FROM THE UNLIKELY PAIRINGS FILE

If you're at all into reggae, you know who Lee Perry is. What you may not know is that as far back as his Black Ark studio days he was working with non-reggae musicians, the best known collaboration being with the Clash. Amongst others he worked with were the McCartneys, those McCartneys. I had heard about the collaboration and shuddered at the thought. I recently gave in and gave two cuts a listen. While not as offensive as I expected, it's still just bland cod reggae. But, man, would I have loved being a fly on the wall at Black Ark. Imagine the conversations that may have occurred. As it is, two years later Perry would end up intentionally burning down Black Ark. Were the events connected? While you ponder that, here's the two cuts and a link to posts about Lee Perry from the past.

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Listen:
Linda McCartney - Sugartime (streaming) at YouTube
Linda McCartney  - Mister Sandman (streaming) at YouTube
Lee Perry - Past posts here Note: Some of the music links may be dead.
More:
Remembering Paul and Linda McCartney’s ill-fated collaboration with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry at Far Out

STRANGER AS SELECTOR

I love it when this sort of thing happens. I'm in the alley, going into my garage, and a bike rolled down the street blasting Junior Murvin's "Police and Thieves". I don't think I've ever heard that song in the wild before, let alone on a friends stereo. Now that I think about it, the last time I may have heard it outside my apartment was when I saw the Clash cover it live years ago. So here it is. Play it next time you're on a bike with a boom box and make a stranger happy. If you're unfamiliar with the song, the Clash version is below, that might jog your memory. If you're already familiar with it, there's another Murvin song down there, him doing "Gypsy Woman".  Just him and guitar, no reggae.

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Listen:
Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
The Clash - Police and Thieves (streaming) at YouTube
Junior Murvin - Gipsy Woman [sic] mp3 at Lemon Alchimie

SHIT WEEK (SLIGHT RETURN)

I just posted everything below a little over a month ago but I just heard that Lee Perry has died so rather than blather on, here's a link to the obituary in the Guardian. Know this: there's one less unpredictable musical genius in the world.



!'m not sure how I missed this one but it's been sitting online for a few years. A documentary, The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry. If you know Lee Perry, it ought to be a treat. I haven't watched more than a few minutes but it looks like it'll be good enough to keep you from chores. Let me correct that: keep me from chores (pretty low threshold there). As long as I'm posting it, there are a few other things down there. Perry shown at work in his Black Ark studio sometime before he intentionally burned it to the ground. Perry's crazy like that. Check out the Guinness commercials he did and see if you can make sense out of them.

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Listen:
Lee Perry - Roast Fish and Cornbread mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Lee Perry - Jungle Lion mp3 at Stop Smiling Instrumental cover of Al Green's "Love and Happiness"
Lee Perry vs King Tubby - Africa mp3 at Nintendo Planet Video
Video:
The Upsetter: The Life and Music of Lee Scratch Perry at YouTube 90 minutes
Lee Scratch Perry - Play On Mr. Music at YouTube Perry at work in his studio
Lee Scratch Perry and Subatomic Sound System (live) at YouTube Blackboard Jungle Dub, Brooklyn 2013
Lee Scratch Perry Guinness Ads at YouTube
Visit:
Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, visionary master of reggae, dies aged 85 at The Guardian

VERSION MEAT FROM MEMPHIS

Big Youth's "Weeping in the Night" started it. I just had to go and see if his toasting was over Lee Perry's version of the riddim from "Jungle Lion", which is itself based on Al Green's "Love and Happiness". After digging around looking for details online, I couldn't even find what studio it was recorded at or who played on it. I did find out that Big Youth produced it, which tells me Perry wasn't likely involved. It was released in 1973, as was his (Big Youth's) cover of "Love and Happiness", also self-produced. Perry's "Jungle Lion was, I think, also released in 1973, as was Al Green's original version of "Love and Happiness". 

Just when you think it can't get more crowded, make room for Leroy Smart's version, which also came out in 1973, and it was produced by Big Youth and released on his label. That's four reggae versions (of one kind or another) released the same year as Al Green's original. I couldn't find any dates other than the year, so I'm not sure of the order. My guess is that Perry's "Jungle Lion" was the earliest of the reggae versions, just because I can't imagine him doing it after Big Youth. And Youth's cover was probably after that, and then either Smart's cover, or Youth's toasting version and then Smart's cover. Or I could have the order all wrong. See, this is where the shit gets crazy, because if you know reggae, there are versions upon versions utilizing the same riddim, and a single riddim was sometimes used over and over for decades. If there were four "Love and Happiness" based records in one year (and there were probably others), how many came after those four? Look into it, would you?

