THE WTF LOCATION SHOT, JAMAICA EDITION

It's not often you hear a distorted guitar intro on a Studio One record. Leave it to Jackie Mittoo (above) to make a record that is just barely reggae. I don't want to ruin this song by saying that sound-wise it sounds like it could have been recorded by a third wave ska band...shit, forget what I just said. That's degrading. Just think of as Mittoo with the production values of Guitar Wolf, who once complained that it was hard to make records with engineers that wouldn't let the VU meters go into the red. It terms of distortion, this has gotta be the rawest Studio One record I've ever heard. It's metal. There's a good reggae mix down there too, because I ran into it and if I don't post it right away I'll forget. Just being honest.

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Listen:
Jackie Mittoo - Killer Diller mp3 at Groove Addict
The mix:

Introducing DJ Pork Chops - Reggae mix at Internet Archive Note: Once there, in the right column, under "Download options" click on "VBR MP3 Files". 24 songs, all good, one hour long. Song list posted.

OH YES IT'S PLUNDER NIGHT

Fu-huck. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be doing this. In the past I was able to find shit at other blogs or the odd archive pretty easily. There were more people posting, much less reliance on YouTube, And there were decent safe mp3 search sites. What once took about the same effort as going to the kitchen for a beer, now becomes a time consuming scavenger hunt. A right pain in the ass. All spontaneity is lost. So, at times like these I seek out the old links here. Plunder and pillage my own blog for old links to other blogs? How messed up is that? Watch out, it's digital cannibalism. It'll do until I make up my mind.

Here's some Jackie Mittoo. First posted him around 2009 and he's been here a few times since. Are you going to sit there and tell me that posting Jackie Mitto every few years is overdoing it? The original Skatalites keyboard player at age 15? Part and parcel of the sound of Studio One before he was twenty one tears old, that Jackie Mittoo?

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Listen:

Jackie Mittoo - Hang 'em High mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

Jackie Mittoo - Grand Funk mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

Jackie Mittoo - Black Organ mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

ONE COOL SONG

Just a total smokey vibe on this, it sounds like a lazy hot afternoon. So cool. About the energy level of the the Endless Summer theme, though a completely different song, in a different genre, from a completely different country. Jackie Mittoo was the main keyboard dude at Studio One, and he produced and arranged a bunch of others when he wasn't playing on a session or writing songs. I just ran into this one by Mittoo from a ten year old post here. I was surprised the link still worked.

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Listen:
Jackie Mittoo - Black Organ mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

DUDE JAMS ORGANIC

Digging on this tonight, "Autumn Sounds" by Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors, from the most excellent LP Evening Time. Mittoo was the go-to keyboard guy at Studio One, on everyones records including several of his own, I happen to have the LP so I've heard "Autumn Sounds" a bunch, but after running across it unexpectedly, I'm off on a Mittoo detour and I know I won't be coming back, not tonight anyway. So here's that one and two that have been posted before. They're all completely different and completely cool.

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Listen:

Jackie Mittoo - Autumn Sounds mp3 at Vintage Vinyl Revival

Jackie Mittoo and Ernest Ranglin - Jericho Rock mp3 at Hearsay

Jackie Mittoo - Hang 'em High mp3 at Passion of the Weiss   

WTF? WHISTLING?

It's the fault of "The Whistler", Allessandro Allessandroni. He's the guy you hear in many of the soundtracks to Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, notably on the Ennio Morricone stuff. I had the inkling for that singular sound, just air and lips, and this guy was the king. That sent me on a tear looking for Morricone stuff, and I ran into a bunch of other stuff, so it's kind of a grab bag.

About this grouping. The first one, Ennio Morricone's theme to "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" ("Il Buono Il Brutto Il Cattivo") is like Morricone 101, spaghetti western gold and all that. "For a Few Dollars More" features Allessandroni. Probably some of the others do as well, I'm too lazy to look it up. But on the subject of the Whistler, check "Fashion Party" by Danielle Luppi. In 2008 Luppi enlisted Allessandroni to whistle, backed by the I Marc 4, an Italian  studio band active in the sixties and seventies, sometimes referred to as the Wrecking Crew of Italy. If you think that combination can not help but sound vintage, despite the year it was recorded, you're right. But then again, some of you might think of 2008 as vintage.

