Freddie McGregor's Big Ship

This is one of my favourite reggae albums, by one of the best reggae voices, Freddie McGregor.

The title track, "Big Ship", is a classic regggae tune. Other favourites of mine: "Stop Loving You", "Get United", "Roots Man Skanking"....shit, the whole thing is awesome, really!

Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD> FREDDIE McGREGOR - Big Ship

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New Andre 3000 Mixtape!

This one was kind of a surprise to me, as Andre 3000 is not one of the first artists I was expecting to find a mixtape from. Nonetheless, I'm sure it's a gem! I have yet to listen to this one, but I already recognize a few of the song titles, taken from random Outkast albums, soundtracks, etc. I'm sure there are also some exclusive tracks....Maybe I should have a listen to it now...haha...So should you! Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD> ANDRE 3000 - Whole Foods (Mixtape)

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Cymande! (pt.1)

This one goes out to those you of who commented me about Demon Fuzz......

Cymande were an eclectic band who released a few albums in the early 1970's. They arrived in London, England from Guyana and Jamaica and developed a subtle, deep funk style heavily influenced by calypso rhythms, jazz, African music, and American soul. By the mid '70s the band members were going their separate ways. It wasn't until 20 years later that they reaped any financial rewards, as their music became a popular source for samplers. Perhaps the band's best known recording is the soulful dancefloor groove "Bra", later sampled by the American hip-hop group De La Soul in their song "Change In Speak" (from "3 Feet High & Rising"), and by Def Jef on "Give It Here", and by DJ Kool on "Let Me Clear My Throat". The Fugees sampled "Dove" for the title track of their second album, "The Score" in 1996. The list goes on and on, and it's obvious why: Cymande are the shit. :)

Here are their 1st 2 full albums, "Cymande" (1972) and "Second Time Around" (1973).
(If anyone is interested in the 3rd Cymande album, and some bonus tracks, let me know!)

DOWNLOAD> CYMANDE - Cymande / Second Time Around
Cymande tribute site

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Hearts out to KRS-One & family.

Some sad news in the world of Hip-Hop....

"After several bouts with severe depression, Randy Hubbard Parker, 23 year old son of KRS-One & Simone Parker was found dead in his Atlanta apartment, with a gunshot wound to the head. The Fulton County Medical Examiner's office listed the death as a suicide. The family will hold a private memorial service on Randy's birthday, July 18th. KRS-One is currently on tour overseas with Marley Marl and was unavailable for comment." - HipHopSite.com

This is gonna be a heavy one on KRS and his family....My heart goes out to them.

Here's a KRS mash-up I got recently from DJ BC's website....

DOWNLOAD> KRS-ONE vs DJ BC - Da Sound Of Da Irish Police Band
visit KRS-ONE.com
visit DJBC.net

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Demon Fuzz

This album, "Afreaka!" by the band Demon Fuzz, was their only album released, and that was in 1971. A few years ago it was re-discovered and released on cd. I stumbled upon it while cd shopping one day towards the end of last year, and wrote this blog about my new find. Check out my original blog for details, and then check out this rare masterpiece...

And if you like it, leave me a comment, because I've been finding a lot of this kind of psychadelic-soul-rock stuff lately...and LOVING it. Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD> DEMON FUZZ - Afreaka!

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Kool & The Gang

In 1975, Kool & The Gang released this album "Spirit Of The Boogie". It contains 8 hot tracks, including an instrumental-style version of "Jungle Boogie" called "Jungle Jazz", and starts off with some heavy funk on the title track too.

Discussing Kool & The Gang in the early '70s, James Brown was quoted saying, "They're the second-baddest out there...They make such bad records that you got to be careful when you play a new tape on the way home from the record store. Their groove is so strong you could wreck." And that really says it all. Kool & The Gang were funk's kings in 1975, and some say "Spirit of the Boogie" was the finest album they ever recorded!

This one's a classic...Check it out...

btw, if anyone digs these kats, let me know...I've got more!

(big props to the Lost-In-Tyme blog for this link!)

DOWNLOAD> KOOL & THE GANG - Spirit Of The Boogie

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Prince's Black Album

The history of this album is well-documented, but in a nutshell (for those not in the know), Prince wrote and recorded it for Sheila E.'s birthday one night, and eventually decided not to release it due to religious reasons. The acetate got out, however, and the rest is history. Eventually Warner Brothers re-issued it in 1994, but with no liner notes. The songs are merely listed on the disc itself.

