Skidip

iTunes Review

Eek-A-Mouse started collaborating with Jamaican singer-turned-producer Linval Thompson in 1980, and their partnership immediately spawned dancehall hits in the form of “Bubble Up Your Hip” and “Modeling Queen.” As is often the case with Jamaican artists, American audiences were late to the party, but the U.S. label Shanachie eventually collected the Eek/Thompson singles on the onomatopoeically titled 1982 album Skidip. Confusingly, Shanachie decided to rename half the songs: "Skidip" itself, for instance, is actually "Bubble Up Your Hip"; "Walking Sexy" became "Looking Sexy"; "Need Your Loving" became "Always on My Mind"; and "Every Girl Is a Virgin" took on the nominally less offensive title "Fat and Slim." The label assumed further editorial control by shortening “Do You Remember Those Days” and lengthening “You Na Love Reggae” (originally titled “Reggae Music”). Despite the variations, Skidip is an essential portrait of Eek in his young prime. Under Thompson’s guidance, The Roots Radics provide a set of rhythms militantly focused with a hint of sweet delirium: the exact mood of all-night dancehall bliss.