Distinctly Jamaican Sounds

RIP King Stitt (1939-2012)

2012-02-01T11:03:00.002-05:00

King Stitt... the rumors of his death have been greatly exaggerated.

2012-01-10T12:16:00.002-05:00

~~I heard through the grapevine that the legendary Winston Sparkes AKA King Stitt has died...~~

Lesson Learned; never trust what you hear through the grapevine!

Quoting from the Gleaner...

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter
"Veteran deejay King Stitt is sick but not gone. Rumours began circulating yesterday that the deejay was dead.
Speaking with The Gleaner, son of the legendary Studio One founder Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd, Courtney Dodd, disclosed that Stitt was still alive.
Dodd, who also heard rumours about Stitt's passing, said, "He's sick and was in the hospital for two months."
According to Dodd, Stitt was in the Kingston Public Hospital for the last two months after coming from Brazil and reportedly not feeling well. Stitt was released from the hospital on Saturday, but according to Dodd, the doctors haven't yet discovered what is causing his illness.
"I saw him Saturday," Dodd said. He added, "He's not looking so good, He's still weak and not eating. He's lost a lot of weight and not talking much."
Born Winston Sparkes, he was called Stitt as a boy because of a stutter. Keeping the name, Sparkes called himself King Stitt on stage.
Stitt's long history with Studio One began in 1956 when he started deejaying on Coxson's Downbeat sound system.
Count Machuki noticed him for his dancing and gave him the chance to try his hand on the mic.
Following the folding of Coxson's Downbeat sound system around 1968, King Stitt found himself working as a mason in Ocho Rios. He had been deejaying at the mic for more than 10 years when he was first recorded over brand new reggae rhythms in 1969.
His first record releases came from producer Clancy Eccles with classic tracks like Fire Corner and Lee Van Cleef."

What I thought was a retrospective is now going to serve as a living tribute to Jamaica's Oldest Living DJ and a true originator!

King Stitt Mix!

1. Lick It Back
2. I For I
3. Fire Corner
4. Oh Yeah
5. Play It Cool
6. Jump For Joy
7. Be A Man
8. Herbman Shuffle w/Andy Capp
9. In The City
10. Rhyming Time
11. Sounds Of The 70s
12. Soul Language
13. Dance Beat 1
14. Reality
15. Rub A Dub
16. Rockers Corner
17. Live Jah Up
18. Lee Van Cleef
19. Vigorton Two
20. No Man Version

Enjoy!

The "Shitter Was Full" Jamaican Christmas Mix 2011

2011-12-14T08:10:00.010-05:00

With only 10 more days until Christmas I finally present for your Yuletide enjoyment... the "Shitter Was Full" Jamaican Christmas Mix 2011! As I discussed earlier this month, it wasn't easy coming up with a good selection this year, due partly to the fact that I used every track off Jacob Miller's Christmas album about 2 years ago and because I didn't want to include a bunch of crap. But you're not here to hear me complain you're here for the mix so let's get to it!

We start off the 2011 Jamaican Christmas Mix with tenor sax superman Dean Fraser and his rendition of the traditional English Christmas carol "Deck The Halls." This one comes from the Blue Mountain Christmas Party from 1989 on the Blue Mountain label and it's the perfect festive tune to get things rollin'!

Next we get a little wacky with a tune from the Wackies stable... this one is by the man John C and it was unceremoniously ripped from the Wackies Reggae Christmas LP. Mr C gives us a nice interpretation of "We Three Kings" another traditional Christmas carol done inna Wackies reggae style!

Ken Boothe is up next with a good one... this song is called "This Christmas" and it comes from the Sonic Sounds 1990 CD Vintage Christmas. Good vibes on this one that is sure to put a smile to your face... Ken Boothe's smooth voice has a way of doing that regardless of the time of year!

The organ maestro Glen Adams follows up Mr. Boothe with a tune that absolutely kicks ass! A bad ass song called "Joyful Tidings" which is in fact a hardcore roots version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen! Reggae Christmas at its finest! This little gem is off a 7" on the Clocktower label.

Next we're taking a trip from downtown straight uptown with Byron Lee & The Dragonaires giving us a smooth violin embellished version of Doris Day's Winter Wonderland... called appropriately enough "Winter Wonderland Reggae" and lifted from the 2005 various artists CD called The Reggae Christmas Collection on the Pulse label.

Sticking with the cold weather theme here and taking it ska with the next track is the king of the trombone Don Drummond and a sweet tune from 1963 called "Snowboy" on the Island label. Not an obvious Christmas tune but the Snowboy title brings to mind good ol' Frosty the Snowman... I think you'll dig it!

Barrington Levy is up next with a song that I've held back from using for a few years now... it's called "Flash Your Dread" telling the tale of riding his Honda CB 400 with his dreadlocks flying in the breeze sung to the tune of Jingle Bells!

Trinity finishes this track on the same riddim with his DJ verse on "Flash Your Dread." Trinity gets a little more involved with including the Christmas vibe and it makes for a pretty wicked DJ tune! This track and the Barrington Levy ahead of it were both from the 1983 LP Yard Style Christmas on the MC Productions label.

Hopping over to Studio One for the next track. This smooth number comes from Johnny Osbourne and Jennifer Lara... it's called "Christmas Medley" and was borrowed from the Studio One LP Christmas Stylee from the late 70s... you can't go wrong with a Coxsone Christmas Carol which comes complete with a wicked version as well!

Horace Andy is up next with "Hark The Herald" which is incorrect because it's actually "The First Noel"... his take on the classic Christmas fare from the 18th century and covered and sung ad nauseum every Christmas since we were born. Mr. Andy does a good job with this one and it sure as hell beats any other version I have of this song... that includes you Mr. Sinatra!

Giving the mix a little "punch" is the man D.D. Dennis with a soulful and heartfelt sentiment called "Christmas Message." This one is from a 1971 7" on the Punch label.

Jumping back over to the aforementioned Reggae Christmas Collection on the Pulse label is Wain Nelson with a musical tribute to the jolly ol' elf that makes Christmas so much fun for kids all over the world... obviously it's called "Santa Claus."

Going from Santa to the booze, which just so happens to be one of my favorite Christmas traditions as an adult... and taking this runaway sleigh on a calypso path is Egbert Moore AKA Lord Beginner and a lighthearted hangover tune called "Christmas Morning The Rum Had Me Yawning." This baby comes from a CD called Where Will You Be Christmas Day? on the Dust To Digital label. Raise a glass of cheer to fully enjoy this one!

Raymond Harper is up next with his ska take on Irving Berlin's classic "White Christmas." This is an awesome tune that came off a 7" on the Doctor Bird label circa '63 or '64. The mellow horns combined with the upbeat ska bounce makes for one helluva Christmas tune! I could listen to this one on a loop for hours!

The man Jimpy is up next with a nice take of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" sung more in a Jackson 5 style than that of Bing Crosby. This one comes from a late 80s 7" on the Studio Starr Gate label. I could find no substantial proof but I would assume this Jimpy is the same Jimpy Haldane who produced a ton of good stuff back in the mid-80s!

I don't know where the next track has been hiding for the last couple years but here it is... Ripton Hylton AKA Eek A Mouse with his take on "Long Time Ago In Bethlehem" which Ripton entitled "Merry Little Xmas" and from his greatest hits compilation CD on the Shanachie label called The Very Best Of Eek A Mouse Vol. 2 It's actually pretty nice.

Niyah and The Sunflakes are up next with an upbeat number called "Merry Christmas" from a 1969 45 on the Sonet label. This is one of those tunes I came across this summer and though the pressing is not perfect I think you'll get the gist.

Its been a couple years since I featured anything by Lloyd Lovindeer but this drought is about to end... rippin' it up inna rub-a-dub style and taken from a 1982 7" on the Weed Beat label this one is called "Christmas Feeling." This too is one that I dug up this summer... kind of weird but I bought about 95% of my Christmas music in July and August... you can't say I wasn't planning ahead!

Don Carlos and Glenice Spencer give us "Jingle Bells" from the 2003 Trojan Christmas CD boxset on the Trojan label of course. There is something so funny about hearing Don's sweet voice singing songs of sleigh bells instead of Dice Cups and Dance Gates.

You remember a couple years back when I included Mutabaruka's "Postpone Christmas?" This one throws a bit of reality back into the Christmas season by wondering why Santa never visits the ghetto and praising Rastafari all at the same time... it's called "Dedicated To Santa" by Tippa Lee, Nardo Ranks, Half Pint and David Brevett and comes from a 7" on the Studio One label, circa 199os.

Staying with Studio One but goin' old school again... The Silvertones are up with a real scorcher on the classic Swing Easy riddim and borrowed from the Studio One LP Christmas Stylee. It also includes a bad-ass version at the end that I think you'll dig.

Dennis Brown is up next with "Ding Dong Merrily On High" from the various artists album 8 Stars For Christmas on the Josiah label. This is a super cool tune from Dennis Brown - probably one of my favorites on this years mix!

Sticking with the Ding Dong theme for the next track. Gregory Isaacs gives us a severely digital tune called "Ding Dong Bell." This little baby comes from the LP Christmas Party on the Jammys label and produced by the great King Jammy from the late 80s. Not Gregory's best Christmas offering but not bad either!

Sticking digi with the next one... the man Junior Roots and his tune "Christmas Time Again" from the Sugar Minott produced LP Youth Promotion Christmas Jamboree is the twenty fourth tune in the mix on the Youth Promotion label. Nice smooth tune...

Finally, we're wrapping it up with Owen Gray with the song "Collins Greetings" released as a 7" in 1967 on the Collins Downbeat label. I really wanted to end the mix on a high note and I think the old school vibes from this tune get the job done pretty well.

Give it a listen and have a very Merry Christmas! Lots of love everyone!

The Complete Jamaican Christmas Mix 2011

Here's the tracklisting minus the verbiage...

1. Dean Fraser - Deck The Halls
2. John C - We Three Kings
3. Ken Boothe - This Christmas
4. Glen Adams - Joyful Tidings
5. Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Winter Wonderland Reggae
6. Don Drummond - Snowboy
7. Barrington Levy - Flash Your Dread
8. Trinity - Flash Your Dread (DJ Version)
9. Johnny Osbourne & Jennifer Lara - Christmas Medley
10. Horace Andy - Hark The Herald
11. D.D. Dennis - Christmas Message
12. Wain Nelson - Santa Claus
13. Lord Beginner - Christmas Morning The Rum Had Me Yawning
14. Raymond Harper - White Christmas
15. Jimpy - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
16. Eek A Mouse - Have A Merry Little Xmas
17. Niyah & The Sunflakes - Merry Christmas
18. Lovindeer - Christmas Feeling
19. Don Carlos - Jingle Bells
20. Tippa Lee, Nardo Ranks, Half Pint & David Brevett - Dedicated To Santa
21. Silvertones - Merry Merry Christmas
22. Dennis Brown - Ding Dong Merrily On High
23. Gregory Isaacs - Ding Dong Bell
24. Junior Roots - Christmas Time Again
25. Owen Gray - Collins Greetings

The Ghosts Of Christmases Past...

2011-12-05T17:04:00.004-05:00

Here are the Jamaican Christmas Mixes from previous years... 125 songs in total and with a combined running time of around 7 hours, there's enough here to keep you reggae-ing around the Christmas tree all month long!

The 2006 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Carlene Davis – Santa Claus (Do You Ever Come To The Ghetto)
2. King Stitt – Christmas Tree
3. Johnny Osbourne – Christmas Stylee
4. The Joe Gibbs Family – We Three Kings
5. Gregory Isaacs – Christmas Behind The Bars
6. Yellowman – Where Is Santa Claus?
7. Eek A Mouse – Christmas A Come
8. Cocoa Tea - Christmas Is Coming
9. The Aggrovators – Santa Claus Dub
10. Ras Pidow – Winter Storm
11. The Wailers – White Christmas
12. Toots & The Maytals – Christmas Feeling Ska
13. Alton Ellis & The Lipsticks – Merry Merry Christmas
14. Jacob Miller – On The Twelve Days Of Ismas
15. Trinity – Video Christmas
16. Eek A Mouse – The Night Before Christmas
17. Michael Palmer – Happy Merry Christmas
18. The Granville Williams Orchestra – Santa Claus Is Ska-Ing To Town
19. Tiger – Tiger Claus
20. Freddie McGregor – O Come Let Us Adore Him
21. Dillinger – Hi Fashion Christmas
22. Jacob Miller – Deck The Halls
23. Trinity – All I Want For Christmas
24. The Ethiopians – Ding Dong Bell
25. Rico And His Boys – Silent Night

The 2007 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Jacob Miller - All I Want For Ismas
2. Horace Andy - Christmas Time
3. The Aggrovators - Santa Claus And The Aggrovators Conquer The Martians Inna Holiday Rockers Style
4. Kingstonians - Merry Christmas
5. Cocoa Tea - Please Come For Christmas
6. Mutabaruka - Postpone Christmas
7. Brent Dowe - Christmas In Jamaica
8. Steve Golding - Strictly Rock Christmas
9. Kashief Lindo - Someday At Christmas
10. Frank Cosmo - Merry Christmas
11. Al & The Vibrators - Merry Christmas
12. Lovindeer - It's Christmas Time Again
13. Jackie Mittoo - Joy Joy
14. The Cimarons - Holy Christmas
15. Ringo - Christmas Time
16. Little Kirk - Gee Whiz
17. Half Pint - Christmas Vibes
18. Gregory Isaacs - White Christmas
19. John Holt - Winter World Of Love
20. Sugar Minott - Christmas Jamboree
21. Peter Broggs - Twelve Days Of Christmas
22. Barrington Levy - Christmas Day
23. The Wailers - Sound The Trumpet
24. Little John - Save A Little For Christmas
25. Ernest Wilson - We Wish You A Merry Christmas

The 2008 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Nigger Kojak - Christmas Style
2. Bunny & Skully - White Christmas
3. Lord Nelson - Party For Santa Claus
4. The Wailers - Go, Tell It On The Mountain
5. Frankie Paul - Merry Christmas
6. Alton Ellis - Christmas Coming
7. Glen Adams - Xmas Rock
8. Michigan & Smiley - Little Drummer Boy
9. Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Christmas Day
10. Iron Phoenix - Natty Dread Christmas
11. Gregory Isaacs - It's Christmas Time Again
12. Johnny Clarke - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
13. Winston Groovy - Merry Christmas
14. Jacob Miller - Silver Bells
15. Ray I - Natty No Santa Claus
16. Jah Walton - DJ Christmas
17. Toots & The Maytals - Happy Christmas
18. Horace Andy - Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
19. The Silvertones - Bling Bling Christmas
20. Freddie McGregor - Irie Christmas
21. Charley Fresh - Jam Down Christmas
22. Tippa Lee & Rappa Roberts - Christmas Is Coming
23. Hortense Ellis - Black Christmas
24. Trinity - African Christmas
25. Richard Ace - Joyful Reggae

The 2009 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Tristan Palmer - Christmas Jamboree
2. Roman Stewart - Christmas Affair
3. Frank Cosmo - Greetings From Beverley's
4. General Trees - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
5. Jackie Edwards - White Christmas
6. Shorty The President - Christmas Fair
7. Norman T. Washington - It's Christmas Time Again
8. Colin Roach & Anthony Malvo - Merry Christmas
9. J.C. Lodge - Joy To The World
10. Lloyd Seivright - Mary's Boy Child
11. Lui Lepke - Christmas Season
12. Winston Francis - Here Comes Santa
13. Verna Lee Powell - He Is My Santa Claus
14. Sandra Robinson & Lee Scratch Perry - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year
15. Ringo - Never Forget Christmas
16. Sonny Bradshaw - Peace And Love
17. Barry Brown - Christmas Christmas
18. Anthony Selassie - Rub A Dub Christmas
19. Hopeton & Primo - Peace On Earth
20. Tennessee Brown & The Silvertones - Jingle Bells
21. Don Cornell & The Eternals - Christmas Joy
22. Gable School Choir - Reggae Christmas
23. Neville Willoughby - Christmas In JA
24. Rupie Edwards - Christmas Rush
25. Go Home Productions - Karen Meets Roots Radics Uptown

The 2010 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Barrington Levy - Once A Year
2. Jah Thomas - Christmas Shopping
3. Tennessee Brown & The Silvertones - Little Drummer Boy
4. Gregory Isaacs - The Christmas Song
5. Sachmoore - Wuh You Got To Gimme For Christmas
6. Leon Danger & Mr. Culture - This Christmas
7. Chris Wayne - Silver Bells
8. Cedric Bravo w/Rico & The Five Stars - Merry Christmas
9. Norman T. Washington - Happy Christmas
10. Norman T. Washington - Happy Christmas Version
11. The Silent Choir - Silent Night
12. Alton Ellis - Praise Jah It's Christmas
13. Trinity - Santa Claus Comes Once A Year
14. Shinehead - Reggae Christmas Medley
15. Tyrone Taylor - Winter Wonderland
16. Admiral Bailey - Christmas Style
17. Ruddy Thomas - Reggae Happy Christmas
18. Tony Tuff - Christmas Irie
19. Little John - It's Christmas Time
20. Triston Palmer - Oh Holy Night
21. Arcanians - Christmas In Jamaica
22. Alton Ellis - Joy To The World
23. Delroy Melody - Christmas Time
24. King Everald - Santa Claus
25. Cimarons - Silent Night/White Christmas

Stay tuned for the all-new 2011 Christmas Mix - Coming Soon!!

Christmas Mix 2011 - Good News & Bad News

2011-11-28T12:17:00.006-05:00

I've got some good news and I've got some bad news... with the holiday season upon us again, I have started the long and arduous process of compiling the 25 tracks to make it into this year's Christmas mix...

The good news is, aside from one record that I'm still waiting to arrive in the mail, the playlist is complete.

The bad news is, this is definitely going to be the last year for the 25 track Christmas extravaganzas... Including the upcoming 2011 Mix, I've dug up and compiled 150 songs but it now looks like the well has run dry... I have dug, scratched, clawed and scoured for decent tunes but alas I have exhausted my resources.

Now that's not saying that I couldn't put together a 25 track mix of crap reggae Christmas music from a multitude of artists, mostly from the digital age, but I don't want to sully the "good years" by just keeping this going for ol' times sake and making this thing utterly unlistenable... I want to finish on a high note here!

Future Christmas projects will require a rehash of Christmases past... a remix of some of the top tunes from previous years with an occasional addition of something "new" that I haven't shared before... when and if they should appear.

But anyway, stay tuned... the 2011 Christmas Mix is coming soon to make your spirits bright!

RIP Heavy D 1967-2011

2011-11-09T09:14:00.004-05:00

A small tribute to a man gone way before his time...

RIP Joe Frazier 1944-2011

2011-11-08T09:31:00.004-05:00

A small tribute to a true icon...

The Complete Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T02:00:00.003-04:00

I hope the Halloween Spooktacular has added a bit of holiday spice to your October and for those of you who have provided comments and thanks, I sincerely appreciate it! I would do these mixes for myself if I didn't have an audience but I'm grateful that I have this space to share them with all those who love Halloween as much as I do! Happy Halloween everyone!

Here it is... in its entirety... the complete Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011!

Enjoy!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Twenty One - Duppyman Skank

2011-10-31T00:00:00.005-04:00

We've arrived at Halloween and though it means the end of this years Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular, but for the kids the fun is just beginning.

Yes I've got a busy night of transportation duties for my kids again as we prepare to get some serious trick or treating done and to be honest, I couldn't be happier! I don't mind the walking, the costume repairs, or lugging the costume accessory which may become too cumbersome or heavy as the night progresses. I have fond memories of Halloween when I was a kid and I always delight in seeing the smiles on my kid's faces and their looks of accomplishment when the piles of accumulated candy hit the kitchen table. I always hope that my over-the-top enthusiasm for this holiday rubs off on them and helps encourage the kids to carry on the Halloween traditions that make this holiday something to truly anticipate and enjoy.

But enough about that, let's get to the final track in the Spooktacular! This one is called "Duppyman Skank" by Larry Marshall and it comes from a 1996 7" on Harry Mudie's Moodisc label. This tune is actually a tribute to a long list of reggae artists who are no longer among the living and a fictional dance with their duppies which would really be something to behold. Listen to this line-up... Slim Smith, Jacob Miller, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Jeff "Free-I" Dixon, General Echo, Lee Van Cliff, Lui Lepke, Tenor Saw... with King Tubby at the control? Yeah, where do I get a ticket!? Oh, and remember this... "We make music not noise!"

Enjoy and Happy Halloween everyone!

Weekend Calypso Treat #8 - Zombie Jamboree (Back To Back)

2011-10-30T00:00:00.004-04:00

Lord Jellicoe is one artist whose background information remains illusive. I originally included his version of "Zombie Jamboree" in 2007's Spooktacular and couldn't give you any background info. then and four years later... I'm still coming up with nothing.

To me, this is the definitive version of Zombie Jamboree! It probably has a lot to do with the fact that it was the first version I ever heard years ago and anyone else's tends to pale in comparison.