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Listen:
Al Green - Love and Happiness mp3 at Keaner (?)
Lee Perry - Jungle Lion mp3 at Stop Smiling
Big Youth - Love and Happiness  (streaming) at YouTube
Big Youth - Weeping in the Night  (streaming) at YouTube
Leroy Smart - Love and Happiness (streaming) at YouTube

RED STRIPE OPTIONAL

Here's a random selection of reggae 45s, both the A-sides and B-sides, because, hey, it's always nice to hear them in the form that they would have been played back in the day at sound systems. I've always fantasized about being at one of those outdoor sound system dances back then. I'd stick out like a sore thumb, but if they were anything like the sound system dance I attended locally (in San Diego) back in the eighties, it wouldn't matter. Fuck, the bass alone knocked out half your senses. That was a long time ago, and I still remember the people I was with, the smell of the jerk chicken, the haze of smoke and the shuffle of the feet. It was held indoors, in the same rented hall that had also been home to many punk shows. So the venue was familiar, and because it was indoors everything seemed amplified. The music, the smoke, the smells. You really need to turn this shit up. Aw, what the hell, burn one.

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Listen:

Delroy Wilson - Run Run mp3 at Marley Discography A-side
Delroy Wilson - Run Run (Version) mp3 at Marley Discography B-side

U Roy and the Heptones - Make Love Not War mp3 at Marley Discography A-side

U Roy and the Heptones - Make Love Not War (Version) mp3 at Marley Discography B-side
Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Jungle Lion mp3 at Marley Discography A-side

The Upsetters - Freak Out Skank mp3 at Marley Discography B-side
Scotty - Skank In Bed mp3 at Marley Discography A-side
Bongo Herman - African Breakfast mp3 at Marley Discography B-side

IN LIEU OF EGGNOG

I know it's early for this shit, but fuck it. I just ran across a reggae mix at Aquarium Drunkard, all Christmas type music. I'm not sure how I feel about that, reggae and Christmas. A little too much, Never mind the fact that Christmas music is only really played for about a month out of the year. Enough.

The mix has Alton Ellis, the Ethiopians, the Heptones, Jackie Mittoo, the Maytals, Sugar Minott and more, twenty eight songs in all. Lee Perry's cut is below. His holiday cheer face is above.

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Listen:
Lee Perry & Sandra Robinson - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year mp3 at Music Like Dirt
The mix:
Christmas Jambree - A Vintage Jamaican Yuletide Mixtape at Aquarium Drunkard 28 songs in a zip. Go there to get it

IF IT'S A ROCKER, I'LL ADMIT IT

A few days ago I picked up a Bob Marley CD, which is unusual for me. I love reggae, and I do recognize the quality of Bob Marley's work. He deserves the recognition, but the amount of praise his body of work receives is so out of whack compared to other reggae artists that are every bit as deserving, that it's always bugged me, to the point that I tend to hold it against him. That's a bit unfair, I know that. But knowing that his music will always be the go-to reggae for people with just a cursory interest in the music bugs nonetheless.

So why did I buy a Marley CD? It was in a record store bargain bin, marked down to a four bucks because it was without the cover and that's what got my interest. The artwork on the disc itself was a reproduction of the Upsetter record label. Some of you will know what that means. Yessiree, produced by Lee Perry. How could I not? Perry produced Marley for less than the price of lunch? 

Marley worked with several producers early in his career. Then, early in the seventies, Chris Blackwell, owner of Island Records, came knocking. He licensed Marley's material that would become his first Island LP. Catch A Fire. He had British session studio musicians record tasty licks over it, and then threw the bank at it, practically gambling his entire label on his hunch that he could market Marley to a rock audience. Obviously, that hunch paid dividends. But the rawness of Marley's early work would be forever lost. All Marley on Island would follow the same formula, not necessarily with session musicians, but in slickness and marketing intent.

