Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Medley Train

This is going to be the last medley-themed post for a while. It's a double helping of deejay goodness over backing tracks featuring Ken Boothe and the Cables. First up is 'Rhythm Train', a slick U Roy toast over the first part of Ken Boothe's 'Six In One' (a.k.a. 'The Great Ken Boothe'), which originally came out on Aquarius. The rhythm track is a really polished mash-up of 'Train Is Coming', 'I've Got To Tell You Goodbye' and another tune I can't quite put my finger on. It's the perfect stage for a bit of showing off, and U Roy doesn't disappoint: this is a masterclass in the art of toasting. I Roy used the second half of the same medley for his 'Ken Boothe Special', which is good, but not quite as good. 

The other tune, 'Roots & Soul' is a bizarre deejay, bongo and whistling cut of a Cables medley that features 'Baby Why', 'What Kind Of World' and 'Salt Of The Earth'. It's records like this that keep me interested in Jamaican music: endlessly inventive and a lot of fun.

Anyway, here are some of the original vocals used in these two singles - I hope you enjoy them.