The other stuff down there varies. Hugo Montenegro was kind of a musical slut, churning out sanitized cover versions of hit songs. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. His cover of "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" was the one that became a hit in the U.S., in 1968. But on "Hang 'em High", he adds backing vocals that border on "Up, Up and Away" cheery. Too feh for my blood. For that material anyway. Al Caiola is down there because I wanted to hear a version of "(Theme From) The Magnificent Seven" with more guitar in it, Jackie Mittoo is down there because, hell, it's Jackie Mittoo, he's bad as shit.

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Listen:
Ennio Morricone Il Buono Il Brutto Il Cattivo mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Ennio Morricone - For A Few Dollars More (streaming) at YouTube
Ennio Morricone - A Fistful of Dollars (streaming) at YouTube
Hugo Montenegro - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly mp3 at Internet Archive
Hugo Montenegro - For A Few Dollars More mp3 at The Basement Rug
Hugo Montenegro - Hang 'em High mp3 at The Basement Rug
Hugo Montenegro - The Magnificent Seven mp3 at Golden Trout Pack Trains (?)
Al Caiola - The Magnificent Seven mp3 at ATumblr (?)
Jackie Mitoo - Hang 'em High mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Danielle Luppi - Fashion Party (streaming) at YouTube With Allessandroni and the I Marc 4

DODD'S MOB

If you have any vintage reggae in your collection, chances are you have some Sound Dimension. You might not have any records credited to them, but believe me, you've heard them. They were the house band at Studio One, one of the most active labels from the early sixties through the late seventies, and arguably the most important label and studio in the history of the genre. Initially led by organist Jackie Mittoo, Sound Dimension had a rotating line up comprised of reggae's heavy hitters, notably Leroy Sibbles (bass), Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace (drums), Ernest Ranglin (guitar), Cedric Brooks and Roland Alphonso (saxophone), Vin Gordon (trombone), and Bobby Ellis (trumpet).

Prior to 1967, with a slightly different line-up, they were known as the Soul Vendors. As the story goes, Jackie Mittoo toured England with the band, and when they returned guitarist Rick Frater brought home an echo effect branded Sound Dimension. Viola! A new name for the band was adopted. (A rare Coxsone Dodd screw up. What name could possibly be better than the Soul Vendors?) They're all over everything. If you know anything at all about reggae, you know that riddims (rhythms), particularly the good ones, are used again and again, oft times for decades. Such is the case with Sound Dimensions'. Their tracks were practically a template for the genre.

Here's a mish mash, with a few of the lesser know tracks, along with a few some of you will know well. You fiends should check out "El Cumbanchero" by Puerto Rican composer Rafael Hernandez. It's the song that "Rockfort Rock" is based on.

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Listen:
Soul Vendors - Swing Easy mp3 at DJ No DJ
Soul Vendors - Musical Happiness mp3 at DJ No DJ
Sound Dimension - Rockfort Rock mp3 at Leave You Wanting Less
Sound Dimension - Drum Song mp3 at Leave You Wanting Less
Sound Dimension - Congo Rock mp3 at Roots and Culture
Sound Dimension - Swell Head Part 2 mp3 at Roots and Culture Vocal: Burning Spear
Sound Dimension - Moan and Groan mp3 at Roots and Culture
Sound Dimension = Great Mu Ga Ru Ga mp3 at Roots and Culture
Rafael Hernandez - El Cumbanchero (streaming) at YouTube

SHAKE IT FLAKE MAN

Holy hell, it's Saturday night. Why would I begrudge myself a chance to flake off? Once I start thinking like that, there's no turning back. Worry not, scavengers. One of the reasons I'm flaking is because I'm digging on an A-1 selection of rocksteady and reggae, twenty two cuts, at Hearsay, Some are familiar, but there are some I've never heard. No surprise there. That era, from the mid -sixties to the mid-seventies, was so steeped in good shit that no one knows all of it. No one. Coxsone Dodd didn't even know all of the records his own studio churned out.