When Marley became a global phenomenon, the older strictly Jamaican stuff started seeping out, including the Perry produced material. To hear the difference, here's a couple versions of "Sun Is Shining". The first is the Perry produced version, with some really nice melodica. It was released in 1973, but was likely recorded a few years earlier. Sparsely produced, it fits the song. The second version is from Kaya, his 1978 LP, all glossy 'n' shit. To mix things up, there's another no-so-reggae version by French singer Lizzy Mercier Descloux, a criminally under-appreciated artist, but I'll get into that at later date.

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Listen:

Bob Marley and the Wailers - Sun Is Shining mp3 at DKuseni (?) 1973 Produced by Lee Perry

Bob Marley and the Wailers - Sun Is Shining mp3 at AADTCP (?) 1978
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Sun Is Shining mp3 at Dusted

STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS

Lee "Scratch" Perry will be eighty years old in March. By every indication he's still very much a spring chicken. There's no disputing that he's a freak of nature, some sort of mad genius. With rather primitive equipment, he produced a good sized hunk of classic seventies reggae, behind the board for everyone from Bob Marley down to the bottom feeders. He did his own stuff too, backed by his studio band the Upsetters. Then at the peak of his popularity, he burned his studio down.

He's collaborated with everyone and their mother, even outside of reggae circles. He produced the Clash, worked with Adrian Sherwood, recorded with the Beastie Boys, had Andrew WK co-produce one of his albums (that had Ari Up, Moby and Don Fleming guesting), and so on. Dude is a machine. These days in full on Technicolor.

There's a new documentary about him (yes, another), the trailer of which shows him as lively as ever. Lee Scratch Perry's Vision Of Paradise follows him for fifteen years, including a trip back to Jamaica, which ought to be interesting just by itself. If you've watched his trajectory of the past decade or so, you can well imagine. That's gotta be like a martian landing in Kingston.

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Listen:
Lee Perry - Roast Fish and Cornbread mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Lee Perry - Jungle Lion mp3 at Stop Smiling
Lee Perry - Panta Rock mp3 at KUCI
Lee Perry - White Belly Rat mp3 at Pixie Radio
Lee Perry vs King Tubby - Africa mp3 at Nintendo Planet Video (?)
Lee Perry and Scientist - Fall In Love With Dub mp3 at Pixie Radio
Lee Perry and Mad Professor -  Cheerful Dub mp3 at Pixie Radio
Lee Perry and the Experience - Disco Devil mp3 at Evil Vince 8 minutes
The Upsetters - Exit the Dragon mp3 at Slutty Fringe
Of historical note:
Lee Perry - People Funny Boy (streaming) at YouTube The Joe Gibbs putdown
Lee Perry - Run For Cover (streaming) at YouTube The Coxsone Dodd putdown
Video:
Lee Scratch Perry's Vision of Paradise trailer at YouTube 2015
The Upsetter - Documentary trailer at YouTube 2011
Lee Perry, Guiness commercials (?!?) at YouTube
Visit:
Lee Perry - Official site
Lee Perry at Wikipedia

SOCIAL STUDIES

Some of you casual reggae listeners may just know of Trench Town from the title of a Bob Marley song, without giving much thought to it. If so, this documentary is one you should see. It's a violence ridden place, not at all the reggae epicenter you might imagine it is between puffs on your giant ass bong. Even if you're a reggae fiend and know the reputation of Trench Town, you should find this interesting.

The songs below are just a few early pre-Island Records Bob Marley oddballs. The first two are Marley with the Upsetters (!), produced by Lee Perry (!). The third was produced by Leslie Kong and released on Jad Records.

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Listen:
Bob Marley and the Upsetters - Mr. Music mp3 at Club Cortez Produced by Lee Perry
Bob Marley and the Upsetters - Rainbow Country at Club Cortez Bass heavy version of above, produced by Lee Perry
Bob Marley and the Wailers - Concrete Jungle (streaming) at YouTube Produced by Leslie Kong. Jad Records release

THE UPSETTER CHALLENGE

Oh yeah, Lee Perry, the Upsetter.,, The first song I heard of his was "Roast Fish and Cornbread", included on a fairly straightforward reggae compilation. It was at odds with the other songs on the record.. Ahh, I can remember that "what the fuck?" moment like it was just yesterday. But it wasn't; it was decades ago, and you know what? The nut has kept my attention ever since. Check his early production of Bob Marley's "Mr. Brown". That's a little sonic mayhem going on there. And check "Jungle Lion", wherein the band intimates Al Green's "Love and Happiness", while Perry does his thing, in this case which is yelping, grunting and ranting, in addition to producing. 

