Johnny Osbourne made the transition from old school roots to 90s dancehall very smoothly. Listen to this 1987 banger and you can see why. He’s…
Tag: 80s
22/12/2020: “Wild Dog” by Stanley Clarke and George Duke
A collaboration between Stanley Clarke and George Duke was always going be obscenely funky. With Clarke on guitar and Duke on keys, this track blisters…
20/12/2020: “Soon-To-Be Innocent Fun/Let’s See” by Arthur Russell
Arthur Russell was a cello player. But I don’t want to do him a disservice – his creativity clearly went further than that. World Of Echo, released…
13/12/2020: “Talkin’ All That Jazz” by Stetsasonic
Sampling has long been a controversial part of hip hop culture. Not within hip hop, of course. But record labels have tended to feel strongly…
03/12/2020: “Vibes Is Right” by Barrington Levy
This one really took me by surprise. Barrington Levy is a great singer, for sure. But this burst of sheer soulfulness stands out! Instead of…
24/11/2020: “Here Comes Your Man” by The Pixies
Released in 1989, on Doolittle, this track was actually written quite a few years later, when frontman Black Francis was 14. It’s a very sweet,…
23/11/2020: “Youth Of Eglington” by Black Uhuru
For context, Eglington is an area of Toronto with a large Jamaican community. Brixton is an area of London with a large Jamaican community. And…
22/11/2020: “Surfin’ Dead” by The Cramps
The Cramps are one of the craziest bands ever. Their pioneering status in punk marks them out as legends regardless of their other attibutes. But,…
17/11/2020: “Feel The Drive (Instrumental)” by Doctor’s Cat
Sometimes I find that songs from the 80s and 90s have quite embarrassing lyrics. Especially so for genres such as Italo-Disco or Trance. This is…
08/11/2020: “Hot For Teacher” by Van Halen
Van Halen represent, for me, the epitome of classic hard rock. They do it all right – the blistering guitar solos, the turbulent drums, the…