Toppa Top 10: Spooky Reggae!

Words by Eddie STATS Houghton

This year Halloween fell on a weekend (sorry, it had to be said) and Subatomic Sound and J. Rockaz have inspired me to compile this top 10 list of spooky reggae jams to drop between “Thriller” and Fela’s “Zombie” at your haunted houseparty. Anything related to duppies, ghosts, vampires, zombies and other undead creatures is fair game and the truly scary thing is how many classic reggae tunes there are that fall into this ghoulish category once you start um, digging. Maybe there are heaps of spooky soca and merengue jams I just don’t know about but it certainly seems like the supernatural is a recurring theme in Kingston, a town that has produced crews called Monster Shack and Scare Dem–not to mention Ghost! Whatever the reason, there are way more than 10 so let’s get started. Grab that flashlight and follow me, kids!

10. Monster Shack Crew, “Scream” (Playground riddim 1996)

Um, they’re called Monster Shack crew. And the tune is called “Scream”–what more do you need to make the already ominous Playground riddim into a playground from hell? A chorus of Die, die, diiie? Ok, then. You got it.

9. Major Lazer f. Andy Milonakis, “Zumbi” Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do (Downtown music, 2009)

This is probably the only context in which you will find me giving any sort of shine to this song, which i find offensive in it’s egregious badness–not bad meaning wicked but bad meaning oof! But Major Lazer’s zombie-killing has to get a mention and how can a song with an autotuned voice warbling “I eat out your brain” over a bashment rhythm not get some play on Halloween?

8. Lee Perry, “Ketch Vampire” Baffling Smoke Signal (Heartbeat, 2002)

7. Peter Tosh, “Vampire” No Nuclear War (EMI, 1987)

Where there’s Marley, there must be Tosh! The original Blackheart Mon does his thing here, complete with ghostly vocalizations on the intro.

6. Bob Marley, “Duppy Conqueror” Burnin’ (Island, 1973)

No overview of duppy tunes would be complete without this, the original. Of course Bob is talking about getting out of jail but the dub version will make you believe in duppies for real. “Mr. Brown” also mentions duppies and has the crazy phantom of the go-go organ underneath spooky vocal effects.

5. Yellowman, “Duppy or Gunman” Mister Yellowman (Greensleeves, 1982)

A simple re-lick, of course, of Ernie Smith’s  mellow reggae classic but King Yellow’s voice and the 1982 foundation dancehall drum section will mash up your monster mash more effectively, trust.

4. Demarco, “Duppy Know Who fi Frighten” (Shootout riddim, 2007)

Self-explanatory, but honorable mentions to Busy Signal too, for voicing the equally scary “No Escape” (Mr. Death comes knockin at your dooooooor!) on this fright night of a riddim.

3. Junior Reid, “One Blood” One Blood (Big Life/Mercury 1990)

This shouldn’t be included at all, since the blood in the title really refers to racial harmony, except Reid went and opened his pro-unity jam with the soul chilling acapella wail of:  Modern vampires of the city / huntin’ blood, blooooooooooood, blooo-hudd! –thereby giving Halloween party DJs an easy out for all eternity.

2.  Sancho, “Chase Vampire” (VP Records)

A New York dancehall classic! Guaranteed to rock a regular party as well as a Halloween party, it demands to be included on the strength of the intro alone: “This one…is like a horra movie!”

1. Scientist, “Your Teeth in My Neck” Scientist Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires (Greensleeves, 1981)

Scientist has got the competition surrounded with this jam, reverbing Michael Prophet’s voice into the Nth dimension on quite possibly my favorite dub composition of all time. But considering it comes from a full LP of tunes like “Ghost of Frankenstein” (does that even make sense?) and “Plague of Zombies,” you could pretty much just let him play straight through at any Halloween party.

Honorific mentions: Nicodemus, “Boneman Connection,” The Upsetters, “Vampire,” The Upsetters, “Haunted House,” Prince Buster, “Ghost Dance.”

Happy vampire weekend, kids!