Weekend Calypso Treat #7 - Love In The Cemetery

2011-10-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

Lord Kitchener (born Aldwyn Roberts, 1922, Trinidad) was one of those calypso artists who achieved success when he moved to England, via Jamaica in 1948. There he recorded a great wealth of material on the Parlophone, Melodisc and Lyragon labels, most of which was exported back to the West Indies and even to West Africa where he had a rather large following. Years later, Lord Kitchener had begun recording in the emerging soca sound before his death in 2000.

"Love In The Cemetery" is one of my all-time favorite Halloween songs and its influence was felt in Jamaican music during the early 80s when DJ combo Clint Eastwood and General Saint used the song for the basis of their recording, "Talk About Run."

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Twenty - Voodoo Man

2011-10-28T00:00:00.009-04:00

So we're arrived at the last Friday in our Halloween Spooktacular and we're gonna take you into the weekend on an up-note.

At the ripe age of 13 and under the auspices of Coxsone Dodd, Delroy Wilson (Oct. 1948 - March 1995) began his recording career at Studio One. He cut his first track "Emy Lou" in 1961 and emerged in the ska era as the first line of offensive armament in a feud amongst rival record producers Duke Reid and Prince Buster.

By the time rocksteady rolled around Wilson's voice had matured and he had a string of hits including "Dancing Mood," "Riding For A Fall" and "Conquer Me." Around that time he left Studio One and went on to record for Bunny Lee, Joe Gibbs and others. But that's going far beyond where we need to go today.

This tune, "Voodoo Man," which is actually the b-side to the Lee Perry penned attack on Prince Buster "Spit In The Sky," was produced by Dodd in 1963 during ska's heyday and released on the Island Records UK subsidiary Black Swan.

In the tune, Delroy Wilson basically addresses the belief the some Jamaican's have about the benefits of voodoo. Whether it involves a cure for medical ailments or repairing a broken heart, Wilson concludes that the only thing a Voodoo Man is good at taking away is the heft of your wallet when he robs you blind.

At the top of this post you'll see a poster for the 1957 film Voodoo Island. Now I've never seen this film but came across the trailer when I was putting together this years mix and it worked perfectly to establish our thematic change from yesterday's tune. Judging by the synopsis of Voodoo Island on IMDB...

"A wealthy industrialist hires the renowned hoax-buster Phillip Knight to prove that an island he plans to develop isn't voodoo cursed. However, arriving on the island, Knight soon realizes that voodoo does exist when he discovers man-eating plants and a tribe of natives with bizarre powers."

...it definitely sounds like the kind of bad film that I would absolutely love! Besides, with Boris Karloff in the starring role how can it be as bad as the reviews have suggested?

Have a great weekend and I'll see you again on Halloween for the final track!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Nineteen - Deep In The Dark

2011-10-27T00:00:00.006-04:00

Short and sweet today...

The next song in our mix is a bad-ass roots tune by Barrington Levy called "Deep In The Dark," produced and arranged by himself and off a 1979(ish) 7" on Levy's own, short-lived B.L. Sounds label.

Though this is technically far from being a directly spooky tune, it has a feel to it that just emotes a dreamlike and longing quality that verges on the uneasy. I believe the mournful sounding saxophone just has a late-night desperation to it that casts a moon-lit cold shadow on what may be considered an everyday love song.

"Deep in the dark,
secrets are unfolding,
things I only dreamed of,
happening to me.

Deep in the dark,
messages are reaching me
strange and sweet sensations
are tantalizing me."

As you can see by the lyrics, "Deep In The Dark," had it been coupled with an upbeat Roots Radics backing and a healthy dose of bright horns, it might not seem to shadowy... but as it stands, it can't help but reflect a sense of desperation and unattainable longing that nearly verges on the deranged thoughts of a jilted lover.

There's an old adage that says "Nothing good happens after midnight." And "Deep In The Dark" may just confirm that!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Eighteen - I Shall Fear No Evil

2011-10-26T00:00:00.005-04:00

I remember the first time my friend Nick and I got together to watch The Evil Dead and the most vivid memory I have of the whole event was that this movie scared the hell out of me!

The story of five friends spending a weekend at a cabin in the woods, playing around with black magic, releasing the evil spirits and fighting for their survival as one by one they are possessed and killed... The Evil Dead just had me on edge the entire time and I remember, though I hate to admit it now, that I was relieved when it was over. To this day it remains one of those scariest film experiences I've ever had!

Doctor Alimantado (born Winston James Thompson, 1952, Kingston) got started like the majority of DJs from the era by getting in his licks with the soundsystems. Alimantado honed his skills with Coxsone Dodd's Downbeat and Lord Tippertone. He began recording for Lee Perry and Bunny Lee using a wide variety of names; Winston Price, Winston Cool, Ital Winston, or Youth Winston. In 1976 he recorded the DJ portion of Devon Irons' "Ketch Vampire," and continued cutting tracks and accumulating an impressive string of solid singles.

Greensleeves records compiled those singles into one collection and released Best Dressed Chicken In Town in 1978. The album enjoys the distinction of being the first LP the company ever produced and the song we're going to hear "I Shall Fear No Evil" was taken from the aforementioned set. Originally released as the b-side of the Ital Sound 7" "Poison Flour" in 1976 which was in essence two different DJ variations of Horace Andy's killer "Quiet Place," often referred to as Man Next Door riddim.

Subject matter is pretty self-explanatory and in fact very Halloween appropriate!

Enjoy!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Seventeen - Thunderstom

2011-10-25T00:00:00.007-04:00

Did you know that thunderstorms are responsible for about 93 deaths and 300 injuries each year in the United States alone? Did you also know they cause several hundred million dollars in property and forest damage each year? So judging by those numbers your chances of being effected by a meteorological event is a lot better than being attacked and killed by a werewolf, vampire, duppy, zombie, gigantic nuclear-mutated ant, alien or even a common everyday Frankenstein combined.

It is with those statistics in mind that we hop along to the next tune in the Spooktacular. The seventeenth track is courtesy of Karl "Cannonball King" Bryan and it's called "Thunderstorm." This blazing baritone sax tune, released in 1968 as a 45 on the Upset label is in my opinion one of the coolest tunes in this years mix! What makes it even cooler is that there are already thunderstorm sound effects thrown into the original mix so additional embellishments were only icing on the cake!

Bryan began his career in the late 50's, joined the Carlos Malcolm's Afro-Jamaican Rhythms in 1964 and even went on to play with the Lyn Taitt's legendary Comets before going solo in 1967.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Sixteen - Vampire

2011-10-24T00:00:00.010-04:00

I used to like vampires... I used to think Dracula was a pretty cool guy, as far as monsters go at least. But popular culture has now made the vampire a lot more heartthrob and a lot less scary and personally I think that sucks, if you'll pardon the pun.

I think a lot of this modern popularization of the genre began with 1987's The Lost Boys and it has been rolling steadily downhill ever since. To be honest, when The Lost Boys was released, I was in high school and my obsession with horror films was in full swing, and I found the movie absolutely unwatchable. It was trying so hard to be hip and modern that it absolutely bored me to death. But regardless of how I felt it was sadly and inexplicably on the list of people's top horror films.

Regardless of the fictional bloodsuckers cinematic demise the "real" vampires from folklore are still adept at inciting nightmares. Especially in Jamaica, where the vampire in reggae serves as a metaphor for the evil, corrupt bloodsuckers in the places of power that bleed the defenseless and the "sufferahs" dry. Take for instance the next tune in our Spooktacular... this one is by Trinity (born Wade Brammer, 1954, Kingston)and it's appropriately called "Vampire." This one was originally released on 7" circa 1980-81 on Trinity's own Flag Man label. And on the surface this appears to follow dead-on with that preconceived theme... but if you dig a little deeper, I may be going out on a limb here so correct me if I'm wrong, this is actually an "attack tune" on fellow DJ Errol Scorcher. You know, reggae DJs have been going about these verbal wars long before the East Side and West Side feud in hip hop.

Much like a vampire, Trinity starts off by going straight for the jugular by insulting the belief that Scorcher didn't have proper education about the bible or that his mother was negligent in not teaching him to be a good, god-fearing person. He therefore draws the conclusion that his bad upbringing and belief in obeah (black magic) makes him disregard human beings as mere insects; "You shouldn't call the people dem roach." Trinity makes reference to three of Errol Scorcher's popular records from the era by giving him grief about using the human/roach metaphor in his 1979 hits "Roach In A De Corner" on the Aries label and his follow-up "Roach In De Toilet" on the Scorcher imprint from 1980. Brammer's third reference in "Vampire" to Errol Scorcher's purported belief in obeah is "Frog Ina Water" also released in the same era on the Tippa label.

I could go on and give you more on my argument but I've got five more blogs to write for October and I'm starting to run out of steam... give it a listen!

Weekend Calypso Treat #6 - Witch Doctor

2011-10-23T00:00:00.006-04:00

Mighty Sparrow (born Slinger Francisco, 1935, Grenada) is known as the "Calypso King of the World" was one of the artists credited with spreading calypso throughout the world during the 1950s and in fact helped popularize the genre. Sparrow is well known for incorporating social issues in his music but "Witch Doctor" is just a fun rant, perfectly suited for the Halloween season!

Weekend Calypso Treat #5 - Creature Of The Black Lagoon

2011-10-22T00:00:00.008-04:00

Lord Melody (born Fitzroy Alexander, 1926, Trinidad & Tobago) began singing calypso in the mid 1940s. He most likely recorded "Creature Of The Black Lagoon" around 1954-55, probably not shortly after the Universal horror classic "Creature From The Black Lagoon" was released. Calypsonians had a way of staying timely with their subject matter and this helps to date this one, even though Melody uses the monster metaphor to ridicule his own looks!

Interestingly, Lord Melody embraced Rastafari in the late 70s and released the single, "Rastaman Be Careful" soon after. Unfortunately, Lord Melody died in September of 1988 from cancer.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Fifteen - House Of Darkness

2011-10-21T00:00:00.005-04:00

To me there is nothing so elementally Halloween as a film about a haunted house. I'm not talking about these new high-tech ripoffs of classic movies and these surveillance camera pieces that echo so much of the "reality" television drivel that gets passed off as entertainment these days, I'm talking a real good, original, scripted ghost story!

One of the first horror films I remember sneaking to watch on late night television as a child was the Amityville Horror and I'm quite fond of this one but it wasn't until I got to college that I came to appreciate some of the haunted house films that came before and are still give me the creeps today.

The Haunting, 1963, is without a doubt my all-time favorite. Based on the 1959 novel "The Haunting Of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson, its the story of a paranormal investigative team coming to investigate the eerie Hill House mansion. Many say that Psycho was the first film to break the bonds of "subliminal" horror with its notorious shower scene and I would tend to agree. But what amazes me about The Haunting, released 2 years after Psycho, is that director Robert Wise reverted back to the classic formula of implied and unseen horror that makes a haunted house movie so much fun to begin with!

I first watched the Haunting in a college film genre study class... I was a film major in college and as luck would have it I just happened to take this course when the genre was horror, I probably would have detested this class if I had been stuck with it the previous semester when the genre of contemplation was musicals!

Anyway, the course description was simple enough... come to the auditorium, watch a horror film once a week, spend the rest of the week waxing poetically about camera angles, direction, screenwriting, artsy implied theories about intent, genre mirroring societal beliefs and concerns, etc. and deliver an 8-10 page paper the next week. I was always enthusiastic about Film Genre Studies and had no problem consuming the pictures with a scholastic eye and a purely unconscious huge smile on my face.

When we got to The Haunting, the scholarly half of my brain grabbed his textbooks and ran screaming from the theater! I was completed engrossed in the story, the characters, the creepy goings on inside Hill House and the nervous sweaty palms they induced.

When the lights came back up I was ready to just hop out of my seat and make my way toward the exit... because I had enjoyed the film so much I had forgotten that I was in class and this was required viewing for an actual grade. I was unable to contribute anything to the post-film analysis and discussion because I had inadvertently watched the entire movie with my "film-maker eyes" tightly shut!

Needless to say, I had to desperately seek out a VHS copy of the film at the local artsy video store because when I needed to write about The Haunting on an analytical level. Actually I had to watch it two more times and pay the late fee because I got wrapped up in the plot line again during the second viewing in my dorm.

I also love 1973s The Legend Of Hell House based on the same Shirley Jackson novel and 1976s Burnt Offerings based on Robert Marasco's 1973 novel of the same name and whose trailer is attached to the next track in the Spooktacular, which we'll get to immediately because I know but you're not here to listen to me ramble!

This one comes from the Dynamites and the legendary King Tubby and is borrowed from the Pressure Sounds LP Sound System International Dub. The song is called "House Of Darkness," and it works brilliantly with our theme here! The album itself is phenomenal! Pressure Sounds' website sums it up nicely by saying this about the release...

‘Sound System International' is a Clancy Eccles produced dub set featuring ten thrilling King Tubby’s deconstructions of a selection of Dynamites rhythms where Tubbs spins the tunes around and comes up with something very, very special. as he takes these straight forward reggae songs, turns them upside down and on to somewhere completely different.

With the haunted house embellishments throughout I'm sure you'll enjoy the end result of "House Of Darkness." But just like me years ago with The Haunting, repeated listening may be required in order to properly analyze this one! Have your papers on my desk Monday morning and have a great weekend!

The 2011 Non-Jamaican Spooktacular - Tribute To Vincent Price!

2011-10-20T12:30:00.000-04:00

Here it is!! The 2011 Non-Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular and I've gone with a theme this year in honor of Vincent Price's Vincentennial!

1. Messer Chups - Vincent Price Is Coming To Russia
2. Hypnomen - The Pendulum
3. Lou Lou And The Guitarfish - The Tingler
4. The Aldermen - House Of Wax
5. The Brimstones - It's The Amazing Vincent Price Shrunken Head Kit
6. Mad Tea Party - Dr. Phibes
7. Kenny & The Fiends - House On Haunted Hill
8. Brioles - Madhouse
9. Misfits - Return Of The Fly
10. The Moon-Rays - Bat
11. Zombina & The Skeletones - Vincent Price
12. The Route 66 Killers - Masque Of The Red Death
13. Thee Merry Widows - Theater Of Blood
14. Frankie & The Poolboys - The Raven
15. Forbidden Dimension - House Of 1000 Dolls
16. The Special Agents - The Tingler
17. Playboys - The House On Haunted Hill
18. Messer Chups - Vincent Price Bible

Lots of trailers and other cool audio thrown in for good measure! Thank you Vincent Price for all the scares, thrills and chills you've given me throughout my life and I hope this small labor of love does you justice!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Fourteen - Black Magic Woman

2011-10-20T00:00:00.006-04:00

The cutie over on the left is going to bring us to the fourteenth track in our yearly countdown of scary tunes straight outta yard! This one is "Black Magic Woman" by the man Eric "Fish" Clarke and it's not to be confused with the Dennis Brown track I posted in 2008. You see, Dennis' track was a cover of the 1968 Fleetwood Mac tune made famous by Santana in 1970... Fish Clarke's version is not.

Eric "Fish" Clarke was born in 1960, the younger brother of long-time reggae star Johnny Clarke. Fish got his training on the drums at the renowned Alpha Boys School and under the tutelage of Sister Ignatius. He got his first real gig playing for Prince Far I's Arabs in the 1970s and later with the Roots Radics eventually cutting some solo material of his own. I think you will agree, he's got a pretty good voice!

This track ranks right up there as one of my favorites in this year's Spooktacular and I hope you will enjoy what I've done for the background; keeping the witches cackling to a minimum but having some fun re-creating a visit to a late-night coven complete with bubbling cauldrons, hooting owls, crows and the ever-present wind that has swirled around so many of these tunes over the last 6 years!

Now here's where I ran into a minor problem... I couldn't find this record anywhere to get a clean picture of the Black Magic Woman label so I had to go online and find a picture of what was the A-side, "River Jordan" by Little John. I have torn apart my shelves looking for this record since July and dammit, I can't find it! I'm more than convinced that it's either in one of the multitude of bins over at my sister's house or in the bin over at my parent's house in the closet upstairs, or maybe this is just a good indication that my record collection has gotten out of control when about half my records are now residing in plastic tubs outside of my own house. Luckily my sister has a lot more room than I do and thankfully she's not charging me a monthly storage fee! Thanks Ang!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Thirteen - U.F.O.

2011-10-19T00:00:00.007-04:00

I've been doing the Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular for six years and this is only the second "sci-fi track" that's made it into a mix! The last one was in 2008 when we heard Lone Ranger from his Barnabas In Collins Wood LP giving us an account of his thrilling encounter with some extraterrestrials... this time it's going to sound a little different.

Here is another wacky/moogy sounding track complete with a pretty heavy bass-line that has all the feel of a real-life UFO encounter... if you believe in that sorta thing. This one is "U.F.O." by Geoffrey Chang & All-Stars from 1972, produced by the legendary Harry J and appropriately enough pressed on the Harry J label.

I added some elements into the mix from the trailer to 1951's The Day The Earth Stood Still... which is without a doubt my favorite of all the atomic-era 50s Sci-Fi films. It's about a visitor from outer space who comes to warn mankind that if they can't live in peace they'll be destroyed - probably a message that was already clearly understood with the dawning of the Cold War. I love this film and make an effort to include it in my month-long Halloween film fest every year.

Also, I threw in a couple short clips from my second favorite 50s scary-monsters-from-outer-space film, Invaders From Mars from 1953. This one deals with a kid who witnesses the Martian invasion and can't get the adults to believe him due to the fact that most of the rationale adults in the town have already been brainwashed by the evil men from the Red Planet... a great film and another of my must-watch Sci-Fi thrillers!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Twelve - Ten Commandments From The Devil

2011-10-18T00:00:00.003-04:00

Short and sweet today...

In 1970, Eddy Grant, of incorrectly filed in the reggae bins at the record store and "Electric Avenue" fame, along with UK producer and sound system operator Lambert Briscoe, founded Torpedo Records in an effort to highlight and showcase British-made reggae.

The Hot Rod All-Stars were one of those bands... and their single "Ten Commandments From The Devil" fits rather nicely into our creepy little mix!
Though I couldn't uncover who was actually in the band I was definitely able to ascertain that the Hot Rod All-Stars were prolific in the early months of Torpedo... appearing in some capacity on all six of the labels first releases. To be honest, the band went kinda nuts in 1970 releasing 17 singles on 4 different labels; Torpedo, Duke Records, Trojan and their own Hot Rod imprint.

Eddy Grant eventually sold Torpedo Records in 1971 and shortly revived it again in 1974/75 but by that point their sound had moved away from reggae and Eddy Grant had moved on to other projects.

I ripped this tune from a 2007 various artists compilation LP on the Spirit Of 69 Record label out of Germany called The Skinhead Reggae Singles... I had been looking for the "Ten Commandments From The Devil" single on Torpedo for a couple years now but this album satisfied that urge well enough.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Eleven - Sudden Death

2011-10-17T00:00:00.003-04:00

The Chiller Carnival of Blood was a four picture film festival which as far as I can ascertain was probably played at drive-in movie theaters in the early 1970s. All four pictures played had something in common... they all featured blood in the title! I envy the marketing genius who thought of putting this together!

I'm going to do something different - I'll give you a little background about the four individual films and in italics I'll give you a commentary about what it would be like to watch this fantastic quartet of films at a luxurious drive-in theater. If you've ever been to a drive-in I think you'll understand the scenario I'm setting here... if you haven't, you're in for a treat. Let's begin now!

The first of the films is Blood Demon from 1969 featuring Christopher Lee as Count Regula a man who is drawn and quartered for killing twelve virgins in his torture chamber. Thirty-five years later, he come back to life to seek revenge on the daughter of his intended thirteenth victim and the son of his prosecutor in order to achieve eternal life.

At the conclusion of Blood Demon you probably have 3/4 of the popcorn left, some of your soda and a Clark bar that you stashed over the sun visor. The feigned interest in the film is starting to give way to more important tasks like steaming up the windows.

The second is Blood Doctor (AKA Mad Doctor of Blood Island) from 1968 starring such big screen luminaries as John Ashley and Angelique Pettyjohn! Wow! A man travels to an island where an insane doctor is creating zombies. Blood and guts ensue but the thing that most fans find endearing is Ms. Pettyjohn's zeal for removing her clothes.

After the credits roll on Blood Doctor, I'm not going to get too graphic here but the make-out session has given way to snuggling. Your girl/boy friend is next to you, the temperature inside the car is about 138 degrees and aside from the sweat beading up on your forehead and your partners arm feeling like a soggy sandbag flopped around your neck, the rolled up windows are probably cracked just enough to give you a chill. Popcorn consumption has resumed by you as you desperately fighting the urge to fling your girl/boy friend's arm off of you and bursting from the car frantically gasping for air. You probably feign an urgent need to run to the bathroom just to leave the confines of the car long enough to catch your breath and get back to the Buick-brand sauna waiting for you just as the opening credits roll...

Blood Fiend from 1967 is the third in this ghoulish cacophony of blood and guts. The story goes like this... There's this theater in Paris that specializes in acts of the macabre, a police coroner gets infatuated with one of the performers in said shows and soon after bodies start showing up all over the place drained of their blood. Christopher Lee makes another appearance in yet another Oscar nominated film as the evil Philippe Darvas; the guy who runs the joint and is subsequently killed right after the cops think they've got their man. Vampirism and necrophilia ensue...