Here's enough to keep you out of my hair. The songs below are just a few samples. You really have to check that first one, by Karl Bryan and the Afrokats, That sucker just landed on my list of favorite hot ass weird unfamiliar instrumentals of all time. You should go there to get them all. All top notch stuff, some soulful, some raw, some familiar riddims, and a handful of unfamiliar names. All available as single songs, or as mix with the whole lot of them. Commence flaking.

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Listen:

Karl Bryan and the Afrokats - Money Generator mp3 at Hearsay

The Valentines - Blam Blam Fever mp3 at Hearsay

Jackie Mittoo and Ernest Ranglin - Jericho Rock mp3 at Hearsay

Alton Ellis - Something You;ve Got mp3 at Hearsay
The Mix:
For The Right Time at HearSay 22 song zip at the bottom of the post.

LIKE THIS, KA-CHINK, KA-CHINK,...

Well dip me in it, I've been fucking around this place for how long, and never had a post featuring the Skatalites? How does that happen? They were like ground zero. Right there when mento and rhythm and blues got chummy, absolutely the shit in the pre-rock steady, pre-reggae days of Jamaican music. The original line-up included the horn section of Roland Alphonso, Don Drummond and Tommy McCook, the holy trinity of Jamaican brass. And Jackie Mittoo on keys, who would become one of the most influential keyboard players in the history of reggae. They initially recorded with Coxsone Dodd (not a bad place to start), followed by Duke Reid, Leslie Kong, Randy Chin and Prince Buster, among others. I don't care if some of you think this is elementary. Listen to it, cop to it, or just get out of here. I don't care. I'm a wild man.

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Listen:
The Skatalites - Guns of Navarone mp3 at Plain or Pan
The Skatalites - Exodus mp3 at Iniva (?)
The Skatalites - James Bond Theme mp3 at a Bond fan site
The Skatalites - I Should Have Know Better mp3 at Fantastic Weapon
The Skatalites - Rockfort Rock mp3 at Job.Yipikai (?)
The Skatalites - Ska-Ra-Van (Caravan) mp3 at Tanyao (?)
The Skatalites - Fidel Castro mp3 at Beware of the Blog
Video:
The Skatalites - Dynamite (?) at YouTube 1980s incarnation
Visit:
The Skatalites - Official site
The Skatalites at Wikipedia

HANDS DOWN, MITTOO

Here is an a nice contrast. Hugh Montenegro doing "Hang 'em High", taking every ounce of ominous out of it, sanitizing it in a "Up, Up, and Away In My Beautiful Ballon" sorta way. Jackie Mittoo's version, though still ominous lite, is just a complete groove, leaning more towards Booker T and the MGs, than his bread and butter, reggae. Mittoo released his in 1969; I think that would mean that awesome backing is the Soul Vendors.

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Listen:
Hugh Montenegro - Hang 'em High mp3 at Basement Rug
Jackie Mittoo - Hang 'em High mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

SO SMOOTH HIS SOCKS MATCH

Remember a few weeks ago, when I mentioned that the record store down the street was stocking Studio One vinyl? No? You don't really read this blathering do you? Didn't think so. That's cool. As long as you check these cool as shit Jackie Mittoo grooves. Mittoo was the Studio One keyboard whiz. I just picked up a Studio One LP of his and it's had me binging, breaking out the other stuff I had, and just basically reliving the whole pouring over the liner notes routine. It somehow feels better coming from an LP cover rather than some dinky booklet, but I'll take it where I can get it. If you're not familiar with Mittoo, you can get a little bit below.

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Listen:
Jackie Mittoo - Get Up and Get It mp3 at DK Presents
Jackie Mittoo - Summer Breeze mp3 at DK Presents
Jackie Mittoo - Ghetto Organ mp3 at 8106
Jackie Mittoo - Hang 'em High mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Jackie Mittoo - Oboe mp3 at DK Presets 
Visit:

Jackie Mittoo bio at Reggae Train

Jackie Mittoo at Wikipedia

INSTRUMENTAL WHAT NOT

Aw, the good ol' days. When a band decided their groove was so good, they just kept it long and put it out as parts one and two on opposite sides of the same record. In this case, it could be that they pressed two different takes, because part one has fuzz guitar, part two does not. (What the hell?)  It's an Allen Toussaint production, on his Sansu label, and as far as I'm concerned he could get away with "Hot Tamale (Part 37)" and I'd still listen. The Prime Mates were led by Al Fayard, Toussaint's his former band mate in the Stokes, and there's a groove here that despite Toussaint's involvement, doesn't really have that New Orleans thing going, it sounds more like something from Packy Axton. With the rhythm section doing some serious plodding, coupled with he organ and chunka chunka rhythm guitar, it would make a boss reggae cover. Yeah, Jackie Mittoo, now that I think about it.

