah-sterity: Smile Jamaica’s Seven Leaf Utopia; 90 sec.>

Mutant Dub in the last half hour brought to you by the letter A: African Headcharge, Natacha Atlas, Al Haca Sound out of Jah-spana (Spain)
Extended Mix vinyl singles
Roots Dawtas: new Hollie Cook, Marcia Griffiths, Aisha

bless, robt

Smile Jamaica live every Saturday 4-7 PM Mtn. Time:

90.9FM in Utah
Stream: Tune In Radio
Ark-Ive. Here on Smile Jamaica blog; without commercial interruptions
Twitter: SmileJ_KRCL for live alert and stream upload/blog posts

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.

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