By this point in the show the snacks have all been consumed, the necking has been concluded, the urge to use the bathroom again is becoming serious, the bench seat in Dad's Buick Riviera is starting to numb your ass to the point of actual concern and your girl/boy friend is either sound asleep; facing the complete opposite direction of you or complaining that they've had enough of the Carnival of Blood and that they want to leave. You promise that you only want to stay for part of the last movie and that you'll get going in a little while. The temperature in the car has gotten comfortable again and you don't want to get out of the car again... but you declare to yourself that you'll be able to hold it. You start to see the sky getting lighter as early morning works its way toward dawn as Blood Brides flickers on the big screen.

Blood Brides from 1968, is the final film of the morning. Again you're back on a tropical island with a group of natives battling with man-eating animals and plants caused my nuclear radioactivity. Virgin sacrifice and scary jungle creatures run amok... that's about the gyst of it.

When this film ends you're both sound asleep, the headlights from another car awaken you... begrudgingly you wake up well enough to drive home with the suns rays breaking the horizon and your full bladder keeps you uncomfortable enough to keep from dozing off. Instead of doing this again you decide to go bowling the next weekend.

I kinda went off there... now where the hell were we? Oh yeah, today's song; embellished with the trailer for the Chiller Carnival Of Blood of course, is from Steve Stanley and it's called "Sudden Death." This nifty 7" from 1977 was pressed on the Aquarius label where Stanley had been working as the apprentice engineer for two years. I think you're gonna dig the funky organ/moogy sound on this one - it's one of those tunes that's really grew on me when I was picking out the tunes to use this year.

Steven Stanley went on to record with the 80s new wave group Tom Tom Club, co producing their debut album in 1981. He also worked with Black Uhuru, Sly & Robbie, Sean Paul, Grace Jones and the B-52's and now owns a studio of his own in Kingston called Steven Stanley Recording Studio.

Weekend Calypso Treat #4 - Annie Palmer

2011-10-16T00:00:00.003-04:00

Annie Palmer was named the White Witch Of Rose Hall due to the fact that she was purported to have practiced voodoo and tortured and killed many people including three of her husbands and a long line of male slaves who she used for sexual purposes and quickly offed when there was fear she would be discovered.

The tune you're going to hear, "Annie Palmer" was featured in last years Spooktacular but not in the same form. Last years song was a ska version Gloucester "Danny" Hill cut in 1964 for producer Neville Foo Loy, this one is a mento version recorded years later and featured on an LP called Rose Hall Calypso from the 70s. Not technically calypso but close enough!

Weekend Calypso Treat #3 - Obeah Wedding

2011-10-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

Lord Creator (born Kentrick Patrick, circa 1940, Trinidad & Tobago) started as a calypso singer then moved to Jamaica in the late 1950s. He holds the distinction of being the first artist released on Chris Blackwell's Island Records in 1962 before moving on to record with Coxsone Dodd, Clancy Eccles and even Lee 'Scratch' Perry.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Ten - Ghost Hour

2011-10-14T00:00:00.008-04:00

We're not going to get into the mysterious identity of King Horror because I explored that topic ad nauseam in my post Would The Real King Horror Please Stand Up, back in March.

We are going to get into the hell I had to go through to get this song for this years mix! The song you're about to hear is the missing piece of a puzzle that has nearly driven me insane since February. I learned of "Ghost Hour" a couple year back and after confirming it was in fact another of King Horror's schlocky, late night horror-host themed records, I knew I was in for an uphill battle trying to track this one down.

My struggle was going to be two-fold... first of all, "skinhead reggae" records usually sell for large sums and I'm definitely not in a position to be shoveling out stacks of cash for a 7 inch slab o'vinyl. Secondly, the record, originally pressed in 1970 on a white labeled 7" by Reggae/Doctor Bird records, was going to be virtually impossible to search for online. My only chance was to find it clearly identified and clearly priced beyond my budget.

I'm not exaggerating when I say that I would lie in bed at night wondering where I might be able to find this record and I came up with nothing. I went online and pleaded for an MP3 of the song on reggae forums, I posted it here hoping someone would be willing to send me the file, I even got my hopes up a couple months back when I heard that the b-side (or is it the a-side?) of the illusive record, "Leave Pum Pum" by Pama Dice, had been repressed. Unfortunately, "Ghost Hour" wasn't the flip!

I was just about to throw in the towel when the miracle of the modern internet finally allowed me to get some sleep! If you ask me where I got the MP3 for "Ghost Hour" I'll reluctantly have to plead the Fifth and refuse to answer on the grounds that I may incriminate myself...;)

Regardless ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I present to you this years Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular's Tenth Track, King Horror's "Ghost Hour!" Have a great weekend and if you're in this for the long haul, I guess I'll see you tomorrow!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Nine - Midnight Organ

2011-10-13T00:00:00.005-04:00

Regardless of whether an organist is mashing away on something as blatantly sinister as Chopin's "Funeral March" or lightheartedly bouncing his way around "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," the sound of a pipe organ has always given me the creeps. Not the creeps in the sense that I'm deathly afraid but just enough to make me feel edgy and unsettled.

I think a lot of this unease comes from the slightly "off" tone that music performed on a pipe organ has. The upbeat songs, regardless of their tempo and subject matter, have the tendency to just come off as teetering on the brink of insanity. The perception would also suggest that the man feverishly pumping those pedals and digging his way around those layers of keys is one wrong-note away from a straight jacket. I imagine a lot of my fears have not been helped by films such as The Phantom Of The Opera and Carnival Of Souls.

Now on the opposite end of the spectrum is the Hammond electric organ… regardless of the subject matter or the intended tone, the Hammond always sounds smooth and cool. Whether it's Jimmy Smith smoothly skipping his way through "I Cover the Waterfront," Booker T. & The MG's fluidly rocking their way through "Green Onions" or my all-time favorite Hammond organist, Jackie Mittoo, killing it with the super hip tune "Henry The Great," it always sounds good!

And unlike the pipe organists, the guys rockin' the Hammonds seem like the kinda guys you'd love to hang out with after their sets and have a few drinks. They seem less likely to savagely murder you in a pipe-organ-fueled, blood-soaked orgy of uncontrollable rage when they miss a breath-mark on their sheet music. I think hanging out with Jimmy Smith, Booker T and Jackie Mittoo may end with one hell of a hangover the next day but hanging out with a pipe organist may end with your dismembered body being buried in a shallow grave beneath their basement crawlspace.

Which leads us to today's Spooktacular tune… this one is called "Midnight Organ" by a Hammond organist named Jackie Taylor and released as a 7" in 1978 on the Solar label. Believe me, "Midnight Organ" has an evil and foreboding overall feel but with Taylor's style of play and with the Hammond itself, you can't disguise the hipness underneath!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Eight - To Hell And Back

2011-10-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

Auguste Rodin's intricately sculpted doors you see pictured on the left are called the Gates Of Hell. Rodin worked on this project, inspired by Dante's Inferno, from 1880 until his death in 1917. Originally they were commissioned to be used for the entrance way to a proposed Decorative Arts Museum which was to be built in Paris but never came to fruition.

Impressive as they are, they make ones mind wander to the bigger question... is there really a gateway to hell? I would say the front door to my dentist's office is pretty damn close to the portal of eternal suffering and misery but that's just me. Now I'm not going to get all biblical here and the thought of even addressing the topic of religion that makes the belief in hell possible turns my stomach, so I won't go any farther.

Regardless of what you believe, the purported inscription above the gate to hell will serve as a nice segue into today's track. The inscription, "abandon all hope ye who enter here," is not exactly welcoming... but still appropriate above the dentist's office's entrance way if you ask me!

But I'm going to give you a piece of sound advice with today's tune that I want you store away in the back of your mind should you ever find yourself at the gates of eternal damnation. It's a simple two word antidote to the brimstone and fire that surely awaits you on the other side of that molten threshold... the word is Ken Quatty.

This is all speculation because it seems like every song I picked this year seems to be from artists who don't have biographies... Ken Quatty was a DJ in the mid to late 70s who recorded sparingly for a handful of producers. Quatty did some work with the vocal group Well Pleased And Satisfied but his alleged need for sleep put him at a disadvantage. Jerry Baxter, one of the founding members of Well Pleased, had this to say about Quatty in an interview on the website reggae-vibes.com...

"Yeah well, Ken Quatty was a friend, just a friend. First I and him we start to sing along with a guy called Dion, we called him Lester. And we start together, the three of us. But every time I call Ken Quatty to really do like try sing the harmony for a song, he always says he's asleep - his older brother tell us that he's sleeping, so every time I go to his yard to pick him up to go to rehearsal, he's always sleeping. So I just say forget it, y'know."

You know... on second thought, you may want to disregard what I said about remembering his name at the gates of hell... Ken Quatty will be too busy sawin' logs to help you!

Anyway, I'm not here to judge the man I'm here to give you kind people another spooky tune...
So without further ado, here is a rather slick tune from Ken Quatty from 1978 called "To Hell And Back." This comes from a 12" on the Heart & Soul label... enjoy!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Seven - Zombie Jamboree

2011-10-11T00:00:00.006-04:00

Okay, we're going to mix it up a little by going mento with the next track in the 2011 Spooktacular!

This version of Zombie Jamboree isn't from mento's golden age in the 1950s it was in fact released in the late 70s. Not surprisingly, Mento records continued to be produced in an effort to appeal to older Jamaican tourists who probably found the undercurrents of struggle and strife in reggae music detrimental to the illusion that life outside their hotel or private villa was all picture perfect sunshine and smiles... but I digress.

"Zombie Jamboree" (AKA "Jumbie Jamboree" or "Back to Back") is the tale of a swingin' cemetery party for the undead and all the jovial merriment that ensues. By today's "Walking Dead" standards the idea of a civil zombie gathering seems absolutely ridiculous but regardless, it still makes for one hell of a tune! The original calypso song was titled Jumbie Jamboree, credited to Conrad Eugene Mauge, Jr. and originally recorded in 1953 by Lord Intruder... and for me to document all the various cover versions of the songs over the last 58 years would be grounds for another blog in itself. Maybe next year I'll do a mix with nothing but versions of Zombie/Jumbie Jamboree... or maybe I won't.

The Joy Makers, a band comprising of Abraham Lewis on lead vocal, Cyril Beckford on banjo, Zephiniah Taylor on rumba box and Count Moodie on guitar and harmonica, released this single from their album Jamaica Calypso Souvenir on the Sound Of Montego Bay record label.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Six - Bone Yard

2011-10-10T00:00:00.010-04:00

Welcome back! Sorry we had to meet again on yet another shitty Monday! But... who wants to hear a ghost story? Before we get to the second week of music here in the Spooktacular I want you to gather around and let me tell you a tale guaranteed to induce shudders and blood-curdling screams... that's probably a bit of an exaggeration but it's entertaining nonetheless...

You see that sweetly sinister looking sweetie over there on the left? Her name is Black Aggie and the frightening folklore surrounding this charming little grave statue started here in Baltimore Maryland in 1926 when it was placed on the grave of Civil War General Felix Angus in the Druid Ridge Cemetery. Sculpted by Maryland artist Augustus St. Gaudens, who allegedly named it Grief, the mournful looking figure didn't look out of place with the rest of the ornate gravestones and markers that surrounded her during the daylight hours... it was after dark when Black Aggie took on a supposed "life" of her own.

Quoting directly from the website Prairieghosts.com...

"The legend grew.... and it was said that the spirits of the dead rose from their graves to gather around her on certain nights and that living persons who returned her gaze were struck blind. Pregnant women who passed through her shadow (where strangely, grass never grew) would suffer miscarriages.
A local college fraternity decided to include Black Aggie in their initiation rites. Not really believing the stories, the candidates for membership were ordered to spend the night in the cold embrace of Black Aggie. Those who remember the statue recall her large, powerful hands. The stories claimed that the local fraternity initiates had to sit on Aggie's lap and one tale purports that "she once came to life and crushed a hapless freshman in her powerful grasp."

Other fraternity boys were equally as unlucky.... One night, at the stroke of midnight, the cemetery watchman heard a scream in the darkness. When he reached the Angus grave, he found a young man lying dead at the foot of the statue.... he had died of fright, or so the story goes. Just another legend that grew over the years into a ghost story? Maybe, and then, maybe not.

One morning in 1962, a watchman discovered that one of the angel's arms had been cut off during the night. The missing arm was later found in the trunk of a sheet metal worker's car, along with a saw. He told the judge that Black Aggie had cut off her own arm in a fit of grief and had given it to him. Apparently, the judge didn't believe him and the man went to jail.

However, a number of people did believe the man's strange story and almost every night, huge groups of people gathered in Druid Ridge Cemetery. The public attention gained by the news story brought the curiosity-seekers to the grave and the strange tales kept them coming back."

In 1967 the amount of visitors who gathered nightly at the cemetery grew to be a problem and the statue was removed and now resides at the Federal Courts building in Washington DC.

Did you ever hear the Bloody Mary myth? You know... you stand in front of a mirror in a dark room and repeat the name "Bloody Mary" three times and the ghost will shockingly appear and proceed to kill you in a gruesome and/or gory way? When I was a kid the name we never dared to speak into a darkened mirror was not that of Bloody Mary but that of Black Aggie... I guess the legend had been localized over the years.

But now onto the music... in the spirit of Black Aggie and cemeteries in general, I present the next tune in the Spooktacular... this one is by the group called the Three Tops and it's called appropriately enough "Bone Yard." It is lifted off a 70s era 7" on the Atomic label and showcases rather nicely the group's harmonizing skills...

enjoy...

if you dare...

Weekend Calypso Treat #2 - Barnabas

2011-10-09T00:00:00.002-04:00

Lord Brigo, born Samuel Abraham, Trinidad, began recording in the 1960s and became famous during live performances for contorting his face to emphasize lyrics, pays tribute to the TV vampire Barnabas Collins from the daytime soap opera Dark Shadows. As far as I can ascertain, Brigo is still alive and well!

Weekend Calypso Treat #1 - Jumbie Jamboree

2011-10-08T00:00:00.006-04:00

I've got a lot of records and some of the tunes that are heaped in the "duppy" box are not exactly Jamaican and would probably never make it in the yearly Spooktaculars. The problem is, I enjoy these spooky Caribbean tunes nearly as much as the music I feature on a weekly basis (or more correctly whenever I get off my ass and put something together basis) and I wanted to share them with the readers and listeners of the blog.

So during the month of October, in keeping with the goal of 31 days of blogging as set forth, I present for you a few weekend calypso sweets to fill your trick or treat bags. These tunes are completely separate from the Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular but I think you will enjoy them by themselves.

Instead of just taking the lazy route and throwing up a link to download the MP3s, I've posted them as videos so you can listen to them while browsing for more exciting content than my incessant droning.

We're starting it off with "Jumbie Jamboree" from the Brute Force Steel Band hailing from the island of Antigua. This one was pressed on Stanley Motta's MRS (Motta Recording Studios) label circa the late 50s... for those who don't know Motta was thee pioneer in the creation of the Jamaican recording industry by releasing a large batch of mento records to the outside world.

The Brute Force Steel Band was one of the first steel band to travel outside of Antigua to New York in the early 1950s and were stopped at customs upon their arrival. US Customs held them up because they had no clue that the steel pan instruments they were carrying were in fact instruments. In order to prove it Brute Force set up and performed an impromptu concert for the assembled customs agents and upon their completion were allowed to enter.

These sounds, for the most part, are definitely not Jamaican... but they are enjoyable and seasonally appropriate nonetheless!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Five - Cold Blood

2011-10-07T00:00:00.009-04:00

My Blood Runs Cold (1965) was a horror film directed and produced by William Conrad... the story is simple, Joey Heatherton plays Julie Merriday, a wealthy heiress who falls for a free-spirit named Ben Gunther played by Troy Donahue... Gunther claims to be the reincarnation of Lothario, the notorious literary character whose only intention in life is seducing women. Well to make a long story short, this guy is unlike Lothario in that his main psychopathic intention is to gain Julie's trust and her fortune then to knock her off...

What's that got to do with the Spooktacular you ask? Really not much but I'm gonna use it as a segue to the next song!

Coming up next is another tune with no discernible artist background information... this one is by a guy named Boy Wonder and the song is called "Cold Blood" which was released as a 7" on the Attack label in 1975. A smooth piano and bass call and response start it off before the horns kick in; a real nice upbeat tune! Produced by Sydney Crooks; on and off again member of the vocal trio the Pioneers and eventual producer for artists such as Dennis Brown, Gregory Isaacs and Dennis Alcapone, Crooks knew his way around a reggae record!

Also... the Monsters A Go-Go audio sampled throughout was one of those odd pieces of audio that I found on one of my external hard drives... I would assume that this was originally an ad for a late-night "spookshow" from the early 60s judging by its flagrant hawking of pop culture selling points... the Beatles mystically transformed, the materialization of James Bond and even Hollywood's Golden Go-Go Girl Pat Collins, could you ask for anything better than that?

Have a great weekend and I'll see you again on Monday!

By the way... I forgot to mention... pull out your trick-or-treat bags this weekend because I've got some extra musical treats lined up! I'm tryin' to keep the festivities rolling all month and not just during the week!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Four - When The Vampire...

2011-10-06T00:00:00.009-04:00

Short and sweet today...

With the evil visage of my all-time favorite Dracula, Christopher Lee greeting us, we move along to the fourth track in our mix...

"When The Vampire (Come To Your Neighborhood)" by the man called Moses, is from a 12" on the legendary New York based Wackies label, circa 1980. I have tried to do some background research on who the artist Moses was/is and have come up with nothing... I have seen this record incorrectly credited to Pablo Moses but it definitely ain't Pablo Moses. And since I can't correctly identify or give you background information on the artist I'll give you a little history about Wackies itself...

Wackies House of Music, a combination record store and production studio was founded in New York during the heyday of reggae during the 1970s by Lloyd Barnes who still runs the business to this day. Wackies is considered by many to be the first significant reggae label to be founded in the United States and many also give it credit for paying a roll in the burgeoning genre of hip-hop in the early 1980s.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Three - Jack The Ripper

2011-10-05T00:00:00.006-04:00

We have all heard about the sinister escapades of the mysterious Jack the Ripper and the string of brutal murders he committed in the Whitechapel district of London in 1888 but, have you heard of Bob Skeng?

Bob Skeng sang and played keyboards for a string of UK based reggae bands in the 70s and 80s. He eventually recorded under his given name Desmond Craig but was encouraged by an early producer to go with Bob Skeng because he felt the name Desmond was too bland.

Eventually Desmond Craig/Bob Skeng went on to form his own band in 1983 called Camajia, which Craig explained was an anagram for Jamaica...

Jack the Ripper reached number 9 on the British reggae charts in 1977 when the 12" was originally released on the Jah Lion label out of England. Mr. Craig... or Mr. Skeng plays the hell out of the melodica on this record which makes for some rather spooky/foreboding sounding reggae!

I had been vaguely aware of this record for a couple years now and thankfully added it to my collection when the tune had been re-pressed as a 7" on the Archive Recordings label.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track Two - Copie Duppy

2011-10-04T00:00:00.012-04:00

Before I get into today's post, I just wanted to provide a little background information for those of you who are new to the spooky side of Jamaican music or are joining us for the first time... plain and simple a duppy is the patois term for a ghost. Okay so let's keep rollin'....

Now, you may be asking yourself why am I posting the Jamaica Star article about the Font Hill duppy again... if you recall, a couple years back I shared the story of the purported real-life haunting that took place in the rural village of Font Hill during the summer of 1974.

I'm not going to recount the entire story again but if you want to give it a read you can check out the verbatim article here... it does make for some fine spooky reading.

Count Lasher's telling of the tale on the Bongoman label quickly became one of my favorite "duppy tunes" because with the article (thanks once again to Luke Ehrlich) I was finally able to disseminate the back-story and it made it all that more enjoyable.

Well rewind to last October... I had seen online that there was a 7" record on Phil Pratt's Sunshot label by someone named Tammie Lee called "Copie Duppy" - I learned that Tammie Lee was probably who wrote this song but the vocalist was none other than Max Romeo. I immediately set out to locate this record and tried unsuccessfully for months to acquire it! But as you'll soon hear, I eventually did!

Unlike Count Lasher's lighthearted take on the ghost story, Max Romeo's telling is a little more sinister... not only will Copie make you sweat, earn your respect and break your neck he'll also induce flatulence! And there ain't nothing scarier than that!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011 - Track One - The Upsetters - The Night Doctor

2011-10-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

And... we're off and a couple hours early to boot! I've got some great rare tunes lined up for this years mix and I hope you're gonna love it!

Kickin' off the 2011 Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular are the Upsetters with their tune "Midnight Doctor." Originally released as a 7" on the Upsetter label and eventually landing on the classic 1969 Return Of Django LP on the Trojan label, this rocking, yet creepy sounding tune gives us the push to help get this ball rolling. The Upsetters original organist, the late great Glen Adams gets in his licks on this one... just wicked early/skinhead reggae at its finest!

Some may assume that the Upsetters are referencing a "Night Doctor" that pays nighttime visits to his female patients, if you catch my drift, but for me personally the tune sounds menacing enough to warrant locking your doors, turning off the lights and hiding underneath the bed! I don't think you want a "housecall" from this guy!

Click on the record below for the download link!