"The Black Album" was originally planned for release in November of 1987 as the follow-up to "Sign '☮' the Times". Referred to as "The Funk Bible" by preceding press releases and in a hidden message within the album itself, the work seemed to be a reaction to criticism that Prince had become too pop-oriented.

All and all, I really dig this "dark funk" album from Prince....Check it out...

(big props to Blak's Lair for the link!)

DOWNLOAD> PRINCE - The Black Album

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Requests/Comments

If you would like me to post on any particular artists, album, genre, whatever, please leave me a comment on this particular blog. This will always remain under the genre section along the right-hand side, under "Requests/Comments", making it easier to find for us all. Feel free to leave any kinds of requests, comments, props, whatever you like! Cheers!

P.S. If you are an artist or a label connected to any particular albums I've posted on here and would like me to remove them, please just comment me here and I'll do so asap.

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Jacob The Killer Miller

This, so far, has been my favourite collection of Jacob Miller songs. For those of you unfamiliar with Jacob Miller: He was a Jamaican reggae singer who was born on May 4, 1952, and died at the young age of 27 in a car accident on March 23, 1980....immediately before his BIG musical break with an international record deal with Island Records, and a tour with Bob Marley and Inner Circle through Brazil and beyond.

In the lyrics for The Salads' "Get Loose", I wrote at the end of the second verse: "If your belly is hungry - Givin' you attitude - Do like Jacob Miller and eat some food". This was in relation to the scenes of him chowin' down, and fighting people who touched his food, in the movie "Rockers"...One of my favourite movies! Another classic scene is Inner Circle's performance of "Tenement Yard" with Jacob Miller. SO good.

I also hoped that in mentioning Jacob Miller in my lyrics, hopefully a few people out there would start asking, "Who's Jacob Miller?" And sure enough, as we began touring for that album, a LOT of kids who were reading my lyrics in the liner notes began asking me who Jacob Miller is.....and THEN I would hear from fans who went and checked out the music of Jacob Miller, and LOVED him.

THAT is why I do what I do, folks. THAT is why I love writing/recording/performing for excited fans. THAT is why I post this music here on this blog. I love helping people find music that might move and inspire them. Y'dig? If so, lemme know.

And dig the fantastic, Killer Miller, y'all....

DOWNLOAD> JACOB MILLER - Collector's Classics

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New Kardi Mixtape!

Kardinal has joined forces with DJ Clinton Sparks and just released this wikkid new mixtape called "Do The Right Thing". It's got some brand new tracks, freestyles, and remixes by Kardi. Have a listen...It's dope!

Nice work, Kardi! Keep makin' Canada proud!

DOWNLOAD> KARDINAL OFFISHALL & CLINTON SPARKS - Do The Right Thing (Mixtape)
visit ClintonSparks.com
visit Kardinal's MySpace

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Pink Floyd

This is Pink Floyd's debut album, released in 1967, and was their only recording based on the vision of founding singer/guitarist Syd Barrett. This is some classic material. What else can I say?

DOWNLOAD> PINK FLOYD - The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (1967)

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Beatallica

I found a great description of this one online, so read this:

Remember the band Dread Zeppelin? Well, here's a reminder -- they're a band that caused a minor stir in the early '90s when they took Led Zeppelin classics, added a dash of reggae, and were fronted by an Elvis Presley impersonator (who alternated between reciting Zeppelin and Elvis lyrics). It was perhaps only a matter of time until another group came along that mashed together two other renowned rock acts, and while Zeppelin and Elvis aren't exactly universes apart musically,the Beatles and Metallica are -- which makes the emergence of Beatallica much more of a curiosity. And somehow the band (whose members go by such colorful nom de plumes as Jaymz Lennfield, Grg Hammettson, Kliff McBurtney, and Ringo Larz) mixes and matches Beatles and Metallica riffs/lyrics pretty flawlessly -- as evidenced throughout 2007's Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band. First off, it must be stated that it is absolutely eerie how much Lennfield is able to replicate James Hetfield's manly bark (it really does sound as if it's the actual Metallica singer throughout). Some of the tracks are a bit silly -- such as "A Garage Dayz Nite" and "Ktulu (He's So Heavy)" -- but you have to give the quartet credit for how they craftily merge "Enter Sandman" and "Taxman" together, as..."Sandman." The next time you're going to party with headbanging pals, put on Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band toward the end of the night, and watch their mullets spin as they enter this bizarro world. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide

Check it out...

