Pull Up: Fever Pitch Riddim

Here is a sure shot riddim for the summer: Fever Pitch, one that is sure to make sweaty clubs go nuts. On this post, we'll explore some of the top cuts on the Fever Pitch Riddims for your summertime riddim running fun.

One of the first cuts on Fever Pitch is Bunny General's 'Full Up a Class' first appearing on 12" in 1992. This pivotal cut is overshadowed by a huge hit on the Fever Pitch in 1993: 'Limb by Limb' by Cutty Ranks, one of the biggest dancehall cuts from the 90s altogether. On his album 'Wickedness Increase', General Levy also rode the riddim in 1993 on his track 'Champagne Body' (a hit on its own). In 1994, the Fever Pitch was heavily adopted for "girl tracks". Among them is Janet Lee Davis' 'I Will Always Love You', Sweet Tea's 'Breathe Again', and Louchie Lou and Michie One's gigantic hit single 'If I was a Rich Girl'. 'If I was a Rich Girl' was loosely based on the 'Fiddler on the Roof' showtune 'If I Were a Rich Man' and was resurrected by Dr. Dre in 2004 for Gwen Stefani and Eve's single 'Rich Girl.

The Lowdown:
Bunny General 'Full Up a Class'
from 'Full Up a Class' 12" (1992) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Cutty Ranks 'Limb By Limb'
from 'Limb By Limb' (1993) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
General Levy 'Champagne Body'
from 'Wickedness Increase' (1993) (MP3/CD not available)
Janet Lee Davis 'I Will Always Love You'
from 'V/A - Fever Pitch' (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Sweet Tea 'Breathe Again'
from 'Breathe Again' 12" (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Louchie Lou and Michie One 'If I was a Rich Girl'
from 'II Be Free' (1994) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
Topol 'If I Was a Rich Man'
from 'Fiddler on the Roof' (1962) (MP3/CD)
Gwen Stefani and Eve 'Rich Girl'
from 'Love Angel Music Baby' (2004) (MP3/CD)

Related Posts:
Pull Up: Stalag Riddim
Pull Up: Two Sevens Clash Riddim
Pull Up: Darker Shade of Black Riddm
Pull Up: Sleng Teng Riddim
Pull Up: I'm Still in Love with You Riddim
Pull Up: Drum Song Riddim

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: I'm Still in Love with You Riddim

For this edition of Pull Up, we are focusing our attention on the I'm Still in Love with You Riddim (or Three Piece Suit Riddim), a sure fire riddim 40 years after its first appearance with some of dancehall's most notable singles using it as a basis.

'I'm Still in Love with You' was originally done by reggae legend Alton Ellis (who tragically died October of this year). Ten years later, the track would be resurrected as a popular riddim and spawned some essential dancehall party starters. Marcia Aitken's 'I'm Still in Love with You Boy' is an undeniable classic. The extended version features Trinity's equally memorable 'Three Piece Suit', which was also released on the album 'Three Piece Suit'. Perhaps the most well known version on the riddim is Althea and Donna's runaway hit 'Uptown Top Ranking' which became a huge hit in the UK and is still a staple on dancefloors.

The Lowdown:
Alton Ellis 'I'm Still in Love with You'
Marcia Aitken 'I'm Still in Love with You Boy'
Trinity 'Three Piece Suit'
from 'Three Piece Suit' (1977) (MP3/Import CD)
Althea and Donna 'Uptown Top Ranking'
from 'Uptown Top Ranking' (1977) (MP3/CD)

Pull Up: Sleng Teng Riddim

There isn't much praise given to Casio keyboards in the history of music, but one of the most significant riddims to come out of Jamaica was allegedly built from the Casio MT-40. King Jammy and Wayne Smith introduced the first fully computerized riddim to the world: Wayne Smith's 'Under Me Sleng Teng'. The riddim was an instant hit and several artists were put over top of the track.

The most notable early Sleng Teng track (with the exception of the original) is Johnny Osbourne's 'Buddy Bye' which was later the anchor track on his album 'Mr. Buddy Bye'. Another Jammy produced hit on the riddim is 'Pumpkin Belly' by Tenor Saw. Other excellent mid 80s Sleng Teng tracks include Sugar Minott's 'Jam in the Streets' and Papa Faith's 'Maniac'.