The Non-Jamaican Spooktacular 2010... for your listening pleasure!

2011-10-02T00:00:00.001-04:00

Believe it or not, I do occasionally venture outside of Jamaica for some musical entertainment... this is the other mix I put together last October! I have yet to start on the 2011 Non-Jamaican Spooktacular but chances are pretty good that I'll get one going soon!

Click on the creeping carnivore for the download link!

1. The Ghastly Ones - Grave Dig Her
2. The Gore-Gons - Ghoul Bash
3. The Moon-Rays - Blues For Vampires
4. Round Robin - I'm The Wolfman
5. The Munsters - Down In The Basement
6. The Metrolites - The Blob
7. Misfits - Halloween
8. Tino - Zombies Walk Dub
9. Satan's Pilgrims - Peter Lorre
10. Milton Delugg - Frankenstein
11. Gein & The Graverobbers - The Crypt Keeper's Holiday
12. Bomboras - Stormy
13. Bobby "Boris" Pickett - Graveyard Shift
14. Meteors - Halloween Scream
15. Zombina & The Skeletones - Dracula Blood
16. The Creepniks - Surfin' With Satan
17. Frankie Stein & His Ghouls - In A Groovy Grave
18. Phantom Creeps - The Creature Walks Among Us
19. Sonny Terry - Bad Luck
20. Torquays - Ghost Rider
21. Vincent Price - Don't

Last years Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular... to get you in the mood!

2011-10-01T00:00:00.005-04:00

Oh yeah! It's October and time to get a little spooky up in here! If you're new to the festivities download last years mix to enjoy while you make your way through assembling the parts to the 2011 installment!

What you're gonna hear...

1. James Eastwood - Darkest Night
2. Santic All Stars - Hell Boat
3. Carl Dawkins - Witchcraft
4. Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Duppy Jamboree
5. Vin Gordon - Red Blood
6. Caly Gibbs - Ghost Walk
7. Tommy McCook & Bobby Ellis - Dracula
8. Tender Tones - Devil Woman
9. Hippy Boys - Death Rides A Horse
10. Derrick Morgan - A No Duppy
11. James Bond - Duppyman Skank
12. Jackie Mittoo - The Executioner
13. Danny Hill - Annie Palmer
14. Karl Bryan - Run For Your Life
15. Skin, Flesh & Bones - Bad Beast
16. Positive - Vampire
17. Keith Hudson - Satan Side
18. Del, Owen & Newts - Barnabas Collins
19. Daddy Meeky - Duppy Story
20. Lovindeer - Duppy Bye Bye
21. Delroy Wilson - Thing In The Dark

Click on the skankin' skeleton for the download link!

2011-09-30T13:50:00.004-04:00

Monday marks the beginning of October and my yearly countdown of spooky themed Jamaican tunes... a little mix I like to call the Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2011. Now if you're new to the blog I should probably fill you in how I go about doing this... I post an individual song every weekday in the month complete with scary sound effects and soundbites from old Halloween records, movie trailers and other creepy stuff I accumulate throughout the year... you download each tune individually then reassemble them in order in your Itunes or on a CDR and you'll have the complete Halloween mix and a nice sampling of the haunted sounds of Jamaican music!

"Haunted sounds of Jamaican music?" you may ask. Yes, just like any mainstream genre of music, Jamaican musicians and artists, ranging from calypso styled mento of the 1950's to ska to rocksteady to reggae and all of its various incarnations in between until today, are capable of recording material that explores themes and subject matters outside the stereotypical notions of what a lot of people think reggae "is about." Over the last 6 years I have researched and sought recordings in any of the aforementioned sub-genres of Jamaican music that explore subjects and use titles that would be best suited for late night horror movies.

Yes, I know many will find this hard to believe but there is a dark side to this music and though it doesn't begin to compare in intensity to death metal, slasher films or any other genres that people closely associate with black eyeliner and body piercings, I believe it holds its own with the rock and roll styled Halloween novelty music everyone knows and loves.

There's the rub, stay tuned!!

It's almost time...

2011-09-28T14:32:00.001-04:00

Mixin' It Up A Little

2011-09-16T13:13:00.005-04:00

During my usual blogging hiatus in September, while I'm in the midst of putting together the Halloween Spooktacular, I often feel like I'm neglecting my duties in providing you with Jamaican musical entertainment you've come to expect from Distinctly Jamaican Sounds. To combat that feeling I contemplated another thematic compilation... unfortunately, reality set in and I realized that I need at least a couple hours of sleep each night.

Regardless, I couldn't get over the feelings of blog neglect and decided to do this...

Over the course of the year, I often start mixes that never make it to completion... usually the begin when I hear a song on the ipod with a riddim that gets stuck in my head. These songs are usually newer, at least by my standards, and usually involves digital reworking of classic non-digital riddims.

Here are 3 riddim mixes that never make it beyond Garageband... individually, they're too short to post here but combined, I hope you'll agree, it makes for 37 minutes of enjoyable reggae. I'm not going to go into depth with all the songs and artists enclosed within because I seriously do not have the time right now but the riddims you're going to hear are A Love I Can Feel, Heavenless and Come Home...

Enjoy!!

A Half-Assed Tribute To My Summer Vacation

2011-08-23T11:42:00.004-04:00

I have waited for months for my summer vacation and it is finally upon me with only a couple weeks before the weather starts turning autumnal... but better late than never I always say. I had every intention to do a full fledged mix dedicated to summer, sand and surf but I've been killing myself with other projects as of late so I went the very half-assed route and put together three videos that I posted on Youtube and presented on the Distinctly Jamaican Sounds page over on Facebook...

Technically these are videos but they are purely intended for your listening pleasure only... not much going on in way of visuals. Enjoy!

Coming in October...

2011-08-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

A Little Espionage

2011-07-29T01:38:00.001-04:00

In light of recent events in the news concerning the repugnant phone hacking scandal and its ensuing investigation, it really makes you long for the Cold War when spying, deceit and secret intelligence was the vile business of shady men in fedoras and dark trench coats who exchanged microfilms under the late night hazy glow of a streetlight. You long for when 007 protected all that was right in the world with his Aston Martin, his Beretta and his insatiable desire and success in "bedding" every oddly-named woman to saunter over to his Baccarat table. It was a lot cooler when issues of national importance were at stake and the players of these deadly games were dressed in tuxedos and equipped with deadly gadgets that left you in awe. Now we've got an 80 year-old billionaire and his wild-ginger-haired "Girl Friday" violating people's personal rights all for the sake of selling a goddamn newspaper! It's official; espionage is no longer cool!

Well enough about that... if you haven't already guessed, this mix is devoted to a little espionage. This baby is completely dedicated to spies, agents, informants and all the secretive business that goes along with their chosen professions...

1. Jackie Mittoo & The Soul Brothers - James Bond - Last Train To Skaville - Soul Jazz CD - 2003
2. Baba Brooks - Dr. No - King Of Ska Vol.2 - King Edwards CD - ?
3. Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - Top Secret - Top Secret - Beatville CD - 1999
4. Horace Andy - Spying Glass - Dance Hall Style - Wackies LP - 1982
5. Dennis Bovell/LKJ - Cold War Dub - LKJ In Dub Vol. 2 - LKJ CD - 1992
6. Jackie Mittoo & The Soul Brothers - From Russia With Love - Last Train To Skaville - Soul Jazz CD - 2003
7. Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Goldfinger - Jamaica Ska & Other Jamaican Party Anthems - Trojan CD - 2004
8. Ansel Collins - Secret Weapon - Double Barrel - RAS CD - ?
9. Tommy McCook & The Upsetters - Cloak & Dagger - Cloak & Dagger - Black Art LP - 1980
10. Linval Thompson - I Spy - Look How Me Sexy - Greensleeves LP - 1982
11. Sly & Robbie - Spy Vs. Spy - The Summit - RAS LP - 1988
12. Johnny Osbourne - Mission - Power House Selector's Choice Vol. 1 - VP CD - 2008
13. Winston McAnuff - Secret Dub - Diary Of The Silent Years - Makasound CD - 2002
14. Dave & Ansel Collins - Secret Weapon - Double Barrel - RAS CD - ?
15. The Revolutionaries - Secret Agent - Earthquake Dub - Hot Pot CD - 2005
16. The Upsetters - Thunderball - The Upsetter - Trojan CD - 2003
17. Mikey Dread - Industrial Spy - African Anthem - DATC LP - 1979
18. Lyn Taitt & The Jets - I Spy - Get On Up! Joe Gibbs Rocksteady - Trojan CD - 1998
19. Cornell Campbell - Investigator - The Bunny "Striker" Lee Story - Jet Star CD - 2005
20. Ansel Collins - Impossible Mission - Double Barrel - RAS CD - ?

Enjoy!

Jah Thomas is the man!!

2011-07-21T10:48:00.006-04:00

I have always been a big fan of Jah Thomas - both as a DJ and a producer and now I'm a big fan of his honesty and integrity!

A few months back I came across this article in the Gleaner online, talking about how Jah Thomas was in the "specials" business - for those who don't know, a special is when an artist overhauls the lyrics to one of their most popular tunes and gives shout-outs to a sound system, a selecta, or in this case a blog...

I had been exchanging e-mails with Jah Thomas for a few weeks - never really with the intention of having him do some work for me, I was afraid that the cost would be beyond what I could spend for a complete re-do of his classic tune "Friday Night Jamboree" on the Heavenless riddim. So I asked him how much it would cost to do a couple drops and jingles that I could use in the appropriate mixes but then he made me an offer that was too good to refuse... so I nervously agreed to send him the money, not because I didn't trust Jah Thomas but because I didn't know how one goes about sending money via Western Union and I was afraid he would never get it.

That was on Monday afternoon and as promised, in less than 48 hours I received the jingles and the complete "dub-plate" of "Friday Night Jamboree" now subtitled "Suburban Jamboree" via e-mail! I've got to tell you... I was smiling ear to ear and listened to them repeatedly. It ranks up there as one of the best purchases I've ever made!

Now I don't use this blog to sell things or advertise but I just wanted to get out the word that if you're in the market for some top quality, professionally produced specials for your sound system, DJ set or for your own blog - shoot him an email or give him a call! And he has access to loads of other artists as well!

You will not be disappointed! Just tell 'em I sent ya!

Here's a sampling of a couple of the jingles - coupled with a tune called "Nite Life," a 12" on the J&B label...

An open letter to the good readers of Distinctly Jamaican Sounds!

2011-07-21T01:07:00.004-04:00

With Jamaica's Independence Day less than a couple weeks away my girlfriend and I decided to throw our 2nd annual JA Independence Day Party... now I had already been planning on doing the usual Jamaican food and drink but I decided to do one better and pulled together my resources to set up the turntables and mixer on the back deck, with amplification and speakers of course, here in the semi-quiet suburbs of rural Maryland, to give the guests and the neighbors something to remember. I conferred with my long-time friend Nick and he was more than psyched to load up his vinyl and play a few sets as well - hence, Suburban Hi-Fi was born. Now I have no intentions to be battling David Rodigan or Mighty Crown - I just wanted to start something here in my own backyard that hopefully will become a regular event...

Why Suburban Hi-Fi you ask? Now, being that I'm a suburban guy who has spent his entire life not more than 5 miles from where I was born and where I grew up, I decided to embrace the stereotypical imagery one conjures of the suburbs and not put on fronts that I'm a tough urban guy who knows his way around a ratchet or a 45 Magnum... now that doesn't mean I'm gonna go soft on the music though! You're still going to hear the same bad-ass stuff you expect from Distinctly Jamaican Sounds but with the smiling face of a 50s era "everyman" as my persona - I am first and foremost a fan of Jamaican music and regardless of where I live, it's my one true passion!

When I started D.J.S. seven years ago I had every intention of creating a blog that showcased Jamaican music and presented it to the seasoned, casual and even uninformed listener without the stereotypes... as my Halloween mixes attest, I am quite the fan of the odd juxtaposition and Suburban Hi-Fi is just another way of attaining that goal.

When I wrote the obituary for this blog in November of 2009 I said, "I wanted to show to everyone that Jamaican music is not all the same sounding, one-sided music only discussing topics of oppression and struggle that only appeals to a select few. It is a vibrant well-rounded complex musical genre capable of discussing anything and everything!" Now, aside from the fact that the rumors of Distinctly Jamaican Sounds' demise being greatly exaggerated, this is still how I feel and in case you haven't noticed I have recently rediscovered my enthusiasm about blogging and remembered why I started this thing to begin with... it's all about sharing the vibes and exposing others to a music that has been with me for most of my life and has provided me with joy, comfort, wisdom and a deep profound happiness... and for that I am forever grateful and I will continue to spread the good vibes to anyone who has an interest in listening.

One Love!

Prince Psalms Medley

2011-07-15T20:52:00.004-04:00

The other night I was at the gym, of all places, and this Volcano session from Spanish Town, St. Catherine circa July 1983 came up on my Ipod. I hadn't listened to this one in years and when Buru Banton gave the mic to melodica player Prince Psalms I nearly fell off the treadmill. This is some bad-ass shit here, if you'll excuse my language! A medley of tunes from the era ridin' the Storm riddim with Danny Dread at the controls! Pure niceness!!!

To download this session in its entirety you can find it here at Jayman and Andrew's wicked tribute to Volcano at Who Cork The Dance!

Dennis Brown - The Crown Prince of Reggae

2011-07-06T13:43:00.005-04:00

Dennis Emmanuel Brown (born February 1, 1957 - died July 1, 1999) was one of Jamaican music's greatest voices. He began his career in music in the late 1960's at the age of 11 and was prolific in all the various sub-genres of reggae from roots to digital dancehall. Bob Marley often named Dennis Brown as his favorite singer and in turn dubbed him "The Crown Prince of Reggae" so the legend says.

There has been a multitude of biographies on his immense career and the tangled web of producers and releases throughout his lifetime and they explore the topic with a lot more space and time than I have to offer.

What I'm offering is a 15 track sampling of some of my favorite Dennis Brown tunes for your listening pleasure...

1. Concentration - Riding The Roots Chariot - Pressure Sounds CD - 1998
2. Wolf & Leopard w/No Conscience - Trojan 12" Box Set - Trojan CD - 2003
3. Moving Away - Musical Heatwave - Trojan CD - 1993
4. Equal Rights Style w/Big Youth - Joe Gibbs 12"
5. Don't You Cry - G.G.'s Reggae Hit Stable Vol. 1 CD - Jamaican Gold CD - 1998
6. Look What You're Doing - King Tubby Meets The Reggae Masters - Charm CD - 2001
7. He Ain't Heavy - Studio 1 7"
8. A True w/Dhaima - Joe Gibbs Revive 45's Vol. 1 - Rocky One CD
9. Let Love In - Phil Pratt Thing - Pressure Sounds CD - 1999
10. Westbound Train - Niney & Friends: Blood & Fire Set - Trojan CD - 2005
11. No More Will I Roam - Musical Heatwave - Trojan CD - 1993
12. Sitting And Watching - Spellbound - Joe Gibbs LP - 1980
13. Foundation - Stagecoach Showcase - Yvonne's LP - 1982
14. Money In My Pocket/Cool Running w/Prince Mohammed - The Mighty Two CD - Heartbeat CD - 1992
15. I Like It Like That - Stagecoach Showcase - Yvonne's LP - 1982

Enjoy!

You'll never go in the water again!

2011-06-27T15:56:00.014-04:00

Borrowing a tagline from Jaws we're diving right into a spirited summertime mix devoted to the world's oceans and seas and those creatures who dwell within whether purposefully or unintentionally. Surprisingly compiling the songs for this one was a lot harder than I expected but presented herein are the fruits of my labors...

We start this mix with a 7" on the Steppers label by the man David Issacs and it's called "Just Like A Sea." Isaacs compares the ebb of the sea to that of his love... a nice tune on the ultra-smooth, horn-driven, Let Me Tell You Boy riddim.

Carl Dwyer AKA Captain Sinbad is up next with the tune "Fisherman" taken from his 1982 Junjo Lawes produced LP The Seven Voyages Of Captain Sinbad on the Greensleeves label. Another rub-a-dub scorcher, this one ridin' the Solomon riddim!

Prince Alla follows up Captain Sinbad with the song "Gold Diver" from the 2002 Blood & Fire CD I Can Hear The Children Singing. The lyrics address those in society who look out for their own best interests regardless of who is may hurt... I may be taking liberties with the title getting it to work with our aquatic theme but Alla does analogously mentions sharks multiple times throughout.

Up next is Junior Reid from his 1984 Prince Jammy produced Greensleeves LP Boom Shack A Lack and the tune "Row Your Boat." An excellent selection from a nice album if I do say so myself!

Tommy McCook & Don D. Jr. hit us with the next tune inna ruff Yabby You style! The track is called "Fisherman Special" and it comes from the crucial 1997 Blood & Fire set called Jesus Dread which effectively captures the genius that was Vivian Jackson. I particularly dig this tune because I'm a real sucker for horns and Don D. Jr. plays a mean trombone!

The next track is a bit of a stretch to fit our theme but it has a lot going for it... and organ and horns version of the beloved Gregory Isaacs' classic "Love Is Overdue." It is called appropriately "Atlantic One" and it is the title track of the 1975 various artists LP of the same name released on the Horse label. The stretch comes from the obvious reference to the Atlantic One aircraft mentioned during the spoken intro but hey... you can't blame me for trying!

Ranking Barnabas steps onboard next with an absolutely killer dub tune obviously dedicated to Melville's Moby Dick... it's called "White Whale" and comes from the LP called The Cold Crusher
produced by Phil Pratt and pressed on the Amalgamated label sometime in the 70's.

The late Bionic Steve is up with a tune that would probably work in the Halloween mix but it was too perfect not to include in this watery hodgepodge. The song is called "Bermuda Triangle" and it comes from a 1980 7" on the Crystal label. This is a fun one!

Bob Marley and the Wailers follow up the Bermuda Triangle with one of those songs that always puts me in a summery mood. This alternate version of "Don't Rock My Boat" was lifted from the 1999 JAD CD The Complete Wailers Part 2. I've heard the original version of this tune so many times it's nice to provide an alternative... don't say I never gave you nothin'!

Following Bob is one smooth-ass tune from the guitar virtuoso Ernest Ranglin... the track is called "Surfin" but believe me it ain't the Beach Boys! This one comes from the 2001 Soul Jazz compilation CD Studio One Rockers - check it!

Doin' the next one inna rocksteady stylee... John Holt & The Paragons give us the classic "The Tide Is High"... for those only familiar with Blondie's cover the correct words are "I'm not the kinda man who gives up just like that." It is borrowed from the 1992 Heartbeat CD set Duke Reid's Treasure Chest.

Going a completely different direction with the next track... this one is called "Fishman Lyrics" by Philip "Cutty Ranks" Thomas and comes from a 1986 LP released on Winston Riley's Techniques label called DJ Explosion Ina Dancehall Style. Cutty gives us a rundown of about every form of aquatic life known to man in this rapid-fire scorcher! All tracks from this album are ridin' the Cry Fi De Youth riddim and it's one of the few riddim exclusive albums that doesn't drive me insane after the second track!

General Echo wraps himself in a shawl and ducks onto a lifeboat for the tune "Titanic." This is lifted from the Teach Fe De Class CD on the Equalizer label. I absolutely love this one - a real good indicator of Echo's sense of humor! Who else could take a horrific maritime disaster and make it into such an entertaining rub-a-dub reggae classic?

Up next are the Mighty Diamonds with a song called "Morgan The Pirate" from the 1983 Tappa Zukie produced LP Leader Of Black Country on the Mobiliser label. The Diamonds aren't romanticizing pirates like Jack Sparrow but raising the question of why pirates take precedence in history books over those who have actually done things to help humanity. Don't get me wrong I love a Pirates Of The Caribbean but they make a good point!

Prince Jazzbo gives us the classic "Crabwalking" and it also comes from the aforementioned Soul Jazz CD Studio One Rockers. This coupled with Horace Andy's "Skylarking" are two of my all-time favorite Studio One tracks!

Charlie Chaplin gives us the "Dance In The Atlantic Ocean" and it comes from his 1984 LP Fire Burn Them Below produced by the great George Phang! Just like the Cutty Ranks tune, Charlie gives us a taste of the undersea dance with the typical smooth Chaplin style.

A nice instrumental track is up next... this one is by Lester Sterling & The Skatalites and comes from a 12" on the Deep Groove Sounds label and like Bionic Steve it is paying homage to the Bermuda Triangle but this one is called "Devil's Triangle." Dig it!

Albert Griffiths and the Gladiators' "Ship With A Captain" is the eighteenth song in our aquatic mix... this is lifted from their 1982 Jam Rock LP Reggae To Bone! A nice one from the often overlooked Gladiators!

I Roy gives us "Musical Shark Attack," the title track from his 1976 Virgin release produced at Channel One with Joseph "Hoo" Kim handling the production duties. Like always I Roy delivers a wicked one!

Another oft-overlooked band with a relevant tune... this time Winston Jarrett & The Righteous Flames get into the mix with the tune "Chucky Hark And The Shark" from their 1977 Sonic Sounds LP Man Of The Ghetto.

Cecil Lloyd and Roland Alphonso take a decidedly "bluebeat" tone with the next song... "Oceans 11" comes from the 2006 various artists compilation CD set Ska Bonanza: The Studio One Ska Years on the Heartbeat label. This is such a mellow tune.

