ONE of the biggest thrills as a boy for deejay Macka B was going to record stores and buying the latest 45. For the youngsters, that’s a vinyl single.
Now 50, the veteran British toaster recalls those days on Never Played A 45, his album and song of the same name.
Co-produced by Chris Peckings, the songs on the album are done to classic reggae beats. Never Played A 45 is driven by Toots and The Maytals’ 54-46.
“Never Played A 45 is about the beauty of vinyl. It’s become an anthem, and when it was released as a 7-inch 45 it sold out,” Macka B told the Jamaica Observer.
Vinyl records long gave way to the compact disc and digital downloads but collectors helped keep it alive through thriving markets in Europe, Japan and the United States’ West Coast.
In the United Kingdom, it has made the biggest comeback. Last year, sales of vinyl records surpassed the million sales mark.
Macka B is excited about the renaissance.
“As people may have heard there is a big vinyl revival going on; records are selling more now than in the past 20 years. Pressing plants are very busy with long waiting lists,” he said.
“Mi have nuff vinyl record and three turntables. As a youth I used to spend all of my money on vinyls, stand up in the record shop all day. One of the reasons I did the song is to let the youths know how rewarding it was to us, having physical music in your hands,” he added.
Never Played A 45 also includes the pro-ganja song, Medical Marijuana Card, which was released in 2014. African and Too Much Chicken are other cuts from the album.
Macka B (real name Christopher McFarlane) was born in the British Midlands city of Wolverhampton to Jamaican parents. His career started in the early 1980s on the London sound system circuit.
He is best known in Jamaica for the songs, Dread a Who She Love (with singer Kofi) and Proud of Mandela.
— By Howard Campbell
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