Sounds For Sunday

The first of an occasional series.

Ever since I was a kid Sunday afternoons were about reggae and soul. Radio London used to have a Sunday lunchtime reggae show, which I used to listen to on my prized possession, a transistor radio I'd gotten for my birthday or Christmas when I was about six. And my best friend's mum, who'd come to the UK from Jamaica in about 1969, would also listen to the show while she cooked Sunday lunch. There was also a dealer who lived upstairs from us who would have parties on a Saturday night, which would often still be going on the next day. My mum must have hated it, but I loved the sound of heavy dub coming through the ceiling.

Meanwhile my dad , being something of a soul freak, would play old Motown and Stax tunes. So there's something of a tradition that I to this day still follow. Soul and Reggae on a Sunday afternoon while I'm cooking.

This tune is one of my favourites. It may sound familiar, there were a few cover versions over the years. But this is the original. Produced by Lee Perry, it's a dark sound, but hugely melodic and Keith Rowe had an amazing soulful voice. This is probably one of my favourite vocal performances of all time, alongside Billy Stewart's amazing version of Summertime.

Keith Rowe: Groovy Situation