The late Sugar Minott is up next discussing the predatory habits of the "Harbour Shark" - complete with the British spelling of Harbor. This comes from the 1984 Slice Of The Cake CD also on the Heartbeat label.

Goin' old school again with the next track in our mix... Cedric Brooks & David Madden hit us with a little "Sea Breeze." Thankfully borrowed from the 2006 Alpha Boys' School: Music In Education CD on Trojan.

The man Dennis Walks is up with a wicked tune on a wicked Jah Thomas produced riddim... the song is called appropriately "Fisherman" and is ripped from a 12" on the Music Masters label. I love this tune - absolutely killer!

Finally... Ras Bug gives us "The Fisherman" from the 1979 various artists LP on the DEB label called DJ Tracking... I would elaborate on this album but it is nearly 3 AM and I've got to get my ass to bed!

Enjoy!

Working the Night Shift... ugh!

2011-06-07T20:30:00.004-04:00

I'm thankful that I still have a job and all but working the overnight shift this week has been sucking! It's not so much the change of pace it provides, which I kinda like... it's the complete reversal of my sleep schedule that's been kicking my ass! I have a hard time sleeping during the day - it feels like a complete waste of a decent day to be wasting it sleeping. Luckily though, this is only for a week and by this time next week I'll be back to complaining about my usual shift... at least I'll be well rested enough to complain wholeheartedly!

Well instead of just wasting away this week I decided to put together a little musical tribute to the dreaded night shift... enjoy it during the daylight hours while my ass is sound asleep!

What you're gonna hear...

1. Lee "Scratch" Perry - Night Train - Time Boom De Devil Dead CD - EMI - 1987
2. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Night Shift - Rastaman Vibration LP - Island - 1976
3. Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - Midnight Time - Top Secret CD - Beatville - 1999
4. Lee & The Clarendonians - Night Owl - High School 7" - 1969
5. Gregory Isaacs (William Shakepare) - Late At Night - Down Santic Way LP - Pressure Sounds - 2005
6. Paul Davidson - Midnight Rider - Trojan Seventies CD Box Set - Trojan - 2004
7. The Melodians - All Night - Irie Feeling CD - RAS - 1983
8. M.B.V. & The Rhythm Rulers - The Midnight Drifter - Mudie & His Book Of Drifters LP - Moodisc Records - 1989
9. Keith Hudson - Darkest Night - Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood LP - Atra - 1988
10. The Upsetters - Night Doctor - Return Of Django LP - Trojan - 1969
11. The Heptones - Every Day Every Night - Good Life LP - Greensleeves - 1979
12. Tommy McCook & The Aggrovators - Midnight Special - King Tubby Meets The Aggrovators At Dub Station CD - Trojan - 2007

Download, Listen & Enjoy!

I Survived The Rapture And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt!

2011-05-21T18:01:00.000-04:00

Holy shit! It's past 6:00 and nothing has changed! The world didn't come to an end, it's still relatively early on a Saturday night, I've got a Sunday tomorrow; life couldn't be sweeter!

I threw together a quick mix of tunes to celebrate the fact that we've survived! I would have added more but I got some livin' to do!!! ;)

I'm anxiously waiting for Harold Camping to explain what happened... shit, this guy is now 0 for 2 in Rapture predictions! Oh well, I guess if April 21, 2011 didn't get ya, you still have 2012 to prepare yourself for.

Well anyway... let's get on with the music so I can get on with living - I've got a pizza and some ice cold beverages calling my name!

What you're gonna hear...

1. Alton Ellis - Sunday Coming - Sunday Coming CD - Heartbeat (1995)
2. Ken Boothe - Tomorrow - Ride Me Donkey LP - Studio One (1968)
3. Dr. Alimantado - Still Alive - Sons Of Thunder LP - Greensleeves (1981)
4. Sam Carty - I Don't Mind - Black Arkives CD - Justice League (?)
5. Martha Velez - Bend Down Low - Escape From Babylon LP - Sire (1976)
6. The Itals - False Preachers - Early Recordings CD - Nighthawk (1987)
7. Frankie Jones - Living The Life You Love - Rootsman Connection CD - Jamaican Recordings (2008)
8. Bob Marley & The Wailers - Wake Up And Live - Survival LP - Island (1979)
9. Macka B - False Preacher - We've Had Enough CD - Ariwa (1987)
10. Early B - Sunday Dish - Midnight Rock 7" (1985)
11. Spanner Banner - Life Goes On - Jamaica Go-Go LP - Mango (1991)
12. Tony Rebel - Celebrate Life - If Jah CD - VP (1997)
13. The Gladiators - Happy Man - Bongo Red CD - Heartbeat (1998)
14. Gregory Isaacs - Smile - Mr. Isaacs CD - Blood & Fire (2001)
15. The Heptones - Party Time - Best Of Studio One CD - Heartbeat (2006)

Enjoy!

Well... I guess we've reached the end of the road...

2011-05-19T20:10:00.005-04:00

According to Harold Camping, an 89 year-old former civil engineer and construction foreman, the Judgement Day will come this Saturday May 21st. Camping is now a U.S. evangelical Christian broadcaster, who previously made a prediction that Jesus Christ would return to earth in 1994, has encouraged his supporters to post 2,200 billboards across the country spreading his word.

Camping told Reuters; "We know without any shadow of a doubt it is going to happen."

His predictions are based upon his study of the bible and the time-line correlation between ancient and modern times. Camping says that earthquakes will begin on Saturday and true believers will be whisked away to heaven and the non-believers will be left behind to pick up the pieces of what's left.

Mr. Camping has already got his Saturday planned, he told Reuters; "I'll probably try to be very near a TV or a radio or something," he said. "I'll be interested in what's happening on the other side of the world as this begins."

Now, regardless of whether I believe his Doomsday prediction or not, which I don't, this makes perfect topical subject matter for our next mix. I have pulled out a load of Armageddon and Judgement Day tunes and assembled them in one listener-friendly Rapture mix... this is what you're going to hear...

1. Brigadier Jerry - ArmaGiddeon Style - Jamaica Jamaica CD - RAS (1985)
2. The Maytones - Judgement Day - One Way LP - GG's (1979)
3. Gregory Isaacs - End Of The World - Looking Back CD - RAS (1996)
4. Roman Stewart - Fire At Your Heel - Faith 7" (1974)
5. Mikey Dread - Armageddon Style - Swalk CD - DATC
6. Johnny Clarke - Fire And Brimstone A Go Burn Them - Dreader Dread CD - Blood & Fire (1998)
7. Cornell Campbell - The Judgement Come - Wicked A Go Feel It CD - Trojan (1996)
8. King Tubby - Earthquake And Fire Dub - Foundation Of Dub CD - Trojan (2000)
9. Burning Spear - Weeping & Wailing - Creation Rebel CD - Heartbeat (2004)
10. Bunny Wailer - Amagideon - Blackheart Man LP - Island (1976)
11. Augustus Pablo - Revelation Time - Cultural Showcase CD - Rockers (1994)
12. Brimstone - Final Judgement - Grove Music 7" (197x)
13. Willie Williams - Armagideon Time - Best Of Studio One Vol. 2 CD - Heartbeat (2006)
14. Bob Andy - Hell A Go Broke Loose - Retrospective LP - Heartbeat (1987)
15. Trinity - Judgement Day - African Revolution CD - Jamaica Gold (1993)
16. Ranking Joe - Armageddon - Armageddon Time CD - M10 (2000)
17. Leroy Horsemouth Wallace - Armageddon Dub - Original Armageddon Dub CD - Stable One (1978)
18. Jah Stitch - Judgement - Original Ragga Muffin CD - Blood & Fire (1996)
19. General Echo - Armagedion - Rocking & Swing LP - Manzie (1979)
20. Sylford Walker - Burn Babylon - Joe Gibbs Revive 45's Vol. 1 CD - Rocky One (197x)
21. Barry Brown - Jah Jah Fire - Rastafari Box Set CD - Trojan (2002)
22. Prince Far I - What You Gonna Do On Judgement Day - The Golden Years 1977-83 CD - Cleopatra (2001)
23. Israel Vibration - Ball Of Fire - The Same Song CD - Pressure Sounds (2005)
24. Cultural Roots - Where You Gonna Run - Drift Away From Evil LP - Germain (1982)
25. Black Uhuru - Apocalypse - The Dub Factor LP - Mango (1983)

Doomsday Mix - Enjoy it while you still can! ;)

A DJ Explosion For A Monday

2011-05-09T12:04:00.005-04:00

I was sitting around this morning and decided to throw together a bunch of rub-a-dub records in an impromptu DJ explosion for a Monday.

No rhyme or reason, just a bunch of early 80's deejays doin' the thing they do best! These baby runs nearly an hour long and its a veritable who's who of early dancehall. I hope you enjoy it!

Here's what you're gonna hear...

1. Lee Van Cliff - Bubble Reggae Music - Afro Eagle 7"
2. Ranking Joe - Honda Accord - Art & Craft EP
3. Ringo - Mr. Wong - Black & White 12"
4. Sassafrass - Dance In A Breaton - Black Solidarity 7"
5. P. Ranking & General Lucky - Tired Of Walking - Corner Stone 7"
6. Errol Scorcher - Bone Man Skank - Dance Beat 12"
7. Scorpion - Walkerton - First Hit 7"
8. Lone Ranger - Fort X - GG Hit 7"
9. John Slaughter - Ride Skate - Gorgon 7"
10. Lui Lepki - Jealousy - Gorgon 7"
11. Toyan - Strictly The Dread - Greensleeves 12"
12. Michigan & Smiley - Too Much Confusion - Hitbound 12"
13. Jah Thomas - Cripple Man Skank - Jah Guidance 7"
14. Brigadier Jerry - Roots Girl - Jah Love Muzik 7"
15. Jah Walton - It In A Me - Lorna 7"
16. Clint Eastwood - Bubble - Manzie 7"
17. General Echo - Boom Boom - Manzie 7"
18. Early B - Sebert - Moa Anbessa 10"
19. Welton Irie - How You Keep A Dance - Oak Sound 12"
20. Yellowman & Fathead - You Wrong To Send Come Call Me - Observer 7"
21. Purpleman - Daddy Mix - Observer 12"
22. Jah Berry - Polio Drops - Rainbow Productions 7"
23. Jim Brown - Calypso Calypso - Studio One 7"
24. Nicodemus - Jennifer Chant - Trevor Tanga 7"
25. Squiddley Ranking - Proud A We - GG Hit 7"
26. Super Cat - Walkerton - Midnight Rock 7"
27. Josey Wales - Love Me Have Fi Get - Volcano 12"
28. Peter Metro - This Old Man - Upfront 10"
29. Charlie Chaplin - Naw Leave Me Chalwa - Dove 7"

Enjoy!

Transport Connection! A Massive Mix Inna Transportation Stylee!

2011-04-14T10:45:00.004-04:00

Here I go again with yet another themed mix... this time I went with a theme that was presented to me by "Deepbeep," a regular Distinctly Jamaican Sounds reader and listener... originally he proposed putting together a mix of the countless reggae bus songs that are floating around but I decided to include all forms of transportation. Yeah, I've got some buses... and some trains, some planes, some automobiles, some motorcycles, a ship and even a bicycle for your listening pleasure.

This mix is massive at 33 songs and with a total playtime of and hour and forty-six minutes, you could throw this baby on your ipod and get in a decent roadtrip... or at least part of one.

Like the other random mixes I did last month, there is absolutely no rhyme or reason to the order or placement of songs - I put them all in a playlist and hit shuffle and whatever order they pop-up is the order they play... so don't be surprised to hear an early reggae number next to a late-80's digital tune. I like the odd juxtaposition and I hope you do too.

Here's what you're gonna hear...

1. Stranger Cole & Tommy McCook - Last Flight To Reggae City - The Bunny Striker Lee Story - Jet Star CD
2. General Trees - Mini Bus - Black Scorpio 12"
3. The Jet Scene - Jet 747 - Trojan Rare Grooves Boxset - Trojan CD
4. Clint Eastwood & General Saint - Stop That Train - Stop That Train - Greensleeves LP
5. Lynn Taitt & The Jets - Leaving On That Train - Hold Me Tight Anthology - Trojan CD
6. Don Carlos - At The Bus Stop - Day To Day Living - Greensleeves LP
7. Trinity - Natty Dread Travel On A Mini Bus - Strictly Rockers In A Dread Land - Live & Love LP
8. Johnnie Ringo - Morning Flight - Riding West - Jah Guidance LP
9. Lone Ranger - Hell Driver - Barnabas In Collins Wood - GG LP
10. Purpleman - Mini Van - Showdown Vol. 5 - Hitbound LP
11. Lloyd The Matador - The Train (Engine 54) - The Best Of The London Based Sioux Label - Jet Set CD
12. Welton Irie - Plane Flight - Ghettoman Corner - Pantomine LP
13. Barrington Levy - On The Telephone (Minibus) - Corner Stone 7"
14. Ansel Collins & The Observer - Inbound Train - Blood & Fire - Trojan CD
15. Soul Cats - Choo Choo Train - Gas Greatest Hits - Pama LP
16. Keith & Tex - Leaving On The Train - Stop That Train - Crystal LP
17. Yellowman - Night Flight - Jah Guidance 7"
18. Early B - Learn Fi Drive - King Jammy's At Channel One - Jamaican Recordings CD
19. Buro - Jolly Bus - Buro - CSA LP
20. Barrington Spence - Jah Jah Train - Speak Softly - Trojan LP
21. Michael Palmer - Bus Stop - Reggae For The Arena - Sonic CD
22. Lovindeer - De Blinkin' Bus - Best Of Lovindeer - TSOJ CD
23. Sister Nancy - Transport Connection - Techniques 7"
24. Well Pleased & Satisfied - Love Train - Love Train - Burning Rockers LP
25. The Revolutionaries - CB 200 Version - Maxfield Avenue Breakdown - Pressure Sounds LP
26. Jah Thomas - Bicycle Skank - Stop Yu Loafin - Greensleeves LP
27. Professor Nuts - In A De Bus - Professor Nuts - Pow Wow CD
28. Errol Scorcher - Jolly Bus Ting - Rastafire - Ballistic LP
29. Sly & Robbie - Unmetered Taxi - Taxi Fare - Heartbeat CD
30. Derrick Morgan - Reggae Train - Feel Good - Attack LP
31. Winston Wright - Flight 404 - GG's Reggae Hit Stable Vol. 1 - Jamaican Gold CD
32. Freddie McGregor - Big Ship - Big Ship - Greensleeves LP
33. Jacob Miller - Jolly Joseph - Chapter A Day - VP LP

Transport Connection

Fruits & Veggies... a mix for a Thursday

2011-03-31T11:05:00.005-04:00

Two posts in two consecutive days?! What the hell has gotten into me?! Suddenly I've got this urge to compile theme mixes and just like yesterday, following no rhyme or reason. Today I've got one devoted to produce. Yes, you've read that correct... produce; fruits and vegetables. There are a lot of Jamaican songs that deal with cooked food but I just have the intention of exploring the fresh food stalls here at the market.

We start off today's trip to the market with an intro from the late great Louise "Ms. Lou" Bennett and the classic "Linstead Market," from there... it's gonna be a flavorful excursion into Jamaican music just perfect for a Thursday afternoon. Come with an empty stomach because when you're done with this mix you're gonna be stuffed!

What you're gonna hear...

1. Tommy McCook & The Supersonics - Green Mango - Top Secret CD - Beatville
2. Dennis Brown - Little Green Apples - Stagecoach Showcase LP - Yvonne's
3. Junior Byles - Lorna Banana - Every Mouth Must Be Fed CD - Pressure Sounds
4. Clint Eastwood & General Saint - Banana Export - Two Bad DJ LP - Greensleeves
5. Horace Martin - Watermelon Man - Watermelon Man LP - Mister Tipsy
6. Willie Francis - Ripe Soursop - Little Willie Records 7"
7. ? - Juicy Fruit - ? - found this one on my harddrive don't know where it came from.
8. Peter Metro - Vegetable Dish - Want Some Money LP - Bebo's
9. G.G. Allstars - Peanut Baby - Man From Carolina LP - Trojan
10. J.J. Allstars - Mango Tree - Sir J.J. And Friends CD - Lagoon
11. Dennis Alcapone - Ripe Cherry - Guns Don't Argue CD - Trojan
12. Augustus Pablo - Cassava Piece - Original Rockers CD - Greensleeves
13. The Wailers - Guava Jelly - Songs Of Freedom CD - Island
14. Prince Jazzbo - Pepper Rock - Pepper Rock LP - Studio One
15. Roots Radics - Banana & Yam Skank - Dangerous Dub CD - Greensleeves
16. The Techniques - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) - Queen Majesty CD - Trojan
17. Jah Lloyd - Piece A Banana - Final Judgement LP - Teem
18. Joe Gibbs - Lime Key Rock - African Dub All-Mighty LP - Joe Gibbs
19. Ringo - Coconut Woman - Volcano 7"
20. King Tubby - 91 Orange Street - Bring The Dub Come CD - Heartbeat

Enjoy!

Whole Heap A Sugar Down Deh!

2011-03-30T10:50:00.003-04:00

I think Homer Simpson said it best in a sleep deprived stupor... "In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women." :)

Nothing too groundbreaking here today just a bunch of songs following a sugary theme... I don't even know what inspired me to put this one together... I think a lot of it has to do with wanting to put this new Virtual DJ program to use. Unlike Garageband where you have a chance to fiddle with the music and effects you actually mix in real time... Regardless of my motives, this turned out to be a pretty fun mix and I hope you'll give it a listen.

As far as the music goes... it's all over the place with no real rhyme or reason behind the order of the playlist. Some real bad-ass tunes in here... I hadn't played Michigan & Smiley's Sugar Daddy in years!

What you're gonna hear...

1. I Roy - Sugar Candy - Dubbing With The Royals - Pressure Sounds LP
2. Danny Dread - Reggae Music A Lemon Popsicle - Jwyanza 7"
3. Ranking Joe - Sugar - Round The World - Nationwide LP
4. Heptones - Sweet Talkin' - Nightfood - Mango CD
5. The Soul Brothers - Sugar Cane - Studio One LP
6. Roy Shirley - A Sugar - Music Is The Key - Trojan CD
7. Dandy Livingstone - Every Day Gets A Little Bit Sweeter - Conscious - Mooncrest LP
8. Winston Williams - Sweet Like Candy - Trojan Rare Grooves - Trojan CD Boxset
9. Ken Parker - Sugar Dumplin' - Groovin' In Style (Best Of) - Trojan CD
10. Michigan & Smiley - Sugar Daddy - Sugar Daddy - RAS Records LP
11. Leroy Smart - Sugar In My Coffee - Let Everyman Survive - Jamaica Gold CD
12. Johnny Osbourne - No Lollipop No Sweet So - Fally Lover - Greensleeves LP
13. Cocoa Tea - Sweet Coco Tea - Crystal 12"
14. Big Youth - Sugar Sugar - Natty Universal Dread - Blood & Fire CD
15. Prince Hammer - Whole Lot Of Sugar - Dubble Attack - Greensleeves LP
16. Michael Prophet - Sweet Loving - Michael Prophet - Greensleeves LP
17. Toyan - Ice Cream - Murder - Vista LP
18. Zap Pow - Sugar Pop - Jungle Beat - Lagoon CD
19. Well Pleased And Satisfied - Sweetie Come From America - Club Paradise - Columbia LP
20. I Roy - Hot Chocolate - Many Mood Of I Roy - Trojan LP

Grab yourself some sugar!!

Guarding Sugar - Watch more amazing videos here

A Tribute To Jacob Miller (1952-1980)

2011-03-21T00:00:00.002-04:00

It was 31 years ago today this week (March 23rd) that Jacob Miller died tragically in an automobile accident and I thought now would be a good time to pay tribute to another reggae superstar who we lost much too soon.

Miller recorded his first tune "Love Is A Message" for Coxsone Dodd in 1968 at the age of 13 and a couple more as well... unfortunately the song didn't have much success so it wasn't until 1974, when Miller got into the studio with the legendary Augustus Pablo, that things began to improve. Tunes like "Who Say Jah No Dread," "False Rasta," and "Baby I Love You So" hit the market and he got some recognition. Interestingly enough, the original b-side dub version of "Baby I Love You So" was the massive "King Tubby's Meets Rockers Uptown" and Island Records failed to give Miller credit for the vocals bouncing and echoing around inside Tubby's mix and even relegated the vocal version to the b-side in subsequent pressings.

Jacob Miller hooked up with the band Inner Circle soon after; the band comprising brothers Ian and Roger Lewis and future members of the band Third World, Stephen 'Cat' Coore, Michael 'Ibo' Cooper and Ritchie Daley, and the hits began to flow. I've even heard that Jacob Miller and Inner Circle were so big in Jamaica in 1978 that Bob Marley and the Wailers received second billing at the One Love Peace Concert beneath them!

