Rich's Reggae (and Stuff) 28th April 2013

It seems my radio shows are like buses; you wait weeks for one and two come along right next to each other! Having played an hour of non-stop Northern Soul last night I got really brave tonight and switched my mic on to present an hour of Reggae (and Stuff). 

There's no particular theme to the playlist although I played more new music than is my norm with brand new tunes from The Nomarks, Morning Sun & the Essentials, Soloman and the wonderfully-named Dirty Undies. It has been something of a bugbear of mine recently that most new ska music sounds the bleeding same but I'm delighted to be proved wrong on this occasion.

There are links below to the newer bands and tracks I played. Please take a little time to check them out and if you like their stuff let them know. It always does folks good to be told their efforts are appreciated and bands are no exception - let's offset some of the undeserved adoration heaped on non-entities like Bieber,  One Direction, etc and tell those bands producing REAL music that it is appreciated and valued.

Sermon over, here's the playlist:

1. Nora Dean - Mama

2. Ansel Collins - Double or Nothing

3. The Nomarks – No One Wants To Know

4. Morning Sun & the Essentials - Love Agenda

5. Al Barry & the Cimarons - Morning Sun

6. Winston Samuels - Lick It Back

7. Dave Barker & the Selecter - Scorpion Hits Back

8. Mark Foggo's Skasters - Mama Don't Like It

9. Blue Riddim Band - Come See About Me

10. Soloman - Night & Day (feat. Aswad)

11. Dirty Undies - The Right Time

12. A.R.T.S. - Poker Face

13. Justin Hinds & the Dominoes - Botheration

14. Bob Marley & the Wailers - Ska Jerk

15. The Viceroys - Sometimes (Channel One Version)

16. Jackie Edwards - Come On Home

17. Desmond Dekker - That's the Way Life Goes

18. Val Bennett - Tons of Gold 

The show can be streamed on the Fusion mixlr page and downloaded/streamed on Soundlcoud until it is replaced by a future show (usually about 2 weeks).

Saturday Night Northern

I haven't been making radio shows for a few weeks due to another extended trip to the Dark Side. When I'm ill sometimes even music loses its magic, however there's only so much shit TV you can watch and so many walks you can give the dog before something has to give, the headphones must be donned and music pumped into the tortured mind. 

As I'm such a generous soul I decided it was only fair that I share some of this medicinal music with folks; hence this, an hour of non-stop Northern Soul that I used to blank out the horrors of Saturday Night TV. There was no waffle, just a selection of what I consider to be some of the greatest tunes ever committed to vinyl!

1. Steve Karmen Big Band - Breakaway

2. R. Dean Taylor - There's a Ghost in My House

3. Frankie and the Classicals - What Shall I Do

4. Don Thomas - Come on Train

5. Earl Van Dyke - Six By Six

6. Teddy Vann - (The Theme From) Coloured Man

7. Wombat - I'm Getting On Life

8. Sandy Nelson - Leap Frog

9. Gene McDaniels - Walk With A Winner

10. Reparata and the Delrons - Panic

11. Adam's Apples - Don't Take It Out On This World

12. Chuck Wood - Seven Days Too Long

13. Father's Angels - Bok to Bach

14. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - The Night

15. Dean Parrish - Determination

16. Beverly Ann - He's Coming Home

17. Rosetta Hightower - Big Bird

18. The Barry Gray Orchestra - Joe 90

19. The Ventures - Hawaii Five-0 Theme

20. Edwin Starr - Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache

21. Dana Valery - You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies

22. The Showmen - Our Love Will Grow

23. Steve Karmen Big Band featuring Jimmy Radcliffe - Breakaway (Part 2)

As always you can stream the show on the Fusion mixlr page and it will be on my Soundcloud page until evicted by another show.

Bombskare's Reggae (and Stuff) March 31st 2013

Tonight we at Fusion were honoured to be able to preview the brand new album by the Scottish Ska Juggernaut that is Bombskare and the band kindly gave us a fistful of copies to give away. For my money Bombskare are the finest ska band in the world today. They produce ska of the highest quality infused with an irresistible humour and upbeat, brassy bounciness! I asked each of the band members to choose a track for me to play on the show and they duly obliged. To this I added two tracks from the album and the rest of the playlist was drawn from a selection of tunes that the band said were favourites of theirs. I can't argue with their choices - there isn't a track on this playlist that I didn't enjoy! 

1. The Upsetters - Jungle Lion

2. The Silvertones - It's Real

3. The Blues Busters - Soon You'll Be Gone

4. Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra - Dream Express

5. The Skatalites - Exodus

6. Bombskare - Catastrofuck

7. Jimmy Soul - If You Want To Be Happy

8. The Granville Williams Orchestra - Honky Tonk Ska

9. Byron Lee and the Dragonaires - Jamaica Ska

10. The Upsetters - Return of the Django

11. Toots and the Maytals - Living in the Ghetto

12. The Maytals - It's You

13. Jimmy Cliff - Miss Jamaica

14. Dave & Ansel Collins - Double Barrell

15. Desmond Dekker - Get Up Edina

16. Prince Buster - Linger On

17. Bombskare - The Day the Earth Stood Stupid
18. Bombskare - Triplet Fiasco

The album is called The Day The Earth Stood Stupid and is available on CD from April 1st. I can't recommend it highly enough and would urge anyone that loves bouncy, brassy ska with a traditional and humorous feel to get a copy - you won't regret it!

Rich's Reggae (and Stuff) March 24th 2013

Tonight's show was all about Reggae (and Stuff) that was Barssy, Horny, Saxy or just plain Rude!

