Spent time in City Lights Bookstore looking for Jamaican dub poetry
Getting ready to do our Spring Fund Drive at KRCL. So I thought I would give you a sampler of the theme sets I have done over the years and decades. 50 sec.
The Whitman Sampler of Smile Jamaica:
Easter/Passover
4:20 herbtunes
Wailers Family Tree
Jamaican Jukebox 7″ – Roots Dawtas cover Bob Marley
Vinyl is Vital
Rockers do Reggae
Roots Dawta CDs
UFO-ria
bless, Bobbylon
Set 1: Easter/Passover
Lawrence Ferlinghetti – Baseball Canto; Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour – Baseball (Columbia)
Agrovators – None Shall Escape the Dub; Rasta Dub ’76 (Attack) ’76 JA dub album of the week
Bro. Marshall – Man From Galilee; Man From Galilee (Tabernacle) ’68
Gloria Bailey & the Joy Bells – I Have Paid the Price; 7″ (Henry’s) ’81 JA gospel
The Gospelettes – Sign My Name’ 7″ (Glad Tidings) JA gospel
Norma King – Good Friday; 7″ (Zion Love) ’89 Can.
Marcia Griffiths & Tyrone Taylor – He Shed His Blood; 7″ (High Note) JA ballad
The Congos – At the Feast; 12″ (99) ’81 – Passover
Smile Jamaica celebrates all the Sky Gods: Christian, Jewish and Sumerian
Set 2: 4:20 Cannabis Service
Ben Harper – Burn One Down; Voodoo Child (bootleg) 4/97 live in Bonn, Germ.
Soom T – Weed is Sweeter; Ode to a Carrot (Jahtari) 2008 Glasgow female weedstepper
Michael Rose – Draw the Weed; Never Give It Up (Heartbeat) 2001
Mikey Murka & Disrupt – Police; 12″ (Mahanee) 2009 Germ. cover of John Holt’s Police & Helicopter
Set 3: Wailers Family Tree
Peter Tosh – African; Dealing With the Shytstem (bootleg) 11/5/82 live at the Roxy in LA
Bunny Wailer – No More Trouble; Hall of Fame (RAS) ’95, 50 Bob covers on Bob’s 50th
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Is This Love; Kaya (Tuff Gong) ’78
Bob Marley & the Wailers – Is This Dub; CD Single (Tuff Gong) ’78
Scientist – Guava Road Dub; 11King of Dub (Kingdom) ’81: Dub Album of the Hour
Set 4: 7″ Jamaican Jukebox: Roots Dawtas cover Bob Marley
Cindy Breakespeare – Turn Your Lights Down Low; 7″ (Riverside)
<Damian Marley’s Mom; 32 sec.>
I Three – I Shot the Sheriff; 7″ (Rita Marley Music)
Anicia Banks – Thank You Lord; 7″ (Ashandan) Curtis Mayfield original, Bob cover
Sheila Hylton – Mellow Mood; 7″ (Harry J) ’77
Set 5: Vinyl Is Vital
Prince Far I – Natty Champion; Jamaican Heroes (Trojan) ’80 UK
Jennifer Lara – Hand to Mouth; High Times All Star Explosion (Alligator) ’85 Chicago blues label does Reggae
New Age Steppers feat. Bim Sherman – Dreamers; Foundation Steppers (ON U Sound) ’83 UK Mutant Dub
Jackie Bernard – Economic Crisis; Lee “Scratch” Perry – Excaliburman (Seven Leaves) ’78 UK
Steel Pulse – Higher Than High; Caught You (Island) ’80 UK
Set 6: Rockers do Reggae
Johnny Clarke – Rebel Soldering; Don’t Trouble Trouble (Attack) ’75: (1) – Original
<Soldering = cocksman; 36 sec.>
Hall & Oates – Soldering; Hall & Oates (Buddha) ’75 (2) cover
<Hall & Oates on Smile Jamaica? WTF? 26 sec.>
Bob Dylan – Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door; Live at Budokan (Columbia) ’78 Jah-pon
<2nd place to Cheap Trick; 14 sec.>
Linda McCartney – Sugartime; Wide Prairie (MPL) ’77 produced by Lee “Scratch” Perry
WTF?
