Episode 3: Let It Grow

Writer Danny Robins talks about the music featured in episode 3 of Rudy's Rare Records

This week’s episode gets us out of the record shop and onto the allotment that Rudy and Adam inherit from Doreen’s late husband Arthur. The tunes follow them out of the shop courtesy of Rudy’s boombox, which also causes a stir at a farmers' market later in the episode.

We kick off the music in Let It Grow with the infectious and very hard to spell Zungguzungguguzungguzeng by veteran dancehall DJ Yellowman. Yellowman, now in his late 50s, is a legendary artist in Jamaica and interesting in that, for a long time, he was the only albino Jamaican music star (albinism carried a social stigma in Jamaica when he was growing up). There is now another albino DJ following in his footsteps, calling himself Al Beeno.

There are a few songs that when I hear them played between scenes, I really wish they could go on for a little bit longer. One of these is The Gates of Zion by The Mighty Diamonds, a song so deliciously funky it unleashes some sort of primal response in me, making me want to throw my hands in the air and shout ‘choon!’. I have to be careful when I listen to it on my iPod on the bus.

Rudy chooses to upset the neighbouring allotments by blasting out the classic track Incredible by M Beat Featuring General Levy. I’m not sure if this is the first track to include the line “The Jungle is Massive”, but that and Levy’s shout of “Wickid wicked” have been much sampled for other drum 'n' bass tracks, not least by me who used them and the beat to remix Chris De Burgh’s Lady In Red once, but that’s a whole other story...

Rumours by the late great Gregory Isaacs hints at what Rudy and his friend Clifton are getting up to in the greenhouse when Adam’s not around, as I suppose does Herbal Dub by King Tubby. Say no more...

Looking through the tracklisting, it’s possible that this episode has my favourite tune selection of the whole series, so if I waxed lyrical about every song I’d be here for days. Suffice to say though that if you don’t find your foot tapping during the likes of Rapper’s Delight and The Selecter’s lovely, bouncy cover of the old ska song Carry Go Bring Home, then Rudy would be shocked and quite possibly throw you out of his shop, as he has been known to do on occasion when customers fail to appreciate that Jamaica is the musical capital of the world or make the fatal mistake of asking him if he has any Coldplay.

I hope you enjoy the music in the episode and if you want to hear the songs in full, click on the Youtube links below or listen to the Spotify playlist I have made for the episode here.

Episode 3 playlist

Zungguzungguguzungguzeng – Yellowman

The Gates of Zion – The Mighty Diamonds

Incredible – M Beat Feat. General Levy

Rumours – Gregory Isaacs

Carry Go Bring Home – The Selecter

Gimme the Light – Sean Paul

Hard Times – Leo Graham

Rapper’s Delight – The Sugarhill Gang

Herbal Dub – King Tubby