Thursday, December 24, 2009

Move over, Bing.



Here's the obligatory Go-Fi holiday post:

"Groovy Christmas" - the Tropics

Despite the lyrics, I'm fairly certain these guys didn't have a clue about running in the snow. They were from Florida. I lived in Florida for 26 years and saw snow flurries twice.

"Merry Christmas" - Frank Cosmos

This is one of the few Jamaican ska tracks to feature an electric piano. It fits perfectly, though. Love the harmonica solo too.

Speaking of Jamaican Christmas tracks, I love this one:

"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" - Johnny Clarke

And yes, there is a "Santa Claus Dub" out there somewhere.

I'll leave you with a slightly less joyful take on the season:

"In the Hot Sun of a Christmas Day" - Caetano Veloso

If you're in dire need of more holiday goodness, check out Funky16Corners. They've been posting some fantastic stuff. Also, peep my buddy Gavin's holiday mix over at Unfashionably Late.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

It's that time of year.



We apologize for the lack of substantive posts, but we're both swamped with finals this week. So in honor of the mad end-of-the-semester rush, here's an appropriately melodramatic song with "school" in the title:

"The School Bus" - Lalo Schifrin

I'm currently finishing up my final paper, so hopefully Go-Fi will resume regular posting shortly.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Syntho-birds!

Some of you may remember this post from waaaaay back in the history of Go-Fi. While watching MST3K a few nights ago, I noticed some familiar music in the background of this scene from the truly awful "Pod People" -



(It begins at 2:56.)

Yep, that's Georges Rodi's "Morning Song" being ripped by Joel and the Bots. Awesome.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Dillon in Dub.



Phyllis Dillon, although a truly sublime artist in her own right, isn't exactly known as a popular source for versioning. That's part of the reason why I was so blown away when I finally heard Treasure Dub, Volumes 1 and 2. These two albums--which are currently out of print--contain dubs of classic Treasure Isle material from John Holt, Dobby Dobson, the Techniques, and others. Versions of Dillon's work show up on both volumes in characteristically spacy fashion. Dillon's voice--always the focus of her Jamaican hits--appears only sporadically here. Perhaps that's what makes these dubs so striking. We normally take her for granted as a cooing, simmering songstress. The echo bath demonstrates just how powerful (and mesmerizing) her voice is - it's an essential rhythmic element, not just a tool for melody.

I've included both the originals and the dubs in this post. Enjoy:

"Don't Touch Me Tomato" - Phyllis Dillon
"Touch A Dub" - Duke Reid

"The Love That a Woman Should Give to a Man" - Phyllis Dillon
"Love Chant" - Duke Reid

"Midnight Confessions" - Phyllis Dillon
"Midnight Dub" - Duke Reid

Note: These releases are typically credited to Jamaican music impresario (and Treasure Isle boss) Duke Reid, but I'm guessing that he wasn't the one at the mixing board. Anybody know who actually remixed the Treasure Isle stuff?