Greetings,

Monday July 4, 1988 I unveiled a Graveyard hour Reggae, World and Ska show called 3 O’Clock Roadblock. Thus, I ‘n’ I (WE) celebrate together 26 years. Give Thanks!

Before I ‘n’ I move forward, let’s see how  last week’s Smile Jamaica Ark-Ive charted on Mixcloud: June 21, 2014

Yes I! Another Top Ten Black Wax result for 26 years of Love & Devotion at 33 and 1/3 or 45 REVOLUTIONS! per Minute

• Vinyl: 6
• Dub: 14
• Reggae: 30

Forward ever, backwards never. Jump to July 5, 2014 Ark-Ive stream

I moved to Utah to go to University Fall 1986. I had spent the previous 3 years in Bozeman, Jah-tana. Go Bobcats!

My last (and coldest) year at Montana State, I discovered their community/college radio station KGLT.

My musical tastes were sort of in limbo. I had just started subscribing to this new magazine, Spin. I was big into college rock: The Minutemen, (Double Nickels on the Dime,), The Replacements (Pleased to Meet Me) and Husker Du (New Day Rising).

When I wasn’t listening to the local radio, I was watching MTV when the station actually played music videos: The Cult, Big Audio Dynamite, Jesus and Mary Chain.

I was alienated from most contemporary Rock (too many synth drums, Neil Young as a Republican), Hair Metal balladry (Perfect for the culturally bereft Reagan “Just Say No” era). The Clash fell apart.

And the only King of Pop for me is the King of Kings: The Negus; Negusa Negast; Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Elect of God, ever-living Jah. Earth’s Rightful Ruler

<Smile Jamaica Reggae History Lesson: Definition of Negus. 17 sec.>

So when I got my Student Loan check from Uncle Ron, I had some easy cash for these new fangled things called the Compact Disk. Moving from 25,000 people in Bozeman to a couple hundred thousand in Salt Lake City gave me more musical choices.

I bought a little blues, I picked up some quality world music. Mostly in Salt Lake stores long gone: Smokey’s Records, Raspberry Records, The Mad Platter. The (real) Cosmic Aeroplane.

My first Reggae acquisitions: Jimmy Cliff Harder They Come soundtrack and Reggae Greats. Bob Marley’s whole catalog had just been reissued on CD for midline price. Bought them all. Sly and Robbie – Taxi Fare: The very first CD purchase. Steel Pulse – True Democracy. UB40 – Labour of Love

***

As usual my timing sucked. When I was scouting Utah as a move, I dialed in to their excellent Indie station: KCGL. Listened to it every day all day when I relocated. Alas, about six weeks into Fall of 1986, it was bought out and converted to a religious station. WTF?

As Bob Marley said, “When one door closes, another will open.” A friend I had met in the dorms turned me on to Salt Lake’s Community station, KRCL.

That’s how I learned about Reggae Radio: from their Saturday Afternoon program, Smile Jamaica (then heard 1-4pm.)

My friend was a Jewish kid from Baltimore, computer programming major  who had a really great CD collection and the stereo setup to make it pop. The dorms at the University of Utah were glorified closets encased in brick. Excellent environment for sound ricochet.

I told my buddy Neal that I had been, sort of,  gravitating towards Reggae out of these compelling sub genres thanks to my radio consumption of Smile Jamaica.

He went to his book shelf and grabbed Black Uhuru’s Anthem off a rack. Popped it into his Nakamichi super duper CD player. Bose 901 speakers. Itched up the volume for a Friday night. And KABOOM!!!

Sly & Robbie were in high demand during the midpoint of this decade of wretched excess wiring the groove of  synthesized drum & bass. Perfect for Roots Reggae. Dylan, Springsteen, Clapton and The Stones? Meh, not so much.

Michael Rose’s Afro Arab singing was right in line with my understanding of African vocalists like King Sunny, Youssou N’Dour and Fela Kuti.

Female singer Puma Jones’ a-syncopated harmonies clashed with Ducky Simpson’s growl foreshadowed my complete and never ending immersion in Reggae ever since. 28 years of collecting it. 26 years of promoting it on the extra terrestrial Radio waves.

Black Uhuru – Anthem. More than any of the 70s Roots or UB40’s pop groove.

This was protest music for me. Anthems for the underdogs. I had found something to synchronize my politics, too, as a life long anti-authoritarian Progressive who has voted Third Party since 1984 when I became old enough to vote.

