I'm Diggin' The Kitchen....

Hi Kids, One of my favourite sites in this small (but expanding) world of Music Blogs is FuFu Stew. Vincent has been cooking up some great stuff for my listening pleasure in the past couple of years. I hoped to return the favour by submitting a mix for his "Come On In My Kitchen" posts. Well I got the nod today and if you pop on over to his site you can download a Jamaican mix I did a couple days ago. Click on the picture above to take you there. Remember to say Hello to Vincent over there. I'm off to the Niagara Scooter Rally this evening, so have a grand weekend and I'll be back soon with more tasty morsels on the way.....
-Jason X


Mix Songlist:

1. Jackie Mittoo - Groovy Spirit (Summus)
2. Byron Lee & The Dragonairres - Here I am Baby (Dynamic)
3. The Maytals - Feel So Good (Trojan)
4. Dandy Livingstone - Reggae In Your Jeggae (Trojan)
5. Desmond Dekker & The Aces - It Mek (Trojan)
6. Ethiopians - Train To Skaville (Record Corner)
7. Eric "Monty" Morris - Sammy Dead (Kentone)
8. Prince Buster - Rough Rider (Prince Buster)
9. Peter Tosh - Them A Fe Get A Beatin' (Attack)
10. Heptones - The Magnificent Heptones (Attack)
11. Mad Lads - Ten To One (Coxsone)
12. Augustos Pablos - Lover's Mood (Hot Shot)
13. Augustos Pablos - Lover's Rock (Hot Shot)
14. U Roy - King Tubby Skank (Jackpot)
15. Derrick Harriot - Brown Baby (Trojan)
16. Ken Boothe - Is It Because I'm Black (Wild Flower)
17. Adoms Treo - Reggae Exprence (Nu Sound)
18. Max Romeo & The Upsetters - Chase The Devil (Island)
19. Jennifer Lara & Soul Vendor - Tell Me Where (Coxsone)
20. Roots Radics Band - CHART (African Museum)
21. Hortense Ellis - I Don't Have A Wooden Heart (Imperial)

Let's Go Baby (Where The Action Is) - Robert Parker (NOLA 721)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE (or Press Play To Listen!)


Hi Again Kiddies,
I've been trying hard to fit in the time to make posts on this here Blog but since we're relandscaping the front lawn and having terribly busy schedule at work, it's been pretty difficult. I decided to force myself to get in front of the information machine tonight to give you something new...er...old to chew on for a bit. I have lots more up my sleeve for the coming weeks.

This weekend marks 10 years I've been attending the Niagara Scooter Rally up here. They have it every May two-four weekend (which is Victoria Day weekend for the un-initiated, That's Queen Victoria's B-Day). It's a weekend full of drinking, Vespas, Lambrettas, drinking, music, drinking and drinking. Some might say I'm too old to have fun like that anymore....but you'd be wrong. It seems as though I may be DJing a set or two Friday and Saturday night if all goes well, so any locals who're attending may see me spinning the wax fantastics. Come on over and say hello.
To get me pumped for this occasion (2 sleeps left!!) I thought I'd post a staple of mine and a classic single for most. I mean if you haven't heard this tune, well.....maybe some of you haven't. It's been a MOD/Scooter run standby for a long long time...So as my good friend Robert Parker says (whilst Barefootin')
Let's Go Baby....Where The Action Is........
I hope You all shindiggit and I'll see you next week for another installment of........well...you get my meaning.
Keep The Faith!
Jason X

Niagara Scooter Rally Info: CLICK HERE!

