RETURN OF THE ALL TIME JAM

Yikes! It's the middle of summer and I still haven't posted "Uptown Top Ranking"! If you've been around here long enough you know. As happens every year, I have a contented moment made possible by nice weather, a warm ocean and chance meetings with locals on my way to and from the beach. Per usual, I gush about it. This jam nails the mood, not lyrically, just in the vibe, It's by Althea and Donna and if you've been listening to reggae a long time you might remember when it appeared in 1978. It went to #1 in the UK, didn't do shit in the states. Me and my friends ate it up.

The riddim comes from Alton Ellis's "I;m Still In Love With You". Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking" was by no means the only record to use it. Here's a couple others. And if you're already familiar with all of these, dig this exercise. Try syncing Ellis's with Althea and Donna's, opening them in separate windows and pausing one if needed. Then fuck with the volume in each window. When they do sync well you can strut around like some two bit King Tubby,

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Listen:
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Tumblr
Alton Ellis - I'm Still In Love With You mp3 at Stop Okay Go
Mighty Two - Calico Suit (streaming) at YouTube
Trinity - Three Piece Suit (streaming) at YouTube
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking b/w Calico Suit mp3 at Internet Archive Original 1977 Joe Gibbs Record Globe 7" Version

IS TIME

Oh hell yeah, these hit the spot. Just what I need before a three day-er. Althea and Donna 's "Uptown Top Ranking" is my all-time summer jam, and it's right on time. We're just starting to get summer-like weather (high 70s, 70° water). Like I need an excuse. The Horace Andy and Heptones cuts are favorites as well, and these all have the versions tacked on. Partake in something. Crank it fool.

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Listen:
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking b/w Calico Suit mp3 at Internet Archive Original 1977 Joe Gibbs Record Globe 7" Version
Horace Andy - Skylarking b/w Skylarking (Version)  mp3 at Internet Archive Original 1972 Bongo Man 7" Version
The Heptones - Cool Rasta b/w Rasta Dub  mp3 at Internet Archive Original 1976 Cancer 7" Single Version

THIS TIME WITH JOE GIBBS' B-SIDE VERSION!

Just about every summer I post Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking". I don't remember posting it this past summer so I have no problem posting it again. When I went swimming just before sunset today the ocean was 67° and the air was 72° so it might as well still be summer. I don't really need an excuse anyway because this one has the B-side version clipped onto it, Joe Gibbs and the Professionals "Calico Suit". Dig what sounds like clavinet, you don't hear that often on a reggae record.

To fill this out there's a souple others. What's labeled as the original version of Horace Andy's "Skylarking" (pre-Studio One?) along with the B-side version. Regardless of whether it's the original, it's as good as the Studio One, with what seems to be a little different mix, still better than later recordings he did of the same song. Next, the Heptones with the original version of Cool Rasta, again with a version tacked on. I love all three of these songs and having them lengthened in any way is a bonus. Hang around, more reggae will be coming intermittently as long as the weather holds. Or doesn't.

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Listen:
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking b/w Calico Suit mp3 at Internet Archive Original 1977 Joe Gibbs Record Globe 7" Version
Horace Andy - Skylarking b/w Skylarking (Version)  mp3 at Internet Archive Original 1972 Bongo Man 7" Version
The Heptones - Cool Rasta b/w Rasta Dub  mp3 at Internet Archive Original 1976 Cancer 7" Single Version

SERIOUSLY. LADIES OF SUMMER. EVERY YEAR.

