Pull Up: Drum Song Riddim

It's been over a month since our last Pull Up installment (it's hard to think irie with the weather as cold as it is, this doesn't apply to Jamaica of course) so let's dig some more reggae and dancehall. I'm still feeling the Darker Shade of Black riddim, as can be easily noted by looking at the tracklist of my latest mix (blatant plug), so I am going to cover another riddim based on a Jackie Mittoo tune: the Drum Song riddim.

'Drum Song' was originally released on the 1968 album 'Evening Time' by Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors (early copies of the single list the artist as just the Soul Vendors). An early version of the song appeared in 1969 with Derrick Morgan's 'Seven Letters'.

By the late 70s and early 80s, dub was in fashion and the Drum Song riddim was among the many that were getting notice from dub producers. The riddim is the basis for Joe Gibbs and the Professionals' track 'Power Pack' from their 1978 dub album 'African Dub - All Mighty Chapter Four' and it was also used three years later by Scientist for 'Drum Song Dub' on his absolutely essential dub album 'Scientific Dub', one of a string of excellent recordings from Scientist. In the 90s, Drum Song was used by Gregory Isaacs on his track 'Kill them with Music' and it appeared on Dawn Penn's 1994 comeback (cash-in?) album 'No, No, No' on the track 'Samfi Boy'.

The Lowdown:
Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors 'Drum Song'
from 'Evening Time' (1968) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Derrick Morgan 'Seven Letters'
from 'Seven Letters' 7" (1969) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Joe Gibbs and the Professionals 'Power Pack'
from 'African Dub - All Mighty Chapter Four' (1978) (MP3/CD)
Scientist 'Drum Song Dub'
from 'Scientific Dub' (1981) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Gregory Isaacs 'Kill them with Music'
from 'Pardon Me' (1991) (MP3/CD not available)
Dawn Penn 'Samfi Boy'
from 'No, No, No' (1994) (MP3/CD not available)

Related Post:
Pull Up: Darker Shade of Black Riddim

Pull Up: Darker Shade of Black Riddim

In this installment of Pull Up, this blog's look at reggae and dancehall, we'll be investigating the background of the Darker Shade of Black Riddim.

The origin of the Darker Shade of Black Riddim are still highly debated in dancehall circles, but the first appearance was either Soul Dimension's 'Darker Shade of Black' or Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors' 'Darker Shade of Black'. Trained ears may notice a more than passing resemblance to the Beatles' single 'Norwegian Wood', though they do not have any writing credits for 'Darker Shade of Black'. Some classic cuts on the Darker Shade of Black Riddim include Augustus Pablo's dub exploration 'The Red Sea', James Eastwood's electric guitar peppered 'Darkest Night', and dancehall great Dennis Brown's 'Dark Continent'.

Recently, the Darker Shade of Black has appeared as the backing of some of dancehall's bigger singles. The most notable is Mr. Vegas' laid-back banger 'Lean Wid It'. I'm not one to pester the DJ; but when I first heard my friend Geoffro play this, I had to storm the booth to know what it was. A more recent track on the riddim is Cherine's 'Kingston State of Mind', which is blazing hot despite the possible Billy Joel title reference.

The Lowdown:
Jackie Mittoo and the Soul Vendors 'Darker Shade of Black'
The Beatles 'Norwegian Wood (The Bird Has Flown)'
from 'Revolver' (1965) (MP3 not available/CD)
Augustus Pablo 'The Red Sea'
James Eastwood 'Darkest Night'
Dennis Brown 'Dark Continent'
Mr. Vegas 'Lean Wid It'
from 'Hot It Up' (2007) (MP3/CD)
Cherine 'Kingston State of Mind' (Redemption Mix)
from 'Kingston State of Mind' (2008) (MP3/CD not available)

BONUS CUT:
Version time: Mr. Vegas 'Lean Wid It' (Instrumental)