Melbourne's club nights got a little bit more interesting and eclectic last year when Jamaica Jump Up hit the Gaso', courtesy of PBS 106.7FM. Pumping out the best in rocksteady, ska and early reggae tunes and playing host to legends like the 71-year old Jamaican groovester Stranger Cole, the shindig attracts a heaving mass ready to skank every month. Ahead of its milestone first birthday bash, one of Jamaica Jump Up's resident selectors, Mohair Slim (the dude who's rocked our airwaves with little heard afro-american and Caribbean beats ever Sunday morning on PBS's Blue Juice), has pulled together a 101 playlist for us, dipping into ska, rocksteady and early reggae for the uninitiated.
Hopeton Lewis: 'Cool Collie' (1967, Merritone)
Hopeton Lewis has a reputation as a pioneer - being one of the first artists to slow the ska beat down to create the Rocksteady sound with his anthemic 'Take It Easy' in 1966. 'Cool Collie' was recorded just a few months later and is a forerunner itself being an early example of a Jamaican 'herb song'.
Phyllis Dillon: 'Perfidia' (1967, Treasure Isle)
Phyllis Dillon had an exquisite singing voice that was, unfortunately, criminally under-recorded. What she did leave us is gold and her songs for Duke Reid, 'Don’t Stay Away', 'Rocking Time' and 'Perfidia' are perfect examples of the sound of Jamaica just before the reggae revolution.
Prince Buster All Stars: 'Seven Wonders Of The World' (1967, Blue Beat)
A very rare and expensive record and for good reason. With its middle-eastern vibe it changes the room and hypnotises people. Maybe scares them a bit too. Heavy, heavy choon dat!
Jackie Opel: 'Turn Your Lamp Down Low' (1964, Studio One)
Jackie Opel remains something of a cult figure amongst ska connoisseurs. He was billed as 'The Jackie Wilson of Jamaica' by virtue of his acrobatic stage act and pleading soulful vocal. Probably the finest singer of the ska era, his tragic passing in 1970 was mourned throughout the Caribbean.
Justin Hinds & The Dominoes: 'Rub Up Push Up' (1964, Treasure Isle)
To say Justin Hinds should have been as big as Bob Marley is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but not much. He was writing and singing 'conscious' music when Bob Marley was still trying to be a doo-woper. Throughout the ska, rocksteady and reggae eras he recorded an unparalleled back catalogue of meaningful songs that are a precious reminder of Jamaican music in the 1960s.
Jamaica Jump Up's first birthday party. Sat Apr 16.