Pretty much all my expendable income was and is going to Roots Reggae from Fall of 1986 till I join Jah’s Heavenly Choir.

I tell you how I got on KRCL with this Anniversary Preview Post. This Ark-Ive Stream Edition Podcast celebrates that legacy with All Vinyl.

Give thanks,

Hit the link above or below and feast your ears on these musical treats

• Vinyl liberated from 112 degrees Las Vegas: Third World, Jimmy Riley, Josey Wales
• Roots Dawtas. Hard hitting UK Dub poetesses
• Seven Leaf and 420 Cannabis Service Announcement

<Seven Leaf Jah-sterity; 1 min 34 sec?>

• Mutant Dubwize to end the program. Black Wax stylee
• Heavy Roots & Culture stretched out with Extended Mix dubjams

bless, robt

The Playlist:

• Black Uhuru – What Is Life?; Anthem (Mango) ’84 US
• The Scientist Meets Ted Sirota’s – Scientific Strut; Heavyweight Dub (Liberated Zone) 2013; Dub Album of the Week
• Jimmy Riley – I Wish It Would Rain; Rydim Driven (Mango) ’81 US: Temptations soul cover
• Misty in Roots – City Runnings; In Progess (People Unite) ’84 UK
• Sister Netifa – Daughters of the Soil; Woman Determined (Aluta) ’88 UK female dub poet
• John Holt – Police in Helicopter; 12” (Holt) ’83 4:20 Cannabis Service Announcement***End of Set 1

• Third World – The Story’s Been Told; 12” (Island) ’79 German pressing
• Mighty Diamonds – One Brother Short; Vital Selection (Virgin Front Line) ’81 UK best of
• Jean Binta Breeze – Tracks + Nanny; Tracks (LKJ) ’91 UK dub poet. Nanny national hero of Jamaica***End of Set 2

• Josey Wales – Who We Baby; 12” (Volcano) ‘83
• The Selecter – Deep Water; Celebrate the Bullet (Chrysalis) ’81 2 Tone ska; Pauline Black vox
• Niccodemus (sic) – Spar With Me; Dance Hall Style (Black Joy) ’82 UK***End of Set 3

• 10 Ft. Ganja Plant – Sing and Dance; Skycatcher (ROIR) 2013 Upstate Jah York
• Sis Nya – Serious Time; Jah Music (Jah Shaka) ‘87 UK female vox
• Michael Palmer – Ghetto Living; Ghetto Living (Bebo’s Music) ’85 Wheaton, Maryland
• Barrington Spence – Jah Jah Train; Speak 
Softly (Trojan ‘76 UK***End of Set 4

• Sister Carol – Liberation For the African; Liberation For Africa (Serious Gold) ’83 NYC Sevenleaf Vinyl set
• Lovindeer – Free the Marijuana; De Blinkin’ Bus (TSOJ) ’82 JA
• Lion Youth – Natty Bring de Couchi; Love Comes & Goes (Virgo Stomach) ‘81 UK clear vinyl
• The Heptones – Sensemenia Collie; One Step Ahead (Sonic) JA***End of Set 5

• Carlton Livingston – 100 Lbs. of Collie; 10” (Roots Injection) 2010 mutant dub herbal update of his classic 420
• Capital Letters – Fire; Headline News (Greensleeves) ’79 UK youth group
• Junior Ross and the Spears – You Can’t Run; Babylon Fall (Stars) ’76 JA
• Jennifer Lara – Hand to Mouth; High Times All Star Explosion (Alligator) ’85 Jah-cago; blues label/reggae ***End of Set 6

• Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus – Black Vibes; Revelation (Trojan) ’82 UK niyabinghi drums
• New Age Steppers feat. Ari Up – Stormy Weather; Foundation Steppers (ON U Sound) ’82 UK Billie Holiday feat. Female vox
• Singers and Players feat. Sister P. – Holy Scripture; Vacuum Pumping ’88 UK mutant dub set
• Motion Detector – Dubtrain; 12” (LSF) 2002 US red vinyl
• The Outsider – Rumours of War; The Outsider Meets the High-Tech Roots Dyanmics (Jah Works) ’93 UK melodica dubs
• Zulu Warriors – Lion Dub; Warrior Dub (Mr. Modo) ’93 UK
• G.T. Moore – Herb of Africa; 12” (Jah Works) ’99 UK mutant dub herbtune
• African Head Charge – Stebbeni’s Theme; My Life In a Hole in the Ground (ON U Sound) ’81 UK African lyrics/female vox