Macka B

Dang dagga dang, dang dagga dang.....

Dread A Who She Love - Macka B and Kofi

The best song about a hair style....

Wet Look Crazy - Macka B

The man with the lyrics, Macka B, still touring and recording: myspace.com/mackab1

Young Man You're Too Girlie Girlie

Primary School Disco Memories from 1985. Apologies for the spelling errors of the youtuber above. Play this with Pass the Dutchie by Musical Youth and Smiley Culture's Police Officer and you've got my primary school disco's Reggae section right there. Follow it with the theme from Fame and you've got a party!

Girlie Girlie - Sophia George

The Other Mr Ranks

It's time for some Cutty Ranks, my second favourite DJ (Buju being number one). Here are two combination tracks and Cutty on his own. I haven't included the dancefloor smashes Who Say Me Dun and Limb By Limb here (also popular as Jungle remixes), saving them for the second volume. I have some other Cutty tracks I'm saving for Vol 2 but what I really want is The Stopper (which has a kind of stammer effect), I have it on a radio tape I made of Daddy Ernie's Reggae show on Choice FM. Surely this is prime for a reissue (Soul Jazz?).

I will write more on the fantastic Beres Hammond and legendary Marcia Griffiths later. But for now, enjoy the combination styles:

Love Mi Haffi Get - Beres Hammond and Cutty Ranks
Half Idiot - Marcia Griffiths and Cutty Ranks

and the 1991 hit (taken from Jetstar's Reggae Hits 9)

Sound Boy Retreat - Cutty Ranks

Shabba!

I've never been a big fan of Shabba Ranks but these are two great tracks that I couldn't leave out of the compilation. I did leave out the more obvious Mr Loverman which crossed over into the pop charts and has probably been heard quite enough by everyone already.

Twice My Age - Shabba Ranks and Krystal
Another great combination track, Mr Ranks with singer Krystal (who only recorded 3 tracks in her short career). Produced by Augustus 'Gussie' Clark, this is taken from Music Works Anthology, a double LP of hits from the studio I bought around 2002. The tune itself was released in 1990.

Pirates - Shabba Ranks, Home T and Cocoa Tea
Bit of an anthem for the community radio stations this one. DTI try stop us - Department of Trade and Industry. Specifically about England and the pirate radio stations, from Music Works and Gussie Clark again, 1989. The trio had 2 other hits together: Stop Spreading Rumours and Holding On but Michael "Home T" Bennett went on to concentrate on producing, setting up the label Two Friends with Patrick Lindsey.
In the late 80's I used to listen to Senator D on the Night Flight on a station called CCR - Classic Community Radio. He played mostly oldies and Ska. Later I tuned into Powerjam and Vibes FM for my Ragga fix.
This track is from my beloved Reggae Hits 7 LP (Jet Star) which will feature heavily on this compilation!

Last year Cocoa Tea recorded a track in honour of Obama, check it here if you missed it.

Who Say - Beres Hammond and Buju Banton

From the Buju Banton LP Mr Mention. Buju when he was just a young lad and had yet to find Rastafari and locks up. Check out the natty dresser on the cover, leopard skin, chiffon (sounds like Pat Butcher's wardrobe). On the back you get a full figure shot and can admire Buju's Clarks-style minicab driver sandals with a gold 'B' anklet. That was the style. A little flamboyant perhaps but that was Ragga, the original bling bling.

This duet contrasts Beres Hammond's sweet vocals with Buju's rough and throaty DJ style. Combination tracks were big favourites of mine and there'll be plenty on this compilation....

Who_Say_-_Buju___Beres.mp3

Intro

My friend Stella asked me to record some of my old vinyl Ragga tunes for her and basically I got carried away and decided to create a blog to accompany the compilation. So, welcome to The Ragga Years and I hope that you enjoy the music.
Ragga is now referred to as Dancehall but back in the late 80's and early 90's no one called it that. In 1985 Wayne Smith created the Sleng Teng rhythm on his Casio Music Box at King Jammy's studio in Kingston Jamaica and the rest is Ragga history. Digital had arrived and was here to stay.
Today I don't really listen to much modern music from Jamaica but prefer the classic analogue sounds of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae. Perhaps this is partly to do with age, partly that the music of the 1960s seems to endure. However I will always have a fondness for the Ragga sounds of the late 1980's and early 90's as this was when I grew up and when the sounds were fresh. Perhaps it is nostalgia, but one thing's for sure, those batty riders don't fit no more!
From the age of 13 I was into Ska, Rocksteady and Two Tone as well as some more mainstream pop of the time. Then when I was 14-15 I began to listen to contemporary music from Jamaica which flooded the streets of South London. Luckily I had been taught by my parents that vinyl was king and I largely ignored CDs when they arrived and stuck to buying records and taping them. This means that I now have quite a good collection of Ragga records in excellent condition. In fact I didn't realise how many I had accumulated over the years until I was asked to make this compilation.
Now that is enough words I think, time for the bass lines and Buju to do the talking....