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Listen:
The Prime Mates - Hot Tamales (Pt 1) mp3 at Super Sonido
The Prime Mates - Hot Tamales (Pt 2) mp3 at Super Sonido (Go there to get it. Bottom of the post.)
Al Tousan (Allen Toussaint) - Cow Cow Blues mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban 
The Martinis (w/Packy Axton) - Hung Over mp3 at Rare Funk On 45 

Jackie Mittoo - Ghetto Organ mp3 at 8106

QUICK, BEFORE HE GETS BACK

As you reggae fiends know, rhythms (riddims, if you will) can get used and reused many times over. If it's a good one, a studio may use it for a backing track or dub meat for years, sometimes decades. "Real Rock" by the Sound Dimension was recorded in 1967, and has been used dozens of times, as recently as 2003 (see NY Times link below for some of them). Many of the instrumentals get credited to a faceless studio band with revolving members, and some ultimately get released as "solo" instrumentals credited to the player of the melody holding instrument dubbed over the backing tracks. Often they're created spontaneously, as if the singer is on a pee break, hatching from just a few notes. The rhythms are a hot property for the studio owner, but that doesn't stop other studios from copying them as some sort of organic sampling. There's a few here you may recognize as backing tracks to something you've heard before, and a few of the lead instrument variety. And there's one below by Jackie Mittoo, a frequent member of several studio bands, where he takes off, straddling the Memphis groove of Booker T and the MGs and reggae.

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Listen:
Sound Dimension - Rockfort Rock mp3 at Leave You Wanting Less
Sound Dimension - Drum Song mp3 at Leave You Wanting Less
Sound Dimension - Reggae In the Grass mp3 at Reggae Top Site
Sound Dimension - In Cold Blood mp3 at Reggae Top Site
Sound Dimension - First Come First Served mp3 at Reggae Top Site
Soul Vendors - Swing Easy mp3 at DJ No DJ
Soul Vendors - Musical Happiness mp3 at DJ No DJ
Jackie Mittoo - Hang 'em High mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Tommy McCook - Dancing Version mp3 at Reggae Top Site
Tommy McCook - A Version I Can Feel With Love mp3 at Reggae Top Site
Tommy McCook - (Music is My Occupation) mp3 at Boogie Woogie Flu
Visit:
"Real Rock" Through the Ages at the New York Times A rundown of some of the songs that have used Sound Dimension's "Real Rock" rhythm over the years.

MASSIVE GROOVE THING

For every studio with it's own distinct sound, there are marginally known session players who created the sound, and could arguably lay claim to it. Studio One, Coxsone Dodd's Kingston studio and label, was no exception. It was so instrumental in the development of reggae that it could (and should) easily be compared to Sun or Stax, in terms of importance to it's respective genre. And keyboard whizz Jackie Mittoo, still in his teens when he began working for Dodd in 1959, was right there when reggae was born. It was his bubbly organ that punctuated the tracks of just about every major reggae artist in the early sixties.

.

As important as his organ was to the development of Studio One's sound, his solo output leans toward a reggae-fied version of Booker T & the MG's. So much so that his cover of "Hang 'em High" sounds more like a cover of Booker T's version than the original. It's as though he never heard the Ennio Morricone original (which he had to have, because spaghetti westerns were huge in Jamaica.) Whatever version he is covering, the bass/organ thing in his is a massive groove thing.

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Jackie Mittoo - Hang 'em High mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

Jackie Mittoo - Grand Funk mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

Jackie Mittoo - Black Organ mp3 at Passion of the Weiss

Jackie Mittoo - Ghetto Organ mp3 at 8106

Jackie Mittoo - Soul Bird mp3 (vocal!) at Light in the Attic

Jackie Mittoo bio at Reggae Train

Jackie Mittoo at Wikipedia