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FlashBack Friday: Yard Times

Hey guys and gals, I'm back with the sixth episode of the popular series FlashBack Friday (click for previous episodes) for the year like 2011.

This one's slightly different to the others. Not sure if it's holiday blues, but I've been tracing back songs that remind me of time spent in Jamaica. Jamaica is the land of reggae and dancehall , I don't take pictures, so naturally those songs remind me of my time. So, I've decided to document them all here. Bit of a personal one, so you may or may not enjoy it. Something I will deffo look back on in years to come to remember happy times. You'll have to guess the years.

p.s. you get the "Yard Times" play on words from "Hard Times"? Genius. It's far from hard times, truss me

To start you off nice and easy, these are my earliest memory of reggae. Before my first trip to Jamaica but I'm documenting them too

Lovingdeer - Wild Gilbert



Audio in the video is poor so here's a better quality version



Black Uhuru - Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

Earliest memory of loving and singing a reggae song is this. Still sounds great to this day. You see, I've always had the ear for classics ;)



Papa San & Lady G - Round Table Talk

First trip at a really young age. Dad always reminds me that this was my favourite song.



General Degree - Granny

Another one of my favourites. Actually bumped into him at the record shop. Aquarius di ting did deh.



Buju Banton - Batty Rider

Either the year or year after the bogle dropped. Either way, I learnt it this year. I have a house party on one of the little casstette tapes used for video cameras back in the day.



Joseph Stepper - Wife

I'm sure my dad loved this song. I just remember this being one of if not the more popular version from the riddim.



Tiger - Beep Beep Move Over

This song has stuck with me forever. I had a little motorbike dance my brother taught me lined up for this song. The dance looks like that Ring Ding Ding dance, except light years ahead and much better.



General Degree - Pianist

I wasn't allowed to sing this song. Nor were my cousins. I remember my cousin getting told off by my dad for singing it. Think she would have been around 12-14.



Daddy Screw and Donovan Steele - Kerry

Still love this riddim. Car Crash. Re-discovered it last year. I remember a big my aunt doing the world dance to this at a family party.

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Beenie Man - World Dance

Here is the dance of that year. Check the fashion them times. RIP father Bogle (dancer in the black created many dances as you'll see with the tribute post I wrote earlier this year)



Luciano - Ulterior Motive

Reminds me of being in Columbus Heights in Ocho Rios. My dad's friend and his wife were on their honeymoon. Mum, dad and I were in their room, he didn't want to go home and this was either on the radio or in my head at the time. Good times where my dad and his friends let me play Black Jack (card game not the Casino style though) with them. Only allowed to play one card at a time.



Anthony B - Raid The Barn

This reminds me of a car journey. Possibly on our way to Ocho Rios (mentioned above)



Red Rat - Shelly-Anne


Reminds me of my cousin teaching me the heel-and-toe. Fudgie by Goofy was on the same so it also reminds me of the ice cream man or "Fudgie" as they call/called them in Jamaica.



Bounty Killer - Look

Arguably the greatest Bounty song ever. I was there for NYE '99, the riddim's called the "Bug" after the Y2K Bug.



Caplteton - More Prophet

Capleton had up that Christmas. Fire man times.



Buju Banton - Driver

Anthem of Christmas '06. First time I heard a gun salute. Not gonna lie, I almost ducked for cover until I realised he was shooting in the air. Well, until I realised nobody else because they knew it was a gun salute.



Mavado - Last Night

Reminds me of Gran Market. Stood on top of the plaza in Morant Bay overlooking the proceedings with a bottle of Ting, stood with my parents, bussing gun finger. Mic man asked the patrons to raise their hands if they like Bounty Killer, Beenie Man and Vybz Kartel, but when asked for Mavado the place erupted.



(or listen to the raw here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pYavsK9sPg)

Tanya Stephens - These Streets

This blew me away. Love the use of similes like jerk chicken and festival from Mothers. (See what I did there?) Tanya wonders why her gangsta man doesn't love her like he loves these streets.



Richie Spice - Brown Skin

Reminds me of car journeys with mum and dad. They loved this riddim.



These next two remind me of the first session I went to. Good rass times. If I never went to this party, I don't know if I would've gone back every year after. The gal in that party were AMAZING! Jeeeez. Food and drink inclusive for less than a tenner I think. Vibes were crazy in there too. Man dem dancing kinda made me stick to a two-step, 'cos I weren't feeling to look like ethnic majority sometimes look in comparison to them.

Lol @ not grabbing a girl to these

p.s. unlike America and UK, Jamaican girls aren't really in the video girl thing. There are, like everywhere in the world, some really flippin' hot girls over there - just not in these videos. And boy did I find out the good way. Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez

Tony Matterhorn - Dutty Wine



Mr Vegas - Hot Wuk



Mavado - Warn Them

Remember seeing the loads of people break out the same dance to this song/riddim at popular street dance Shooters Hill (miss that place). Looked sick, but I didn't know the name. Obviously, practiced when I got home, told a few bredrins when I got back to England. Continue reading to find out what dance it was.



Mr. Vegas - Tek Weh Yuself

Continuing on from the story about this unnamed dance... Well you've guessed it was this. Dance ran the summer



Bugle - What Am Gonna Do

Anthem of the year hands down goes to this. I remember hearing this at Bembe (another event I don't think happens anymore but was really popular. Stupid government). Place got beat down. Huge forward.



