Blackbeard "Strictly Dub Wize" (EMI Front Line, 1978)
Blackbeard "I Wah Dub" (EMI/More Cut/Zonophone, 1980)
British DJ and dub stylist Dennis Bovell (aka "Blackbeard") was one of the key figures in the homegrown British reggae scene. Working under a variety of pseudonyms, he provided "special" mixes for dance parties, as well as backing tracks for arty/indie bands such as the Slits and Ruts that were trying to integrate a reggae sound into the nascent punk scene. These two early albums, recorded under his main alias, Blackbeard, are some of the most engaging dub reggae I've ever heard. Because Bovell creates his dubs from the ground up -- working with songs that he himself had created, rather than stripping down songs by other artists -- these tracks have a more organic feel than many classic dub records. They also don't feel like stoned-out, minimalist knockoffs, as many of the records made by all those zonked-out Jamaican producers... There's lots of creativity, texture and depth to these songs... If you like Bill Laswell's records, you might also really dig these discs.
Jimmy Cliff "The Ultimate Collection" (MCA/Hip-O, 1999)
A solid reggae collection covering Cliff's career, from 1970 to 1993... Cliff was, of course, one of the first international reggae stars, with the release of the Harder They Come soundtrack in 1970... His star was quickly eclipsed by that of Bob Marley, and in the 1980s, Cliff caught some flak for having performed concerts inside the apartheid regime of South Africa (when there was an international entertainer's boycott in place...) Regardless, this collection captures his poppy grace, as well as some of his limitations. The anthemic poppiness of early hits such as "You Can Get It If You Really Want" worked less well on political songs: the 1970 single, "Vietnam" sounds improbably chirpy when you consider the subject matter. Nonetheless, Cliff's masterpiece, the ethereal "Sitting In Limbo," still sounds every bit as evocative after all these years, and with bright, clean digital mastering, the CD version is a welcome compliment to all our old, well-worn vinyl copies.
David Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7 "United Front" (Do Tell Records, 2003)
A jazzy take on the old-fashioned ska instrumental genre, veering into experimental territory than many fans of the style may be used to. A bit of mournful Miles Davis-informed atonality creeps into the normal, familiar buoyancy of the old Jamaican dance tunes. A nice new approach to the music!
Claudius Linton "Roots Master" (Sun King, 2007)
Reggae fans looking for new sources of old material will greatly enjoy this album, which gathers about a dozen rare, vintage tracks from Jamaican vocalist Claudius Linton, a lesser-known compatriot of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and the rest of the conscious-roots reggae set. This disc includes tracks spanning 1969's "Woman Wash Your Hair" to later efforts such as 1986's "Third World," and a hefty dose of dub as well. It's mostly politically-minded material, and while the social preaching may fall flat on occasion, the soulfulness of the music is never in dispute. One highlight is Linton's 1976 hit, "Crying Time," heard here in the single version that topped the Jamaican charts, and as a monophonic demo... These songs are part of the huge wealth of independently released singles that delighted in-the-knowfans, back in the day, but which remained hard to track down well into the CD era. It's sweet stuff, with great vocals, very much in the classic roots mode.
The Maytones "Their Greatest Hits" (Rounder Heartbeat, 2003)
Sweet roots reggae from this fabled old-school vocal group... This is a really nice record!
Mighty Diamonds "The Right Time" (Virgin Frontline, 1976)
Sweet, sweet vocals and easy, irresistible melodies mark this classic roots reggae album. And when I say "classic," I mean CLASSIC. This is one of the best mid-'70s reggae records ever made. The title track is the tops, but the rest of the disc lives up to its promise. Highly recommended!
Mighty Diamonds "Fire On Ice" (Virgin, 1977)
Perhaps not as stellar as The Right Time, but then again... what is?? This is still a very fine reggae album, notable for their collaboration with legendary New Orleans producer-arranger Allan Toussaint.
Bob Marley "The Right Time" (Atlantic/Big Beat, 1994)
Well, duh. It kind of took the fun out of it when frat boys became total potheads back in the '80s, and adopted the late Rasta legend as one of their stoner mascots, but the fact remains that Bob Marley was probably the single greatest reggae artist ever. All of his old albums hold up equally well, except maybe the live album, ..., which is a little flat. This disc is an unusual collection of his earlier, more ska-flavored material, and it's pretty great, even if it lacks the finesse and grand sound quality of his later major label work. One standout track is "", which features impassioned
Bob Marley & The Wailers "Talkin' Blues" (Island/Tuff Gong, 2002)
A nice entry into the Marley rarities collection... These are radio and concert broadcasts from 1973-'75, when the wailers were just making it big on the "underground" music scene of the '70s... Interviews from Jamaica's JBC radio are interspersed with tasty music tracks, including many recorded at the legendary San Francisco freeform station, KSAN-FM, during Marley's first American tour. There are also several album outtakes that should be of interest to the reggae faithful. Great to hear these folks play live... 'cuz they were definitely a great band.
Dawn Penn "No, No, No" (Atlantic/Big Beat, 1994)
One incredible song does not a great album make... Beautifully produced by Sly and Robbie, the haunting "No No No" remains as one of the most memorable reggae songs of the 'Nineties, but the rest of the album only barely holds up. Mostly, what stands out are Penn's thin vocals -- she can't really sing that well. On the title track they are effectively pepped-up by the sleek, funky, Skatalites-tinged backing tracks, but elsewhere the material and arrangements are not strong enough to sustain the illusion. Still, to its credit, this album came towards the tail end of some of reggae music's worst years, when coked-out, profoundly indifferent, by-the-numbers production was the norm, and a set of straight-up lovers rock like this was a welcome antidote. The "No No No" 12-inch might be all you really need, but the full CD is worth picking up as well.
