Host Dr Clinton Hutton (left) addresses Thursday's Top 100 symposium at the Undercroft UWI, Mona. Seated are committee members Wayne Chen (second left), Frankie Campbell (second right) and chairman Dr Omar Davies (right). - Mel Cooke photo

As he opened Thursday evening's symposium on the top 100 Jamaican popular songs between 1957 and 2007 at the UWI, Mona campus' Undercroft, lecturer in the Department of Government, Dr Clinton Hutton said "We hope this evening will be rewarding, that we will have participation from both ends and we will learn something from this enterprise".

It certainly was a participatory evening, significantly critical of the list itself, but also congratulatory of the overall effort in the audience response section. Not that it wasn't welcome, as before the list was distributed by the chairman of the committee that organised the selection process, opposition spokesman on finance Dr Omar Davies said, "This is going to stir up controversy and we want it to."

There was laughter when, also before the list was handed out, committee member Frankie Campbell of Fab Five said, "I know that a lot of people going blood we still, but a no nutten still." And just before committee member Bunny Goodison dealt with the top 10, committee member Wayne Chen said, "It has been fun - so far" to a gust of laughter.

François St Juste of FAME FM is also on the committee.

Categorising best Jamaican popular songs

Hutton said that the symposium, "in gestation since January 2008," is aimed at "arguing, rationalising, categorising and revealing 100 of the best Jamaican popular songs and instrumentals which propelled Jamaica into the major league of global popular music and the development of modern sound technology."

After Herbie Miller gave an overview of the revitalised Jamaica Music Museum, Davies led off the discussions, giving a background to the formation of the panel and the definitions that were used. So Jamaican music was defined as "any Jamaican genre of music recorded or produced whether in Jamaica or overseas - between 1957 and 2007 qualifies." To qualify, "the main artiste or artistes must either be Jamaican born, a naturalised Jamaican or first generation Jamaican born elsewhere."

Both originals and cover versions qualified.

Davies said that the factors taken into account were "national popularity, including but not restricted to sales, national and international impact and influence and, critically, longevity."

The panel compiled a list of persons who were asked to send in their top 50 songs. The scoring system gave 50 points to a song that was ranked at number one, going down to one point that was a number 50 choice.

"Our involvement, the five of us, was only insofar as were selectors," Davies said. The exception was whenever there was a tie, though, it would be broken by a vote based on the eligibility criteria. He noted that many persons who were canvassed did not respond and the list comes from those who responded.

"We know that this is not an exclusive 100, but what we do know is that there was a system and a method to what we did. We want to stimulate discussion and we hope that by restimulating the discussion, the radio stations won't have to get into their present little problems. There is so much great music out there to be played which is not being played on a regular basis," Davies said, to applause.

List accepted

Frankie Campbell said, "This top 100, I wouldn't really choose them songs here. Not all of them. Maybe half ... and when you see the top 100 you will say the same." Still, he said, they accepted the list because "we believe it was done fairly ...". He noted that the process was stalled for months, as the panel waited on persons to respond. Then they could wait no longer.

He noted that almost 100 persons were invited to participate, but "they just didn't come in." We sent to disco, media personnel, musicians, "we sent to a wide cross-section of persons who know the music business for years."

"Your children and your grandchildren, will they be dancing to Mavado and Vybz Kartel as we are dancing to the Heptones today?" Campbell asked, to a buzz of comment. "These are just questions we the committee spoke about every night, quarreled, fought, everything ...".

Background

Chen, co-author of Reggae Routes with Kevin O'Brien Chang, gave a background on the writing - or lack of - on Jamaican music by Jamaicans. He said there were 21 selectors in all, the five committee members plus Sly Dunbar, Robbie Lyn, Dean Fraser, Boris Gardiner, Ibo Cooper, Owen Brown, Roy Black, Dwight Pinkney, Neville Wray, Garfield Hamilton, Basil Walters, Tamara Dickens, Steve Golding, Jack Scorpio, Arif Cooper and King Stitt.

There was a buzz in the audience and Chen said "I know we are going to get hammered that there should be more women, more young people." He said that those concerns were there, but he would not repeat what Campbell had said about the efforts to get persons to respond.

"In the end, the 21 selectors touched 652 different songs ... We only looked at songs that were picked by three selectors," Chen said. That narrowed the list down to 172 songs. Bob Marley had 37 'touches', Dennis Brown 22, Toots and the Maytals 14 and Beres Hammond 10."

1. One Love/People Get Ready (Bob Marley and the Wailers - 726 points)

2. Oh Carolina (The Folkes Brothers - 540)

3. 54-46 (The Maytals - 516)

4. Got To Go Back Home (Bob Andy - 493)

5. My Boy Lollipop (Millie Small - 470)

6. Many Rivers to Cross (Jimmy Cliff - 451)

7. Israelites (Desmond Dekker and the Aces - 424)

8. Cherry Oh Baby (Eric Donaldson - 367)

9. Simmer Down (The Wailers - 357)

10. Carry Go Bring Come (Justin Hinds and the Dominoes - 331)

11. The Harder They Come (Jimmy Cliff - 316)

12. No Woman No Cry (Bob Marley and The Wailers - 305)

13. Rivers of Babylon (The Melodians - 298)

14. Redemption Song (Bob Marley and the Wailers - 289)

15. Easy Snappin' (Theophilus Beckford - 281)

16. Girl I've Got a Date (Alton Ellis - 261)

17. Satta Massagana (The Abyssnians - 253)

18. Everything I Own (Ken Boothe - 249)

19. Eastern Standard Time (Don Drummond - 246)

20. Wear You To The Ball (U-Roy - 236)