Shock Out Jamaican Style

The first hit of Shock Out Jamaican Style comes with that rhythm that seems to have escaped from a sound system in a Kingston market: the bass intertwines with the horns in a pattern that doesn’t let go until the drums enter with a sharp roll, as if someone had pressed the "play" button in the middle of a party that had already been going on for hours. It’s not just the tempo that hooks you, but that blend of roots reggae with an early touch of electronic music that Inner Circle achieved in their U.S. versions of Bad to the Bone. The track lasts exactly three minutes and forty-three seconds, but within that time there are enough layers for the listener to feel like they’re facing a remix that refuses to be just another version.

The track appeared exclusively on the U.S. edition of Bad to the Bone, released in 1992 by RAS Records, while the rest of the world got the album via WEA. A year later, Big Beat Records reissued the album under the title Bad Boys —a twist that turned out to be key— and that same reissue went on to win the Grammy for Best Reggae Album in 1993. Inner Circle already had their name tied to success with Bad Boys, but it was this U.S. version, with its additional tracks like Shock Out Jamaican Style or Make U Sweat, that ended up certified platinum by the RIAA. The curious thing is that, while the original album and its reissue shared hits like Sweat (A La La La La Long), it was in that expanded edition where Inner Circle slipped in these tracks that today sound like a bridge between classic reggae and the first glimmers of dancehall emerging in the 90s.