Gold Shop New Release

Witty Records Round 2

As we promised when we released the first batch of records on the “Witty” label, that was only the beginning. For our second batch we have decided to focus on one rhythm. Most probably remember this rhythm as the backing track to Sluggy Ranks girl’s anthem “Rough Wine”. Although there were a few tunes on this rhythm at the time, I don’t think people really played this as a juggling. The Sluggy tune was a hit on it’s own, but was overshadowed by the B-Side cut, 95% Black In Jail, one of Sluggys biggest hits, and an absolute dancehall anthem to this day. The other tunes on the rhythm were spread out over album cuts, and even different labels. The Sugar Minott cut, “No Wicked” was actually never released on the Witty label at the time, it came out on an Ikus 12 Inch in the US, and on the Charm imprint in the UK. Be sure to check out the Dub that is on this record, as it is unique to this track, and is a bit different than the rest. The Nitty Gritty tune “Sweet Dreams” was a tune that Nitty Gritty performed live often and as a dubplate, but the actual song was released as an album cut on his self titled LP recorded for Witty. The real gem of this selection however is Junior Wilson’s “Mama Told Me”, which was a minor hit for him at the time, but over the years has become a sound system classic, and a very hard to find original record. So, for the first time, available as a complete set on 45 we bring you the entire rhythm selection.

MM113  JUNIOR WILSON  MAMA TOLD ME

MM114  SLUGGY RANKS  ROUGH WINE

MM204  NITTY GRITTY  SWEET DREAMS

MM205  SUGAR MINOTT  NO WICKED

MM206  CARLTON LIVINGSTON  WHY YOU DO IT