Set 7: Roots Dawtas
Aisha – Only Jah Works; True Roots (Ariwa) ’94: Roots Dawta CD set
Althea & Donna – Sorry; Uptown Top Ranking (Virgin Front Line) ’78
Rita Marley – Jah Jah Don’t Want; Who Feels It Knows It (Shanachie) ’80
Love Joys – Chances Are; Lovers Rock Showcase (Wackies) ’82 female duo
Aisha – Smile Jamaica’s favorite female singer
Set 8: UFO-ria
Anubian Lights – Outflight; Outflight CD Single (Crippled Dick Hot Wax) 2001 – The New Jerusalem
<The New Jerusalem mentioned in Revelation is about a gigantic spaceship; 50 sec.; <
U.F.O. feat. Deedee Bridgewater – Flying Saucer; Saint Germain des Pres Cafe IV (Wagram) 2004 Fr.
Creation Rebel – Starship Africa Part 1; 10″ EP (ON U Sound) 2015 UK
Dennis Alcapone – The Sky’s the Limit (Flying Machine); Guns Don’t Argue (Trojan) ’72
Tena Stelin – Flying Saucers; 7″ (River Bank) 2001 about the Anunnaki
Mighty Sparrow – Russian Sattelite; Bob Dylan Theme Time Radio Hour vol. 5 (Music Melon) ’59 about Laika the Soviet space dog, calypso
<Mighty Sparrow’s tribute to Laika, Soviet space dog who gave his life for space travel; 21 sec.>
So what do I do to soak up the down time? I have been following the Democratic Primary race: Foreman vs. Ali, Jordan vs. Magic, Hillary vs. Bernie.
I’m not voting for either of them. I’m a Jill Steiniac. but I love how competitive it has gotten. Odds on favorite, Hillary, trying to stave off an outsider’s populist counter. In 2008 it was Pres. Peace Prize. Now it’s a 74 year old Jewish Socialist.
Hillary has the elites. Bernie has the 99ers. So out on the Youtube some enterprising media person promoted his candidacy via an awesome mashup of Ben Harper’s Burn one Down synced to Bernie’s “finger in the air, like he just don’t care!” mannerisms
Wave your finger in the air like you just don’t care!
The Harper tune is a nyabinghi ballad with acoustic guitar devoted to the Seven Leaf. As Bern One Down this clip matches the drum chop-chop to Bernie’s finger gestures.
You can’t endorse a candidate on non-commercial Radio, but I thought people would get a kick out of it.
<Bern one Down! 1 min 12 sec.>
Give thanks for all the listens, forwards, reposts and favorites on the Smile Jamaica Mixcloud page. Together we have grown the Mixcloud weekly SJ listens from about 25 three years ago to over 100 now. Forward ever backwards never!
You help me get in the charts of Roots Reggae, Vinyl, Dub and Reggae. Give thankx!
Smile Jamaica much prefers Collie-rado’s Inversion Galore to Utah’s Winter Smog. 4 down, 46 to go!
Greetings,
<Inversion Galore. Surviving Utah’s Winter Smog>
Settling into Jah-nuary. Middle of winter. The two month period of hibernation between the Green Bud Bowl Packers last game and opening Season for my beloved San Francisco, Giants baseball.
Weeping and Wailing and gnashing of teeth 😦
Green Bud Bowl Packers legendary collapse. Dread only had to do one thing and one thing only: catch the effing ball. Game over. Super Bowl 49. Fiyah bun!
<Green Bud Bowl Packers epic collapse against Seapukes: No Superbowl for I ‘n’ I; 17 sec.>
***
Grinding it out at work trying to avoid the flu and the colds brought about by Utah’s chunky air. Flu shot was a dud. Everyone in my family except me got it. Praise Jah! One of my best friends had to go to the emergency room with fluid in her lungs. Utah from November to March great for skiiers. Not so much for those with ashthma.
So playing rope a dope in cutting through the Post Holiday blah’s with the Kool Roots of Reggae ‘n’ Dubwize.
High-lights of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives: Jah-nuary 24, 2015; 64 sec.
