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.

More Medley

Here's a nice little medley from the Clarendonians (well, Peter & Ernest - seems like Freddie couldn't make it) - a guided tour of some of their biggest hits. There are a couple of tunes in there that I can't quite put my finger on, so it'd be nice to get a list of all seven. This record came out on 'Green Door' in the UK, but I've always preferred the artwork of this Jamaican release.

So here it is, 'Seven In One (Medley)'. I hope you enjoy.

El Manisero

I usually try to avoid posting stuff that's been reissued, but today's an exception. I've recorded this single off a 13-year old cassette tape, and it's by one of my favourite bands. It's 'Peanut Vendor' by the Light Of Saba: if you don't know them already PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go and pay their pension by buying one of their reissues on Honest John's record label - all are excellent, so whichever one you get you will not regret it. 

'Peanut Vendor' is a very well-known song: it was the first million-selling record of Cuban music, and has had over 160 versions - not all of them good (the English lyrics are famously shit). The Light Of Saba version is one of my favourites (the other one is by the Alegre All-Stars), and the other side, 'Wisdom' is one of Michael Ras Star's best songs (second perhaps, to 'Jah Man Of Calvary'). Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Here's the very first recording of 'El Manisero':

Gunman Connection

Here's some early tracks by dancehall genius Little John. He got his stage name from the fact that he was just 9 when he cut his first record, a great version of 'Give Me The Right' called '51 Storm'. He would've been about 12 or 13 when he recorded this one, and his voice already sounds a lot bigger than his age.

Here he teams up with fellow prodigy Billy Boyo for what I think is one of the best 'connection' songs, and does a solo version on the flip. If you can't quite place the rhythm, it's the In Crowd's 'Milk & Honey' (Dennis Brown also did a version). So, 'Bushmaster Connection' - I hope you enjoy it.

Here's the original:

A bit of a mystery

Something a little different this week, some UK digital roots. When I picked up this 10" white label from Daddy Kool's at the start of the nineties, they couldn't remember what it was called or who it was by. Someone later called me it was 'Authorised Rock' by Keety Roots so I just went with that.

I'm still not sure who it's by, what it's called, or if it even has a name. If you google 'Keety Roots Authorised Rock' the only results you'll find all show the same 10" single with my handwriting on it. I'm pretty sure there's not too many copies around, but that's about it.