100 Songs from the Golden Age of Reggae

Gavin B. · 07-09-2009, 12:47 AM

Pictures of Jamaica 1978-1984

The legendary Channel 1 Studio.

Lee Perry's Black Ark Studio.

Bob Marley's family home at 55 Hope Road, Kingston. Rita and some of the Marley children still live there.

The Wailer's old tour bus at Hope Road.

zeppy111 · 07-09-2009, 12:57 AM

Hey man.

Im sure I don't need to say this, but this thread is one of my favourite threads on MB and the work you put in is much appreciated. Got me to put down numerous albums to search for and expand musically, big time!

So just keep up the good work. Great thread.

Gavin B. · 07-09-2009, 10:07 PM

A New Generation of Dub

As much as the audience for roots reggae music has ebbed over the past 20 or so years, there has been a growing interest in all kinds of dub music. Remixers, techno sound system operators, trip hop artists along with producers and performers in the techno/electronica world have rekindled the public interest in dub and inevitably the road of dub always leads the traveller to the palace of roots reggae.

Tribal War - Little Roy and Adrian Sherwood This eletrifying live performance was filmed just 4 days ago at the Independent Dub Day concert by one of my rasta breddren, Bomba Class. The song will probably end up on one of Adrian's forthcoming albums. If you're a roots reggae fan, this performance will thrill you.

Goin' Under - Rocker's Hi Fi with Kruder and Dorfmeister This stark and sinster remix of a Massive Attack riddim was one of the earliest hits of post-millenium dub from the trip hop school. While technically not a reggae song, Goin' Under was a genre splitting tune that enjoyed a lot of play in reggae dancehalls.

The Man Next Door - Massive Attack This song was originally hit in Jamaica for Paragon's vocalist John Holt during the mid 60s. Massive Attack, however, would look closer to home for their inspiration, incorporating elements of two definitive versions from musicians directly influential to their sound: a 1981 Sly & Robbie-powered dub version,and the dub/ punk of the Slits' "Man Next Door."

Using these tracks to keep themselves in check, Massive Attack recorded what is perhaps the best-ever rendition of the song. Keeping a muddy, dubbed-out bass of Slits-ian proportion to drive the song, and they also sampled the drip-drip guitar from the Cure's "10:15 on a Saturday Night" and dropped it prominently into the song to punctuate the bridge.

Reggae music veteran Horace Andy, whose own original version of the song is one of its finest early airings, then reprised his vocals to great effect and, alongside the band's melodic retooling, it became less story and more veiled threat. Give thanks and praise and listen in awe... Massive Attack is the past, present and future of popular music.

jackhammer · 07-10-2009, 07:36 AM

You mentioned in another thread that you don't like much Reggae post 86 and part of this was due to electronica replace traditional instruments but if that had never happened then we wouldn't have got the above music if the genre stayed stagnant. Every genre will always have a degree of evolution and sometimes it can splinter and give us Trip Hop etc.

Great picks BTW. Kruder & Dorfmeister are fantastic remixers and bring something new to the table in the crowded world of remixers.

Gavin B. · 07-10-2009, 10:48 AM

Black Uhuru was founded by Don Carlos and Duckie Simpson in the mid Seventies and became the premier reggae band of the post-Marley era.

From 1980 through 1984 Black Uhuru recorded nine albums that redefined modern roots reggae. Since 1980, drummer Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakepeare have supplied the turbo-charged drum and bass to the Black Uhuru riddim. Sly and Robbie remain charter members of both the recording and touring unit of Black Uhuru. The frontline of Black Uhuru has changed over the years, but Sly and Robbie were element of Uhuru's sound that remained unchanged for almost 30 years.

The most productive edition of the Black Uhuru was the unit that featured singing trio of Duckie Simpson, Puma Jones and Michael Rose.

The crown jewel of their musical output was 1983's Anthem which won a Grammy and acheived crossover success in the USA and the UK. In early 1985 at the peak of their success, lead vocalist Michael Rose left Black Uhuru over creative differences.

Rose was replaced by Junior Reid but Junior's visa problems kept him from touring with the band outside of Jamaica. Puma Jones left the band in 1987 to fight a struggle against cancer and she died in 1990. In 2001 Black Uhuru returned to the studio with Michael Rose sound-alike Andrew Beckford and Puma Jones sound-alike Pam Hall and recorded Dynasty which recalled Uhuru's glory days but has been silent since then. The group has been touring Europe over the past couple years and is in the studio preparing an album for release in 2009 or 2010.

Choosing just three songs that reflect the glory of Black Uhuru is like trying to summarize Bob Marley's legacy with three songs. I decided to pick one track from each from their three most crucial albums Red (1981), Chill-Out (1982) and Anthem (1984).

