Friday, December 11, 2009

clash like lightnin', crash like t'under

Predating the Gussie Clarke produced debut for Trojan, "Screaming Target", this infectious slice of roots (aka "S.90 Skank") was originally released as a 45 on the Mafia, Down Town imprint; produced by Keith Hudson, a dentist by profession and an impresario by choice.

The single proved so popular in Jamaican dance halls that it promptly went gold. As gold as the crowns on Big Youth's teeth.

Kicking in with a motorcycle engine rumble which thrills and vibrates like a horse driven sex aid, Big Youth is soon toasting like Sinatra on a sinsemilla jag.

Manley Augustus Buchanan proved something of a disappointment to his evangelist mother and policeman dad, presumably, by dropping out of school at age fourteen to run errands at the car pools in Kingston's Sheraton and Skyline hotels. Soon he graduated to chasing fares as a jobbing cab driver, and began collecting a respectable wage as an apprentice mechanic. His real passion - like any Kingston youth - was music, toasting and girls. He was good enough that he progressed quickly through the ranks to become the top draw for the Lord Tippertone Hi-Fi Sound System.

Big Youth was the nickname given him while busking as a mechanic.

On the desks he was Jah Youth, young god of the Kingston sound, and not wholly without a social conscience. 1973's "
Screaming Target" helped cement the political tone which in part replaced the escapist hedonism of rocksteady and ska in the dance halls.

A confrontational rumbling the authorities in Kingston would find hard to contain. And his father harder to forgive, maybe.

BIG YOUTH: ACE 90 SKANK from "Ace 90 Skank" 45 (Mafia, Down Town) 1972 (Jamaica)


Ramone666 said...

When you ride like lightnin´, you´ll crash like thunder... Never heard this particular version before, only had the S90 version. Ta!

ib said...

You're welcome. The intention was to unearth some early Upsetters I have on a Trojan Box - five not three - somewhere, but I've mislaid it or worse. I have cravings for some deeper dub... The Joe Gibbs sound is too clean, Culture cropping up in the petri dish too.

Ramone666 said...

May I suggest Under Heavy Manners?

ib said...

Noted. Thanks.

anto said...

a general point prompted by your dub stuff ib, what an amazing time the '70s were for music. Maybe the consequences of the 60s were still being processed and, along with technology and relative newness of certain sounds music as diverse as they types that were around had a chance to flurish while the world watched in some sort of awe. I'm sure at the time no-one seen the significance of it but to think of the diversty of balck music alone of the 70s, from S Wonders motown records to funk to Fela to dub and Funkadelic. Jesus, you could say the same abount folk, punk and the later stuff like J Div and Fall. Amazing. When i stand back and think about it, i could probably think of 20-30 of records since then which have any real relavance (a few more for personal preference but fairly dirivative stuff). Think of the 70s and the list goes on and on. The irish times published their albums of the decade for the last 10 yrs and leaving aside any obvious hateful points to be made about that style of thing, the sheer lack of worth as a barometer of our times is shocking. Can't think of anything current which matches yr dub tunes is what i'm trying to say (currently drunk/celebrating exam success)

ib said...

Congratulations, anto.

If I ever have the need for a medicinal tonic or a 'cocktail maker' I'll be sure to look you up. I just realised what you were referring to a few days back with regard to "economic ruin". I was literally staggered when I heard about the detail from The Oireachtas; that is one budget announcement which would increase the demand for razor blades round here, and no mistake.

You're not wrothe stuff producedng about the shocking calibre of home produced talent these days. There has scarcely been anything worth listening to in the past 15 years at least. And it's not just Cowell and Walsh to blame either.

I might ordinarily suspect myself of simply drifting into old farthood on a Prozac cushion, but when you stop and seriously sample the 'product' one is left with little doubt.


ib said...

As for that "wrothe stuff producedng"; that was a genuine typo. It is too early in the evening to begin speaking in tongues.

Anto said...

to put the latest irish budget in perspective there was an allowance of and extra 8 quid a week given to blind folk on top of std social welfare payments. they have cut it. and this is a govt which is a colation of 2 parties which include The Greens!!. Talking of which, i'm off to hit the pipe.