Max Romeo & The Upsetters - Chase The Devil (Island ILPS 9392)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE! (or press play to listen)



WOW! ,you ever have one of those days where everything kinda sucks, then something happens which elevates you to cloud nine in about 2 seconds flat? This happened to me yesterday. Had to do an overnight....back in again about 4 hours after I get home.....just flat tired man. So I'm on my way home and hit up one of my local record shops. I don't know whether my spidey senses were working overtime or not but I see a stack of vinyl sitting waiting to be sorted and I just new there was something waiting there for me. Boy, was I right. I picked up 26 LPs from said pile. 95% were Jamaican LPs from the 70's. Beautiful labels like Trojan, Coxsone, Harry J, Studio One, Wolf and more. Here's the list of my finds:

I Roy - Many Moods of (Trojan)
Burning Spear - Garvey's Ghost Dub Album (Wolf)
John Holt - Magnificent John Holt (Channel One)
Tradewinds - Sexy Lady (Penny)
Winston Hewitt Band - Snapshot (Corner Store)
Derrick Harriott - Born To Love You (Crystal)
Ken Boothe - Everything I own (Wild Flower)
Bob Andy & Marcia Griffiths - Kemar (Harry J)
Heptones (Studio One)
Heptones - On Top (Studio One)
Max Romeo & The Upsetters - War Ina Babylon (Island)
Stranger Cole & The Col Sister - We'll Meet (Record Corner 12")
Bob Andy - Songbook (Coxsone)
Maytals - From The Roots (Trojan)
Toots & The Maytals - Reggae Got Soul (Island)
Hortense Ellis - The Queen Of Rockers (Imperial)
Byron Lee & The Dragonaires - Rock Steady Explosion (Trans World)
Various - Heptones & Friends 2 (Attack)
Judy Mowatt - Mellow Mood (Tuff Gong)
John Holt - One Thousand Volts Of Holt (Trojan)
Derrick Herriott - Greatest Reggae Hits (Trojan)
Dennis Brown - How Can I Leave You (Gibbs)
Clifton Chenier - Black Snake Blues (Arhoolie)
Tyrone Davis - Turn Back The Hands Of Time (Cotillion)
James Brown - Hell (Polydor)
Fred & The New JB's - Breakin Bread (People)


Now THAT's quite a haul for me....OBVIOUSLY I'll be digitizing this stuff in the near future (I've already done some for the portable music machine) so keep a look out for it.
One of the LPs I picked up was Max Romeo & The Upsetters "War Ina Babylon". This LP contains the track "Chase The Devil" which has been on my want list for ages....so I decided to include it here for you all to hear. If you know it already, listen to it again....if you've never heard it before? You're in for a treat.....some may remember the Prodigy sampling this song back in the early 90's....SHINDIGGIT!!!

-Jason X

Joe Cuba Sextet - El Pito (Tico T-470)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE! (or Click Play to Listen!)


BONUS! DOWNLOAD THE B-SIDE (Aricebo) HERE! (or Click Play to Listen!)


Whoaaaa! Man, I have been neglecting my friends in the Blogisphere. However, those of you who emailed me now know that it was due to the calamitous demise of my Blogatrix (aka Computer). Ya I know, I work in the IT feild, what happened...well when a motherboard decides to pop it's capacitors, it's game over baby. I secretly think I blew it's mind with all the great tunes I was recording at the time......So I finally parted ways with a significant amount of scratch et voila! I'm back! I didn't forget about you....honest.

So let's get that heavy ball rolling again with a tune I constantly have stuck in my head every time I play it. This track is EXTREMELY addictive. As the band name hints, this is a classic Latin groove. Not terribly rare but a stonker nonetheless. I had previously posted a Joe Cuba Sextet single (Find It Here!) and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Granted that was a much rarer tune than this but man, if it's a good slab o' wax, I can't resist. Joe Cuba is known to most as the Father of Latin Boogaloo. This is really his first BIG hit (1965) with a couple more to follow 2 years later (Bang Bang and Sock It To Me Baby). Have a listen and just TRY to put it out of your head for the next few days...I DARE ya!

I'll be back with some more great platters soon. I've also got a TON of new stuff to record....look for it and SHINDIGGIT!

Requests......

Well I'm not sure if everyone dug my garage mix (see post below). The downloads on this one have been quite low compared to a lot of my other posts. Maybe it's the size....Anyway, I wanted to try it out and get a feel for what you my readers, want. Maybe I'll try something a little more soulful or Tropical next time....and maybe a little less ambitious...regardless, your feedback would be great. Don't feel you need to be nice, I'm a big boy and can take some criticism...