I can't believe this just happened. Just the other day when I heard Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam" and was thinking back about how I'd heard it a few years ago blasting from a passing cars stereo, I was thinking, "Man, wouldn't that be something if I heard 'Uptown Top Ranking' blasting from from a car radio?" I almost mentioned that in the post two days ago but thought that the day rightfully belonged to Sister Nancy. Well guess what? Today I heard "Uptown Top Ranking" coming out of a car window. First time ever I've heard it in public space. I think the only time I've even heard it in a club is when me or a friend was DJing and that was years ago. So being excitable with these sorts of events, I flipped, and yelled "Yeah! Althea and Donna!" and the driver gave me a knowing smile. It's just crazy, the song is from 1977 and is the woman driving the car looked to be in her late twenties. It did not compute. What's really crazy is that, not only was I on my way home from the beach like I had been when I heard "Bam Bam", but the car that was playing "Uptown Top Ranking" was pulling out from the same parking lot driveway that the "Bam Bam" car was. Pier parking lot, Ocean Beach, 92107, yo. If I hear Rita Marley's "One Draw" in that same spot I'll probably shit my pants.

Looking for "One Draw" I just ran across a live thing from 2010. Rita Marley introduces her sisters who, if I heard correctly, grew up in Sweden. The show was at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Shit, that place was happening when I was there back in the eighties. A converted church if I remember correctly. I saw a Gregory Corso reading followed by a set from Nico. In Amsterdam? Hell yeah I had one draw. More than one.

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Listen:
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Rita Marley - One Draw (streaming) at YouTube Ext 12" version
Scout Niblett - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at SCJAG (?) Inna Cat Power stylee (lethargic)
Video:
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking (TV) at YouTube
Rita Marley - One Draw (Live, Paradiso 2010) at YouTube

BUT WHEN THEY DO

Well my opinion of Jay Z and Beyonce just went up a couple notches. Yeah, I'm sure they're talented and all that, they seem to be from the clips I've seen. Just not my bag. But that's not why they gained a little over here. It's because the commercial for their upcoming tour together doesn't feature their music, but Marcia Aitkem's cover of "I'm Still In Love With You". Nice selection, not sure what the connection might be though. Is it some sort of kiss and make up tour? Who the fuck cares. Good song choice.

 

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Listen:
Alton Ellis - I'm Still In Love With You mp3 at Stop Okay Go The original
Marcia Aitken - I'm Still In Love With You (streaming) at YouTube Cover
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking (streaming) at YouTube Same riddim
Trinity - Three Piece Suit (streaming) at YouTube DJ version over Aitken's version

ALL-TIME JAM

It's time to post, for the umpteenth time, Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking", because it's one of those righteous jams seemingly made for summer. Totally infectious reggae, it was a hit in Jamaica and England around 1977, and it began as a lark. The duo would go to reggae clubs all the time, where they often got chided for the way they dressed. Halter tops and pants aren't (or weren't at the time) connsidered roots or rasta. Phooey, they thought, and one night while driving home they heard Trinity's "Three Piece Suit " on the radio and just started singing over it, what would become "Uptown Top Ranking".



There were a bunch of other songs using the same riddim. It originated on Alton Ellis's "I'm Still In Love With You". That was followed by "Calico Suit" by Mighty Two, Trinity's "Three Piece Suit", and then "Uptown Top Ranking". There were undoubtedly others around the same time. Big Youth, for whatever reason, released an answer song with some women called the Crissers, "Spanking Ranking". It was so lame that Althea and Donna let it die. It really was lame.

I'd been thinking about posting the song, and then a new reggae mix over at Funky 16 Corners nudged me with the inclusion of the song. There's sixteen songs in all, and each one I'm sure has a story behind it. Pretty sure.

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Listen:
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Eyeswings
Alton Ellis - I'm Still In Love With You mp3 at Stop Okay Go
Mighty Two - Calico Suit (streaming) at YouTube
Triinity - Three Piece Suit (streaming) at YouTube
Big Youth and the Crissers - Spanking Ranking (streaming) at YouTube
The Mix:
Summer of Soul Pt2 – DJ Prestige – Nice Up: Reggae Sevens at Funky 16 Corners

TIME FOR THEM AGAIN

I actually heard Dawn Penn's "No No No (You Don't Love Me Anymore)" in my car today, on a regular FM radio station. Hefty surprise that, particularly on a station that usually plays eighties R&B. That was followed by Bob Marley's "One Love", which everybody's heard a million times, but still, promising. Then came UB fucking 40. Click. I could go the rest of my life without hearing UB40 or the English Beat. Turns out that the station is having some sort of "Bob Marley Weekend". I think I'll cut my losses.