Lee "Scratch" Perry/Various Artists "Arkology" (Island/Mango, 1997)
An amazing 4-CD set, collecting some of the best stuff to come out of dub producer Lee "Scratch" Perry's legendary Black Ark studio during the late '70s. All praise is due to Island for gathering such a groovy set together... Of course there's tons more stuff by Perry to check out -- some folks prefer his weirder dub material, but with talent like Max Romeo, Mikey Dread, Junior Murvin and the Congos roaming around, this collection should get your blood going... fine stuff!
The Skatalites "From Paris With Love" (World Village, 2002)
The surviving members of the original Skatalites cruise through a pleasant set of mellow, steady-rockin' tunes. Mostly instrumentals and tried & true oldies, with a couple of soul-y vocal tunes that feature Doreen Schaffer singing her little heart out.
Peter Tosh "The Toughest" (Rounder Heartbeat, 1996)
Early stuff and rarities from Wailers co-founder Peter Tosh. This disc has almost all the early ska and rocksteady tracks he recorded in 1963-66 for Studio One's Coxsone Dodd, and all of his subsequent recordings with Lee "Scratch" Perry... Predictably, much of the ska stuff is kind of monotonous, and though the reggae tracks show him stretching into a more layered vocal style, it's still pretty limited compared to his later work. Don't get me wrong -- this ain't bad, but it may be of more historical value than the kind of record you'd return to time and time again. 'Scool, though.
U-Roy "Dread In A Babylon" (Island/Mango, 1975)
Reggae Compilations
Various Artists "FRONTLINE! Vol.1" (Virgin, 1979)
Various Artists "THE HARDER THEY COME" (Soundtrack) (Island/Mango, 1972)
Admittedly, this is like shooting fish in a barrel. The first reggae record to hit big in the USA, there's nothing unworthy on this entire record. Toots & The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker's "Israelites"... every song's a hit, and the record is a stone cold classic. If this was the only reggae album you ever owned, that would be real shame, but if you don't already have a copy, your life is seriously lacking.
Various Artists "PUTUMAYO PRESENTS: LATIN REGGAE" (Putumayo, 2008)
Although the frenetic hip-hop-salsa-reggae hybrid called reggaeton took off a few years ago to become a potent commercial force, plain-old roots reggae has also been thriving in the Spanish-speaking world, as heard on this solid set of riddims from around the world. Spain -- and Barcelona in particular -- seems to be ground zero for Spanish-language reggae: over half the songs on here come from Espana, with additional entries from Argentina, Chile and Puerto Rico... North America gets a little representation, too, by bands from Brooklyn (naturally) and Canada as well, where Montreal-based Sarazino get a little of the tropical vibe going, evenwhen there's three feet of snow. This is a fine record for reggae lovers (and lover's reggae!) and for world music fans who really like hearing different cultures mixin' it up. There isn't as much musical influence from the salsa side of the street as you might imagine, but in some ways hearing straight-up old-school reggae being sung en espanol but otherwise unchanged is even cooler than a big reggaeton-style mash-up. Definitely worth checking out!
Various Artists "THE TROJAN STORY, v.1" (Trojan, 1972)
Various Artists "THE TROJAN STORY v.2" (Trojan, 1982)
Various Artists "THE TROJAN BOX SET: A JAMAICAN MUSIC STORY" (Trojan, 2001)
In their day, the two TROJAN STORY collections were the hallmark of impeccable good taste for any true ska-mod or reggae connoisseur's, two extra-fine 3-LP sets collecting some of the finest records from one of the greatest reggae labels. They used to be kinda hard to find, and seemed a little pricey, but man, when you got them home... wowsville! These days, though, you kids can just go right out and get all the same material on these dandy CD sets... same cool music, but easier to find and a bit more compact. Volume One (formerly known as "the red box") has all the dopest old stuff from the ska, rockstready and early reggae scene; Volume Two (the green box) includes material from 1971-'81, and still has plenty of skankin' material, but starts getting into the newer dub material as well. I haven't actually heard the super-duper mongo box set that has since come out, but if you're up for it, I'm sure it will not disappoint. With 30 CDs and 500 tracks, it should be more than enough to keep your rasta fires burning...
Resources
"Rough Guide To Reggae"
by Steve Barrow and Peter Dalton (Rough Guides, 1997)
Without exception, this is the best reference work on reggae available. At first, the absence of a table of contents is a little disconcerting, but it forces you to enter into the internal logic of the book. Barrow and Dalton present the evolution of reggae chronologically, beginning with the pre-ska "mento" dance style, working their way into the Sixties with ska, rocksteady and finally early reggae. Dub and roots reggae take up the 1970s, and dancehall and ragga round out the '80s. Each style gets its own chapter, in which artists, albums, labels and dance trends are all given their due. The book is wonderfully laid out, readable either as a narrative or in the bite-sized chunks we love in these days of attention deficeit disorder. Above all, this book is well written and informative. The authors definitley know their material -- Barrow, for example, runs the outstanding Blood and Fire reissue label -- and they skillfully present it to their readers. Best of all, they recommend LOTS of albums,and have a very coherent system for letting you know which ones they think are most crucial. If they recommend it, it is good. Glossaries, profiles of label owners and producers, and resource lists round the package out -- if you love reggae, or are just curious, this book could greatly enrich your life.
African Music Index
World Music Index