You reggae people know as well as I do, any attempt to do a comprehensive profile of Lee Perry would take a long while, and tonight I don't have a long while. Just consider this a grab bag. Even if you're already a Lee Perry fiend, you might not have seen the commercials he did for Guiness beer. Yeah, those WTFs just keep stacking up. You newbies, the guy is a mad genius. He's an incredibly gifted and inventive producer and performer, he lets his freak flag flight, like stratosphere high, and any attempts to research video clips and records to get inside his head are futile. You think you can figure him out? Have at it.

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Listen:
Bob Marley, produced by Lee Perry - Mr Brown at Review Stalker Go there to get it.
Lee Perry - Roast Fish and Cornbread mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Lee Perry - Jungle Lion mp3 at Stop Smiling
Lee Perry - Panta Rock mp3 at KUCI
Lee Perry and the Experience - Disco Devil mp3 at Evil Vince 8 minutes!
Lee Perry - Black Panta mp3 at Quarterlife Party
The Upsetters - Exit the Dragon mp3 at Slutty Fringe
Of historical note:
Lee Perry - People Funny Boy (streaming) at YouTube The Joe Gibbs putdown
Lee Perry - Run For Cover (streaming) at YouTube The Coxsone Dodd putdown
Video:
The Upsetter - Documentary trailer at YouTube
Lee Perry, Guiness commercials (?!?) at YouTube
Lee Perry - At Black Ark studio (1982) at YouTube
Visit:
Lee Perry - Official site
Lee Perry at Wikipedia
The Upsetter - Documentary site

THAT VOICE IS GONE

Junior Murvin died today. He's best known for his 1976, Lee Perry produced "Police and Thieves", the song many were introduced to via the Clash's cover. He had a distinctive voice, one of the most distinctive in reggae. It was way up there in the high range, referred to by just about everybody as falsetto, but referred to by him as "real-setto". Think Curtis Mayfield doing reggae and you're just about there. No cause of death has been reported, though Murvin had been suffering from diabetes at the time of his death.

The songs below are just a cross section. The first three were produced by Lee Perry, all using the same riddim (rhythm), which Perry sufficiently milked. "Cool Out Son" uses the Real Rock riddim, originally created by Sound Dimension at Studio One. The cover of the Impressions "Gypsy Woman" is new to me, and it's kind of an eye opener. It's just Murvin and an acoustic guitar, not reggae at all, and it's beautiful.

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Listen:
Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves mp3 at Snuhthing Anything 1976
Junior Murvin - Soldier and Police War mp3 at Funky 16 Corners 1976
Junior Murvin - Bad Weed (long version) mp3 at Grounds For Appeal 1977
Junior Murvin - Cool Out Son mp3 at Passion of the Weiss
Junior Murvin - Tedious mp3 at Reggae Top Site 1982
Junior Murvin - Wise Man  (+ dub version) (streaming) at YouTube
Junior Murvin - Jamaican Girls mp3 at Reggae Top Site 1984
Junior Murvin - Gipsy Woman [sic] mp3 at Lemon Alchimie
Video:
Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves at YouTube Top of the Pops 1977
Visit:
Junior Murvin - Interview at Rebel Base 2004
Junior Murvin at Jamaican Gleaner
Junior Murvin at Wikipedia

THIS IS WHY

I wasn't even looking for this one. In fact, Cynty and the Monkees were completely unknown to me when I ran across their 1974 cover of Barbara Acklin's "Lady, Lady, Lady". I'd never heard Acklin's original either. But, the song sure sounded familiar, which was all the more befuddling. Wait a second here. It's on Black Art, Lee Perry's label. Yep, right there, produced by Lee Perry. This shouldn't take long. I'll just take a mental inventory of the Perry stuff I've heard. No I won't. I've heard way too much. Who Sampled here we come. Oh, that's it, I was just gonna say it. Lee Perry used the riddim for his "Exit the Dragon". Okay, and done. Listen to Cynty and the Monkees' cover. It's an excellent interpretation. Or don't. Walk around like that, I don't care.