Quoting from the Guinness Who's Who of Reggae Music... "Miller's biggest hits would come as a member of Inner Circle. In 1976 they scored a couple of roots hits with "Tenement Yard" and "Tired Fe Lick Weed In A Bush" (both credited to Miller). These and Miller's explosive stage act made them the top act in Jamaica at the latter part of the 70s. Miller, an exuberant, amply proportioned man, possessed of a fine tenor which often employed a trademark stutter, went on to make a number of excellent records with Inner Circle..."

But Jacob Miller wasn't satisfied with just being a band's vocalist and continued his solo career as many reggae do by recording sides for producers like Joe Gibbs and Gussie Clarke. He also took up acting by making a cameo in Theodoros Bafaloukos' film Rockers. At the time of his death in 1980 Jacob Miller had been working with Chris Blackwell to arrange for a U.S. tour with Bob Marley to promote his second solo album Mixed Up Moods which had recently been completed.

What I have always liked about Jacob Miller aside from some absolutely killer music was what I've read about his personality over the years... Inner Circle's Roger Lewis said Jacob Miller was “always happy and jovial. He always made jokes. Everyone liked jokes.” He sounded like a real good guy and it's sad to think what he may have done for reggae music on an international level if he hadn't died so soon.

Here's what you're going to hear...

We're gonna start it off with "Bionic Skank" from Miller's 1978 LP on the Top Ranking label called Wanted. I've always love the introduction to this tune... Miller warming up his stuttering tenor like a car starting on a cold winter morning. It always gets a smile from me.

One of my all-time favorite Jacob Miller tunes is second and it comes from the 1979 album Mixed Up Moods... a plea for police to end their brutal treatment of Jamaican citizens called "Mr. Officer." The lines "Seam color red, seam color blue, be careful what you do, because the people, the people love you" says a lot about the turbulent times in which it was written and recorded and the quandary that people faced when needing protection from law enforcement... on one hand they are respected and revered for doing their job serving and protecting people but also feared for what they may do if their tempers get the better of them and they turn on the people they are supposed to protect.

"I've Got the Handle" is up next and aside from the rather misogynistic theme it's one helluva tune... this was originally written by Leroy Sibbles and performed by The Heptones but I think Miller does a nice cover. It too comes from the aforementioned Wanted LP.

The next tune is Jacob Miller's trademark call for marijuana legalization called "Healing of the Nation." Originally appearing on his Wanted LP - I borrowed the version we're using in this mix from the excellent Chapter A Day "Greatest Hits" double LP set released by VP Records in 1999.

"I'm A Natty" produced by the legendary Joe Gibbs and Errol Thompson and taken from the 2008 VP various artists CD Scorchers From The Mighty Two. The coolest thing about this song? It has to be the bad-ass moogy intro! I wanted to do a rewind at that point in the mix but decided to keep rolling instead.

Next up is "Each One Teach One" lifted from the 1992 release by Greensleeves of material originally produced by Augustus Pablo circa 1974-75, titled Who Say Jah No Dread. A nice selection of songs originally only available as singles - it comes highly recommended!

Jacob gets all lovey-dovey for the next tune... this one is called "I'm In Love" and it comes from a 2004 Auralux various artists CD called Whip Them King Tubby. It too is a compilation of older releases not readily available in one clean package; productions by King Tubby, Bunny Lee and Linval Thompson.

With the sounds of war raging in its introduction we head back into reality... the tune is called "Ghetto On Fire" and comes from yet another various artists CD. The CD is called Life Goes In Circles (Sound From The Talent Corporation) and was released by Pressure Sounds in 2006. This is a fantastic CD and highlights the productions of Tommy Cowan and the top flight Talent Corporation, established in the mid 70's to give Jamaican artists the proper respect it was due in the local music market, and includes some of reggae's biggest names... Jacob Miller included.

Another of my favorite Jacob Miller tunes is up next! The song is called "Silver & Gold" and is also lifted off the Wanted LP. I have to admit this was the first Jacob Miller song I ever heard and Wanted was one of my first non-Marley purchases when I first started delving into Jamaican music as a 16 year old kid. "Silver & Gold" was played on a pretty heavy rotation back in those days and it still puts a smile on my face whenever I hear it!

"All Night Till Daylight" is up next in the mix! A wicked tune and probably one of his best known and originally released in 1976 on the Starapple LP Tenement Yard and produced by Inner Circle's Lewis Brothers, Ian and Roger. I have the original press but it is pretty ratty so I borrowed the tune from the Chapter A Day LP instead. Love this tune!

Another song lifted from yet another various artists compilation... this one is "Dread Ina Babylon" and it comes from the 2001 CD on the Charm label called King Tubby Meets The Reggae Masters. The minimalistic rhythm track complete with vibes makes for a bad ass tune!

Gotta go back to one of Miller's biggest hits, this is the classic "Tired Fe Lick Weed In A Bush" originally from Inner Circle's 1976's album Reggae Thing. Ours is borrowed from the Chapter A Day LP from VP. A true ganja anthem - if you like that sorta thing.

"Keep On Knocking" from the aforementioned CD Scorchers From The Mighty Two follows up "Tired Fe Lick Weed..." and it definitely fits the bill as a scorcher! Miller riding the Hypocrites riddim is absolutely killer!

We go next to Miller's rather autobiographical tune "Killer Miller" and it is lifted from the greatest hits compilation released by RAS Records in 1988 called Collectors Classics. Originally this was the title track to the 1977 LP released on the Top Ranking label called Jacob "Killer" Miller.

Getting back in a lover's groove with our next track... "Suzy Wong" is also from the RAS Records release Collectors Classics.

"Tenement Yard" is up next and this is the quintessential stuttering tenor Jacob Miller at his best. This was also one of Jacob Miller's biggest hits and was originally the title track from his 1976 Inner Circle collaboration of the same name. I have this tune on a multitude of compilations and I decided to use the one from the 2007 Trojan release Down In A Tenement Yard (Sufferation And Love In The Ghetto) simply because it was the one that was easiest to find.

We follow it up with another title track... this is the title track from the Mixed Up Moods LP originally released on Starapple.

The next tune is an Augustus Pablo produced 7" called "Girl Name Pat" on the Rockers International label. Ironically I'm also in love with a girl named Patti but she would kill me if I ever reduced her name to just Pat. I think a lot of the negativity toward that name has a lot to do with the androgynous character created and performed by Julia Sweeney on Saturday Night Live in the 90's but, I have gone way out in left-field with this analysis so let's get back to the music. :)

We wrap up the mix with two excellent tunes both from the Chapter A Day LP. The first was originally released in 1980 after Miller's death on an album produced by Joe Gibbs called Lives On and it's called "Shakey Girl."

The final track is "Chapter A Day," and it is an absolutely beautiful and timeless tune. It's one of those tunes that gives me chills and usually elicits a few tears from my eyes.

R.I.P. Jacob Miller - You Are Never Forgotten!

Would The Real King Horror Please Stand Up!

2011-03-04T10:22:00.010-05:00

A few years ago when I first started my Halloween mixes, I had read in the 2003 book "Young Gifted and Black - The Story of Trojan Records" by Michael de Koningh and Laurence Cane-Honeysett that King Horror "...was actually Laurel (Aitken) on some sides but not others (it largely depended on which company he was leasing the material to and who was around in the studio at the time." It sounded accurate and I had filed the information away in the back of my brain until a couple months ago...

I was flipping through some CDs and came across my copy of the Trojan various artists release Loch Ness Monster (originally released in 1970) and had some time to actually read the liner notes... needless to say I grew more confused on the subject of King Horror.

The liner notes, also written by Michael de Koningh, say and I quote... "King Horror was quite likely to be a relocated Calypsonian who worked under the name of Lord Davey. Laurel happened to hear Davey's extraordinary voice and immediately thought of the new Reggae sound he was producing, and what an impact his throaty growl would make. To confuse matters, another voice also snarled out as King Horror on rival discs, and this is considered to be Aitken standing in himself, presumably when Mr Davey was unavailable to lend his growl to the romping rhythm track."

So one day, not too long ago, I was doing a search for King Horror online and up pops this compilation, released this year, on the Pressure Drop label called Boss Reggae Sounds - Laurel Aitken Productions 1969-1971 and it included a King Horror tune that I never knew existed! The song is called "The Vampire" and I was worried about getting my hopes up about another schlock-horror King Horror tune but I bought the CD anyway. Turns out that "The Vampire" was the b-side of Horror's 1969 "Cutting Blade" single on the Grape label and sure enough it was everything I hoped it would be. But here's where things get confusing...

In the liner notes of the Boss Reggae Sounds CD we get more confused about the origins of the raucous voiced King Horror... Phil "Enthucol" Etgart also quotes from "Young Gifted and Black - The Story of Trojan Records" by Michael de Koningh and Laurence Cane-Honeysett but digs a little deeper. Etgart writes about "Cutting Blade" the first single on the compilation; "A quick listen to this track will make it quite clear what exactly the "Cutting Blade" in question actually refers to, but to contrast, the identity of the artist himself is shrouded in confusion. For some time many believed King Horror was Laurel Aitken under a 'nom de vinyl,' but play any of his handful of recordings and you will realize that this is not the case. According to Reggae writer, Michael De Koningh: "Horror was actually Laurel on some sides, but not others (it largely depended on which company was licensing the material to and who around the studio at the time). It is widely believed that the rest of the time, Horror was in fact Calypsonian, Young Growler (real name Errol Naphtah Davy), a Trinidadian who in 1961 came to settle in London, where he went on to record several Calypso tracks, the best known of which is probably 'V for Victory', a song celebrating the West Indies cricketing victory over England in June 1966. More recently, the not-so Young Growler was reported to have left for warmer climes, his present whereabouts apparently being Barbados." He continues... "Another who, according to producer, Joe Mansano adopted the moniker was 'a chap in the band called Lloydie, who was, shall we say, not very pretty, so we called him King Horror: He was one of my DJ's - Lloyd the Matador (not to be confused with Jamaican producer; Lloyd 'The Matador' Daley) was his name - Lloyd Campbell.' Just who exactly was responsible for the Laurel produced King Horror tracks may never be confirmed..."

Regardless of who he actually was, King Horror is one of my favorite "skinhead" reggae artists and his horror themed tunes are like gifts from heaven to me. I owe a lot of my year-long obsession of searching for "duppy tunes" to King Horror's "Loch Ness Monster." Now, here's where I'm asking for your help. There are two more King Horror tune that have yet to surface on a CD compilation and my obsession in trying to track them down is causing me to lose sleep at night. In 1970, 2 other tunes were released... one is called "Police" and was originally pressed on the Jackpot label and the other was called "Ghost Hour" and was pressed on the Reggae/Doctor Bird label but as far as I can discern, the record has never been seen with label art. Now, last year I posted something on the Blood & Fire message board pleading for anyone who owns the record to give me a taste of what I may or may not be missing. Thankfully someone responded and was kind enough to email me a 40 second needle-drop on the tune but unfortunately now it has ignited an obsession that I can't seem to shake. How does one find a 40 year old blank labeled reggae record? How does one search for that on ebay or in online record shops? I'm pleading for help on getting this tune!! At this point, I'm willing to settle for an MP3 of the tune because the odds that I'll ever come across this record are slim to none.

In the meantime, I've put together a little mix of King Horror tunes to get your feet movin'! I've left out "Wood In The Fire" because studies have shown that listeners can only take two veiled references to a man's "junk" in one mix. Enjoy!

What you're gonna hear...

1. Loch Ness Monster
2. The Hole
3. Dracula Prince Of Darkness
4. Frankenstein
5. Cutting Blade
6. The Vampire
7. Loch Ness Monster (Take 2) - from the 2004 Trojan records CD release of the same name!

Also... I couldn't resist adding a little wind and thunder at the intro... I have a hard time thinking of King Horror without it! :)

Enjoy!!

Rub-A-Dub Dub, Two Rub-A-Dub Mixes Are Re-Upped

2011-02-24T11:03:00.008-05:00

I put these two mixes together in 2007 and over the course of time I lost them... don't ask me how. I think I burned them as MP3s on a CD, which I can't locate and the Garageband data was lost when my Mac decided to die last year. Anyway, after doing a little searching online I was able to download the first mix again... it was kinda weird downloading my own handiwork but when I discovered they were gone, it left an empty feeling in the pit of my stomach. I hadn't realized that the link for the second mix was still active but I wanted to put them back up for anyone who might have never heard them... I was quite proud of these.

In related news... as of this morning, Strictly Rub-A-Dub Mix #3 is in the works.

Here's what you're gonna hear...

Strictly Rub-A-Dub Mix #1

1. Don Carlos - Laser Beam
2. Papa Tullo - Nuff Stylee
3. Toyan - Over Me
4. Alton Ellis - Skateland Girl
5. Sugar Minott - Jah Is On My Mind
6. Charlie Chaplin - Diet Rock
7. Yellowman - Me A Don
8. Michael Palmer - Mixing And Blending
9. Josey Wales - Undercover Lover
10. Buro - Jolly Bus
11. Yellowman & Fathead - The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
12. John Holt - Police In Helicopter
13. Cultural Roots - Love Feelings
14. Sister Nancy - Bam Bam
15. Yami Bolo - When A Man In Love
16. Admiral Tibet - Trouble To A Man
17. General Echo - Arleen
18. Little John - Look What You Have Done
19. Brigadier Jerry - What Kind Of World
20. Technique All Stars - Stalag 17
21. Johnny Osbourne - Love Is Universal
22. Little John - Janet Sinclair
23. Little John & Billy Boyo - Janet Sinclair
24. Scientist - Dangerous Match 1
25. Leroy Smart - All Of My Love
26. Michigan & Smiley - What Type Of World
27. Al Campbell - Chant Rub A Dub
28. Yellowman & Fathead - Come We A Come
29. Lone Ranger - Gunshot Mek Daughter Drop
30. Toyan - Tribute To Entertainers
31. Barry Brown - Sweet 16
32. Peter Ranking & General Lucky - Island In The Sun
33. Ranking Dread - Love A Dub
34. Barrington Levy - Collie Weed
35. Blackskin - Hey Mr. Babylon
36. Lone Ranger - Barnabas Collins
37. Toyan - Please Mi Barister
38. Barrington Levy - Please Jah Jah
39. Yellowman - 2 To 6 Supermix
40. Yellowman - Why You Bad So

Strictly Rub-A-Dub Mix #2

1. Morwells – Keep It In The Family
2. Nicodemus – Keep It In Your Family
3. Frankie Paul – Baby Come Home
4. Peter Metro – Better She Gwan
5. Charlie Chaplin – Unfair
6. Yellowman – Better She Ga Lang
7. Frankie Paul – Worries In The Dance
8. Nicodemus – Bubble Nicodemus Bubble
9. Yellowman – I’m Getting Married
10. Yellowman – Getting Divorced
11. Don Carlos – I’m Not Crazy
12. Toyan – Spar With Me
13. Clarence Parks - Gun Man
14. Welton Irie – Put It Down
15. Al Campbell – Bad Boy
16. Simple Simon – Revolution Fighters
17. Sugar Minott – Have You Ever Found A Love
18. Barry Brown – Shoot Up
19. Don Carlos – Mr. Big Man
20. Wailing Souls – Things & Time
21. Charlie Chaplin – Tribute To Marvin Gaye
22. Captain Sinbad – Construction Plan
23. Jimmy Riley – Love & Devotion
24. General Echo – Drunken Master
25. Wayne Jarrett – Chip In
26. Michigan & Smiley – Downpression
27. Peter Metro – Water Jelly
28. Lee Van Cleef – Bam Salute
29. Yellowman – Bam Bam
30. Leroy Smart – She Love It In The Morning
31. Half Pint – Winsome
32. Lone Ranger – Tom Drunk
33. Yellowman & Peter Metro – The Girl Is Mine
34. Little John – Spin You Roll
35. Sister Nancy – Chalice
36. Josey Wales – It A Fi Burn
37. Yellowman – Jah Mek Us Fe A Purpose
38. Toyan – It Have Fi Light
39. Charlie Chaplin – Chalice
40. Yellowman - Sensemilla

The Anti-Valentine's Day Love Mix

2011-02-14T11:00:00.000-05:00

This post in no way reflects my current romantic situation, it's just my way of protesting against this stupid-ass Hallmark holiday and all the fools who spend their hard earned money on candy, inflated priced flowers and sappy cards! Do we need a card company to dictate when to tell someone we love them? Tell them often whenever the mood hits you, just don't tell them today! ;)

I started the anti-Valentine's mix a couple years back with a "Lost Love" theme... this year I've decided to go all out with an anti-love song theme. Now, this mix doesn't involve any trickery or outrageous Garageband stunts, it's just a mix of 18 songs following today's appointed "bad love" theme.

Here's what you're gonna hear...

We start it off with the man Rod Taylor and his tune "Lonely Lonely Lonely" from his 1980 Greensleeves LP Where Is Your Love Mankind. A tune expressing a symptom all of heartbreak that the heart broken know all too well.

Delton Screechie is up next with his song "Evil Woman" and comes from a 7" on the Nigger Kojak label. This one is kinda mean spirited in its approach to a key component to this relationship in which Screechie sings, but it fits the theme we got goin' on here today!

Cornell Campbell tells his woman the way it's going to be with a wicked tune called "Love Trap." This one is an early 80's Bunny Lee production on the UK based Shuttle label. I can't tell you how much I love this song!

Goin' a little "older school" with the next tune... Dave Barker gives us the tune "Your Love Is A Game" and it was borrowed from the Pressure Sounds release highlighting producer Winston Riley's roots music. The CD is called Roots Technique and it comes highly recommended!

Anthony Johnson throws us back in a rub-a-dub groove with his song "I'll Never Fall In Love Again." It's a nice broken-hearted love song on a well-known and well-loved riddim and it is from a 12" on the Rusty International label.

One of my favorite anti-love tunes comes from my favorite DJ... Winston "Yellowman" Foster gives us "Wrong Girl To Play With," and it's one of those tunes that I've always wanted to sneak into a mix somewhere but couldn't find the right place... this spot will work just fine! This comes from a fantastic album on the Greensleeves label from 1984 called Two Giants Clash - Yellowman Versus Josey Wales.

Taking it 21st century with the next track... Junior Kelly gives us a veritable break-up anthem of epic proportions... the song is called "Love So Nice" and comes from the 2001 album of the same name released on VP Records. I know this song was real popular but hearing Kelly chatting "don't let the door hit ya, where the good lord split ya" while riding Bob Marley's Stir It Up riddim is just hilarious and classic at the same time!

Falling back quite a few years for the next one... circa 1970. The man Rudy Mills gives us "I'm Trapped" and it comes from the Jamaican Gold CD called From Chariot's Vault Vol. 1... the CD features 16 late rocksteady/early reggae productions from Derrick Harriott and it's a good compilation.

Lone Ranger is up next with "Love Affair Problem" and gives props to Janet Sinclair, a love advice columnist, who I can't determine was real or not but is mentioned in this song as well as a tune by Little John and Billy Boyo from the same era. This one comes from Ranger's 1982 LP, also on Greensleeves, called Hi Yo Silver Away.

Getting a little wacky with the next tune... Wackies that is. Next tune is by Jezreel and it's called "Cheating Girl" and it's taken from a 12" on the Wackies label, of course. This is a bad-ass tune!

Hittin' up the Studio One vaults for the next four... we start it with Dawn Penn's classic "No, No, No" and it comes from the Soul Jazz compilation called Studio One Rockers. We continue the Coxsone stylee with Johnny Osbourne and the tune "Can't Buy Love" from his album Truth and Rights... we go right into Ken Boothe's "You Don't Like Me" and it comes from Boothe's 1978 Coxsone Dodd produced LP, Live Good, released on the United Artists label. And we wrap up the little Studio One excursion with Horace Andy and the tune "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely" from his classic album Mr Bassie! A wicked group of tunes if I say so myself!

Goin' older school again... the late great Musical High Priest Roy Shirley and the Uniques give us the tune called "Evil Love" and it's lifted from the 2004 Westside CD compilation called Your Musical Priest, showcasing Shirley's talents.

"Please Don't Take Your Love Away" begs Owen Gray and all we can do is listen and enjoy. This tune comes from the 2004 Owen Gray CD anthology Shook, Shimmy and Shake on the Trojan Records label. A nice tune!

Linval Thompson is up next with a word of advise... the song is called "Sure Of The One You Love" and it is lifted from his 1982 LP Look How Me Sexy on the Greensleeves record label. Words of wisdom to those looking for love!

And we wrap it up with one of my all-time favorite smooth love tunes, "To Be A Lover (Have Some Mercy)" by the late great George Faith. This tune is from the Lee Perry box-set Arkology and is without a doubt one of the slickest songs on the entire compilation. This tune builds slow but once it gets going I don't want it to stop; Faith's smooth delivery mixed with Perry and the Upsetters' near hypnotic groove makes this a killer "troubled love" song.

Enjoy... oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

Dub Along 2011 - Part 1

2011-01-10T10:27:00.005-05:00

A couple years back I started this thing called Version Excursion where I took the b-sides from Volcano/Jah Guidance or Arrival 45's and put them together in a mix... I've decided to take the project one step further. A few weeks back I was going through a stack of records that I bought this summer and was going through the effort of ripping the flip-side versions into MP3s so that I could listen to them in the car on my ipod. I threw on the version of an awesome tune by the "sing-jay" Simple Simon and got inspired to do what it available below...