Wailers Family Tree: Bob & Peter Live in Leeds UK; Tosh live acoustic radio performance; Bunny chants down Botha and Apartheid South Africa, Marcia Griffiths – Steppin’ ’79
Dub Album of the Week: Aba-Shanti Ites. Mutant dub instrumentals
Soundtracks: Reggae on celluloid
Best of Smile Jamaica 25 Years: Marcia G, Prince Lincoln UFOria, Dillinger PSA on STD’s
Vinyl is V-Ital: Roots Dawtas: lovers rock, deejay Seven Leaf, dub poet
Mutant Dub: UFO skywatching soundtrack
<Songs to watch the sky for UFO’s. They are out there. Do not scoff!; 8 sec.>
bless, robt
Galaxy poll on the Terrestrial Drug War
Smile Jamaica Playlist: Jah-nuary 24, 2015:
Set 1:
Kojak – Glory to Jah; Chant Down Babylon (Gorgon) JA vinyl
Aba-Shanti-I &the Shanti-Ites – Tower of Bable (sic); Verse III (Falasha) ’99; Dub Album of the Week: mutant dub style
Black Slate – Mozart in Trenchtown; World Citizen (Unit 8) 2014 UK roots reunion
<Black Slate: UK Roots Reunion; 29 sec.>
Akabu – Fate of the World; Warrior Queen (ON U Sound) ’95 UK female roots group
African Brothers – Gimme Gimme African Love; 10” (Main Line) ’77, Tony Tuff Sugar Minott group
Iba – Babylon Don’t Like; Many Lives (Mt. Nebo) 2006; 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement
<4 down, 46 to go!; 7 sec.>
Big Youth – Honesty; Screaming Target (Trojan) ’72; on Slaving riddim
UK Roots Reunion. One of Smile Jamaica’s Best of 2014
Set 2:
The Wailers – Stop That Train; Burnin’ (Deluxe Edition) (Tuff Gong); Live at Leeds UK; 11/23/73
Cedric ‘Im Brooks – Jah Light It Right; Light of Saba (Honest Jon’s) ’76 horn jazz + nyahbinghi instrumental
Dennis Brown – Give a Helping Hand; 10” (Observer Gold)
Rhoda Dakar – 007; Cleaning in Another Woman’s Kitchen (Moon Ska) 2007; singer in Special AKA, Bodysnatchers ska covers Desmond Dekker
2 Tone Ska-stress: Bodysnatchers, Special AKA, sang a song about date rape that is brilliant and harrowing “The Boiler”
Set 3: Reggae tunes on Soundtracks
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Dreadlocks in Moonlight; Countryman Soundtrack (Mango) ‘82
Western Roots – Rockers Galore; Babylon Central Soundtrack (ESL) 2010 mutant dub
Does it surprise you that the Smile Jamaica Seven Leaf Army’s favorite team is GREEN BAY
<Loved the Packers since 2nd grade>
Greetings,
These are the Holy Trinity of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
Reggae & Dubwise – collected Reggae since 1986. Reggae Radio, uninterrupted, since 1988.
San Francisco Giants baseball; World Series champs 2010,2012,2014,2016,2018
Green Bay Packers football: Bart Starr 2 Super Bowls, Brett Perve 1 Super Bowl, Aaron Rodgers 1 Superbowl
Looking for a dubble dose of Rings this February
No surprise the guy who celebrates Cannabis Service Month, would be devoted to a team called GREEN Bay. Especially since I am predicting legalize for Jah-sconsin in 2016?
Aww, but another team in the Green is Seattle. Where they are one of the 4 down while Jah-sconsin is in the 46 to go column
<4 down, 46 to go!>
Russell Wilson? Meh. Too nice for this blackheart
VS.
I’ll go with the guy who has the Hollywood girlfriend
In 2010/2011 I got the dubble dose:
2010 World Series: Giants spanked the Rangers 4-1
2011 Super Bowl XV: Green Bay defeated the Steelers 31-25
Super Bowl? Smoked a Bowl, more like!
I’m hoping for the same result for 2014/2015
San Francisco Giants defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-3; 2014 World Series
<Even year magic: San Francisco Giants and the World Series>
The Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives Holy Trinity of Obsessions
Reggae and Dubwize
Green Bay Packers NFL
San Francisco Giants baseball
Smile Jamaica’s second favorite green
Sunday Night conundrum: My two favorites are playing at the same time. Praise Jah for DVR. Packers versus Saints. So I’m watching the World Series live while I “chop up” the Smile Jamaica Jah-loween Monster Hash 3 Hour Blast.
World Series: Royals vs my Giants. Madison Bumgarner is the Royals nightmare. Three down, 1 to go!
***
Manager Bruce Bochy throwing the hairy eyeball against the weaksauce American League with their lame Designated Hitters. Fiya bun the DH!
Been a fan of both teams since I was in elementary school. Suffered through decades of thin gruel till they started getting good with the sugar high (ha ha) of Barroid Bonds, the pre-perv Brett Favre era.
I got the dubble dose in 2010-2011. Giants finally broke through since they relocated from NYC to San Francisco in 1958. (I was so happy I bought a new car the day after they spanked the Rangers 4 games to 1).
Then when Brett Favre was showing his ding a ling to a bunch of gals, Aaron Rodgers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 leading the Packers to victory in the Super Bowl.
