Small Island Pride - Taxi Driver

Theophilus "Small Island Pride" Woods (far left) with fellow calypsonians.

Small Island Pride, the seemingly paradoxical, yet catchy moniker belongs to one person, and contrary to initial impressions, not to a band. Having emigrated to calypso-haven Trinidad, from a small island, Granada, Theophilus Woods is one of the pioneers of calypso music whose name is rarely heard of, probably because he left the earth at a young age, in 1961. Considering that it is relatively difficult to find pre-60's calypso records, his underrated status can be tolerated.

"Great use of double-entendre in which the courtship ritual is expressed in automotive terms. The pace of the calypso rises to fever pitch until the young lady and her car both catch fire.This on has an old time sound. Instumentation is limited to acoustic guitar, bass, and maracas. The guitar strums with a pan-Caribbean rhythmic feel reminiscent of Jamaican mento, Guyanese badji [Bhagee], and other related rural west Indian Song and dance styles."

The above commentary, which sums up pretty much everything about the song, is done by YouTube user "movieman529".

"The old time sound" in question demonstrates the essence of calypso music, way before the big bands with horn sections of at least five musicians. The rhythm section on this song is indeed minimal, but in a positive way. It is the bittersweet vibe, the naïvity in Small Island Pride's voice and the catchy chorus of joyful chants that make this song an early calypso masterpiece.

R.I.P Mark "Drac" Hicks

The sad news has just hit me. One more funky cat from Dayton, Ohio has left our planet. The lead guitarist for the renowned funk group Slave, who is responsible for attracting the attention of some rock music fans to some real raw funk music, the great Mark "Drac" Hicks is surely going to missed. Thanks for jamming that guitar to the groove, Mr. Drac. In his loving memory I'm gonna share with you his most famous number, so that we can also commemorate another Slave member who passed away earlier this year, the bass giant Mark Adams.

"They call me the Drac. I ain't gon bite ya, I just wantcha to hang out." - Mark "Drac" Hicks - R.I.P.

Click play to listen to "Slave - Slide"

Fly Guy - Fly Guy Rap

Uptown New York, early 80s. Way before the infamous crack epidemic and way before hip-hop music became an international craze with all those large baseball cap wearing Scandinavian suburban kids and everything, rap music was about rhyming on a funky beat, played by session musicians or amateur funk bands looking for a gig.

A photo taken during the old-school era, trying to set a sound
system in a basketball court.

This song, performed by a rapper called Fly Guy, is a great example of that old-school sound. The rapper's extremely cool and laid-back rapping style is "way ahead of its time" (though that is a rather cliché way to describe something that is different from the standard), and the way he starts off the song by portraying a street junkie has long made me think it was Gil Scott-Heron (R.I.P.) holding the mic. Not to mention the backup band that does a very funky job, not the kinda funky beat that you'd hear on a Puff Daddy song, eh? Or whatever he decided his new name would be.

Click the play button for the "perfect high, perfect high, the perfect high"

Demis Roussos - I Dig You

Hard not to dig that outfit, anyways.

You know those Disco songs in which the singer acts as a slick man with a high libido, trying to attract a woman with his words and witty pickup lines? This is one of them, or at least it was meant to be. But Demis Roussos was not gonna settle for that, normally a guy from Greece whose music is not my cup of coffee, he did catch the disco fever during the 70s and has a very popular song called "L.O.V.E. Got A Hold On Me" which received some attention in the U.S.

This one being a rather rare treat, Mr. Roussos goes Teddy Pendergrass in this one and scares the shit out of that woman with his flirtatious lyrics and aggressive vocals, while possibly getting to impress her. How about them Arabic music tinged strings on the chorus, that bassline, and those synths? Totally a unique mix of them components I have mentioned and a classic Disco song that has "win" written all over it. Go ahead and click the play button, cause you'll be digging the-eee-eee-eee-eee-ees song.

Jackie Mittoo - Ram Jam

Mr. Mittoo during a little "coke-n-smoke" break.

Jackie Mittoo was a very prolific Jamaican musician, who poured his talent on keyboards to create numerous great memorable tracks. Though known mostly for being a mentor for many young artists and working as a producer of sorts for the renowned record label Studio One, he did have some tracks with his name on top. This track has some other versions, most of which are faster in terms of tempo, and I don't know which one is the most famous or the most appreciated, but this version is a treat for your ears too. Listen to the way the drummer goes to work with those sidesticks, and Mr. Mittoo, roaring over the beat with his organ. Just makes you sit back and nod your head to the beat. Hypnotic.

Lord Kitchener - Love in The Cemetery

Love in the cemetery? Naaa, just a rehearsal on stage.

How kinky, Kitch. A cemetery as a venue for making love? That's what great masterminds involved in porn been thinking of, lately. The fact that making love in the cemetery hit your mind WAY before them makes you a pioneer. Not to mention friendly zombies who been struggling with loneliness and are offering a play of cards, this song is way ahead its time. You might say his idea to have sex in a cemetery, possibly near people's graves is gross (with a valley-girl accent, s'il vous plait?) and unacceptable, but what's unacceptable is what forced Kitch to go to a cemetery (which is nearly always a secluded place) to have sex without worrying about things. Prying eyes, narrow minds criminalizing sex under the title of "adultery" and shit.

Yeah yeah without further ado, I bring the treat to you, a beat that is wayyy off the chain, the rhyming on the chorus is pretty catchy too, y' talk about run and clicking the play button!