I found that I get a lot of requests these days. Either people are looking for files whose links have died or their looking for particular songs. Today I thought I'd take care of a couple of those. 2 tracks are/were dead links and you can find them here...enjoy Matt!

Download Count Prince Miller's "Mule Train" Here. Or Listen Below:

Download Clancy Eccles "Feel The Rythm" Here. Or Listen Below:


Now this next track is one I mentioned in passing during my blurb in the mix below. It is the B-Side to "Pictures of Matchstick Men" by the Status Quo. Very cool single, although my copy is a little scratchy. I think you'll still enjoy the tune regardless. I swear to god it sounds like Ray Davies singing. Anywho...SHINDIGGIT Barbara!

Download The Status Quo "Gentleman Joes Sidewalk Cafe" Here. Or Listen Below:


Well there you have it for today. I have some more neato singles lined up so don't be a stranger...

Jason X

FTW - FUZZ THE WORLD MIX (84mb)

GRAB IT HERE! (63 minutes, 84mb @ 192kbps)

Hi Kiddies. Well I've been away for a bit but thought I'd come back with my first SHINDIGGIT mix!!! I know all the cool kids are doing it, so why not? I have given a previous mix of Funk Diddies to my friend Mike over @ This Is Tomorrow, so "officially" THAT's my first, but never posted ON SHINDIGGIT!
One of the Genres I've posted sporadically over here is 60's Garage Punk. This is a personal fav genre for me as I'd been listening to this stuff since the 80's. I had all the Pebbles compilations and the re-issue of Nuggets (Since sold ALL the Pebbles but kept a Mint white label promo of Nuggets as a kind of prized possession and guilty pleasure all wrapped in one). One of my goals when I started collecting vinyl way back in high school was to collect all the Nuggets singles on 45. Even back then I held the 45rpm above all else. I've gotten most of them but along the way I've come across so much more. Surprisingly there was a LOT of good Garage coming out of Canada back in the 60's. Most bands coming from the Toronto or Montreal areas. My mix includes a bunch of those Canadian singles, some of which you've seen here on the Blog and some you have not. The songs are not ALL rare and they are not ALL fuzz toned. I picked the title because it had a nice ring to it.....however there is a VERY healthy dose of Fuzz, so don't sweat it.

Tracks:

1. Davie Allen & The Arrows - Blues Theme (Capitol T6218) - So this is pretty much one of the three or four songs out there that epitomize the Fuzz years... it ALSO epitomizes the Hells Angels .... not much to say about this one cause if you haven't heard it, you're a hermit.

2. The Ugly Ducklings - She Ain't No Use To Me (Yorktown 45002) - Canadian. This is one of my all time favourite Garage bands. They're from the Toronto area, loud, snotty and well fuzzy...LOL. Seriously, they kick ass. I never could get my hands on their LP but I have all their singles.

3. Bob Seger System - Ramblin Gamblin Man (Capitol 2297) - Okay I LOVE early Bob! I can't help it, the guy was good. I don't know where he went wrong but damn....this is probably the most famous of his early work but it's a stomper. The primal drums and his vocals are fantastic....

4. Strange Bros. Show - Shakey Jakes (Sire SI4120) - This is an odd one. It's also a real stomper. Larry Grogan suspects this to be an incarnation of the Strangeloves which actually makes a lot of sense.

5. Small Faces - Tin Soldier (Immediate IM-062) - This is one of my all time favourite bands. The Blue eyed Soul Steve Marriott was capale of still mesmerizes me to this day. This song is a slow builder that just takes off till the end....a classic!

6. Status Quo - Pictures Of Matchstick Men (Pye 835) - Another Brit band that excelled attheir genre. This time its Psychedelic Pop. Not difficult or expensive but a fantastic single from the band that went on to be a 70's English Monolith of rock. The B-side is great as well, sounds like something Ray Davies would sing (Gentleman Joe's Sidewalk Cafe)

7. Blues Magoos - She's Coming Home (Mercury 21096) - From The LP Psychedelic Lollipop, this is a fantastic garage tune. The subject matter is pretty potent. Just a fantastic piece of punk.