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Listen:
Cynty and the Monkees - Lady, Lady mp3 at Pixie Radio
Cyndy and the Monkees - Lady, Lady (long disco version) (streaming) at YouTube
Barbara Acklin - Lady, Lady, Lady (streaming) at YouTube
Lee Perry - Exit the Dragon (streaming) at YouTube

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

BACK OFF JACK

Reggae fiends, commence chop licking. I practically tripped on these in a clicking frenzy, and they're all choice cuts for one reason or another.  The first one is, in a word, killer.  It's the one credited to "Various Artists," and is a disco single, and each side has a vocal, with some King Tubby dub, and Augustus Pablo slathered on top of it for good measure.  Side one is Jacob Miller's "Keep On Rocking," and the flip is the Heptones "Love Won't Come Easy."  There's a whole lot going on in these two cuts, enough to warrant a slight pain in the ass to download (it's a rar file, so get out your chosen extraction machine). The Meditations cut is a Lee Perry production, and if you're like me, you can't get enough of stuff with crazy producer stink on it. The Marley thing is also a Lee Perry work, a little less spit shined than the Marley stuff played incessantly by the hackey sackers.  And there's one by the Perry himself, from the last recordings he, the crazy producer, made before intentionally burning his Black Ark Studio to the ground. The Minstrels' cover of the Impressions "People Get Ready" is a Studio One joint, so it's a no-brainer.  It's supa-smooth.  It's from a 45 reissue, the original is apparently pretty rare, routinely selling for over a grand.  So, yeah, suck that one up.

Club Cortez, the blog that hosts all of these is awesome for all sorts of non-rock 'n' roll stuff.  There's a great Hawaiian mix, distilled from thrift store Hawaiian LPs with the cuts selected for their "weirder and more alien" qualities (here, here!).  Another post has a great Latin Jazz LP by some dude named Montego Joe.  It would behoove you to do some digging around over there. 

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Listen:
Various Artists - Keep On Knocking and Love Won't Come Easy (1979) (via DivShare) at Club Cortez See description above. Jacob Miller, the Heptones, King Tubby and Augustus Pablo, on one disco single. 
The Meditations - No Peace (1978) mp3 at Club Cortez 
Bob Marley - Rainbow Country (1979) mp3 at Club Cortez 
Lee Perry - Bed Jammin' (1980) mp3 at Club Cortez 
The Minstrells - People Get Ready (1968) mp3 at Club Cortez 
Visit: 
Club Cortez

PAYBACK'S A MIX

It's party time: another brainstorming session at HQ

I know, I know, there's been more mixes posted as of late, but there's a reason for posting this sucker. The mix below, posted at Versions Galore, is based on selections by your humble hack host here. To make a long story short, it's payback of sorts, because I've linked to his stuff regularly after coming across his all-covers blog a year or so ago. His blog just passed the four year mark and he asked me, along with a handful of other people, to put together an hour of covers each. I couldn't say no, and to be honest, I was kind of jazzed to be asked. The bonus, that might temper things for you who don't necessarily like full length mixes, is that some of the songs are pretty hard to find. So, here's the song list, the mix, and links to his other mixes. Party on.

NOTE: THE HOSTING BLOG HAS REMOVED THIS MIX (9/26/2012)

Lee Perry – Jungle Lion (Al Green’s Love & Happiness) While not a straight forward cover, this is about as close as the Upsetter gets.

Lulu – Feelin’ Alright (Traffic) Surprisingly funky, she definitely had her eye on Dusty in Memphis.

Ricky Nelson – Summertime (George Gershwin for Porgy and Bess) Interesting in that it predates the Yardbirds by several years. Chicken or egg?

Tommy McCook – Goldfinger (Shirley Bassey) No shortage of early reggae/ska covers of Bond themes. McCook was a sax player for the Skatalites, and the go-to guy for Duke Reid anong others.

Jenny Dee & the Deelinquents – Shake Some Action (Flamin’ Groovies) Nice try to duplicate the Motown sound. What’s it missing? The Funk Brothers. What the hell, an “A” for effort.

The Pioneers – Papa Was A Rolling Stone (Temptations) As long as we’re on a Motown tangent, what if Norman Whitfield was Jamaican?

The Supremes - Come Together (The Beatles) Proof that Isaac Hayes wasn’t the only one who stretched out on covers.

Horace Andy – Where Do the Children Play (Cat Stevens) Classic Studio One. From Horace Andy’s first, a stone cold classic of the golden age.