I'd never posted the Penn cut, and it's a good one, so, what the hell. I found her later version from 1994, with U Roy sampled all over the place. (The original was recorded at Studio One in 1967.) Looking for another of hers I ran into a DJ special which is sung over the the riddim of Trinity's "Three Piece Suit" and, it being summer, I had to add Althea and Donna's almighty "Uptown Top Ranking" which utilizes the same riddim, and is one of a handful of songs I have no shame in posting again and again. (That's them in the photo above.) To round things out, Rita Marley's "One Draw", which was like the summer stoner jam of the mid-eighties.

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Listen:
Dawn Penn - No, No, No (You Don't Love Me Anymore mp3 at Blink138 (?)
Dawn Peen - Snobb DJ Special mp3 at Dancehall Music (?)
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Eyeswing
Rita Marley - One Draw mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

SWEET SUMMER JAMS

How do you make a good day better? With some feel good lady jams. They might even work on a shitty day. You'd have to try it. Ain't no way I want to associate them with a parking ticket.

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Listen:
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Eyeswing
Rita Marley - One Draw mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Santigold and the Beastie Boys - Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win mp3 at Thighs Wide Shut

MIC PASSING DIVERSION

Just ran into a post with ten good reggae DJ (toaster type) cuts, with some of my favorites. U Roy, Dillinger, Dennis Alcapone, Trinity, Big Youth and so on. You'll recognize the backing tracks (riddims), a few of them have been used a lot. Even so, it's always interesting to hear what someone else does with it. Maybe not always, but often. Check Trinity's "Three Piece Suit", the riddim of which is used in Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking". Both of those have been here before, but I don't remember if I ever posted Big Youth's "Cool Breeze" which uses the the same riddim as Scotty's "Draw Your Brakes". Always had a soft spot for that one, "Draw Your Brakes". It was the first reggae DJ song I ever heard. (Scotty pictured above.) So that was the reason I started down this road. But, man, were things about to turn weird.

I ran into a track by one Dub Gabriel, with David J from Bauhaus on bass and U Roy on the mic. Boy oh boy, ain't no U Roy I know. You know what it sounds like? It sounds like a late night jam with Berlin/Low-era Bowie, Eno, U Roy, and..., hey look over there, there's Ralf and Florian smokin' a doobie. It's kind of unsettling if you're a purist, but it is interesting to hear. I guess. They kinda paved paradise there.

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Listen:
Scotty - Draw Your Breaks mp3 at La Grand Chose
Big Youth - Cool Breeze mp3 at For the Sake of the Song
Trinity - Three Piece Suit mp3 at For the Sake of the Song
Eight more prime DJ cuts at For the Sake of the Song
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Clumsy and Shy
Dub Gabriel with David J and U Roy - Luv n' Liv mp3 at Music to Die For

THAT TIME AGAIN

In need of some summer jams? Clumsy and Shy just posted five reggae songs, and, boy oh boy, they hit the spot. The first one is Sound Dimension's "Real Rock" the rhythm (riddim) source for a bunch of other reggae songs. Sound Dimension was the house band at Studio One. If you want to see how many songs have used "Real Rock", check the page at Riddim Guide. Keep in mind, all of the songs, all five or so pages of them, are based on one riddim.

The second song, Sister Nancy's "Bam Bam" is another Studio One selection. She was the first woman DJ. After that, a personal favorite, Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking", which just totally rules. I've had that record in my stacks for decades and I never tire of it. (Even if you've nabbed it before, go download this one, it's a far superior rip.) The next one is Susan Cadogan's "Hurt So Good", a real sweet and spacey trip, produced by Lee Perry. Love this one, it's all heavy and sweet at the same time. (Even cooler? Prior to a comeback, Cadagon worked as a librarian.) The last one is Willie Williams' "Armageddon Time", famously covered by the Clash. Recognize that riddim? Yes, it's "Real Rock". 