A little incorporation of vocals and a lot of effects and trickery on the Garageband program and I came up with something that sounded pretty damn sweet, if I do say so myself. Here is what you're going to hear, if you should choose to download this little mix...

1. Ranking Dread- Poor Man Story - Live & Love 12"
2. Barry Brown - Not So Lucky - Black Roots 7"
3. Simple Simon - Foreign Mind - Rosie Uprising 7"
4. Anthony Johnson - Strictly Rub-a-Dub - Midnight Rock 7"
5. Jah Mikes - Jacket & Tie - Jah Mikes 7"
6. Cornell Campbell - Devil In Bed - Lee's Gold 10"

...now these aren't the vocal version, they're the instrumental versions. They have been spiced-up to include some of the vocals but I think the music speaks for itself.

This is the first in a series, that I promise to keep up with this time. Junjo productions will also make their appearances but I'm mixing it up and digging deep into the stacks to come up with some really bad-ass stuff. Hope you enjoy it!

Leave me a message about what you think... is this project worth continuing or is this a colossal waste of time?

Dub Along 2011 - Part 1

Ghosts of Christmases Past...

2010-12-05T18:22:00.010-05:00

Here are the Jamaican Christmas Mix from previous years... 100 songs in total and with a combined running time of around 6 hours, there's enough here to keep you reggae-ing around the Christmas tree all month long!

The 2006 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Carlene Davis – Santa Claus (Do You Ever Come To The Ghetto)
2. King Stitt – Christmas Tree
3. Johnny Osbourne – Christmas Stylee
4. The Joe Gibbs Family – We Three Kings
5. Gregory Isaacs – Christmas Behind The Bars
6. Yellowman – Where Is Santa Claus?
7. Eek A Mouse – Christmas A Come
8. Cocoa Tea - Christmas Is Coming
9. The Aggrovators – Santa Claus Dub
10. Ras Pidow – Winter Storm
11. The Wailers – White Christmas
12. Toots & The Maytals – Christmas Feeling Ska
13. Alton Ellis & The Lipsticks – Merry Merry Christmas
14. Jacob Miller – On The Twelve Days Of Ismas
15. Trinity – Video Christmas
16. Eek A Mouse – The Night Before Christmas
17. Michael Palmer – Happy Merry Christmas
18. The Granville Williams Orchestra – Santa Claus Is Ska-Ing To Town
19. Tiger – Tiger Claus
20. Freddie McGregor – O Come Let Us Adore Him
21. Dillinger – Hi Fashion Christmas
22. Jacob Miller – Deck The Halls
23. Trinity – All I Want For Christmas
24. The Ethiopians – Ding Dong Bell
25. Rico And His Boys – Silent Night

The 2007 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Jacob Miller - All I Want For Ismas
2. Horace Andy - Christmas Time
3. The Aggrovators - Santa Claus And The Aggrovators Conquer The Martians Inna Holiday Rockers Style
4. Kingstonians - Merry Christmas
5. Cocoa Tea - Please Come For Christmas
6. Mutabaruka - Postpone Christmas
7. Brent Dowe - Christmas In Jamaica
8. Steve Golding - Strictly Rock Christmas
9. Kashief Lindo - Someday At Christmas
10. Frank Cosmo - Merry Christmas
11. Al & The Vibrators - Merry Christmas
12. Lovindeer - It's Christmas Time Again
13. Jackie Mittoo - Joy Joy
14. The Cimarons - Holy Christmas
15. Ringo - Christmas Time
16. Little Kirk - Gee Whiz
17. Half Pint - Christmas Vibes
18. Gregory Isaacs - White Christmas
19. John Holt - Winter World Of Love
20. Sugar Minott - Christmas Jamboree
21. Peter Broggs - Twelve Days Of Christmas
22. Barrington Levy - Christmas Day
23. The Wailers - Sound The Trumpet
24. Little John - Save A Little For Christmas
25. Ernest Wilson - We Wish You A Merry Christmas

The 2008 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Nigger Kojak - Christmas Style
2. Bunny & Skully - White Christmas
3. Lord Nelson - Party For Santa Claus
4. The Wailers - Go, Tell It On The Mountain
5. Frankie Paul - Merry Christmas
6. Alton Ellis - Christmas Coming
7. Glen Adams - Xmas Rock
8. Michigan & Smiley - Little Drummer Boy
9. Desmond Dekker & The Aces - Christmas Day
10. Iron Phoenix - Natty Dread Christmas
11. Gregory Isaacs - It's Christmas Time Again
12. Johnny Clarke - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
13. Winston Groovy - Merry Christmas
14. Jacob Miller - Silver Bells
15. Ray I - Natty No Santa Claus
16. Jah Walton - DJ Christmas
17. Toots & The Maytals - Happy Christmas
18. Horace Andy - Oh Little Town Of Bethlehem
19. The Silvertones - Bling Bling Christmas
20. Freddie McGregor - Irie Christmas
21. Charley Fresh - Jam Down Christmas
22. Tippa Lee & Rappa Roberts - Christmas Is Coming
23. Hortense Ellis - Black Christmas
24. Trinity - African Christmas
25. Richard Ace - Joyful Reggae

The 2009 Jamaican Christmas Mix

1. Tristan Palmer - Christmas Jamboree
2. Roman Stewart - Christmas Affair
3. Frank Cosmo - Greetings From Beverley's
4. General Trees - Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
5. Jackie Edwards - White Christmas
6. Shorty The President - Christmas Fair
7. Norman T. Washington - It's Christmas Time Again
8. Colin Roach & Anthony Malvo - Merry Christmas
9. J.C. Lodge - Joy To The World
10. Lloyd Seivright - Mary's Boy Child
11. Lui Lepke - Christmas Season
12. Winston Francis - Here Comes Santa
13. Verna Lee Powell - He Is My Santa Claus
14. Sandra Robinson & Lee Scratch Perry - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year
15. Ringo - Never Forget Christmas
16. Sonny Bradshaw - Peace And Love
17. Barry Brown - Christmas Christmas
18. Anthony Selassie - Rub A Dub Christmas
19. Hopeton & Primo - Peace On Earth
20. Tennessee Brown & The Silvertones - Jingle Bells
21. Don Cornell & The Eternals - Christmas Joy
22. Gable School Choir - Reggae Christmas
23. Neville Willoughby - Christmas In JA
24. Rupie Edwards - Christmas Rush
25. Go Home Productions - Karen Meets Roots Radics Uptown

Enjoy and don't say I never gave you nothin'!
And the least you could say is thank you!

No It's Not The Major Award You See Pictured Below, It's The Jamaican Christmas Mix 2010!

2010-12-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

Ho, ho, ho and all that stuff... I know I am way ahead of schedule this year but I figured it makes more sense to share early so everyone can enjoy the mix throughout the Christmas season instead of towards the end... and for one thing, it was nice not procrastinating until the last minute!

We start off the 2010 Christmas Mix with a little tune by the man Barrington Levy called "Once A Year" from a 1980 12" on the G.G. Hit label. It is followed by the absolutely killer DJ riff on the same riddim by Jah Thomas which we will call "Christmas Shopping" since it isn't given credit on the record's label.

Mixing it up inna Studio One style for the next tune... Tennessee Brown & The Silvertones give us their distinctively Jamaican take on "Little Drummer Boy." Many may mistakenly give credit to "Little Drummer Boy" or "Carol Of The Drum" to the angelic voiced Harry Simeone Chorale but it was originally written in 1941 by Katherine K. Davis. Harry and his posse just helped to popularize the tune when it was released in 1957. The Harry Simeone free version you're going to hear is taken from the 1992 Heartbeat CD Reggae Christmas From Studio One.

It pains me to say this... the late great, Gregory Isaacs is up with his version of "The Christmas Song" originally penned by Mel Torme and Bob Wells. One of my favorite traditional Christmas songs and Gregory makes it just a little smoother with his trademark Cool Ruler style... that will forever be missed. This was lifted from the 1990 CD Sonic Sounds Presents A Vintage Christmas obviously on the Sonic Sounds label.

Pearl Bailey tosses it to the next track and it's a fun one... it's called "Wuh You Got To Gimme For Christmas" by an artist by the name of Sachmoore and is taken from a 7" on the Canadian Pebble Grove label. In a nice calypso style, Sachmoore recounts the story of Vera a pushy woman who lives down the street who won't let any man pass her yard without asking him, "Wuh you got to gimme for Christmas." The thing is, Vera expects a gift for Christmas and is more than willing to reciprocate the kind gesture but Sachmoore doesn't want anything to do with the "gift" she's offering in return, if you know what I mean - wink wink, nudge nudge.

Leon Danger and Mr. Culture are up next with the a hopeful plea for peace from 2006 called "This Christmas." It comes from a 7" on the Hillsman label and it is really one of those tunes that makes you pause and think about the wrongs of the world and makes you hopeful for a time when man can live at peace. A beautiful song.

Up next is Chris Wayne with his version of the 1951 classic "Silver Bells." This one comes from the 1989 compilation LP Youth Promotion Christmas Jamboree on the Youth Promotion label and it was produced by another one of this year's late greats; Sugar Minott. It definitely has a distinctive late 80's digital feel that works real well with the the lyrics.

Going back quite a few years, to 1965 to be exact, for the next track in our Christmas Mix... The mix takes a decidedly turn for the ska with this tune appropriately titled "Merry Christmas" by Cedric Bravo with Rico and The Five Stars and from a 7" on the Ska Beat label. I love this song; nice mellow ska with a festive theme and even further accentuated by the fantastic trombone riffs of the legendary Rico Rodriguez. Push aside the Christmas tree and clear some space on the floor when you get up and groove to these yuletide vibes!

Norman T. Washington is up next in the mix... I took his song "Happy Christmas" which was originally released in 1975 as a 7" on the Jama label and mixed it up with its b-side version to create a dubby tune complete with echo and reverb. I was going to buy the single but came across a CD on Ernie B's called Music Specialist Christmas Sampler also on the Jama label for $.99! In this economy I gotta save where I can save! I was quite pleased with the end result and I hope you are too!

With an appropriately extravagant intro stolen from Dean Martin's Christmas album we roll into one of the baddest versions of "Silent Night" you've ever heard. This one is by a group that was labeled as the Silent Choir and it comes from a 1973 7" on the UK based Magnet label. They even toss in a couple verses of "Jingle Bells" to keep it lively! One of this year's favorites!

The late great Alton Ellis gives us the joyous "Praise Jah It's Christmas." This track was borrowed from Heartbeat Records' 2002 various artists CD release, Christmas Greetings From Studio One. Nice sentiments from Mr. Ellis and a nice tune!

The man Wade Brammer, better known as DJ Trinity, follows up Alton with a smooth love song called "Santa Claus Comes Once A Year." The message is simple, Santa Claus only comes once a year but his love, for one lucky lady, is continually there... not necessarily a straight forward Christmas song but enough sweet vibes to keep it in the yuletide vein. This one comes from a 2003 CD on the Burning Bush imprint called Ghetto Deejay Style: The Best Of Trinity.

Speaking of aliases... Edmund Carl Aiken, better known as Shinehead, is up next with the smooth "Reggae Christmas Medley" riding the M-16 riddim and taken from a 1989 7" on the Elektra label.

Also from 1989... the late, Tyrone Taylor, of "Cottage In Negril" fame, gives us a nice upbeat digital take on the 1934 Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith composition "Winter Wonderland." This comes from the Blue Mountain Christmas Party LP on the Blue Mountain label.

The self-titled Big Belly Man, Admiral Bailey keeps us in the digital stylee with his 1985 7" on the Jammy's label called "Christmas Style."

Man, this is starting to look like a memorial mix instead of a Christmas mix! The late singer, musician and producer, Ruddy Thomas is up next with a nice little song called "Reggae Happy Christmas." Some good vibes in this tune, which comes from a 7" on Ruddy's own Ruddy T label.

Mixing it up inna rub-a-dub style is Tony Tuff with the tune "Christmas Irie" from my copy of the problematic Merry Christmas From Black Roots LP (see last years griping) on the Black Roots label.

I've been hesitant on posting the next two tunes because of their scratchiness but decided to bite the bullet and do it anyway. These two come from the Rub A Dub Christmas album on the Black Solidarity label. Little John starts it off with "It's Christmas Time" followed immediately with Triston Palmer's "Oh Holy Night." Both appearing here after a 3 year wait and in all of their nakedly noisy Jamaican pressed glory.

The group called the Arcanians are up next with the song "Christmas In Jamaica." This is a nice mid-80's era tune taken from a 12" on the Jama label and I find the chorus so catchy that I find myself humming it to myself long after the record has been put back on the shelf.

A swingin' version of "Joy To The World" by Alton Ellis and taken from the 1990 CD Sonic Sounds Presents A Vintage Christmas comes in next. I've heard this Christmas carol all my life by countless performers but Alton Ellis' is the only version that will make you want to get up and skank along.

King Everald is up with his King Tubby produced digital cut "Santa Claus" and it's lifted from a 12" on the Firehouse label. Not one of my favorites but I hope you like it nonetheless.

The man Delroy Melody, who I can't find any background information on, follows up King Everald with a nice little tune called "Christmas Time" from a 7" on the Acadia label. Nice vibes in this tune.

Finally... The Cimarons wrap up the 2010 Jamaican Christmas Mix with their 1971 takes on the timeless Christmas carol and the Irving Berlin standard... the song is awkwardly called "Silent Night White Christmas" and was originally pressed as a 7" on the Downtown label... we're going to hear the same tune but it comes from the 2005 CD The Reggae Christmas Collection on the Pulse label.

Well that wraps it up... I hope everyone has a great holiday season and to quote the legendary Don Cornelius... "I wish you peace, love and sooooooul!" Lots of love everyone!

The Complete 2010 Jamaican Christmas Mix 2010

The Jamaican Christmas Mix 2010 - Coming Soon!

2010-11-30T16:21:00.003-05:00

I'm putting the final touches of the 2010 Jamaican Christmas Mix and will be posting it extremely early this year... tomorrow in fact! That way you'll be able to enjoy the music throughout the holiday season without having to have it in pieces or worrying about missing it. It's my gift to all those who have supported this blog since I started it 6 years ago and who have really embraced and appreciated these holiday mixes. 25 tracks in total that'll keep you rockin' and swing during this yuletide season!

Stay tuned!

The Complete Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010!

2010-10-29T09:30:00.000-04:00

Here it is! All 21 tracks wrapped up in a neat MP3! Enjoy, and Happy Halloween!

I will be spinning some of the tunes featured throughout the last 5 Spooktacular years tonight in Washington DC at DC Soundclash at the Marx Cafe (3203 Mount Pleasant St NW, the monthly event takes place from 10PM until 3AM) amongst the multitude of well deserved Gregory Isaacs tributes... so if you happen to be in the area, stop by and have a listen!

The Complete Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010
Download Here

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Twenty One - Things In The Dark

2010-10-29T00:00:00.002-04:00

Here it is! The final track in the 2010 Spooktacular! It has been a fun month and I hope that this years mix didn't disappoint... I will be posting the complete 2010 mix a little later this afternoon for those who weren't able to keep up with the daily downloads. But, let's get to the final track...

I wanted to finish things up this year with a positive message so I decided on Delroy Wilson's "Things In The Dark" from his 1976 7" on the Impact label... aside from the scary title it is basically a warning to the wrong-doers in our societies that evil things done in the dark will come out in the light. So let this serve as a warning to those who plan on going out on Halloween to do wrong, yeah I'm talking to you punk-ass teenagers out there, intent on soaping windows, toilet papering trees, smashing pumpkins or hijacking trick-or-treaters and stealing their hard-earned sugary haul.

And on that note I'm gonna wrap it up... but not without leaving you with a final thought. This is the poem by Marnie Pomeroy that started our mix this year and I'm going to use it again as my closing... Happy Halloween my friends!

Who raps at my window?
Who in a white sheet
Runs across the midnight lawn
Without the sound of feet?

What moon grows in the East
So huge and dusky red?
Who howls from the chill within the hill
Where the farmer's hound lies dead?

The dry leaves twist and rattle
Alive in an evil spell.
Down by the pond the man who drowned
Tolls a wavering bell.

The wind has hardly wakened,
Yet flapping through the air
Fly shapes with wings and bony things
And forms with jagged hair.

Who blows at my candle?
Whose fiery grin and eyes
Behind me pass in the looking glass
And make my gooseflesh rise?

Who moved in that shadow?
Who rustles unseen?
With the dark so deep I dare not sleep
All night on Halloween.

"Things In The Dark" by Delroy Wilson
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Twenty One

The Non-Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010!

2010-10-28T15:35:00.003-04:00

Here it is! With the untimely passing of Gregory Isaacs I wasn't sure I'd have enough time to put this one together this year but here it is...

1. The Ghastly Ones - Grave Dig Her
2. The Gore-Gons - Ghoul Bash
3. The Moon-Rays - Blues For Vampires
4. Round Robin - I'm The Wolfman
5. The Munsters - Down In The Basement
6. The Metrolites - The Blob
7. Misfits - Halloween
8. Tino - Zombies Walk Dub
9. Satan's Pilgrims - Peter Lorre
10. Milton Delugg - Frankenstein
11. Gein & The Graverobbers - The Crypt Keeper's Holiday
12. Bomboras - Stormy
13. Bobby "Boris" Pickett - Graveyard Shift
14. Meteors - Halloween Scream
15. Zombina & The Skeletones - Dracula Blood
16. The Creepniks - Surfin' With Satan
17. Frankie Stein & His Ghouls - In A Groovy Grave
18. Phantom Creeps - The Creature Walks Among Us
19. Sonny Terry - Bad Luck
20. Torquays - Ghost Rider
21. Vincent Price - Don't

Happy Halloween - Enjoy!
The Non-Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Twenty - Duppy Bye Bye

2010-10-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Track twenty is upon us and it's called "Duppy Bye Bye" by the man Lloyd Lovindeer. Lovindeer is well known for his humorous tunes, especially "Wild Gilbert" released in the aftermath of Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and selling over 50,000 copies and is therefore considered the highest selling single in Jamaican history.

With "Duppy Bye Bye" we get to hear Lovindeer explore the supernatural side with his trademark wit and humor intact. Just to let everyone know, some may find the fact that the chorus in the tune bears a resemblance to Buju Banton's much ballyhooed and equally reviled homophobic "Boom Bye Bye" off-putting, but Lovindeer isn't going there. This song is about fighting off the undead not attacking people for their sexual preference. But I'm not here to discuss that... I'm here to get you in a Halloween mood!

"Duppy Bye Bye" mentions a lot of superstitious customs to avoid contact with duppies; turning your clothes inside out, carrying garlic, obeah and its multitude of powders, potions and oils are all mentioned. But, Lovindeer proudly proclaims his protection comes from his spiritual beliefs and that all the superstitions serve no purpose.

This one comes to us from a 1992 7" on the TSOJ label.

"Duppy Bye Bye" by Lovindeer
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Twenty

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Nineteen - Duppy Story

2010-10-27T00:00:00.001-04:00

Nineteen down, two to go! The next tune in the Spooktacular is by the DJ Daddy Meeky called "Duppy Story," a nice ghost story inna early dancehall stylee! "Duppy Story" tells about Meeky's late night encounter with a few different duppies on his way back from seeing a scary movie. Also, Daddy Meeky's tune comes complete with the trailer to William Castle's 1960 haunted house classic "13 Ghosts"... but unlike 13 Ghosts you don't need to use your Illusion-O Ghost Viewer glasses to witness the action.

This one comes from a 7" on the Dennis Star label produced and arranged by Clive Kennedy circa 1986.

Speaking of ghost stories... I finally attended the Ghost Walk in the small town of Havre de Grace last Saturday and it was pretty entertaining! And though I didn't see any actual ghosts or really get the hell scared out of me like I'd been hoping, it was well worth the effort. I took some pictures of the old houses that supposedly harbor ghosts and I have yet to have them analyzed by any team of paranormal investigators but I'll let you know if anything of the supernatural variety pops-up.

"Duppy Story" by Daddy Meeky
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Nineteen

The Halloween Spooktacular in the Washington Post Express!

2010-10-26T20:26:00.003-04:00

I am really psyched that the Halloween Spooktacular got mentioned in the Washington Post Express! Read the column online - here! Thanks Christopher!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Eighteen - Barnabas Collins

2010-10-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

For the love of god, will this guy ever stay dead?! Here I am into the fifth year of creating these Halloween mixes and along comes Barnabas Collins poking his fangs into yet another Spooktacular! Judging by the plethora of tunes paying tribute to Ol' Barnie and or Dark Shadows, it's quite obvious that this guy must have achieved folk hero status in Jamaica back in the 70's!

This one is by a group called Del, Owen & Newts and is taken from a 7" on the Hatchet label from the mid 70's. I never even knew this song existed until I discovered the tune mentioned online this spring and thankfully got ahold of a copy in September and I gotta say, it's a good one!

I don't know why, but the Barnabas Collins thing has gotten to be such a integral part of the Spooktaculars that I don't know if I'm going to be able to continue each year without at least one mention of the schlocky TV soap opera bloodsucker. As far as the namesake goes, we've had three versions of Lone Ranger's "Barnabas Collins," Yellowman's answer "Mi Kill Barnie", Dillinger's version "I Thirst," Charles Hannah & The Graduates "Dark Shadows," and there are still 4-5 more that I have up my sleeve... but I'll tuck it away in the coffin until next year. Maybe when the Dark Shadows and Barnabas tunes dry up, it may be the perfect indicator of an appropriate time to discontinue the Spooktacular... we'll see!

