GUN MONEY...

Clint Eastwood

I inherited my Dad’s weapons. A whole arsenal. Twenty-one hand guns and three rifles. He had ‘em stashed everywhere- I guess in case of an ambush. When I was a youth, he had a pair of .22 Derringers hidden up his coat sleeves. My Dad was an Italian cowboy, if there ever was such a thing. He loved Smith and Wesson big caliber revolvers. Yep-he favored old school six-shooters like Clint Eastwood’s weapon of choice. Dad was a connoisseur of .357 and .44 Magnums. All pistols were loaded with hollow points. In that collection were a few 9 millimeters automatics, nothing special, so no love lost when I pawn shopped them. With the gun violence happening on our favorite West Indian Island I figured turning the gun money profit into Roots Reggae music would be Karmic justice.


and Clint Eastwood!

What tunes I traded my bullets in for!



Wake the town and tell the people...



...it is U-ROY rockin' the mic down at KING TUBBY'S sound system!

Okay, first off, U-Roy was not the original DeeJay to toast something wicked over a Dub plate but he was dubbed the "Originator" for he invented a new necessity. U-Roy copped the sly wisecracking style of Count Matchuki and crafted something so slippery that his lyrics would slide straight off the beat. Yep, Ewart Beckford, I mean U-Roy would slide those lyrical messages straight to the back of your unsuspecting subconscious! And you could still shake your ass to it! Within months, imitators sprang up like weeds in JAH'S garden. Not all the copies would choke out the sunlight though... Big Youth and I-Roy would flourish. Even threaten U-Roy's chart domination. But these songs are where the modern DeeJay style was born. Immerse yourself in Roots Rock History.



I do not claim to be an authority on such matters as U-Roy's jumbled discography. (Maybe it is my brain that is jumbled.) Thankfully websites like www.strictly-vibes.com help sort out the mess my memory is in. Jah knows I can not learn anything from reading the inserts. So my nitpicking gripe is with the presentation-all these Virgin/EMI editions have the same generic liner notes. Cheap MF's is what I call 'em. I mean Virgin has released and re-released the same batch of tunes. Damn sure Mr. Ewart Beckford does not see his fair shear of royalties. These 2004 editions are the 1991 remasters pretending to be new editions disguised with different front covers. But that is okay, because the sound is infinitely better than the snap, crackle and pop of my old vinyl.



Stay tuned - I am going to continue to add things up.

LEGAL THEIVERY

Right now this two disc 39 tune total masterpiece of 70's decade Deejays is only $3.99 from ebreggae. Any cheaper and the authorities call it a five finger discount. The names listed are a who's who of the roots era's best. Only big star missing is Big Youth. Attack records out of Merry Ole England put together this compilation. Apparently what they saved on packaging they put back into the music licencing. A good sound with a great choice of tracks. A few obvious hits might be delinquent but this is pure word slinging from the likes of Dennis Alcapone, Dillinger, Clint Eastwood, Trinity, Jah Stitch and Prince Jazzbo with both I Roy and U Roy plus U Brown and Hugh Brown. Confused? For the mere investment of $3.99 you even get the lyrically loaded throw down between I Roy and Prince Jazzbo. That complete showdown is now showcased on the Pressure Sounds release, Once Upon a Time at King Tubby's. Some fans insist Jazzbo was the last Deejay standing, but I place my bets with I Roy. Either way-Original Foundation Deejays is no gamble.

Fast Thinkers and Smooth talkers...

Makes for a lethal combination. These three young DeeJays grabbed the mic after the Big Youths, the I-Roys and the U Roys let it go. Yellowman was more popular sales wise back then but he was preaching pure slack. So I am leaving him out. These three DeeJays made the establishment nervous not embrassed.



With M-16 the lyrical Lone Ranger goes Rambo! This record just bounces off the inside of my head like a ping pong ball. Whoever mixed those sick slick riddims with the loaded high caliber mouth of The Lone Ranger must be a crazed psychiatrist turned escaped patient. Get it, spin it and shrink your brains into a quivering mass of cerebral jelly!



A three piece suit can only mean one thing...All business baby. As usual, Mr. Trinity does manage to squeeze in a few lines of pleasure in between all that power presentation. If Tubby was king and Jammy was still a prince then that would of made Trinity the top executive. The C.E.O. of reggae music.



Dillinger was dangerous. What ever happend to him? I can not picture him sitting in rocking chair all old and gray. He had some monster hits that refuse to die. More about him as soon as it all comes back to me.