Tarrus Riley - She's Royal

Number one reggae song for the year.



Pressure - Love & Affection

Always played after "She's Royal"



Sean Kingston - Beautiful Girls

T'rough the youth had a Jamaican influence to him ting, this was the biggest pop song.



Either Cham or Assassin had a version on the riddim, but I can't find it on YouTube. However, Beenie Man's one is. He made it specifically for RTI (as you'll hear on the intro), they dropped it at Daydreams. Everyone listened keenly after I think Jazzy T's introduction. The way the place went crrrrrrrrraaaaaaazzzzzzzzzzyyyyyyyyy when he says "The world dun know mi girl dem pretty like Barbee". Play on words because he was supposedly cheating on D'Angel with artist Barbee. D'Angel supposedly had a man in New York at the same time. Trial and crosses. Not even sure if the song went past that stage.



2007 aka the summer of Munga

Personal favourite of his that year: Wine Pon It



Munga - No Fraid A

Biggest song off the biggest juggling riddim. Caused ripples for the whole of summer. "Mi nuh see no flesh weh mi fraida!" *Killa walk*



Mavado - Squeeze Breast

Yow, Mavado's debut album provided to soundtrack of the summer. Every day we touched road, that album get beat. This was one of the only songs you could find a girl to dance with. In fact, I still remember dancing with one peng ting in orange at Wildsides. Yo, di girl did mad enuh!



Vybz Kartel - Send Fi Mi Army

This reminds me of my first Daydreams. Huge forward and still relatively fresh. First in a long line of anthems Vybz Kartel went on to produce with Stephen. Hadn't mastered the clarity and melodic verses he has now, but his hooks became catchier from this point onwards.



Mavado - Amazing Grace

Second time I ever heard gun shot buss in a dance was to this. Understandably so. Had to be Mavado's most evil tune at the time.



Konshens - Winner

Konshens' breakthrough song is to 2008 what Bugle's "What I'm Gonna Do" was to 2007. Serani "Stinkin' Rich," Vybz Kartel "Trailer Load Of Money" and Mavado "Money Changer" were always in the juggling too. This year was year of Blitz above/next to the Burger King in New Kingston.



Black Ryno - Thug Anthem

Radio DJs played this the week before ATI. Tuesday on the way to the aforementioned Blitz. Tony Matterhorn played it out that night. Mavado's piece got a big forward. Chi Ching Ching touched mic that night with his "We make the pocorn pop" talk. Used to annoy the hell out of me. Now I remember why I didn't like him. I do now though, hes a don.

Anyway, this is one of the top songs from the riddim.



Elephant Man - Nuh Linga

Energy God had a big year in '08, mainly through instructional dance songs.



Ooooooooo, just remembered this song on the same riddim, Flippa Mafia "Dem Yah"

First bling-bling dancehall artist I remember. Flash in the pan really because it was a novelty thing.



Vybz Kartel - Work Out

Reminds me of a house party. Far from ram but the vibes were good (which basically translates as rubbing off wall paper with people gal pickney)



So Special by Mavado was a big tune, but I hate that song so I won't be posting it.

G Whizz - Life

This is to 2009 what Konshens had the previous year with "Winner"



Chino - Never Change

A close competitor for anthem of the summer. I love this song, man. This evokes more memories than any other I think.



Ding Dong - Holiday

Dance of the summer was "Skip To Mu Lou" and "Holiday" was the unofficial dancing song of the year. Last song I remember hearing at a party (Smirnoff Exclusive).



Ramping Shop was big but it doesn't remind me of Yard Times, therefore I shan't be posting it.

Mr Vegas - Gallis

Riddim of the summer for me had to be Trippple Bounce. Think it ranks quite high in the greatest riddims list for me.



Vybz Kartel - Love Dem

Another one of those songs I hadn't heard prior to my trip. Crazy reloads. Kartel had a great working relationship up until this point. Broke down shortly after this song. Sad times. Them two did run the summer.



Popcaan - Gangster City

Introduced to Popcaan via "Clarks", this song made me take him seriously. Big tune.



Popcaan - Up Inna Di Club

One of the signature tune, because "Street Vybz Thursday, di realest party. It mi nuh put party above" is 1000000% correct. Every Thursday we were in attendance. Another party that is no longer. Turning into a trend isn't it? Shooters Hill, Bembe and Street Vybz all gone.



Aidonia - Bad People

Knew of this song before, but when you hear it amongst people that understand the vibe of it, explosive.



Vybz Kartel - Summer Time

Big summer song, Dream Weekend we did go enuh. Ting shot (pronounced "Shut")! Virtually every car had this blazing from their cars.



Popcaan - Ravin

Biggest song of the year thus far bar none.



Mavado - Final Destination

Reminds me of Smirnoff Exclusive. One of the last songs I remember hearing.



Cliff-Twang - Nobody Canna Cross It

When this tune drop, place got mad. And some people did the dance where they hop side-to-side. Fun times.



Yes, they do play the above song in clubs/parties.

Ultimately

Tony Rebel - Sweet Jamaica

Such true words "Mi never know sweet it is until mi go ah foreign." I went to America, thought it was alright, went back to Jamaica, haven't looked anywhere else since. Fi' wha?!



And just for bonus reasons because it's on the same riddim:

Cobra - Tek Him

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