things and time will tell.

Nuyorican Soul featuring Jocelyn Brown & Roy Ayers – I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun / Sweet Tears Talkin' Loud – TLXX 26, Giant Step Records – 574 969-1 Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM, Single, UK, Oct 13, 1997 info Look, I'm often a mess. That's just par for the course and whatever is stressing me out on any particular day probably isn't dramatically changing my playlist. Sure, there are songs that mostly get a spin when I've got some anger to work out and others that come out when the clouds break and I'm in a lighter mood . But when life actually feels  broken , when things are clearly impossible and I just can't will myself into seeing how progress is possible, there are two or three songs that I go back to over and over again. I'm definitely not the most religious person that you know, but I think I'd say those songs give me hope on some kind of spiritual level. Faith? Maybe. It's not completely rational and I gave up trying to self-analyze on ...

Dr. Alimantado – Dread Lock's Music / The Challis Blaze AT IT – none Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Jamaica, 1975 info Dr. Alimantado weighs in on the Greenwich Farm sound system scene in this next cut to my last post,  Dance In A Greenwich Farm ,  also from 1975. The DJ picks up the chalice  baton from Cornell Campbell, chanting his own praises of King Tubby's sound and the dreads at the dance. On the B side, instead of a dub, the good doctor keeps riding that same Bunny Lee rhythm (although the lyrics drift a bit from the sound system to touch on some more, ah, medicinal concerns...). Dr. Alimantado's first album, Best Dressed Chicken In Town , came out in 1978, but was actually compiled from singles the DJ had recorded between '73 and '76. This record comes from that same period, when he recorded most of his greatest material. ( His last appearance on these pages was from just a couple years later, mixed by the Upsetter, Lee Perry, who we sadly lost last week.) I know ...

Cornell Campbell – Dance In A Greenwich Farm Clocktower Records – CT714 Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, US, 1975 info Quick post of another Jamaican favorite. Maybe a little more upbeat than my usual reggae picks, it seemed perfect for the beautiful weather earlier today. Hopefully people get a little peace and time away from work and the struggles of the world for Labor Day... and hopefully that provides some time to play this loud and enjoy. Cornell Campbell tells the story of a dance in the Greenwich Farm neighborhood. The dreads are there to rub a dub, listening to latest sounds booming from King Tubby's sound system... but everyone has to worry about police busting up the dance and the baldheads are there to wreck the party. The song takes you back to the time of the foundation sound systems... If you're interested, the sound quality isn't perfect, but you can hear a tape of a 1975 session by Tubby's sound with the legendary U-Roy on the mic that someone has posted...