"Barnabas Collins" by Del, Owen & Newts
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Eighteen

Gregory Isaacs - 1951-2010

2010-10-25T12:49:00.004-04:00

I am devastated to hear the news that Gregory Isaacs has died... one of my all-time favorite singers and performers and it's with tears in my eyes that I face the prospect of creating a Gregory Isaacs tribute long before it should be due... I am so thankful that I had the chance to see Gregory on countless occasions and he is a voice in reggae that will sadly be missed. Rest in peace Gregory, we'll miss you.

Gregory Isaacs Tribute Mix

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Seventeen - Satan Side

2010-10-25T00:00:00.002-04:00

I know the image on the left there is a little ghastly for a mild-mannered Jamaican music blog but every October the Spooktacular gives me the chance to showcase imagery best reserved for a heavy or death metal blog. It's the odd juxtaposition that makes this so much fun to begin with... and some would say you can't get an odder juxtaposition than reggae music and Halloween to begin with. But this is what I've been doing for the last 5 years and I hope people understand my motives... sharing my passion for reggae music and my love for Halloween all at the same time.

Keith Hudson and the Chuckles are up next with the absolute killer "Satan Side" - a bass heavy, wicked tune that goes great with the spooky thing we got goin' on here this month! It's from a 7" on the Mafia label.

"Satan Side" by Keith Hudson
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Seventeen

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Sixteen - Vampire

2010-10-22T00:00:00.003-04:00

Up next in the 2010 Spooktacular... the song is called "Vampire" and comes a group that I have absolutely no background information on called Positive. With a very Peter Tosh-esque delivery and refrain, this 1983 tune should probably sound somewhat familiar to those who have been around these parts before. I would say that Positive's "Vampire" serves as an expansion on the ideas Tosh explored on the "Vampire" 7" he released on his Intel Diplo label in 1976 and again on his Grammy Award winning "No Nuclear War" album in 1987. Regardless, Positive does a decent version that fits in well with our theme here... though, it should remain very obvious to even those with untrained "reggae ears" that the vampire in the tune is really an analogy for those who fight to oppress those who are perceived to be beneath them.

See you next week for the last five tunes!

"Vampire" by Positive
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Sixteen

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Fifteen - Bad Beast

2010-10-21T00:00:00.003-04:00

The Vampire Beast Craves Blood or The Blood Beast Terror is a 1967 film starring Peter Cushing about a scientist who creates a creature that is capable of changing from a gigantic moth to a beautiful woman. The problem is, when the beautiful woman takes the form of the winged insect she has a propensity for human blood. And as you'd imagine, terror ensues. Such a bad movie but so enjoyable... I don't know what that says for my taste in film but I digress.

The Vampire Beast Craves Blood is the basis for the next tune in our mix called "Bad Beast" performed by the group Skin, Flesh & Bones, a group whose name alone makes them fodder for the Spooktacular treatment. The group was formed by bass player Lloyd Parks and featured Sly Dunbar on drums, Ansel Collins on keyboard and Radcliffe "Dougie" Bryan on guitar. Skin, Flesh & Bones featured many of the guys that would later become known as Channel One's infamous studio band The Revolutionaries where the Riddim Twins, Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, would form their partnership that has lasted some 30 years and counting.

"Bad Beast" is the B-side from a mid-7o's 7" on the Upset label... I'd give ya the information on the A-side but the label on the copy I have isn't legible. I've added some trailer audio and a clip from the film into the mix to keep you on the edge of your seat! Enjoy!

"Bad Beast" by Skin, Flesh & Bones
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Fifteen

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Fourteen - Run For Your Life

2010-10-20T00:00:00.002-04:00

Karl "King Cannon" Bryan is up next in the Spooktacular with a smooth tune from 1969 called "Run For Your Life" which was pressed on the Camel label, yet another subsidiary of Pama Records. Bryan shows off his baritone saxophone prowess here with an instrumental that will not only get you in a Halloween mood but will get your feet moving.

Bryan began his career in the late 50's, joined the Carlos Malcolm's Afro-Jamaican Rhythms in 1964 and even went on to play with the Lyn Taitt's legendary Comet before going solo in 1967.

Now, let me tell ya... the background that I put together for this tune was one of my most involved efforts ever on a Spooktacular... I wanted to capture the effect of the hip modish chick, you see pictured on the right, running for her life from the evil book wielding mummy giving chase. It was one of the first times I found the picture first and followed-suit by tailoring the track to suit the image.

"Run For Your Life" by Karl Bryan
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Fourteen

The Spooktaculars From Halloween Past

2010-10-19T11:30:00.013-04:00

Here they are in all their gory glory... the Halloween Spooktaculars from years past! Now's your chance to collect them all!! Not sold in stores, these mixes will put you in the right Halloween mood and provide a nice spooky background for your pumpkin carving! Perfect for scaring trick-or-treaters! Act now! While supplies last!

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2006

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2007

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2008

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2009

Halloween Spooktacular 2006

Halloween Spooktacular 2007

Halloween Spooktacular 2008 - Satan Takes A Holiday

Halloween Spooktacular 2009

Now what would you pay for all these Halloween mixes if you were to purchase them at your local department store? Get them here at Distinctly Jamaican Sounds for the small price of a thank you.

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Thirteen - Annie Palmer

2010-10-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

Annie Palmer has been discussed here before but I'll give you a short history of my favorite Jamaican ghost story before we get to the next track...

Annie Mae Patterson was born to an English mother and Irish father in Haiti in 1802. Annie's parents both died mysteriously when she was 10 and from that point on was raised by her Haitian nanny who supposedly trained her in voodoo. She came to Jamaica in 1820 in search of a wealthy husband and came across John Palmer who fit the bill nicely. They were soon married and Annie Palmer quickly became the mistress of the Rose Hall Plantation right outside of Montego Bay.

Allegedly, Annie grew bored with her husband and began seeking out lovers. She would select slaves, who she was attracted to and would invite them to come to her chambers at night where she would have their way with them and would have them killed or kill them herself when suspicion or boredom reared its ugly head.

Six years later Annie poisoned her husband John Palmer so that she would become the soul owner and benefactor of the plantation. Supposedly, over the course of the years Annie married and killed two other husbands, acquiring their wealth and continued her illicit affairs with slave men whenever she desired. Oddly, Annie Palmer sealed off the three bedrooms in which her three husbands had died and word began to spread around the plantation that the Great House was haunted.

Her cruelty was legendary... the story says that she would have slaves flogged and beaten for her own amusement and even took them back to the mansion for continued torture when night fell. In 1831, Annie hired a man from England to become her bookkeeper - she was immediately taken by the new man but he had eyes for one of Annie's housekeeper Millicent. The bookkeeper decided to play both sides of the fence, so to speak, and it infuriated Annie. The White Witch cast a spell on Millicent and within 9 days she was dead. Millicent's grandfather, Takoo, who was a powerful voodoo priest and one of Annie's occasional lovers, was incensed by his granddaughter's death and proceeded to storm into her bedroom and strangled her to death.

Well, as you can imagine... the legend of her spirit still haunting the Great House at Rose Hall continues to this day. Countless sightings of ghostly apparitions and odd occurrences throughout the years have fueled the legendary status of Annie Palmer and firmly planted The White Witch Of Rose Hall in the ghostly folklore of Jamaica.

Gloucester "Danny" Hill is a self-taught musician who started in the late 50's performing with a mento group. He won first prizes for his skills in 1962 and 1963 at talent contests held at the Ward Theater in Kingston and it was right after that he recorded the next tune in our Spooktacular for producer Neville Foo Loy in 1964. The song is called appropriately enough, "Annie Palmer" and comes from a 7" on the Top Sound label. A wicked ska tune to spice things up a bit.

"Annie Palmer" by Danny Hill
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Thirteen

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Twelve - The Executioner

2010-10-18T00:00:00.001-04:00

In the 1965 Italian gothic horror film Blood Pit Of Horror (based on the writings of the Marquis de Sade and directed by Massimo Pupillo), Mickey Hargitay plays the Crimson Executioner, a depraved and evil monster who pleases himself by torturing and killing a group of hapless fashion models who unwisely decide to use his castle as the backdrop for a photo shoot.

Jackie Mittoo, on the other hand, was not at all like the Crimson Executioner... he didn't torture and kill fashion models and he didn't live in a castle that was the scene of a photo shoot gone awry... but he did play a wicked organ. Mittoo was a founding member of the Skatalites and went on to record for countless producers and bands until his untimely death in 1990.

Starting off our second complete week of the Spooktacular we've got Jackie Mittoo lending his groovin' keyboard skills to a tune called "The Executioner." It's the B-side to the Jah Stitch 7" "Midnight Iwa" on Bunny Lee's Jackpot label. Mittoo gets a nice groove goin' on this one and serves as a nice bed for the Bloody Pit Of Horror trailer and all its sinister yet slightly corny implications.

"The Executioner" by Jackie Mittoo
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Twelve

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Eleven - Duppyman Skank

2010-10-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

Now I know you're looking at this picture of the late great Michael Jackson and wondering what the hell does this have to do with the Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular... the answer quite simply, is James Bond. Now I could just leave it at that but before this turns into a bad rehash of Abbot & Costello's "Whose On First" routine I'll explain.

James Bond is not the 007 you're thinking of... James Bond was/is a DJ who released this tune "Duppyman Skank" as a 12" on the Magnum label circa 1983... and is a bit of a tribute to Michael Jackson's Thriller video. With lyrics like "Inna Thriller, you a see 'nuff duppy, Michael Jackson a lead the posse. You shoulda see the duppy do the boogie... all a dem just a rock to the beat..." it's obvious that James Bond was a Michael Jackson fan as well. Not to mention that Bond drops some names that makes it even more fantastic... "The bloodsucker that they call Dracula, Jack The Ripper was a womanizer, Frankenstein never know him mother, Peter Cushing have to be the father." Bad assss!!

"Duppyman Skank" by James Bond
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Eleven

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Ten - A No Duppy

2010-10-14T00:00:00.001-04:00

Since I've exhausted my resources in trying to locate decent artist interpretations of duppies I have resorted to using the label for the next tune in the Spooktacular... please forgive me. I won't even delve into the fact that I'm still without a scanner and had to swipe the image of the label from Youtube but I digress.

Up next is Derrick Morgan with the song called "A No Duppy" from 1974 on the Wizard label... now I've been listening to this tune for a few years now and have hesitated at including it in the mixes because I can't really determine what the song is about. At first it can be perceived to be an attack on Ernie Smith and the story behind his tune "Duppy Gunman" which was discussed here last October. Or it can be perceived as a statement about the then current state of police and military activity in Kingston during the time. Regardless... it's a cool tune and Morgan's wicked laughter at the beginning and scattered throughout is alone worth the price of admission.

"A No Duppy" by Derrick Morgan
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Ten

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Nine - Death Rides A Horse

2010-10-13T00:00:00.002-04:00

With the proper imagery and sound effects, this song "Death Rides A Horse" by the Hippy Boys works well with the spooky theme. The Hippy Boys, formed in 1968 by Lloyd Charmers, and featuring an all-star line-up of talent; Reggie Lewis on guitar, Glen Adams on organ and the Barrett brothers, Aston and Carlton on bass and drums... were a tight backing band. The tune starts with that creepy hoarse voice declaring that Death does in fact ride a horse and it has just enough of a creepy vibe to get your skin crawling when played at loud volume.

The track comes from a 1970 7" on the Unity label (also a subsidiary of Pama Records) and is the B-side to Max Romeo's tune "Melting Pot."

"Death Rides A Horse" by the Hippy Boys
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Nine

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Eight - Devil Woman

2010-10-12T00:00:00.003-04:00

I can't find any background information on the Tender Tones so I won't go there... here is a smokin' tune from 1969 that ties into the Halloween spookiness we got goin' on here... its called "Devil Woman" and is from a 7" on the UK based Pama Records subsidiary Crab label. A rockin' upbeat "skinhead reggae" number relating us with the tale of a mortal man combatting his seemingly evil significant other... I could really have related with the poor guy's burden a couple years ago myself but I'm not gonna get into that. :)

The film trailer at the beginning is from the early 70's Filipino horror/kung-fu film Devil Woman that I have never seen but immediately added to my must-see list.

I've got to let everyone in on something... until this summer, I was never a huge fan of the skinhead reggae sub-genre. But upon further investigating and listening I've really developed a new-found appreciation. Besides, there were a lot of "spooky tunes" recorded inside that 1968-1972 window and I have yet to come across one that doesn't kick ass... some of which are featured in this years mix.

"Devil Woman" by the Tender Tones
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Eight

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Seven - Dracula

2010-10-11T00:00:00.003-04:00

Tommy McCook & Bobby Ellis are up next with a smooth instrumental in honor of the world's most famous vampire! McCook (March 3, 1927 - May 5, 1998), a founding member of the Skatalites, was one hell of a saxophonist and this track makes that quite evident. Ellis (July 2, 1932), an alumnus of the Alpha Boys School, was/is a hell of a trumpeter and his combination with McCook on this track also makes that quite evident. The tune comes to us from a 7" on the Soul Beat label and when put inna combination with a couple snippets from Bela Lugosi's legendary performance in the 1931 classic, you have a pretty spooktacular track... if I do say so myself.

"Dracula" by Tommy McCook & Bobby Ellis
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Seven

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Six - Ghost Walk

2010-10-08T00:00:00.004-04:00

Carlton "Caly" Gibbs is up next in the Spooktacular with a record that works well with the spooky vibe we've got goin' here... The song is called "Ghost Walk" and was recorded and released in 1970 on the Pressure Beat label in Jamaica and the Amalgamated label in the UK. A nice ol' school DJ style over Joe Gibbs' version of the Bob Marley "Duppy Conqueror" rhythm... a real bad-ass tune!

Speaking of Ghost Walks... I'm planning on hitting a local ghost walk this weekend in Havre de Grace, a small town situated on the Susquehanna River and only a few miles away from home. Unfortunately we got rained out last year so I'm hoping that the weather holds... Oddly enough, this will be the first ghost walk I've ever done on this side of the Atlantic and I'm looking forward to getting in the spirit and hopefully getting the hell scared outta me! I'll let ya know!

Have a great weekend and I'll see you on Monday!

"Ghost Walk" by Caly Gibbs
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Six

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Five - Red Blood

2010-10-07T00:00:00.001-04:00

Vin Gordon, the trombone player with a laundry list of nicknames; Trommie, Don D. Jr. or Don Drummond Jr) gives us the fifth tune in this year's Spooktacular. The tune is called "Red Blood" and is paired with the trailer from a double feature of particularly bad 1969 films called Women and Bloody Terror and Night of Bloody Horror.

Gordon's tune was recorded by Coxsone Dodd at Studio One in the 70's and as far as I can tell was never released as a single... it is borrowed from the excellent 2002 Studio One compilation on the Soul Jazz label called Studio One Scorcher and works well with the spooky vibe we've got going on this month.

The two crap-tastic films that accompany the spooky tune were both directed by Joy N. Houck Jr. and released as a twin billing. Women and Bloody Terror takes place during New Orlean's Mardi Gras when a suburban housewife throws caution to the wind and begins bedding any man she wishes. But once a motel parking lot attendant and his sidekick being pursuing and attempting to blackmail her, the bloody terror ensues. Night of Bloody Horror involves a guy who goes on a killing spree and has all the trappings of what you'd expect from a 60's era psychedelic styled exploitation film - trippy visual effects and a loud psych band wailing away in the ubiquitous club scenes. Not exactly two of the greatest exploitation films from the era but surprisingly entertaining.

But anyway... let's get to why you came here in the first place!

"Red Blood" by Vin Gordon
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Five

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Four - Duppy Jamboree

2010-10-06T00:00:00.004-04:00

Byron Lee & The Dragonaires got started in 1950 and still remain active today, though they have since changed their name to Byron Lee's Dragonaires following Lee's death in 2008. Most known and beloved by many for the soca music they began recording in the late 70's, their foray into reggae music was short-lived... considering the majority of their output during this era were covers of roots reggae originals written by other artists and upbeat, potentially "white-radio-friendly" instrumentals, they produced little original or groundbreaking material. That's not to say Lee and the musicians in his band weren't competent... these guys could/can play but, during the heyday of roots reggae when songs of sufferation, hardship and praises of Jah were prevalent, the polished "uptown" sound that emerged from the grooves of Byron Lee's records didn't have a lot of pull for hardcore "downtown" reggae fans.

But on to today's song! This is one of my favorite "duppy tunes." If you've been with me in years past you've already heard two other versions; the original by Levi Williams and a version by Flip Kay but now we're gonna give Byron Lee & The Dragonaires their chance. The tale of an innocent bystander witnessing a ghostly celebration on the bank of a river has such a distinctive Jamaican ghost-story feel that I consider this an exemplary example of a near perfect duppy tune regardless of who's performing. Byron Lee's interpretation comes from a 1976 album of authentic reggae covers called Reggay International
on the Dynamic label.

"Duppy Jamboree" by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Four

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Three - Witchcraft

2010-10-05T00:00:00.002-04:00

Carl "Mr. Satisfaction" Dawkins never had any intention of being a singer... at one point he even found himself competing on the national level as a soccer player. But later, he did do some recording with the Techniques and their legendary front-man Slim Smith which caused him to reconsider his career path. He cut his first solo record "Hard Times" in 1967 and its b-side "Baby I Love You." But in 1970, he went on to record "Satisfaction" the tune that would become synonymous with his name.

The Carl Dawkins tune that has been "spookied up" for the Spooktacular is called "Witchcraft" and it comes from an early 70's 7" on the Sir JJ label... a soulful tale of how finding love must be the work of supernatural powers. The witch cackling and bubbling cauldron effects have obviously been added by yours truly but they are only secondary when it comes to the classic/fantastic R&B "soul-shouter" style delivery that makes this song so smooth.

"Witchcraft" by Carl Dawkins
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Three

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Two - Hell Boat

2010-10-04T00:00:00.001-04:00

When I dug up this record recently I knew it would be perfect for the Spooktacular I just wasn't sure why... sure it had "hell" in the title which is an obvious plus but, somewhere tucked away in a dusty bin in the back of my brain was a bit of recognition... but what the hell did hell have to do with a boat? A split second later it dawned on me... Charon! C'mon you know Charon don't you? Check out the pic over there on the right and you'll see the evil looking guy I'm talkin' about!

Charon is the ferryman of Hades who carries the souls of those recently deceased from the banks of the living world across the river Styx and Acheron to the world of the dead... at least according to Greek mythology. If the deceased had a coin to pay the fare they were brought across and if they didn't, they were cursed to roam the banks of the Acheron for a hundred years. The ancient Greeks would place coins under the tongue of a corpse before burial so that they were prepared for their journey in the afterlife.

But back to the music... The Santic All Stars were the house musicians for Leonard "Santic" Chin and his Santic Records label. In the early 70's Chin worked most notably with Horace Andy and Augustus Pablo and was the man responsible for the classic various artists album Harder Shade Of Black originally released in 1971. "Hell Boat" is the flipside of the Augustus Pablo's tune "Pablo In Dub," a 7" on the Santic label. A nice, heavy, drum and bass laden tune, doctored up just right for the Spooktacular!

"Hell Boat" by The Santic All Stars
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track Two

Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track One - Darkest Night

2010-10-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

I can't believe I'm doing this again... but alas here we are in October and here we are with another Spooktacular. I have dug long and hard to uncover some more spooky Jamaican tunes for your listening pleasure and I hope they are well received. Initially I planned on presenting the Spooktacular in a different fashion this year but with the zero hour upon us I decided to just stick with the tried and true yet pain-in-the-ass-ingly labor intensive of doing a track a day. One tune will be posted for each weekday in October and once assembled in order you'll have the complete Halloween Spooktacular 2010. And if you don't feel like busying yourself with downloading individual track you can read along each day and wait until Saturday October 30th when I'll post the complete uncut mix for your downloading enjoyment.

We start off this year's Spooktacular with an introduction from the late Jean Shepherd... you know, the legendary radio raconteur that wrote In God We Trust All Others Pay Cash, the book that served as the basis for the holiday classic A Christmas Story. The poem he reads is appropriately called "Halloween" and was written by Marnie Pomeroy and it sets the perfect mood!

The first tune we're gonna hear is a wicked instrumental called, "Darkest Night" by James Eastwood and it comes from a 10" on the Pressure Sounds label that was originally produced by Herman Chin Loy in 1972. A nice skanking reggae rhythm coupled with some sinister sounding fuzzy guitar, effectively brings to mind imagery of a dark night and all the things that go bump within. Unfortunately I can't find any information on James Eastwood... hopefully someone can fill us in.

"Darkest Night" by James Eastwood
Jamaican Halloween Spooktacular 2010 - Track One

The Spooktacular 2010 Will Live!

2010-09-27T17:12:00.006-04:00

Gonna give this Halloween thingee one more spin... and ain't that a cool spooky reggae label?

2010-09-08T13:36:00.002-04:00

I must have killed her with the Spooktacular I had in the works. This is not good...