The Youth of Englington- Black Uhuru This is a live performance of the anchor song on the album Red and it gives you a pretty good idea of the power of their live performances. The performance was in Grugahalle Essen, Germany on October 17th 1981.

Right Stuff- Black Uhuru This song is from 1982's Chill Out an album which saw Uhuru using more state of art electronica techniques including the innovative use of the vocoder to process the background vocals. But despite the innovation, the sledgehammer one drop riddim of Sly and Robbie's drum n' bass keep Uhuru's sound firmly rooted in roots reggae.

Black Uhuru Anthem - Black Uhuru Black Uhuru Anthem was a dubwise declaration of faith in rasta in these times of sufferation. The song's power is underscored by Michael Rose's melancholy incantation of the stark lyrics.

Bulldog · 07-10-2009, 01:18 PM

I said earlier how Steel Pulse are probably my favourite reggae band. That's because Black Uhuru give them a proper run for their money in my opinion. Another brilliant band - Red is such a great album. Had no idea they were on the verge of a new album, I'll have to keep my ear to the ground with that one (should be worthwhile, with or without Michael Rose).

On another note, you weren't lying - that Beat album is indeed excellent.

Gavin B. · 07-12-2009, 07:41 AM

U-Roy: Original Deejay Is Still Top Ranking

Ewart Beckford began his career in his teens in 1961 as a DJ. U-Roy would select the music and to motivate the audience to dance would add a "toast". Sound Systems played the hits of the day and their own special remixes in an attempt to out-do each other. Eventually some of the new versions of well known hits with the "added toast" became more popular with the crowd than the original. Calling himself, “your ace from outer space”, this 28-year-old Jamaican welder revolutionized the musical style of reggae in 1969. Even though U-Roy was not the first microphone artist, he was the first to gain recognition through recording this style. U-Roy popularized and gained a wider audience for “toasting”; rapping over “versions” of popular songs remixed by dub music pioneer King Tubby. This style of vocals was a major influence on the early rap scene (Disco/Electro/Break Beat) and the later American hip-hop movement

Rule the Nation- U-Roy This is a U-Roy performance from Sunsplash in 1980. Rule the Nation is one U-Roy's earliest hits.

Soul Rebel- U-Roy This is a rare video of U-Roy and his frontline crew performing at an outdoor dancehall event in Sav La Mar in 1978.

Lover's Rock- Love Trio in Dub In 2006 U-Roy joined a group of New York based performers to form a side project called Love Trio in Dub. Other members of the loose collective were Sabina of the Brazilian Girls and members of Wax Poetic a group Norah Jones performs with periodically. Love Trio in Dub brings a jazzy trip hop sound to U-Roy's sound and has reached a whole new generation of music fans.

Gavin B. · 07-12-2009, 08:31 AM

How To Build a Good Reggae Collection Without Spending a Fortune

From those of you who are trying to build a decent digital reggae collection I'd suggest you buy the songs I've listed as single MP3 @ 99 cents at Amazon or Rhapsody. I'd avoid purchasing entire albums which often have filler in them. That way you can gradually build a top ranking collection of these 100 crucial songs. Jamaican reggae has always been more focused on the sales of 12" and 7" singles rather than album sales.

Many of these songs are unavailable at any music sevice and were posted by reggae music fans like myself who convert their out of issue reggae singles and albums into the digital format and post them on YouTube.

Most of the YouTube videos I've posted can be converted into high quality digital MP3 files if you have the free YouTube Downloader software. It isn't illegal to convert avi format videos into the mp3 format, as long as you do so for your own personal use and don't repost the music for others to download. I'd say that around 50% of the songs I've posted on this thread are out of issue anyway.

There are important reggae albums which every reggae fan should own but purchasing singles is the best way to get started because you'll get a broad exposure to the various artists and you can decide which ones you like well enough to spend money on album. The first 5 years I listened to reggae I only purchased singles and didn't even purchase a proper album until I broke down and bought Jah Son of Africa by U-Roy in 1978.

If you're interested only the the long playing album format check out Bulldog and Jackhammer's crucially crucial guide to reggae albums.

Gavin B. · 07-20-2009, 12:34 AM

I’ve been negligent posting on this thread in the past week for a couple of reasons. I've got a deadline on a couple of pieces I'm preparing for publication, and I've spent some time on the start-up of my Music Banter blog, Aural Fixation. My work on this thread is almost done with only an additional 10 reggae songs to complete my hot 100 list of reggae classics.

Bulldog · 07-23-2009, 07:49 AM

Well done on your spot in Editor's Pick Gavin. Richly deserved too.

