Deep Tracks 20

1. Jah Jah Way - Jackie Bernard
2. Babylon Street - The Gladiators
3. Pressure and Slide - The Tennors
4. Chinatown - Don Drummond
5. Right Time - Mighty Diamonds
6. International Herb - Culture
7. To the Fields - Herman
8. Mother and Child Reunion - The Pioneers
9. Louie, Louie - Toots & the Maytals
10. Kung Fu Fighting- The Cimarons
11. Tears of a Clown - The Chosen Few
12. Can't Get Next to You - The Jay Boys
13. Message From A Black Man - Derrick Harriot
14. Liberation - Bunny Wailer
15. No Need To Wonder - African Brothers
16. Put it On - Bob Marley & the Wailers
17. Feel the Spirit - The Ethiopians
18. Sounds and Pressure - Hopeton Lewis
19. Don't Look Back - Keith and Tex
20. Oh What A Feeling - Justin Hinds
21 . The Maddening Crowd - ?
22. Man In the Hills - Burning Spear

http://rapidshare.com/files/269945715/Deep_Tracks_20.zip

Today we venture backwards to Deep Tracks 20 - Reggae Uprising. In many ways roots reggae was a first love. With the paucity of decent tunes in the 80's I gravitated toward reggae. Sunsplash was touring Jamaican acts and I had the chance to see the Mighty Diamonds, Steel Pulse, Black Uhuru, U-Roy, Pablo Moses, Brigadier Jerry, Freddie Macgregor, Burning Spear, and many others. My first record purchases were from Rough Trade's Jamaican import bin south of Market in SF.

It's difficult to say what exactly fueled this mix. What distinguishes these tunes from all of the schwag reggae I had to sift through to pull these? I think you'll agree they are all tight and representative of some of the most important artists. Also it appears that I believe reggae died in 1980. Check it!

Deep Tracks 66

1. I'm Going Back to Old Kentucky (take 2)-Bill Monroe
2. Long Journey Home-Lilly Brothers
3. Rocky Top-Lookout Mountain Boys
4. Singing All Day and Dinner On The Ground-Jimmy Martin & The Sunny Mountain Boys
5. Whitehouse Blues-Merle Travis & Joe Maphis
6. Weary Lonesome Blues-Roy Cobb and the Coachmen
7. Little Maggie – Josh Graves
8. I'll Be Going To Heaven Sometimes-Flatt & Scruggs
9. Prisoner's Song-Vern & Ray
10. Midnight Special-Bill Emerson And Cliff Waldron
11. It's Mighty Dark To Travel-Walter Hensley
12. On And On-Ted Lundy & the Southern Mountain Boys
13. Sally Goodin-Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys
14. Sitting On Top Of The World-Jim & Jesse & The Virginia Boys
15. My Cabin In Caroline-Osborne Brothers
16. Bending The Strings-Allen Shelton
17. Are You Lost In Sin-Cliff Waldron
18. I'm Just Here To Get My Baby Out of Jail-Red Allen Frank Wakefield and Good Ol Boys
19. Tenbrooks And Mollie-Joe Maphis & Rose Lee Maphis
20. Cryin' Holy Unto The Lord-Red White
21. Nine Pound Hammer-Doc Watson
22. Ridin' That Midnight Train-Earl Scruggs
23. Look For Me-J. D. Crowe & the Kentucky Mountain Boys
24. Old Time Religion-Larry Richardson
25. Just A Little Talk With Jesus-Stanley Brothers
26. Roll in My Sweet Baby's Arms-Lester Flatt
27. Mule Skinner Blues-Bill Monroe & His Bluegrass Boys
28. Will The Circle Be Unbroken-Curly Ray Cline
29. Swing Low Sweet Chariot-Curly Seckler
30. Big River-Dan Crary
31. Pretty Polly-Earl Taylor & Jim McCall

http://rapidshare.com/files/267092251/Deep_Tracks_66.zip

I always considered bluegrass, hillbilly, and traditional country music guilty pleasures. My wife mocked me endlessly about being a Jew that listens to hillbilly gospel. If listen closely you can hear what I hear and that is the blues and I like the blues. Cracker blues but blues nonetheless.

Life was certainly challenging for poor rural whites in the antebellum south. The country and sacred songs heard are mostly rooted in the balladry of the late 19th century and the dance culture that abounded in the South. Shit. It's not like they had cable. But what they did have were stringed instruments and they also understood that if you put enough strings and voices together you could play a dance and make money.