Eli “Paperboy” Reed & the True Loves – Ace of Spades (Motorhead) If someone would have told me about this one, I wouldn’t have believed it. Believe it. Instant cred for the kid.

Ricardo Ray – Sookie Sookie (Don Covay) A song that’s been covered 14 million times. This one won out over Steppenwolf’s surprisingly good rock meets soul take.

Solomon Burke – Maggie’s Farm (Bob Dylan) Seriously, he could sing “Mary Had A Little Lamb” and you’d think he wrote it.

Marcia Griffiths – Band of Gold (Freda Payne) Before singing back up for Marley as one of the I-Threes. Sweet.

Celia Cruz - Yo Vivire (I Will Survive) (Gloria Gaynor) You can’t hear this one without seeing Celia Cruz’s big ass smile. Azúcar!

Sharon Jones & the DapKings - Just Dropped In to See What Condition Your Condition Was In (Kenny Rogers & the First Edition) An unlikely cover for anyone, but it works. Jerry Lee Lewis once said that he, Al Jolson, Hank Williams and Jimmy Rodgers were the only true song stylists. Someone needs to clue him into the Daptone mob.

Richie Knight & the Mid-Knights – Homework (Otis Rush) Famously covered by the J.Geils Band, this sucker just sounds so creepy.

Jack O’ Fire – Branded (Link Wray) The first time I heard this I had to pull over to find out who it was. From the amazing stable of Sympathy For The Record Industry.

Black Randy & the Metro Squad – Give It Up Or Turn It Loose (James Brown) One thing that usually gets ignored when talking about the early L.A. punk scene is how varied and musically educated the bands were. Often seen as something of a court jester, Black Randy’s baddass back up band turned more than a few Krazy Kolored spike heads onto JB via this happening jam.

Kashmere Stage Band – Take Five (Dave Brubeck) High School kids. Yes. And they beat out the Skatalites version.

The Viscounts – Harlem Nocturne (Earl Bostic) I had to end with this one. Back in the day, a older friend told me that bands at his high school dances would always play this as their last song, enabling couples to get chummy without any worries about getting kicked out of the dance. So it was that I, along with other DJ friends at a popular watering hole, took it upon ourselves to end our last sets of the night with it. Prelude to grab ass.

NOTE: THE HOSTING BLOG HAS REMOVED THIS MIX (9/26/2012)

ICH BIN EIN KURIER

Here's a good one, to pad some rather unfortunate news. I ran into this song and wanted to post it as some sort of sideways tip of the hat to the Musik Kurier, a site I mentioned just a few days ago. It was because, although I'm not nuts about disco, I admire the fact that they were unashamed in their inclusion of the much maligned genre. Truth be told, the music they posted sometimes blurred the lines between straight disco and it's offshoots, be it funk, Latin, jazz or soul. It reminded me that all disco does not suck. It might not be my bag, but there is quality stuff of all sorts that ain't my bag.

Musik Kurier had just posted a huge dump of disco, and this was going to be a sort of cheeky "nice job," just because that's what it was. From a well rounded musical education standpoint, it was a helluva reference, whether you could stomach disco or not. Unfortunately, when I went there to get a url to link to, it was gone. Poof. I will post a link to it whenever, or wherever, it reappears. You can keep tabs on them via their Facebook page, Twitter, or their Mixcloud page.

So, anyways, here's good ol' crazy man Lee Perry. I say that with affection, because at this point in time he is kinda old, and you'd have a hard time convincing me that he's not at least a little crazy. But his track record as a reggae producer and singer is legendary. Though I know he's dabbled with EDM guys, I don't recall him ever going near disco. So 'phobes, you are safe. This is good solid old school style Lee Perry, with a rhythm you've probably heard before. It's seven and a half minutes of let yourself go.

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Listen:

Lee Perry & the Full Experience - Disco Devil mp3 at Evil Vince

MORE HOLIDAY FODDER

Don't get all worked up in a fuss over there. There's nothing by Kiss here. That image up there was just too easy, too stupid, to not do. Anyway, here's a mixed bag of various holiday songs. Do listen to the Lee Perry songs back-to-back, and hear him go from reggae producer to space cadet. I think his "Santa Claus" is fast becoming one of my favorite Christmas songs ever. Yeah, have another Scratch!

