Reggae recommendation?

[feverish]

uh, has no one mentioned Bob Marley? Or do you consider that Rasta music?

anyhow, get "Songs of Freedom" - basically all anyone needs of Bob Marley

 

[royboy2k]

Quote:

Originally posted by feverish uh, has no one mentioned Bob Marley? Or do you consider that Rasta music? anyhow, get "Songs of Freedom" - basically all anyone needs of Bob Marley

Yes he's been mentioned, read the thread more closely.

 

[Wilson]

I'll add these ...

Peter Tosh - "Mama Africa"
Third World - many of their earlier albums were good



Happy listening,
W

 

[caliguy100]

I would recomend Barrington Levy. Dance hall music but it is really good.

 

[VicAjax]

if you don't mind spending 50 bucks, i highly recommend the lee "scratch" perry anthology box set: Arkology.

this is the dub pioneer/madman/genius at his peak, producing at his black ark studios. this a production compilation, so you get songs by the upsetters, mikey dread, junior murvin, the heptones and a bunch of others.

i think this is possibly the best introduction to reggae dub that's out there.

 

[Ohoen]

I love Peter Tosh's "Equal Rights". Anyone know where to get more of the older stuff on vinyl and online? Any more dub rec's? All I've heard is Sly and Robbie's stuff which I like quite a bit.

 

[Trawlerman]

I like to listen to JOHN HOLT - 10,000 Volts of Holt.

At the moment, a number of stores have the Trojan Records boxsets available for very little money. We're talking $10 or so for some of the best Reggae that you can lay your hands on.

 

[Lion Zion]

I also highly recommend the BMW box set "Songs of Freedom".

Another great set to check out is "The History of Jamaican Music, "Tougher Than Tough" It follows the progression of Jamaican music from rock steady, ska and into the various permutations of reggae music (dancehall, dub, etc.)

The below listed are, imo crucial for the serious reggae fan:

Burning Spear "Man In The Hills/Dry and Heavy" (finally remastered and offered as a twofer)
Burning Spear "Marcus Garvey/Old Marcus Garvey"
Burning Spear "Living Dub Vol. 3" The roots consious Spear never disappoints. These are works from his early period and are quite essential.
Augustus Pablo "East of The River Nile" and the previously mentioned "King Tubby Meets The Rockers Uptown" (both remastered) Haunting, far east sounds by the late Mr. Horace Swaby. A melodica magician.
Israel Vibration "Strength Of My Life" Vibes rule!
Mighty Diamonds "Right Time" great harmonies
Gregory Isaacs "Night Nurse" The Cool Ruler is Jamaica's Marvin Gaye
Steel Pulse "True Democracy" British reggae
U-Roy "Dread Ina Babylon" The original toaster
Aswad "A New Chapter In Dub" Hard to find, but well worth seeking out.
Bunny Wailer "Sings The Wailers" The original Wailer, Bunny does the early Wailer songs proud.
Yabby U- "King Tubby's Prophesy In Dub" Mystical, mind and body music.

Warning, make sure when listening to any of the above that you have cans that can handle significant bottom end as well as a long extention cord, as you will not be able to sit in you chair once the riddims start.

Go dere.

 

[caliguy100]

Here is a great album. Anyone that enjoys Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" will enjoy this reggae rendition.
"Dub Side of the Moon " by Easy Star All Stars

 

[Yeldarb]

My recommendations would include:

UB40

Any of the early Trojan records artists like Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff etc - usually found on compilation albums.

You might also like a style of reggae called Ska (or sometimes bluebeat I think). A classic is Prince Buster's " Al Capone".

Brad

 

[sno1man]

The Harder They Come- Soundtrack, Jimmy Cliff, Toots and the Maytalls, Desmond Decker.

Songs like Pressure Drop, The Harder They Come, Draw Your Brakes, Many Rivers to Cross.

A great sampler. Outlaw which is another soundtrack album is very good with some lesser know artists.

 

[danaa]

Yes, The Harder They Come is definitely a great reggae recording. See if you can get your hands on a copy of the Criterion DVD. The movie has achieved cult status. I remember that, when I lived in West L.A., it showed at the late show on weekends for a couple of straight years. And, seeing Jimmy Cliff sing in it is transformational.

 

[Daffy6964]

1. The Harder They Come Sdtk (Deluxe Edition)

Disc 1 - is the remastered original soundtrack.

Disc 2 - Excellent mix of music (pre-Bob Marley)

2. Exodus - Bob Marley

3. of course the Bob Marley Legend greatest hits album.

 

[Permonic]

Thank you all of you guys for your great reggae recommendations. Upon it, I bought The Harder They Come (remastered soundtrack) and Bob Marley - The Legend. It sounds great and I enjoy the music. It's enough for me at the moment, since I'm new to this genre, however I would like to try more, e.g Burning Spear, Israel Vibration, etc.

 

[Murdoch]

Thought I'd revive this thread with my recommendations.

There are many subgenres of reggae. The evolution of the music basically went like this:

Early 1960's- The birth of the first popular recorded Jamaican music: Ska. Mainly instrumentals. Born from jamaican Jazz and folk music, mainly mento.

Late 60's early 70's - Rocksteady. Slowed ska rhythm + introduction of R&B style vocals.

Mid 70's to roughly1985 - the reggae that is now considered the classic roots era. Dub music makes it big, as do dj's chatting over dub rhythms. Bob Marley goes outernational. Burning spear, Gregory Isaacs, Dennis Brown, U-Roy, Big Youth, I-Roy all bust out.

1985- the present. Dancehall rules.

Here's my top 5 picks for you to get an excellent taste of the best.

Studio One Scorcher on Soul Jazz records. Killer Instrumentals.

King Tubby meets the Rockers uptown. This is considered by most to be the very best dub album of all time. Now remastered with extra tracks on Shanachie records.

Dennis Brown Some Like it Hot on Heartbeat records. Very mellow, smooth and heavy. Dennis was called the Crown Prince of Reggae while he was alive.

Lee Perry Arkology. You couldn't ask for a better summary of Lee Perry's productions. Sound quality is top notch too.

If you want to check a classic dancehall album which is now almost 8 years old (!), get Sizzla's Black Woman and Child.

I'd strongly recommend that you check these titles. While Legend and The Harder they come soundtrack are good, there's ALOT more great reggae out there. Note too that there is alot of stuff out there that is less than great. Always research thoroughly before buying ANYTHING.

Enjoy!