What resonates is the realness of these artists. Most lived and died in honky tonks and bars. These were men and women that loved, fought, and drank too much. They got strung out on dope and stabbed each other in the back. It was a culture of honor and subterfuge; of subterranean provincialism and otherworldly spirituality. They fucked and killed one another. They sanctified nature and God's beauty and they were doomed to abject poverty. This compilation reflects these people. And I like 'em. They represent something unique to America that we can claim as our own.

Most of this music came through some other great blogs including Friends of Old Time Music: http://fobgm.blogspot.com. Check it out.

Deep Tracks 65

1. Spark Plug – Melvin Sparks

2. Midnight Train – Jim & Jessie and the Virginia Boys

3. It’s Your World – Gil Scott Heron

4. Can’t Get Enough – Jimmy Smith

5. Africadelic – Manu Dibango

6. Hold On I’m Coming – Fred Ramirez

7. Just A Little Talk With Jesus – The Bluegrass Cardinals

8. Yield Not > Turn On Your Lovelight – Derek Trucks Band

9. Poppin’ – Boogaloo Joe Jones

10. She Thinks I Still Care – Lou Johnson

11. Kiss and Run – Buddy Miles

12. Mamblues – Cal Tjader

13. Sideway Shuffle – Unda Lewis

14. What You Can Bring – Watts 103^rd Street Rhythm Section

15. Be Bop Wine – The Lamplighters

16. Love Me Baby – Little Junior and the Blue Flames

17. I Got You Babe – The Majestics

18. Changes – Buddy Fite

19. Beware – Lou Courtney

20. Many Rivers To Cross – Little Milton

21. Walk That Walk – Eddie Bo

22. Sugar Hill – The Three Sounds

http://rapidshare.com/files/267092248/Deep_Tracks_65.zip

I am not sure what connects me to Hillbilly music but I love stuff like the Virginia Boys "Midnight Train". Something about the accents, the speed and dexterity of the playing, and the great imagery. Don't know much about this band but they rip up this standard and check out the lids on these dudes.

What a great singer and songwriter Gil Scott Heron was. He embodies so much of the struggle that surrounded African American music: racism, drugs, corruption. His poetry remains powerful today and his best stuff from the 70's is classic.

Fred Ramirez boogaloos through the classic Stax hit Hold on I'm Coming. A terrific rearrangement of this song with a propulsive latin percussion and a timeless quality. Blistering.

Buddy Miles enjoyed brief fame in the late 60's drumming with Jimi Hendrix in Band of Gypsys and later with Carlos Santana in a freakin' volcano. Probably made this comp because of the dazzling fro.

Deep Tracks 64

1. Hot Tamales – Noble Watts
2. Brutal Out Deh – The Itals
3. If It Ain’t Me – Curtis Salgado & Terry Robb
4. Hook & Boogie Pt. 1 – Abraham
5. Hold It! – Billy Butler
6. Is It Clear – Osiris
7. Loosen Up – Alan Bown
8. The Circus – Eric Rhame
9. Bolingo Ya Bougie – Orchestre OK Jazz
10. Be Easy – Sharon Jones and the Dapkings
11. If I Could Reach Out – Otis Clay
12. Get Involved - George Soule
13. Be Black – Grady Tate
14. Preacher’s Blues – The Johnny Otis Show Live
15. Devilry – Cablidos
16. Got To Be Some Changes Made – The Staple Singers
17. Boogaloo de Johnny – Johnny Pacheco (remix)
18. I’ve Got Enough – Johnny Fry
19. Anyone But You – Syl Johnson
20. Roll In My Sweet Baby’s Arms – Doc Watson
21. But It’s Alright – Mongo Santamaria
22. Wicked Messenger – David Nelson Trio

http://rapidshare.com/files/264848354/Deep_Tracks_64.zip

Noble Watts is one of the roots of the rock n roll tree. Blistering screaming saxophone especially for the pretty girls.

The Itals released three roots albums all around 1980 and they are all crucial albums that are easily in my top 15 reggae platters. Other than the fact that Brutal Out Deh seems to have been recorded with the band in one room and the mics in another, it is a great, great song with almost perfect harmony vocals.

I was happy to grab a copy of Curtis Salgado and Terry Robb's album. Both are Oregonians I have had the pleasure of seeing many many times and both are extremely underrated musicians. Robb in particular can play anything.

Billy Butler was another builder working on the soul jazz building.He is always pictured smoking a pipe and he loved to work the volume knob to great effect.

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings are the finest living proponents of real soul. Period.