07-09-2009, 12:47 AM	#41 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	Pictures of Jamaica 1978-1984 The legendary Channel 1 Studio. Lee Perry's Black Ark Studio. Bob Marley's family home at 55 Hope Road, Kingston. Rita and some of the Marley children still live there. The Wailer's old tour bus at Hope Road. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt

07-09-2009, 12:57 AM	#42 (permalink)
zeppy111 16, so? Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: South Africa Posts: 630	Hey man. Im sure I don't need to say this, but this thread is one of my favourite threads on MB and the work you put in is much appreciated. Got me to put down numerous albums to search for and expand musically, big time! So just keep up the good work. Great thread. __________________ My Blog (album of the day): http://musicfromthesouth.blogspot.com

07-09-2009, 10:07 PM	#43 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	A New Generation of Dub As much as the audience for roots reggae music has ebbed over the past 20 or so years, there has been a growing interest in all kinds of dub music. Remixers, techno sound system operators, trip hop artists along with producers and performers in the techno/electronica world have rekindled the public interest in dub and inevitably the road of dub always leads the traveller to the palace of roots reggae. Tribal War - Little Roy and Adrian Sherwood This eletrifying live performance was filmed just 4 days ago at the Independent Dub Day concert by one of my rasta breddren, Bomba Class. The song will probably end up on one of Adrian's forthcoming albums. If you're a roots reggae fan, this performance will thrill you. Goin' Under - Rocker's Hi Fi with Kruder and Dorfmeister This stark and sinster remix of a Massive Attack riddim was one of the earliest hits of post-millenium dub from the trip hop school. While technically not a reggae song, Goin' Under was a genre splitting tune that enjoyed a lot of play in reggae dancehalls. The Man Next Door - Massive Attack This song was originally hit in Jamaica for Paragon's vocalist John Holt during the mid 60s. Massive Attack, however, would look closer to home for their inspiration, incorporating elements of two definitive versions from musicians directly influential to their sound: a 1981 Sly & Robbie-powered dub version,and the dub/ punk of the Slits' "Man Next Door." Using these tracks to keep themselves in check, Massive Attack recorded what is perhaps the best-ever rendition of the song. Keeping a muddy, dubbed-out bass of Slits-ian proportion to drive the song, and they also sampled the drip-drip guitar from the Cure's "10:15 on a Saturday Night" and dropped it prominently into the song to punctuate the bridge. Reggae music veteran Horace Andy, whose own original version of the song is one of its finest early airings, then reprised his vocals to great effect and, alongside the band's melodic retooling, it became less story and more veiled threat. Give thanks and praise and listen in awe... Massive Attack is the past, present and future of popular music. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt Last edited by Gavin B.; 07-09-2009 at 10:12 PM.

07-10-2009, 07:36 AM	#44 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	You mentioned in another thread that you don't like much Reggae post 86 and part of this was due to electronica replace traditional instruments but if that had never happened then we wouldn't have got the above music if the genre stayed stagnant. Every genre will always have a degree of evolution and sometimes it can splinter and give us Trip Hop etc. Great picks BTW. Kruder & Dorfmeister are fantastic remixers and bring something new to the table in the crowded world of remixers. __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

07-10-2009, 10:48 AM	#45 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	Black Uhuru was founded by Don Carlos and Duckie Simpson in the mid Seventies and became the premier reggae band of the post-Marley era. From 1980 through 1984 Black Uhuru recorded nine albums that redefined modern roots reggae. Since 1980, drummer Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakepeare have supplied the turbo-charged drum and bass to the Black Uhuru riddim. Sly and Robbie remain charter members of both the recording and touring unit of Black Uhuru. The frontline of Black Uhuru has changed over the years, but Sly and Robbie were element of Uhuru's sound that remained unchanged for almost 30 years. The most productive edition of the Black Uhuru was the unit that featured singing trio of Duckie Simpson, Puma Jones and Michael Rose. The crown jewel of their musical output was 1983's Anthem which won a Grammy and acheived crossover success in the USA and the UK. In early 1985 at the peak of their success, lead vocalist Michael Rose left Black Uhuru over creative differences. Rose was replaced by Junior Reid but Junior's visa problems kept him from touring with the band outside of Jamaica. Puma Jones left the band in 1987 to fight a struggle against cancer and she died in 1990. In 2001 Black Uhuru returned to the studio with Michael Rose sound-alike Andrew Beckford and Puma Jones sound-alike Pam Hall and recorded Dynasty which recalled Uhuru's glory days but has been silent since then. The group has been touring Europe over the past couple years and is in the studio preparing an album for release in 2009 or 2010. Choosing just three songs that reflect the glory of Black Uhuru is like trying to summarize Bob Marley's legacy with three songs. I decided to pick one track from each from their three most crucial albums Red (1981), Chill-Out (1982) and Anthem (1984). The Youth of Englington- Black Uhuru This is a live performance of the anchor song on the album Red and it gives you a pretty good idea of the power of their live performances. The performance was in Grugahalle Essen, Germany on October 17th 1981. Right Stuff- Black Uhuru This song is from 1982's Chill Out an album which saw Uhuru using more state of art electronica techniques including the innovative use of the vocoder to process the background vocals. But despite the innovation, the sledgehammer one drop riddim of Sly and Robbie's drum n' bass keep Uhuru's sound firmly rooted in roots reggae. Black Uhuru Anthem - Black Uhuru Black Uhuru Anthem was a dubwise declaration of faith in rasta in these times of sufferation. The song's power is underscored by Michael Rose's melancholy incantation of the stark lyrics. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt