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Listen:
Lee Perry & Sandra Robinson - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Lee Perry - Santa Claus mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Billy Childish & the MBE - Santa Clause mp3 at Brooklyn Vegan
Louis Prima - Shake Hands With Santa Claus mp3 at Lil' Mike's
Shonen Knife - Space Christmas mp3 at Lost In Your In Box
James Brown - Santa Clause, Santa Claus mp3 at AM Then FM
Carla Thomas - Gee Whiz It's Christmas mp3 at Kick Kick Snare
Tom Waits - Silent Night mp3 at Salad Days Music

DUB JACKPOT!

Okay, casual dub people, this is for you. If you don't have much of any dub in your collection, you ought to start where it all began. Reggae. Dub. Analog. Before it became all that digital laptop nonsense. I ran into three fine mixes on a blog by someone named Vampyreverdi. This guy has a pretty good collection, and although there may be some songs on the three mixes that originated from the same LP, they're all pretty strong mixes. This isn't a case of me being too lazy to do my usual round up of mp3s. These collections are solid enough that if you don't have the wherewithal to download mixes, it's high time you learned. They're worth it. I've put the artists below, but not the titles. The complete listings are at his site. Dig in.

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Heavy Heavy Dub Serial Killers at Vampyreverdi's Blog

Volume 1:

Carlton Patterson & King Tubby, Scientist, Augustus “Gussie” Clarke, Drum Bago & The Rebel Group, Mighty Two, Tappa Zukie, Soul Syndicate And Niney The Observer, Michael Rose, King Tubby, Aggrovators, Glen Brown & King Tubby, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, Key All Stars, King Tubby & John Holt, Revolutionaries, Lee Scratch Perry & Prince Jammy, Niney The Observe, Scientist & Jammy & The Roots Radics, Sly & Robbie At Prince Jammy’s, Zoot Sims & the Aggrovators, King Tubby, Clint Eastwood

Volume 2:

Lee Perry & The Upsetters, Impact Allstars, Augustus “Gussie” Clarke, Barrington Levy, Rico Rodriguez, Scientist, The Upsetters, King Tubby, The Mighty Two, The Jahlights, The Revolutionaries, Carlton Barrett & Family Man, Augustus Pablo, Gregory Isaacs All Stars, Joe Gibbs & The Professionals, Junior Delgado, Keith Hudson, Lloyd’s All Stars, Soul Syndicate And Niney The Observer, Ranking Dread, King Tubby & The Aggrovators, Bottlehead

Volume 3:

Revolutionaries, Augustus Pablo, Bunny Lee & The Aggrovators, Gladiators, King Tubby, Bigger T, Gregory Isaacs, Herman, Silvertones, Impact All Stars, Johnny Clarke, Mighty Two, Sly & The Revolutionaries, Morwell Meet King Tubby, Observers, Inner Circle, Joe Gibbs, Santic All-Stars, Tommy McCook & The Supersonics, Scientist, Tappa Zukie, Roots Radics Band

REGGAE PARTY TONIGHT!

Last August I posted a short thing about Dillinger's "Cocaine in My Brain" and how it borrowed the bass line from People's Choice's "Do It Any Way You Wanna", a song he toasted over prior to recording his signature song. Today, while browsing American Athlete (an excellent blog with tons of groove heavy international music), I ran into a post about Escort's "Cocaine Blues", which is as close to a disco type cover of Dillinger's "Cocaine in My Brain" as you can get it. It's a recent release, but you could swear that it was one of those songs that you never heard back in the late seventies (because, of course, disco sucked, right?). So, the bass line has come full circle, from dance floor to sound system, and back to the dance floor. (Note: get the Escort cut now, because it was posted with a note that said it would only be available for a few days, and that was back in November.)