From the San Francisco Chronicle, “Buster Posey said listening to the online Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives this past year helped raise his batting average 17 points over 2013.”
And after a roller coaster season, here comes the Giants again. However, I must admit. I grew up a Dodgers fan until something outrageous happened that made me hate Dodger Blue like Rastas hate pork chops.
Growing up in Fort Benton, Montana our family would pack up for two weeks every summer. Big old Ford Station wagon. My dad had to drive about 1250 miles each way. Back in the wooly days before MADD, he’d grab a sixer of Olympia beer and head out on the open road.
My grandfather lived in Turlock, Collie-fornya (home of Niners QB Colin Kapoernick) but if we were gonna check Disneyland and Knottsberry Farm, we would head for our relatives who lived in Hawthorne (home of the Beach Boys).
Probably through that connection I was a Dodgers fanatic. Here is what kind of fan I was: I won my age group’s Punt, Pass and Kick competition in Fort Benton. Rather than compete at the next level in Great Falls, I stayed home to watch the Dodgers play the Oakland A’s in the World Series.
Oct. 1974. The era of 3 channels; no VCR’s; no DVR’s. The A’s spanked the Dodgers 4-1. I remember Dodger first basemen Bill Buckner being thrown out at home and I started crying. (9 years old.) I wasn’t a bit surprised he effed up that grounder to first as a Red Sock in 1986.
Bill Buckner 12 years before immortal infamy as a Red Sock
Wheel it forward a few years. The old school Dodger manager, Walter Alston, retired. Tommy Lasorda took his place. Brash and Italian where Alston was serious and pensive. Lasorda might have been a paisan but he was Hollywood all the way.
Tommy Lasorda is the reason I became a Dodger hater and a life long San Francisco Giant fan. What happened? Tommy Lasorda committed the heinous crime of playing himself in a television episode of the 70’s crap TV show Fantasy Island. Mar. 28, 1978: That was an unforgivable sin.
Fantsy Island Mar. 1978: Steve Garvey, Mr. Roarke (Ricardo Montalban), Dodger player, Sicilian ham actor/manager Tommy Lasorda. There is a thin line between love and hate
The next week the 1978 baseball season started. In order to be an anti-Dodger, the only play was to become a San Francisco Giants fan. 35+ years later whenever I see that camera hog Tommy Lasorda I throw the malocchio his way.
Go Giants!
bless, robt
Pre-Steroids Barry Bonds. Never won a World Series ring
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?
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
All treats no tricks! Gorillaza have a dubble dose of Jah-loween on Smile Jamaica
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!>
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!
Sept. 1989: co-host Smile Jamaica. 25 years uninterrupted. Slice of the cake: Red – for the blood of Africa; Gold for the riches of Africa; Green for the bounty of Africa – the Red, Gold & Green
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,
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)
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.
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 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.
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.
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
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.
KRCL’s Wed. Night Reggae Ambassador, Papa Pilgrim. Spinning Nite Roots for Jah’s Heavenly Choir. Selah!
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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:
Been really homebound at the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives. Allergies for sure-ty. Cold wet weekend made me an invalid. Dayquil, Nyquil. No dice.
Called my beloved mother, Jeannette, wished her a happy Mother’s Day in a Jah-tana blizzard. Chatted up my best pal Tristin. And watched my beloved Giants spank the hated Dodgers in extra innings.
Being homeward bound made me plow into the treasures of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive.
So I am a Librarian by trade. And like Sanitation Engineers mop floors, Librarians are Information Engineers. We organize information into searchable format.
I am in the perpetual state of cataloging and creating discographies of my collection by format. Right now I am in the mood for the most esoteric of my Reggae formats* (10″ vinyl extended mix single.)
*other than my treasured Bob Marley 8 Tracks
From the Dead Formats Shelf of the Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives
I have an Excel database that tracks A side: Artist, Song; B side: Artist,Song; Record Label; Producer; Year (very hard sometimes to find); Reggae Band laying down the riddims. Other metadata like: herb tune, Marley tribute, soul cover, etc. Then I give each side a grade.
Smile Jamaica Ark-Ives Grade: B+/A-
Here is what I cataloged and listened to on my Hi-Fi. Vinyl Sabbath (May 11, 2014: Mother’s Day and 33 Years of Bob Marley’s tragic passing)
10″ vinyl: Dirty Dub Dozen
*b & w = backed with or the B side
Boney ‘L’ & Vibronics – Babylon Children b/w* Vibronics – The Return (Jah Tubbys); A side is female roots on a good militant steppers riddim. Militant Steppers is the martial Euro dubble time stiff drum and spongy echo. B side is cool instrumental by the Dub group Vibronics.