8. The Rabble - You Come On Too Strong (Transworld TW1675) Canadian. A great slice of Garage from this Montreal Based band. Sadly the Rabble LP was not as good as this particular single.

9. Shadows Of Knight - Shake (Team 520) This band should be more popular than it is. I mean their version of Gloria is in my mind a classic. This track is a great dancer...it's infectious.

10. Human Beinz - Nobody But Me (Capitol 5990) Another great dancer. This has been used in commercials and has enjoyed a long life in compilations throughout the years. This is in MY opinion their best single....

11. Monkees - Valleri (Colgems 66-1019) - Everybody pretty much hated the Monkees but I think that's too harsh. (I'm not your) Stepping Stone is a perfect piece of punk while this song continues in the dancer pattern complete with harmonies AND Fuzztone guitar! YEAH!

12. Del Shannon - Under My Thumb (Liberty 55904 Audition) - So this song doesn't really fit with the others but is inserted as a kind of breather. The Stones version is overplayed and I thought you'd get a kick out of the "Runaway" artist doing HIS faithfull rendition...and when I say faithfull...well, you'll hear it.

13. Balloon Farm - A Question Of Temperature (Laurie L-3405X) This is one of those songs that just pops into my head every couple of months. As far as I know it was their ONLY hit but what a hit....Fuzzy Psych at it's best. Another Nuggets tune, EASY to find.

14. The Barbarians - Are You A Boy Or Are You A Girl (Laurie L-3308X) So everyone pictures most Garage Punk guys as shaggy haired leather jacketed ....punks. Actually a lot of these kids were clean cut with suits and pretty smiles in the beginning. This track really emphasizes the changing times when kids DID get shaggy...but even their musical counterparts were shocked apparently...LOL. Great Track!

15. The Fireballs - Groovy Motions (Atco 6569X) - Okay, this band really messed with my head. First off, I could be mistaken and they're 2 totally different groups but the LPs I have by the Fireballs are early 60's instro stuff like the Ventures. They were actually really good! Then I heard this. This is a fantastic little Psych/Pop diddy that actually uses the words, Groovy, Psychedelic and references to expanding your mind. Just what the formula called for in '67 to make a hit. I was just wierded out that the Fireballs had developed a voice....

16. Ugly Ducklings - Just In Case You Wonder (Yorktown 45003) Canadian. Well it's a band so nice I played them twice. Well at least it's a different song right? Again, this is a masterpiece of Garage. I canna say more

17. The Haunted - 1,2,5 (Quality 1814X) Canadian. This band has garnered a lot of respect in the Garage world. There aren't too many people out there who like this genre who haven't heard of the Haunted. Another Montreal Band, this is their first single. I have all their singles but like the Ducklings, cannot find their LP...at least not for anywhere under $300 bones.

18. Leaves - Too Many People (Mira 227) The label is from Detroit so I'm assuming they are from Michigan at least. Very cool band with a good garage feel with a touch of Beatles to keep it approachable I guess.

19. The Critters - It Just Won't Be That Way (Kapp K769) I don't know much about these guys except to say I was pleasantly surprised when I heard them. They kinda sound like the Dave Clark 5 if the Dave Clark 5 didn't suck...LOL. I'm kidding, but like I mentioned with song 18. these guys sound like pops edgier brother...does that make sense?

20. Blues Project - No Time Like The Right Time (Verve Folkways KF-5040) Another Nugets classic. This is a classic band. If you ever get a chance to listen to their albums, you'll be pleased you did. This particular track is a little removed from their more bluesey fare, but then that's what this mix is all about!

21. Electric Prunes - Are You Lovin Me More (Reprise 0564) This is a 45 I bought like 18 years ago. It was my prized posession having the honour as my first find in a thrift store. Back then all I was looking for was Garage/Psych and this is what I found. I held onto it and just pulled it out the other day and realized what a good track it is. The other side is Get Me To The World On Time, also a good side. Very noisy and Psych.