1. The Brass Action - Kiss My Brass

2. The Aggrolites - Dirty Reggae

3. Lester Sterling - Reggae On Broadway

4. Jackie Opel - Push Wood

5. Prince Fatty - Wet Dream (feat. George Dekker & Alcapone)

6. Lee "Scratch" Perry - Doctor Dick

7. Bad Manners - Only Funkin'

8. Ska Cubano - Big Bamboo

9. Bombskare - Triplet Fiasco

10. Mungo's Hi Fi - Divorce a L'Italienne (feat. Marina P)

11. Rico Rodriguez - Psychedelic Island

12. Nora Deal - Oh Mama

13. Jo Jo Bennett and the Mudies All Stars - In The Nude

14. Tappa Zukie - Take Nine

15. Tommy McCook and the Aggrovators - The Gorgon Of Dubs and Horns

16. Don Drummond - Alipang

17. Jackie Edwards - I Feel So Bad

18. Toots and the Maytals - Peeping Tom

19. Prince Buster - Wine or Grind

As usual the show is available until the next one replaces it on my Soundcloud page.

Rich's Reggae (and Stuff) March 10th 2013

Oldies all the way tonight, not for any other reason than that it's been a busy long week and I'm feeling old!

1. The Upsetters - Dollar In The Teeth (2:31)

2. Lyn Taitt & The Jets - Pressure & Slide (2:29)

3. Soul Vendors - Swing Easy (2:57)

4. The Selecter - The Whisper (3:01)

5. The Specials - Pearl's Cafe (3:06)

6. Madness - On the Beat Pete (3:02)

7. The Heptones - Sufferers Time (3:44)

8. Dr. Alimantado - I Shall Fear No Evil (2:14)

9. Al Brown - Here I Am Baby (4:07)

10. Sugar Minott - Oh Mr DC (6:26)

11. The Dynamites - The Lion Wakes (2:50)

12. King Tubby - Reggaedelic Version (2:45)

13. The Skatalites & King Tubby - Give Thanks (3:21)

14. Freddie Notes & The Rudies - Don't Tell Your Mama (2:29)

15. The Paragons - Danger In Your Eyes (2:50)

16. Ken Boothe - Old Fashioned Way (2:31)

17. Bob Marley & The Wailers - One Love (3:24)

18. Prince Buster - Freezing Up Orange Street (2:44)

As usual the show is available for download on my Soundcloud page - at least until I stick the next one up!

Cover Versions (and Stuff) Feb 24th 2012

Tonight's show was all about cover versions / alternate versions. Always great fun to do, these shows tend to lean more towards ska than reggae. This could indicate a lack of imagination on the behalf of ska bands but I prefer to think it's just that they recognise when a song can be improved by the application of some ska!

Here's the list:

1. Reggae Girls (aka The Ebony Sisters) - Rescue Me (Fontella Bass)
2. Simmertones - Dr Who (Ron Grainger)
3. Smoke Like a Fish - Smoke On The Water (Deep Purple)
4. Dreadzone - Iron Shirt (Max Romeo)
5. Pete Johnson - Crying In The Rain (Everley Brothers)
6. The Upsetters - My Girl (Temptations)
7. Marcia Griffiths - First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Roberta Flack)
8. Begoña Bang-Matu and The Shake It Up's - If You're Ready (Come Go With Me) (Staple Singers)
9. Suburban Legends - I Just Can't Wait to Be King (Disney)
10. The Butlers - Sock It To 'Em J.B. (Rex Garvin / Specials)
11. Hot 8 Brass Band - Ghost Town (Specials)
12. The Shake Spears - Summertime (Just about everyone!)
13. Alpha Blondy - I Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd)
14. Krystal/Shabba Ranks - Twice My Age (Terry Jacks)
15. Jackie Mittoo - Ska-culation (Chantays)
16. The Gaylettes - Son Of A Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield)
17. Reel Big Fish - Take On Me (Live) (Aha)

Postscript: some of the tunes I played tonight went down with some listeners like a fart in a spaceman's suit. I can only apologise! Should you be brave enough, you can hear the show on soundcloud and try to guess which ones went down so badly!

More Stuff than Reggae? Rich's Reggae (and Stuff) Feb 17th

It's quite an eclectic playlist for tonight's show. I saw Lee Perry earlier in the week and this is reflected in the list, along with a tune from his support act, the wonderful Laid Blak. The playlist had a bit of everything this week; some soul, a couple of cover versions, a fair bit of ska, a couple of seriously funky tunes and even some steel drums! Hope you enjoyed the show. If you haven't had a listen yet you can find it on my soundcloud page.

1. Tommy McCook - Freedom Sounds
2. Bombskare - Drum Boogie
3. Delroy Wilson - Get Ready (12 Inch Mix)
4. Ska Flames - Kiss Bam Bam
5. Fimber Bravo - The Way We Live Today
6. Lee Fields and the Expressions - You're The Kind Of Girl (Grant Phabao Remix)
7. Keith Rowe - Groovy Situation
8. Max Romeo - Chase the Devil
9. Bob Marley and Lee Perry - Shocks of Mighty, Pt. 1
10. Winston Edwards - Big Daddy Amin
11. Niney and Friends - Dub 51
12. Laid Blak - Shabba
13. Talisman - Free Speech 7" Mix
14. Baba Brooks - Teenage Ska
15. Roland Alphonso and the Upsetters - Roll On
16. The Boris Gardiner Happening Feat. Leslie Butler - Ghetto Funk