In looking for an image for this post, I ran into an instant book mark. It's a site called Streamola Archive, and it has tons of reggae-centric stuff on it, streaming and in mp3 format. And I'm not talking about just songs. There's tapes of sound systems, interviews, radio shows, and all sorts of cool shit. Some of the sound files are a teeny bit warbly in parts (because they were ripped from streaming webcasts, from 1999-2001), but it's very minor. And there's some more recent stuff, including an Ari Up DJing gig, from February, just months before her death. It's an excellent set, with recent sounds from Jamaica and a few of the new Slits songs, and a mash up of John Lennon's vocal from "A Day In the Life" with a rhythm that, if you're at all into reggae, you'll recognize. (Stream the whole show at your hoedown tonight!) There's other posts with a Lee Perry set and interview, a King Jammy sound system set from '87, and a interview with Dillinger, and tons more. (Links are below.) I'm also including a repost of a link from a while back, in case you missed it. It's a Slits live set, from the Primavera Sound Festival, in Barcelona, from earlier this year.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

The bass line that won't die:
Escort - Cocaine Blues mp3 at American Athlete
Dillinger - Cocaine in My Brain mp3 at Giant Panther
People's Choice - Do It Anyway You Wanna mp3 at Lulu.com

PARTY SUPPLIES, the other good stuff:
Ari Up DJing w/Joly & Mad Scientist at Party 4 Haiti (2/2010) mp3 and streaming at Streamola Archive
The Slits, Live at the Primavera Sound Festival (2010) at Free Music Archive (NOTE: Click the arrow to the right of the plus sign [+] to download)
King Jammy's SuperPower soundsystem set (1987) mp3 and streaming at Streamola Archive
Lee Perry gig from 1999 mp3 and streamimg at Streamola Archive
Lee Perry interview (mid-80s) mp3 and streaming at Streamola Archive
Dillinger & Trinity interview mp3 and streaming at Streamola Archive
Breif Selection - Reggae mix mp3 and streaming at Streamola Archive

THE LAST CRUNCH

I rarely play Christmas music. I can't really see having music that I'd only play one month out of the year. If I still threw holiday bashes like the good ol' days, I might want some. Although, come to think of it, when I did have holiday parties, the music was usually something like Mudhoney, Sonic Youth, Pussy Galore...that type of stuff (which should tell you how long it's been since I actually hosted parties). But they were ramshackle events anyway. Just a bunch of the usual suspects, getting drunk, with a tree in the corner. So, I tip my hat to the hosts of holiday parties, and say, with all the sincerity that I can muster, better you than me.

Here's a few to get you through the last day. But not without a few notes about some of the songs. Listening to the Mojo Nixon cut, I just realized how much he sounds like Peter Wolf, in the early J. Geils Band. The Donnas thing is a cover of a horrible song by the Waitresses, so even this version is a little ill-conceived. The Slade song isn't their most rocking, but it's Slade, a band dear to my garish plaid heart. The Dick Dale song is uncharacteristically mellow, but nice (your Mom will dig it). It's hard to believe that the Kink's "Father Christmas" is thirty years old, I still think of it as their newer stuff. The Julian Casablanca cover of the Saturday Night Live skit is here even though he's always kinda bugged me, but I guess he has a sense of humor. Poly Styrene's making a return, because she started this whole mess the day after Thanksgiving. And, after you've sent the kids to bed, you can relax by the fireplace, and listen to William Burroughs tell the story of Danny the car wiper's Christmas. Wind down with a few from "The Hipsters Guide to Basic Holiday Jazz," while you take a bite of one of the cookies that the kids left out for Santa, just so they will believe for one more year.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Mojo Nixon & the Toadliquors - It's Christmas Time mp3 at Good Rockin' Tonight
The Donnas - Christmas Wrapping mp3 at Good Rockin' Tonight
Slade - Merry Xmas Everybody mp3 at Jellynuts.com
The Ventures - White Christmas mp3 at My Aimz Is True
Shonen Knife - Space Christmas mp3 at Lost In Your In Box
The White Stripes - Candy Cane Children mp3 at Indie Rock Cafe
Dick Dale - Silent Night mp3 at My Aimz Is True
The Kinks - Father Christmas mp3 at Indie Rock Cafe
Julian Casablancas - I Wish It Were Christmas Today at Indie Rock Cafe
James Brown - Go Power at Christmas Time mp3 at Plain or Pan
Lee Perry w/Sandra Robinson - Merry Christmas, Happy New Year mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Poly Styrene - Black Christmas mp3 at Lost In Your In Box
William Buroughs - The Junky's Christmas mp3 at Music Like Dirt
Chet Baker - O Come All Ye Faithful mp3 at Can You See the Sunset
Dexter Gordon - The Christmas Song mp3 at Can You See the Sunset
John Coltrane - Greensleeves mp3 at Can You See the Sunset