Jammy would celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the riddim with a slightly updated version called Sleng Teng Resurrection. The Sleng Teng has become one of the most used riddims in dancehall - all thanks to a Casio.

The Lowdown:
Wayne Smith 'Under Me Sleng Teng'
from 'Under Mi Sleng Teng' (1985) (MP3/CD)
Johnny Osbourne 'Buddy Bye'
from 'Mr. Buddy Bye' (1985) (MP3/CD not available)
Tenor Saw 'Pumpkin Belly'
Sugar Minott 'Jam in the Streets'
Papa Faith 'Maniac'

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)

Pull Up: Two Sevens Clash Riddim

Not unlike the 'War of the Worlds' radio broadcast, 'Two Sevens Clash' by Culture led to widespread panic in Jamaica. Based on a prediction by the national hero of Jamaica, Marcus Garvey; one of the reggae band Culture's biggest singles warned of a day of judgment on July 7th, 1977 leading to schools and businesses closing temporarily. Of course nothing happened, but 'Two Sevens Clash' is still played by dancehall DJ in the know on July 7th.

The Two Sevens Clash Riddim is not among the most popular riddims in dancehall, but still has a handful of worthwhile sides. 'Your Love is Real' from Barry Brown's album 'Far East' and 'No Watch That' by U. Brown are notable Two Sevens Clash versions. In 2003, Culture joined Anthony B for a remake of 'Two Sevens Clash' on Anthony B's 2003 album 'Street Knowledge' (note to Ice Cube: while you were out making equels to 'Friday' and 'Barbershop', dudes were naming their album 'Street Knowledge'. Weren't you in 'Tresspass'? Regulate on that!).

31 years past the date, 'Two Sevens Clash' has lost a bit of its chilling, foreboding edge; but it's still a summer jam (even if it is dramatically apocalyptic). Give it a play tonight and celebrate the end of the world that wasn't.

The Lowdown:
Culture 'Two Sevens Clash'
from 'Two Sevens Clash' (1977) (MP3/CD)
Barry Brown 'Your Love is Real'
from 'Far East' (1995) (MP3 not available/CD not available)
U. Brown 'No Watch That'
Anthony B and Culture 'Two Sevens Clash'
from 'Street Knowledge' (2003) (MP3/CD)

Pull Up: Stalag Riddim

For the first post in this blog's section dedicated to dancehall, I chose to devote a two post arc about the Stalag Riddim (concluding next post with Sister Nancy's influence on hip-hop). The Stalag Riddim is, possibly, the most used dancehall riddim with well over a hundred versions over its 30 year lifetime. The origin of the Stalag Riddim is 1973's 'Stalag 17' by the Techniques, produced by Winston Riley.

The bulk of the classic dancehall songs recorded on the Stalag Riddim are from the early 80s, including two of the most recognizable dancehall singles of all time: 'Bam Bam' and 'Ring the Alarm'. 'Bam Bam' from Sister Nancy's 1982 album 'One, Two' (which is full of classics) is a sure-fire party starter and a popular sample source for 90s hip-hop. Similarly, Tenor Saw's immortal 'Ring the Alarm' is one of dancehall's most played singles.

Not as widely known as 'Bam Bam' and 'Ring the Alarm', but a giant hit in Jamaica, is Big Youth's 'All Nations Bow' from 1982's The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style'. One of my personal favorite versions on the Stalag Riddim is 'Love is the Light' by dancehall veteran and Massive Attack co-conspirator Horace Andy. Andy's vocals are fit for almost any riddim, but they work wonderfully on this track.

The Lowdown:
The Techniques 'Stalag 17'
Sister Nancy 'Bam Bam'
from 'One, Two' (1982) (MP3/CD not available)
Tenor Saw 'Ring the Alarm'
Big Youth 'All Nations Bow'
from 'The Chanting Dread Inna Fine Style' (1982) (MP3/CD)
Horace Andy 'Love is the Light'