Grade: A/A-
Dennis Brown – Tenement Yard b/w Open the Gates. Part of a latter-day reissue series of vinyl classics from Niney’s Observer label. Revive/Reissue Label: Observer Gold. Dennis at his roots best. Sufferers A side with Rasta imagery B side
Grade: A/A+
Johnny Clarke – Dreader Dread + Clint Eastwood – Dread Lion b/w Horace Andy – Guiding Star + Tappa Zukie – Jah Is I Guiding Star (Attack Gold); cut ‘n’ mix using Bunny Lee’s production of King Tubby mixing the flying cymbal attack of the Aggrovators. Version rides recycling hard riddims. Both jams are high impact examples of early 70s Rasta commercial roots.
Grade: A/A
The Congos – Some are Having Fun b/w Mad Professor & the Robotics feat. Michael Walters – Jungle Vibrations (Ariwa) 2002. Gorgeous A side featuring the falsetto of Cedric Myton. B is a great ricochet echo mostly instrumental jam with that trademark Mad Professor sound
Grade: A/A
Mikey Dread – Heavyweight Style b/w Rub-a-Dub (Dread the Controls) ’82 picture sleeve. Spongy riddims featuring the singjay. Studio craft with false starts, trombone melodies and sticky downbeat. Mikey’s cartoon vox celebrates the tough riddims. B side is a notch better. “Music is my butter, music is my bread.” Rub a Dub: the excuse needed to grab your gal and wind up her waist on the dance floor. Deliberate one drop, more measured, where the twisty groove pumps bass at your groin.
Grade: B+/A-
Gregory Isaacs – Cool Down the Pace b/w The Stranger (Island) ’82 picture sleeve. Mixed by Groucho Smykle who updated Black Uhuru’s contemporary sound. These are inverted tracks where it is mostly dub riddim where Gregory meanders in and warbles over an early 80s digital drum sound.
Grade: A/A-
Carlton Jackson – Only Jah Will Do b/w Jonny (sic) Osburne (sic) – The Love of Music (Ital International) ’82. Wow what a great roots record. A side is sublime Rasta celebration. While Johnny or Jonny celebrates the philosophy of celebrating Reggae music
Grade: A+/A
Purchased at Streetlight Records in San Francisco circa 1989
Jah Mason & Robbie Valentine – Ganja afe Free b/w Mike Anthony – Culture Calling (Sip a Cup); 2005 Militant Steppers powerhouse produced by Gussie P with riddims by Mafia & Fluxy. A side is a combination style herb tune. B side is a great roots and contemporary dub jam.
Grade: A-/A
Keith & Tex + Scotty – Tonight + Children Children b/w Pablo & Fay – Bedroom Mazurka (Trojan) UK reissue of some classic Derrick Harriott productions. A side is the great slinky riddim moving into Scotty toasting a nursery rhyme. B side is Pablo’s melodica dreamscape over Fay’s come hither seduction. Jamaican novelty update.
Grade: A/B+
King General – They Say b/w Centry – King of Kings (Lovedub Music) 2006 Conscious Sounds Bush Chemists militant steppers mutant dub mashup. A side is a great high voiced singjay herb tune, “They say Sensimilla can’t smoke”. B side is a different riddim instrumental. I used this one to test out my new stereo setup since I had to upgrade my TV/entertainment center over the weekend.
Grade: A/A-
Love mi Dubplate: “They say Sensimilla cyaan smoke”
Barrington Levy – Mr. Money Man b/w Super Chick Me a Champion (Hit Bound) ’83. Trademark Barry warble over a subtle rub a dub groover. Very atmospheric protesting against the banksters vexing the working poor way back when. B Side is female sing jay. Very off key on the singing while stepping it lively on the deejay toast ‘n’ boast. Psychedelic extended mix once Chick steps aside.
A/B+
Derrick Morgan – Conquering Ruler (2002 Re-Visit) b/w Martin Campbell – Old Time Dance (Channel One UK). Featuring the Hi-Tech Roots Radics. A is a Rock Steady classic update. B side is better as a celebration of Reggae inna dancehall style. 3 versions per side: vox, vocal/dub, dub. Bonus beats are always a treat!
Grade: B+/A
Good day to celebrate His Imperial Majesty with roots ‘n’ dubbers paying tribute!
bless, robt
Praises to Jah: Truly the Conquering Lion
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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