22. Knickerbockers - One Track Mind (Challenge 59326 DJ) So if I mentioned earlier that a certain other band sounded like the Beatles...well when the Beatles needed to take a vacation, I'm surprised these guys didn't step in for them. They just got the formula for Beatles hits and ran with it. "Lies" is their BIG hit and this one is pretty darned close. Again, this has a bit of an edge or raw urgency about it that the Beatles tended to mix down and out of their tracks....

23. The Invictas - Long Tall Shortie (Sahara D-SH-107) These guys drove to their gigs in a freakin' hearse! They're alright in MY books. Known for their regional hit "The Bump" (which happens to be the A-Side of this single), the Invictas are actually still at it today!

24. Music Machine - Talk Talk (Original Sound OS-61) When trying to decide which Music Machine single to put on this mix I actually had to think long and hard. I eventually went with their most famous as sometimes I forget that the really rare stuff is a treat but the common stuff is common because they sold so much. They sold so much because they were good...

25. Woolies - Who Do You Love (Dunhill D-4052) Anyone who's been on the blog recently has probably seen this one posted earlier. I just had to close out this mix with my favourite song....so there it is!!!

Okay, so there we have it. The FIRST SHINDIGGIT mix! Let me know what you think and I'll gauge from your responses whether or not you'd like some more. So stop reading this, download the mix and.......SHINDIGGIT!

Tim Tam & The Turn Ons - Wait A Minute (Palmer 5002)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE (or press PLAY to listen!)

So, do you ever have one of those weeks where you barely have time to step back and take a deep breath, sniff that springtime air, shovel a bit more snow....etc....Ya well that's been my last 2 weeks. It's sad because I had gotten so many cool singles ready and everytime I thought I could plunk myself down in front of my computer, I ended up falling asleep first or some other necessary job (like Laundry) gets in the way.
ANYWAY, I'm here to offer you another great slice of Detroit sound circa 1965. This next song is really hard to describe. I mean it actually crosses a few genres and is terribly difficult to pin down. I know this track is known to be 60's garage rock, but as a fellow collector, who happened to attend Wigan Casino in it's heyday told me (Cheers Kev!), they played this track there. Now he also mentioned that the purists called this (and I quote) "that white shit" but after a listen I think it deserves a little more credit. My friend and I came up with a better category...Dirty Doo-wop. It starts as one would think a late 50's band like Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers or The 4 Seasons but soon after the drums hit....then the piano then guitar and the next thing you know you're on an all out joyride down some musical highway with no speed limits.....okay I'm done with the explanation, you can stop wretching now. I managed to dig up a little dirt on the band but felt it better to offer this link so you can read for yourself. There is an interesting bit of info on that site regarding Bob Seger...yes there is a tiny connection. So have a listen and know that I'll be back really soon with another post.
Don't just sit there....SHINDIGGIT!!!

A.M. Stragglers - Soul Bandit (Little Giant L.1)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE! (OR press play to listen!)







DOWNLOAD IT HERE! (OR press play to listen!)