My first taste

Now that AchisReggae gave my humble little Blog a big up. I need to get learning html speak real quickly. There is a problem though. I am an old dog, and if my lady luck aint all used up, I might be able learn new tricks. Takes the one or two brain cells I got left a few extra minutes to warm up. Maybe if rub ‘em together…
I will use this entry as my official beginning. If you where paying attention, you noticed I already mentioned that my age is old. Pick a number, any number between 45 and death. That is I. A past arrest report stated that I was a Caucasian male. That is what I get for looking suspicious
This Blog will rant and rave about sweet Reggae music. Covering everything from Roots Rockers to the deepest Dub to the slackest Dancehall. I love it all. I may also wander off on some tangent, but trust me; they will be related like kissing cousins.
Reggae records back in the early eighties were hard to come by for most Americans. A few hip record boutiques downtown carried a minor selection, Mostly the Island Record label releases. Blackworst’s label was the biggest independent until Virgin Music caught on. Competition between corporations is good, stimulates the creativity. The two labels were snapping up local JA talent in blinding flash. Great records where being pressed and shipped quicker than you could strip a Chrysler Cordoba. Fans win out this round. In those imported crates, along with the Bob Marley’s big movers came random gambles. “Black Uhuru? Names I never heard of! Cover looks cool though”.
Of course, I would not remain an ignorant MF’er for long.
I would spend every Saturday afternoon scourging the bins. Sometimes unearthing more than I my wallet could sustain. Sometimes the picture was bleak.

In those bins I found these releases. Heaven’s treasure. So here is a list of my first time dozen…



Culture’s International Herb is a high vibe lie low affair. Their sound is the sweet nothings of a lover whispering in your ear. That is if you love blazing the Chalice and chanting down Babylon. Culture’s Joseph Hill was a politician. Not a politician like the barking devil dogs of the Capitalist party. Hill was a Statesman for Jah. Hill was the Keeper Of Zion Gate. This is one of the strongest from the Roots era. Their Two Sevens Clash is a tight second place. Joseph’s son Kenyatta continues walking his late father’s shoes. No numbers necssary. The perfect buzz!



Israel Vibration’s The Same Song was their debut and is still the best place to start. You need it if your gonna pass Go. Sure, the band made up of Apple Gabriel, Skelly and Wiss soldiered on to make more great records, but this first one has all the optimism, innocence and enthusiasm of group that has not yet experienced the ugly of business. Apple split solo after the last dip down. Skelly and Wiss are still keeping the name high. Good stuff. 7.5 out of 10 stars.



The Wailing Soul’s Inchpinchers. The band had been kicking around JA studios for quite some time before scoring international with Inchpinchers. This would be their highest peak chart-wise. Sadly, this Roots Rocker style was nearing the end of its shelf-life. The new trends in dancehall swept most of these bands off the charts. The Wailing Souls refuse to be a dusty old memory and still continue like nothings changed. 7.5 out of 10 stars.



Steel Pulse’s Handsworth revolution. This band sounded completely original. There is a subtle difference to their vibe. They even Thanked and Praised a little differently. Possessed a punks attitude but without the noisy guitar. I at the time had no clue that they were English. Media coverage was scarce in all things JA. The music rags even seemed to gloss over it in favor of the new wave of haircuts. The band was the first-born generation of Jamaican parents who migrated to England after JA’s independence. (A farce of sorts). These folks were led to believe career opportunities waited for them. The JA immigrants filled the dole queue with the rest of England’s disenchanted. This band delivered 4 or 5 albums of unarmed resistance before going radio friendly. Although, David Hinds, the bands big boss is back at it giving Babylon a good fight. 9 out of 10 stars.



Mr David Hinds and his gravity defying locks!



Militant Barry’s Green Valley was the dreadest! Darker than Big Youth. Thicker than I- Roy. Deadlier at the mic than Clint Eastwood. Producer Keith Hudson supplied the murkiest sludge to get your ears stuck in. Bass so wicked your bones felt possessed. This record requires your undivided attention. This needs to be thumped loudly through your speakers. Green Valley was my first DeeJay experience. It blew my mind like the cheap pair of speakers I blasted it through!. Green valley is one of my all time favorites spins. 10 out of 10 stars. The perfect buzz!



Eek-A-Mouse’s Wha Do Dem. What in Babylon is this? Nobody scats that fast! What a wordsmith Mr. Mouse is. Tales for the whole family to enjoy! 9.5 out of 10 stars. A mighty fine buzz!



The remastered CD version with new cover which is the original vinyl's back cover.



Jah Lloyd’s Black Moses. Coming off the heels of the Lee Perry produced Colombia Colly record Jah Lloyd delivered Black Moses like he was being chased by the hounds from Hell. This record is a blistering set of words and music. Dread power, black man power, people power and even the power of suggestion . Virgin Record's top dog Richard Branson got jealusous of Island Records grabbing the lion’s share of the Reggae market, so he sent Johnny Rotten/Lydon of the recently imploded Sex Pistol to Jamaica for some serious cool out and to talent scout. Mr. Rotten signed on the dotted line those artist that scared Island records. 9.5 out of 10 stars. Chronic!

Not quite the promised dozen 'cause my eyes are bugging. Once I focus...