Yellowman did not disappoint his fans at 'All Hail the King', held at Poinciana Lawn in Steer Town, St. Ann, last Saturday. - File WESTERN BUREAU:
THE DIWALI never stood a chance. Deejays fared marginally better. The Jamintel sound system kept the crowd at 'All Hail the King', held at Poinciana Lawn in Steer Town, St. Ann, dancing until Sunday morning with overwhelmingly pre-1990 songs. Not only were most of the selections over 10 years old, but singers also dominated, with Krystal and Shabba Ranks' Twice My Age being one of the few to buck the trend.
The King, hailed as Yellowman, took the microphone at 3:00 a.m. Alternating with Ras Demus at points and allowing a 'prento' or two to touch the microphone as well, Yellowman put in a decent performance. He gave more than a hint of why parents feared their children listening to him in the early 1980s.
Close to midnight, Jamintel's selectors played The Astronauts I Want a Woman, which 'bussed' the dance. Apparently that was the desire of numerous males in Steer Town on Saturday night, which they acted upon, as several couples were seen entering the venue. On the inside, several couples were seen doing their best to become Siamese Twins co-joined at the waist, as they ground their hips together to Jamintel's selections.
Billed as an old hits party, Jamintel pulled selections that made it a night to remember, stepping outside the realm of the 'regular' oldies but goodies. Stanley's Kisilo received huge support from the good-sized crowd, which had room to dance and used it. Freddy McKay's Picture on the Wall had to be 'wheeled up' several times. A cover version medley of Wailers' hits threw Poinciana Lawn into an uproar in the early going.
In keeping with the male-female connection that was being played out in the crowd, Jamintel played an exquisite blend of male and female artistes, with Marcia Griffiths dominating for the roses and Beres Hammond for the thorns. However, Sophia George (Girlie Girlie), JC Lodge (Gonna Make It Up), Gem Myers (One Man Girl), Nadine Sutherland (Babyface) and Carlene Davis (It Must Be Love) got their fair helpings of 'forwards'.
In addition, the selectors delved into the catalogues of a few select artistes, playing some of their hits back to back with devastating effect. Marcia and Beres got that treatment, as did John Holt, Sanchez and to a lesser extent Gregory Isaacs and Leroy Gibbons.
The dancers paused for a 'listening cause' at 3:00 a.m. for King Yellowman, as the selector announced that the people wanted to hear the deejay before the showers foretold by dew came down. As it turned out, the only rain that fell was the sprinkling of lyrics King Yellowman and Rasta Demus blessed the audience with.
However, some of the rhythms that Yellowman used for his selections, which included Blueberry Hill, Zunguzunguzungeng and Mr. Chin, showed their vintage by skipping. This prompted Yellowman to say at one point: 'Dem riddim ya spoil!'
Jamintel resumed the juggling at 3:45 a.m. and the crowd lifted their hands as Sanchez 'lifted his eyes to the father'. Greetings, Under Pressure and Alisha raised the tempo inside Poinciana Lawn, and more reggae followed until the selector hitched a gear with Michael Jackson's Billie Jean.
The Gleaner left Poinciana Lawn in Steer Town at 4:00 on Sunday morning, with the party faithful praising the musical gods with their waists, moving to the Fabulous Five's Tiney Winey and Good Buddy.
See related story in THE STAR.
