100 Songs from the Golden Age of Reggae

Gavin B. · 11-19-2009, 10:41 AM

Lover's Rock Ina Jamaican Style

Niney the Observer (l) and Freddy McGregore (r) join forces to make a near perfect dancehall single.

Lovers Rock Ina JA Style- Freddie McGregor Freddie McGregor has been on the Jamaican reggae scene since the 60s and his career is a patchwork of hits and misses. Niney the Observer has also had a similarly checkered career as a producer.

On a trip to Jamaica in 1985, I picked up a 12 inch single (with dub) of Freddie's single Lover's Rock Ina JA Style which was produced by Niney the Observer at Channel One studios. Lover's Rock Ina JA Style was harmonic convergence of two erratic artists to make one near perfect dancehall single.

The song never appeared on any of Freddie's regular album releases anytime in the 80s, but since the year 2000 Lover's Rock Ina JA Style has appeared on two different McGregor anthologies and on a retrospective of Niney the Observer's production credits.

At the time I picked up a copy ot the McGregor single, I was working as a deejay at the Channel Club in Boston and as a selector on the crew of Ras Michael's Sound System a loose alliance of reggae oriented deejays who primarily gigged dancehalls in an around Boston's West Indian community in Dorchester area of the city.

Whenever I dropped Lover's Rock Ina JA Style on the turntable, the dance floor would immediately fill with enthusiastic couples skanking away to the tune. It's a rare to find just the right single that gets everybody up and moving in a dancehall and Freddie's single always did the trick. I got more requests for that song in my club deejay booth and on my radio show than just about any song I ever played. There's something magical in the chemistry of the song that make people want to move to the beat.

It's a great single and it brings back a lot of happy memories for me.

11-19-2009, 10:41 AM	#11 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	Lover's Rock Ina Jamaican Style Niney the Observer (l) and Freddy McGregore (r) join forces to make a near perfect dancehall single. Lovers Rock Ina JA Style- Freddie McGregor Freddie McGregor has been on the Jamaican reggae scene since the 60s and his career is a patchwork of hits and misses. Niney the Observer has also had a similarly checkered career as a producer. On a trip to Jamaica in 1985, I picked up a 12 inch single (with dub) of Freddie's single Lover's Rock Ina JA Style which was produced by Niney the Observer at Channel One studios. Lover's Rock Ina JA Style was harmonic convergence of two erratic artists to make one near perfect dancehall single. The song never appeared on any of Freddie's regular album releases anytime in the 80s, but since the year 2000 Lover's Rock Ina JA Style has appeared on two different McGregor anthologies and on a retrospective of Niney the Observer's production credits. At the time I picked up a copy ot the McGregor single, I was working as a deejay at the Channel Club in Boston and as a selector on the crew of Ras Michael's Sound System a loose alliance of reggae oriented deejays who primarily gigged dancehalls in an around Boston's West Indian community in Dorchester area of the city. Whenever I dropped Lover's Rock Ina JA Style on the turntable, the dance floor would immediately fill with enthusiastic couples skanking away to the tune. It's a rare to find just the right single that gets everybody up and moving in a dancehall and Freddie's single always did the trick. I got more requests for that song in my club deejay booth and on my radio show than just about any song I ever played. There's something magical in the chemistry of the song that make people want to move to the beat. It's a great single and it brings back a lot of happy memories for me. Last edited by Gavin B.; 03-16-2010 at 12:06 PM.