Recognize Reggae

This has been bugging me for several years, and I need to move on... please help me track down this reggae song!!

I went to a Radiohead show in Dublin, before the show there was a chilled out backing tape playing reggae songs. I recognised one of the songs, I'd heard it somewhere before and really liked it then, so made a note I should get hold of that song. The next week I tried to track it down. Sadly as I only remembered the start, and not any of the words, I couldn't describe it well, or search the web to find it. I've tried various "name that song" services, and singing to them hasn't helped. I've bought the reggae compilation Jonny Greenwood Is The Controller which was collated by the guitarist from Radiohead. It's not on that. I've hummed it to people in cars. On buses. In airports. At football games. Nothing.

So much time has passed, maybe I've warped my memory and I am remembering it wrong, and the hardest thing is that I remember the start, which is a descending bass line, which makes it very like *a lot* of reggae songs, but if you can rise to the challenge and if you are correct, then I am prepared to donate the prize of $20 to the person that gets this reggae monkey off my back! I'll pay you through PayPal as soon as it's verified.

Listen Here

De-de-de-doo-dooo-dooo

8 Comments - + Add a Comment

Colin Asquith - 22/02/2010 00:59

I did have a suggestion that was promising, that was Uptown Top Ranking, but sadly it was close, but no cigar...

Jeff - 22/02/2010 01:01

Have you tried going through the Trojan records back catalog?

Colin Asquith - 22/02/2010 01:02

Yes... I tried that, but there are sooooooo many songs, I will keep looking though...

simon - 22/02/2010 07:49

Colin Asquith! Just a hunch, but have you tried reggae greats by Toots and The Maytals?

Colin Asquith - 05/03/2010 14:08

So far, the main indications are that it is likely to be 1970s, something like Lee Perry, Jimmy Cliff or The Abyssians. It's an adventure to go through the music and see how I get on, but no closer yet! I am going to just listen to reggae radio from 1970s and see what I can find.

Colin Asquith - 04/04/2010 21:10

OK- I THINK WE HAVE A WINNER!! It seems that the song I was looking for is "Toots & the Maytals - 54-46 Was My Number", although it seems I've remembered it a little differently! But the suggestion (which I eventually got through some back catalogue searching) came from Simon Watson- good man!! Thanks everyone for your help! Prize on it's way! cheers C

anon - 13/04/2010 13:37

i cant find out what this song is called- in the song the guy says- time gets so hard... its the situation the poor man can tackle.. time gets so tough......

anon144 - 24/04/2010 23:37

Lion youth-Rat a cut Bottle