07-10-2009, 01:18 PM	#46 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	I said earlier how Steel Pulse are probably my favourite reggae band. That's because Black Uhuru give them a proper run for their money in my opinion. Another brilliant band - Red is such a great album. Had no idea they were on the verge of a new album, I'll have to keep my ear to the ground with that one (should be worthwhile, with or without Michael Rose). On another note, you weren't lying - that Beat album is indeed excellent.

07-12-2009, 07:41 AM	#47 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	U-Roy: Original Deejay Is Still Top Ranking Ewart Beckford began his career in his teens in 1961 as a DJ. U-Roy would select the music and to motivate the audience to dance would add a "toast". Sound Systems played the hits of the day and their own special remixes in an attempt to out-do each other. Eventually some of the new versions of well known hits with the "added toast" became more popular with the crowd than the original. Calling himself, “your ace from outer space”, this 28-year-old Jamaican welder revolutionized the musical style of reggae in 1969. Even though U-Roy was not the first microphone artist, he was the first to gain recognition through recording this style. U-Roy popularized and gained a wider audience for “toasting”; rapping over “versions” of popular songs remixed by dub music pioneer King Tubby. This style of vocals was a major influence on the early rap scene (Disco/Electro/Break Beat) and the later American hip-hop movement Rule the Nation- U-Roy This is a U-Roy performance from Sunsplash in 1980. Rule the Nation is one U-Roy's earliest hits. Soul Rebel- U-Roy This is a rare video of U-Roy and his frontline crew performing at an outdoor dancehall event in Sav La Mar in 1978. Lover's Rock- Love Trio in Dub In 2006 U-Roy joined a group of New York based performers to form a side project called Love Trio in Dub. Other members of the loose collective were Sabina of the Brazilian Girls and members of Wax Poetic a group Norah Jones performs with periodically. Love Trio in Dub brings a jazzy trip hop sound to U-Roy's sound and has reached a whole new generation of music fans. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt Last edited by Gavin B.; 03-16-2010 at 05:03 PM.

07-12-2009, 08:31 AM	#48 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	How To Build a Good Reggae Collection Without Spending a Fortune From those of you who are trying to build a decent digital reggae collection I'd suggest you buy the songs I've listed as single MP3 @ 99 cents at Amazon or Rhapsody. I'd avoid purchasing entire albums which often have filler in them. That way you can gradually build a top ranking collection of these 100 crucial songs. Jamaican reggae has always been more focused on the sales of 12" and 7" singles rather than album sales. Many of these songs are unavailable at any music sevice and were posted by reggae music fans like myself who convert their out of issue reggae singles and albums into the digital format and post them on YouTube. Most of the YouTube videos I've posted can be converted into high quality digital MP3 files if you have the free YouTube Downloader* software.* It isn't illegal to convert avi format videos into the mp3 format, as long as you do so for your own personal use and don't repost the music for others to download. I'd say that around 50% of the songs I've posted on this thread are out of issue anyway. There are important reggae albums which every reggae fan should own but purchasing singles is the best way to get started because you'll get a broad exposure to the various artists and you can decide which ones you like well enough to spend money on album. The first 5 years I listened to reggae I only purchased singles and didn't even purchase a proper album until I broke down and bought Jah Son of Africa by U-Roy in 1978. If you're interested only the the long playing album format check out Bulldog and Jackhammer's crucially crucial guide to reggae albums. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt Last edited by Gavin B.; 07-12-2009 at 08:38 AM.

07-20-2009, 12:34 AM	#49 (permalink)
Gavin B. Model Worker Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 1,248	I’ve been negligent posting on this thread in the past week for a couple of reasons. I've got a deadline on a couple of pieces I'm preparing for publication, and I've spent some time on the start-up of my Music Banter blog, Aural Fixation. My work on this thread is almost done with only an additional 10 reggae songs to complete my hot 100 list of reggae classics. __________________ There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff. Townes Van Zandt

07-23-2009, 07:49 AM	#50 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Well done on your spot in Editor's Pick Gavin. Richly deserved too.