One Track Mind – Dillinger

One of the benefits of working in a retail store that sold music in the 80′s was getting exposure to things you didn’t hear on WBCN, WZLX or WFNX.  I remember a friend of mine, we’ll call him Rick, would throw on Dillinger’s Cocaine in the store when his turn came up.  Rick wasn’t a Rastafarian or anything, in fact he was far from it, but he got around the dial though for sure.   I don’t know where he is today, but the irony of his love for this track…well, maybe it isn’t irony if the truth be told…is that Rick got pinched for the content of this song in the nightclub Spit before it became Axis.  There was a lot of that going around back in the day unfortunately.   Today The House of Blues occupies that space.  This track always kind of stuck with me.  And not in the way J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” has because of Eric Clapton and tiny playlists.  Authentic Reggae?  I’m not really sure, but I still think highly of it.

Dillinger, a.k.a. Lester Bullock, was born in Jamaica in 1953.   According to Wikipedia, the first record producer he worked with, Lee “Scratch” Perry, suggested he change his name to Dillinger after the famous gangster.   One word monikers do have a certain cache in the music business I suppose.  Other than being  name checked in The Clash song “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais,” there isn’t a whole lot of information available about Dillinger.  “Cocaine in My Brain” had a followup called “Marijuana in My Brain” and that kind of tells you all you need to know about Mr Bullock doesn’t it?  Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

There is a Jamaican practice called toasting where DJ’s chant over the records they are playing.   Some say it was the pre-cursor to the modern day Hip Hop.  Apparently Dillinger, who was a DJ, created this song as a result of chanting over a song called “Do It Anyway You Wanna” by The People’s Choice, but don’t quote me.   I’ve never heard that record.   In Jamaican culture, again according to our friends at Wikipedia, a Sound System is a group of DJs, Engineers and MC’s playing Ska, Rocksteady or Reggae music.  Beginning in the 1950′s in the ghettos of Kingston, promoters began to set up street parties where they would charge admission and sell food and alcohol.  It was good money for an impoverished economy.   Apparently it was not uncommon for thousands of folks to attend these things.  It began by spinning mostly American Rhythm and Blues, but it eventually migrated to a more local sound.   These events actually eclipsed live music in stature and attendance.   As the American sound began to no longer fit their needs some enterprising local DJs began producing records exclusively for these events.  They were  known as “Exclusives” or “Dubplates” with extremely limited distribution not meant for public consumption.   They say this was the advent of Ska music as they attempted to imitate 1950′s American R&B.   Fascinating stuff no?  OK, maybe it’s just me…

I don’t mean to offend by calling Dillinger a one hit wonder.  “Marijuana in My Brain” actually went to number one in The Netherlands (surprise!) though.  I still like to hear “Cocaine in My Brain” even though it’s been about 25 years since I first heard the track.  I hope you like it.

Dillinger – Cocaine in My Brain.mp3

Dillinger – Cocaine in My Brain.mp3 YSI

Buy or download Dillinger’s Cocaine from Amazon here.