Hello Kiddies, I'm back with some more of the music you (and I) love. To satisfy my vinyl illness (and it is a bit of an illness I keep at bay) I attended a record show in the fair city of Hamilton this Sunday passed. It was almost a no go, as we'd JUST ended a brutal storm that dumped another 40-50cm of snow on my front lawn. It's been a very snowy winter up here. HOWEVER! That wasn't going to stop me, I grabbed my record bag and toddled off through the drifts to find my buried treasures. It was a good thing I did. I came away with about 50 singles! Anybody have a cheap battery operated turntable out there for sale? I could have easily knocked that pile down to 25 or so if I had a listen first...oh well...grand total for the day? $55, 25 or so great records out of that pile? PRICELESS....well not really, but it was a pretty good haul! I've already shindigitized most of them and they will be post fodder in upcoming weeks...look for'em...
Okay, so on to todays post. Sometimes you get one of those records which just grabs you by the face and smacks you back into your chair. The A-side of this track is like that for me. Imagine Soul Finger by the Bar-Kays thrown into a blender with Champ by the Mohawks.....Soul Bandit is THAT bastard child. This horns & organ infused floorsmasher is basically one of the funnest singles I own. The B-Side is a little slower, going for a bluesier vibe, however is still horns & organ drenched and pretty damned classic in it's own right.
The odd thing about this single is that I can find nothing...let me repeat...NOTHING, not even a passing mention as to whom this band was or any info on this single. I'm no soul detective, but I figure it's a studio band like the Mohawks. The label smacks of Britishness and oddly the catalogue number is L.1. Maybe this was a one off single? Any way it goes, I would LOVE to hear if anyone has any info on this band AND the single itself...Little Giant has been a record label in many guises over the years but I think this is a private label and not directly connected to any of the others I've seen.
Okay I've said enough...LISTEN to these tunes and SHINDIGGIT!

The Seeds - Can't Seem To Make You Mine (GNP Crescendo 354)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE! (or press PLAY below to listen)

Hello Friends,
As some of you may know, I have to send a big shoutout to Mike (DJ Blueprint) from "This Is Tomorrow" for posting my first ever Blog Mix. He had asked if I wanted to contribute to his ever popular series of Guest mixes about a month ago and after a bit of thought I said yes. I hadn't given much thought (prior to this) to online mixes but as I did one, it got really addictive. I now have a couple more coming up which will get better as I get the feel for this. As far as Podcasts/guest Mixes go, I'm in the company of Giants! I've been collecting for years but some of the stuff I see on the other blogs (conveniently listed to the left over there), I only hope I do the music proud. Check out Mikes Blog sometime, He always seems to have some tasty treats, I certainly SHINDIGGIT!
Okay, moving on to today, I thought I'd change it up again. I have a tendency to go off on a tangent for a while and neglect other equally stimulating genres. Lately I've been listening to some mixes I created a while back which are mainly 60's garage bands. While this single is definately NOT rare, it's a classic. Sky's voice is priceless, I can't even explain it. If you're a fan of Nuggets style Garage Punk, you'll already know this track. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then go press play while you read this. The track itself is NOT a heavy one, but actually quite beautiful in it's punky, off-key way....you just can't help but love it....or hate it. I'm the former. Well, I could spend the next 10 minutes writing about it or you can just press play already! SHINDIGGIT!!!!!

Lou Courtney 2fer! (Transworld 1666)

DOWNLOAD IT HERE (or press play to listen below!)









DOWNLOAD IT HERE (or press play to listen below!)


Welcome back Boils and Ghouls. I've been relaxing over the last week into my piles of vinyl. I decided that I had way too much extra stuff that really doesn't have a place in my ever expanding collection. See, like any record collector, sometimes you find yourself in a position to purchase "other" genre rarities at a great price...and if you're anything like me, you buy it. I mean I'm ALWAYS looking for trade bait for the shows and whatnot. However, I finally decided to trim the collection a bit and post a bunch o wax on GEMM.com. Don't think you'll find a lot of Funk Soul etc on there unless I get doubles. This is strictly to rid myself of vinyl I don't want in my collection.
Yes I'm using the name SHINDIGGIT to post and I'll make sure I post a link on the left as soon as I get it where I want it......then you can go find that rare Scottish folktunes LP you've been looking for.
ANYWAY, Todays selection is a Lou Courtney single on the Canadian TransWorld label. This label released a LOT of hip sounds on it ranging from Lou to the Haunted (an AMAZING garage band from Montreal). This is Lou's ever popular "Skate Now" (which was a huge hit at the Twisted Wheel I read somewheres). Released in 1966, this is a very hip single. If you're not dancing or tapping your feet by the second verse...well, you get my point. The B-side is a treat...it's funky. Not what I expected as a flip. It's heavy...just the way I like it. I'm not gonna hold you back any longer...git listenin' and SHINDIGGIT!