Silver and gold vanish away, but a good education will always stay.

-

Jah Thomas ‎– Gwan A School
Midnight Rock
Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, Jamaica, (1981/1982?)

Chicago teachers and students are heavily on my mind as they've just started returning to in-person school (under stressful and unfair conditions, natch)... I figured a return to our occasional series of school house reggae tunes was in order.

"Gwan A School" is Jah Thomas self-production released on his own Midnight Rock label, likely in 1981 or '82. Nkrumah Thomas landed hits both recording deejay cuts as Jah Thomas and as a producer for other classic dancehall vocalists. Here, Thomas rides a recut of the "Mean Girl" rhythm, named for Larry Marshall's track from the late 1960s(?).

Jah Thomas comes with lyrics that are straight PSA meets early 80s dancehall:

If you really can't spell / Then say a school gon' help / If you really can't write / Then say you really not right...

A verb is a doing word /  Adjective is a describing word / A noun is a name of a person, place or ting / But a love is all I bring / Say fi gwan a school / Bong-bong-biddly-bong

...Probably not a surprise if you've followed any of the posts here, but that works for me.

Like most of his best work, Jah Thomas is backed here by the Roots Radics, recorded at Channel One studio and mixed by the great Scientist at King Tubby's studio. Bassist, Flabba Holt, and drummer, Style Scott, once again work magic on a classic Studio One rhythm. The song's only appearance other than this single was on his 1982 "Dance Hall Stylee" LP (as "Gwine A School" for the patois trainspotters) and has never seen a CD or digital release as far as I know. The B side version, "School In Session," is a Scientist dub mix credited to "Jah Thomas & The Radicks." Extra keys, cowbell and echo, with some vocal bits drifting though at the start from "Hang Up The Telephone," a Junior Keating song on the same Jah Thomas production of Mean Girl. Pretty sure this is the only place to find this Scientist dub, a good reason to be forgiving about another noisy JA-pressed 45.


Tracklist
A Gwan A School
B School In Session

Enjoy!

Download FLAC: https://mega.nz/file/VWwQ2Ypa#cTZApByTeRg8CLfkYCOFaZ9dqz-8MHFFUw2gKVVv4iE

MP3 or stream: https://mega.nz/folder/1CAkkZQQ#2iSiMXu_-CSFOjO-MC1fjA

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