Ride Me Donkey Riddim – Various Producers

Augustus Pablo’s “Pablo’s Big Ride” gives this cut its deepest roots, but the whole Ride Me Donkey riddim has always had that old rock steady swagger coursing through it, dating back to The Tennors’ 1966 “Ride The Donkey” and the 1968 versions that followed. Here the lineup stretches from classic-era names like Derrick Morgan, Dobby Dobson and Jackie Mittoo and The Soul Vendors to later travellers such as Aaron Silk, Jacob Miller and Lorna Asher, so the riddim moves through different eras without losing its easy lurch. The Tennors keep their own stamp on it with “Ride Yu Donkey” and the sped-up “Ride Your Donkey, ” while Charlie Organaire and Brentford All Stars lean into the lighter, sing-song side of the pattern. Still, it’s Augustus Pablo who leaves the sharpest mark, turning the familiar donkey trot into something more magnetic and sly.