DOWNLOAD> BEATALLICA - Sgt. Hetfield's Motorbreath Pub Band

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The Black Seeds

When I was on tour in Australia a few years ago, I made a point of reading as many Aussie music magazines/newspapers as I could, and hitting all the indie music shops, in hopes of finding some new musical favourites. The Black Seeds was one of those finds.

These guys are a funky, soulful, reggae group from New Zealand that formed in 1998. They have been tearing up clubs across Australia and area, but it seems that they are relatively unknown here in Canada. In 2002, they released this album "Keep On Pushing", which is now a favourite of mine.

So check out this album, and if you dig it, hit up their website/MySpace and let's convince these kats to tour Canada!
When you hit up their website, make sure to scroll your mouse over the giraffe's head a few times for a good laugh. ;)

DOWNLOAD> THE BLACK SEEDS - Keep On Pushing (LP)
visit TheBlackSeeds.com
visit TheBlackSeeds' MySpace

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Def Before Dishonor

In 1989, this unofficial bootleg of Beastie Boys tracks called "Def Before Dishonor" was released on 2 piece vinyl and on cd. This was between the official releases of "Licensed To Ill" (1986) and "Paul's Boutique" (1989), so the tracks sound like sessions from both those albums. Here's the tracklisting:

1. Rock Hard
2. Party's Getting Rough
3. Beastie Groove
4. She's On It
5. Caught In The Middle Of A 3-Way Mix
6. And What You Give Is What You Get
7. Some Dumb Cop Gave Me 2 Tickets Already
8. 33% God
9. Dis Yourself In '89 (Just Do It)
10. It's The New Style (Extended Version)
11. Paul Revere (Instrumental)
12. Hold It Now, Hit It (Acapulco)
13. [Interview]

This is a great disc for any hardcore Beasties fan! It's got some wack moments, and some very shiny golden moments too...like the interview at the end...Hilarious!! ;)

Ch-ch-check it out yo!

DOWNLOAD> BEASTIE BOYS - Def Before Dishonor (1989)

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The Mighty Mighty BossTones!

Back in 1991, The Mighty Mighty BossTones released this awesome EP for their single "Where'd You Go?" from their "More Noises & Other Disturbances" album that came out the same year. This EP has 5 songs: The BossTones' "Where'd You Go" and "Do Something Crazy", and 3 covers: Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion", Metallica's "Enter Sandman", and Van Halen's "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". Some hot shit, folks!

If you haven't already heard this, you're in luck! Enjoy!

DOWNLOAD> MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES - Where'd You Go? [EP]

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The Beastles!

DJ BC is one of many mash-up djs, and he's put together two Beastie Boys mash-up albums; The first of which is this one with The Beatles.

If you go to his website (linked below), you can find a variety of downloadable mash-ups he's done, and more! He's got some good mixes; One of my favourites is a mash-up of RUN DMC's "My Adidas" with Tom Petty's "Free Fallin'", and it's called "Free Adidas". I think my favourite track on this one is "Hold It Together Now", a mash-up of the Beasties' "Hold It Now, Hit It" with The Beatles' "Come Together". If anyone digs these, comment me and I'll post more dope mash-ups I've found. Diiiiiiiig.

DOWNLOAD> DJ BC - The Beastles
visit DJBC.NET

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Skindred a'wikkid bwoy!

This album came out in 2004, and I have been killing it since.

These guys were once known as DubWar. Skindred has a similiar sound to DubWar, but Skindred is much heavier. Skindred have this wikkidly heavy, dancehall/ragga/metal/punk sound that I just love. I have added a few extra bonus tracks to this download for y'all to hear: a drum'n'bass remix of "Pressure", a Peter Tosh cover of "Steppin' Razor", and the video for "Set It Off". These guys apparently have a new album coming out soon too, which I will eagerly await!

ENJOY!

DOWNLOAD> SKINDRED - Babylon (w/bonus tracks!)
visit SKINDRED.COM

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