Each of these five songs has a reason to be heard. It's a great post from a great blog. Clumsy and Shy's taste and mine intersect a bit, enough for me to check out stuff that they post that I've never heard of. It's like they're over there, and I'm over here, and every once in a while we happen to be at the same party, in a manner of speaking. So dig around over there.

Nice and Easy (Summer Classics) Shuffle - Five choice reggae cuts at Clumsy and Shy
Again, the songs:
Sound Dimension - Real Rock
Sister Nancy - Bam Bam
Althea and Donna - Uptown Top Ranking
Susan Cadagon - Hurt So Good
Willie Williams - Armageddon Time

JOE GIBBS ELECTRICAL REPAIR

Classic reggae story: Joe Gibbs, an electrical repair guy, decides to sell records in the shop as a side thing. He notices the growing success of sound systems, buys himself a two track reel to reel, and starts recording bands in the shop. He starts a label and stops fixing TVs. He releases hit after hit. This was very similar to fellow electrical egg head Coxsone Dodd's early days. And Duke Reid's start was just a variation. He was a former cop turned liquor store owner, who sold records on the side, started a label...and so on. Why hasn't there been a feature film made about this era?

Here's a few Joe Gibbs productions. Everybody raves about Culture's "Two Sevens Clash," but the synth strings at the beginning have always bugged me. They're totally unnecessary, cheesy and, worst of all, they date the song. There, I said it. The rest of his stuff, at least the relatively small percentage of his vast discography that I've heard, is solid. He gave us Marcia Aitkens' cover of Alton Ellis' "I'm Still In Love With You," the backing tracks of which were used in Trinity's "Three Piece Suit," and Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking," all three stone cold classics. (What synth strings?)

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Listen:
Marcia Aitken w/Trinity - I'm Still In Love With You mp3 at Planet Mondo (7 minute mix!)
Trinity - Three Piece Suit mp3 at 4shared.com
Althea & Donna- Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Nate Frog
Naggo Morris & Trinity - Su Su Pon Rasta/Stop Su Su Pon the Dread mp3 at For the Sake of the Song
Dennis Brown - Money In My Pocket mp3 at 4shared.com
Marcia Aitken And Trinity - My Man/Blouse And Skirt mp3 at 4shared.com
Culture - Two Sevens Clash mp3 at Leave You Wanting Less
Three more Joe Gibbs productions at For the Sake of the Song
Visit:
Joe Gibbs at Wikipedia

UPTOWN TOP RANKING DEPOT

If ever there was a infectious groove, Althea and Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking" is it. If you know the song, you know what I'm talking about. It's a song, and a rhythm, that just keeps giving. Though few versions, the source material or newer covers, really capture the feel. It's gotta be the voices. Althea (often misspelled "Althia", as it is above) and Donna were just 17 and 18 respectively, when they recorded it as an answer song to Trinity's "Three Piece Suit," and both utilized a repeated rhythm from Alton Ellis' "I'm Still In Love With You," which itself was covered by Marcia Aitken. Confused enough? Then just listen to Althea & Donna's version. If you already know that one, then you might dig a variation or two. We've got something for everyone down here! So just c'mon down to Uptown Top Ranking Depot, where we've got versions for everyone in the family! Here's some Beat the Heat Doorbusters right here...

