Throwback Thursday: Norman Jay's Good Times 30th Anniversary (2011)

Well after a burst of sunshine the UK has reverted to grey type this week, leaving us basking in rain and overcast skies. In a word, grim. So for our slab of nostalgia we reverted to a truly British form of summer, listening to the unmistakable sounds of Norman Jay and his Good Times Soundsystem (stream the 30th anniversary edition below via Spotify).

Since 1981 Good Times has delivered exactly as the name would suggest, via his annual sojourns at Notting Hill Carnival and elsewhere across the globe. It sees Jay hurtling through reggae, soul, house, disco, jazz and much more to present a soundscape which reflects the rich cultural heritage we as a nation possess, his upbringing in London via West Indian parents shining through. 

This compilation veers between the shuffling soulful house of Bridges, Terri Wells' laconic funk, smoky hip hop via The Basement Khemist and the euphoric disco drenched soul of Curtis Mayfield. It's the type of soundtrack that makes you forget your worries when eating jerk chicken on a sticky August Bank Holiday in West London, and right now is doing just that little to lift the doom here in miserable Lancashire.

Jay is on tour as always, hitting his native London alongside peers Phil Asher and Paul 'Trouble' Anderson at the Bussey Building on Saturday 17th May, and heading to a place where the sunshine is near enough guaranteed, the Electric Elephant festival in Croatia between 10th and 14th July.

He also heads to a city where bright skies are anything but a reliability, playing Twenty Twenty Two in Manchester on Sunday 25th May where he'll be supported by Will Tramp. Luckily the venue's party conveniently happens all under a roof, and for those looking for some feelgood bank holiday hedonism in the city you can't realy go wrong. More info here.

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