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Listen:
Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Diddy Wah
Rhythm source:
Alton Ellis - I'm Still In Love With You mp3 at Stop Okay Go
Version:
Mighty Two - Calico Suit mp3 at Diddy Wah
An answer song to:
Trinity - Three Piece Suit mp3 (with Mighty Two's Big Fat Thing) via Megaupload at Rewind Mi Selector
Oddball:
Marcia Aitken w/Trinity - I'm Still In Love With You mp3 at Planet Mondo (7 minute mix)
Cover:
Dub Clossus - Uptown Top Ranking (streaming) at Real World Records
Slightly different mix:
Althea & Donna- Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Nate Frog
Mono:
Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking (Mono) mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Video:
Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking (Reggae Sunsplash 1978) at YouTube (Footage of them starts at :42)
Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking (Top of the Pops) at YouTube
Tight'n Up - Uptown Top Ranking at YouTube

WOMEN IN REGGAE

Here's a mixed bag. Everything from rocksteady by Phyllis Dillon, through some eighties stuff, up to some of the latest, notably Terry Lynn. It was Lynn's video (below) that inspired this post. The juxtaposition of her music and the street scenes of Kingston make the whole thing seem very current, and real. It made me realize what a large chunk of Jamaican music, primarily post-roots, that I've not really listened to. I remember where the urgency to keep up with current Jamaican music vanished. It was the mid-eighties when Eek-A-Mouse and Yellowman were all the rage. They didn't do much for me, so I stewed in slightly older DJ stuff (U Roy, Dillinger, Big Youth, etc.) I blinked, years passed, and now we have this:

In trying to round out this post, by adding earlier Jamaican women singers for comparison, I ran into some neat stuff, and some forgotten favorites (Sister Carol and Sophie George). As far as the non-Jamaican stuff goes, I threw in the Beasties/Santigold thing, just because it's new, and a lot more reggae than the Terry Lynn or Warrior Queen. Karolina (from Tel Aviv) is down there for the same reason, and Akane's down there just to represent another unlikely location (Japan). Like I said, it's a mixed bag, the only common thread is women singing reggae related stuff.

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Listen:
Phyllis Dillon - Perifida mp3 at Dinosaur Gardens
Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Rita Marley - One Draw mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Marcia Griffiths - Feel Like Jumping mp3 at Chrome Music
Sophie George - Girlie Girlie mp3 at Matlo44 Funkpower2
Sister Carol - Murdee & Stylee mp3 (via 4Shared) at Mighty Dub Foundation (Click on "Download Now")
Sister Nancy - Bam Bam mp3 at Earmilk
Karolina & Funset (Tel Aviv)- Lion mp3 at Aurgasm
Beastie Boys & Santigold (U.S.) - Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win mp3 at Mixtape Riot
The Bug w/Warrior Queen - Poison Dart mp3 at Electrorash
Terry Lynn - System mp3 at Electrorash
Akane (Japan) - Dancehall Head mp3 at Electrorash
Video:
Sister Carol - Dread Natty Congo at YouTube
Althea & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking at YouTube
Judy Mowatt - Black Woman at YouTube
Sophie George - Girlie Girlie at YouTube
Rita Marley - Who Colt the Game? at YouTube
Oddball:
I Threes - Is This Love (backing vocal tracks) mp3 at Bob-Marley.es
Further digressions:
Reggae related posts
New Beastie Boys

INFECTIOUS GROOVE TIME

Everyone has a song that's like a security blanket; one that is comforting to know is around when you need it. Althia & Donna's "Uptown Top Ranking" is one of those songs for me. I've dragged it out of the 45 closet on a regular basis for years. And it never fails to put a smile on my face, no matter how shitty I feel.

It was a hit in 78 in the UK, one of scores of reggae one-hit-wonders. Everything about it rubs cheerfulness; the groove of it, the lyrics, the light Jamaican patois. I can't put my finger on it, but if it does one ounce of good to you that it does to me, it's worthy of a download.

As much as I like the song, I was a little hesitant to watch a video, for fear that it might wreck the long-running vibe it held for me. Thankfully, that fear was ungrounded. The video clip from Top of the Pops (on YouTube) is downright adorable.

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Listen:.

Althia & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Rhythm source:
Alton Ellis - I'm Still In Love With You mp3 at Stop Okay Go
Video:
Althia & Donna - Uptown Top Ranking video at YouTube