Reggae recs

[bobsticks]

Gimme gimme gimme some. I'm chillin out with some Desmond Decker, Black Uhuru, and Toots and the Maytals...but a fella could always use more. Bonus points for recs with solid sound quality as they may be played on a slightly revealing system.

[nobody]

I'll toss out a trio of my all time favorites...

<b>The Congos - Heart of the Congos</b>
Lee Perry produced masterpiece with beautiful, spiritual vocals. We're not talking about stuff that was recorded all that well to begin with, but if you can find the Blood & Fire 2LP vinyl reissue, it sounds as good as this one is gonna get.

<b>The Mighty Diamonds - Right Time</b>
Fantastic vocal group over some great roots music. My copy is an Import vinyl from England and it does actually sound quite good.

<b>The Upsetters - Super Ape</b>
Another Lee Perry outing. This one is some heavy dub, mostly instrumental. Again, mu copy is vinyl. The Simply Vinyl version I have is pretty good sounding, especially for this style of music and era.

Love me some reggae, so if you want more recommendations, just ask.

[bobsticks]

Thanks for the recs. Did these titles come out on the little silver disc? I'm running an all digital rig right now...at least for the moment.

[Rae]

Totally obscure and irrelevant, but I am really stuck on this song called "Yes I Have Cheated" by Jimmy Reid. A friend of mine has his totally cheesy-looking album (http://www.roots-archives.com/release/3103) called Are You Ready on vinyl and I'm sure it's never made it to CD. But man, what a great, weird song.

~Rae

[nobody]

Yeah, they've all been on CD. I just haven't heard the CD versions so didn't wanna comment on how they sound.

Also, was just listening to <b>Eek-A-Mouse: Wa Do Dem</b> this morning. It's an early 80s roots of dancehall kinda thing that is really good as well.

Any particular style you like best? Ska, rocksteady, roots, dancehall, etc...

[bobsticks]

Aha, I know where I can find some Eek-A-Mouse. Actually, I've already got some on a few compilations but I think I'd like to check out entire albums from a few artists.

Ska always takes me back but on a day-to-day basis I prefer roots.

[nobody]

If Eek-a-mouse is the kind of thing you're looking for, maybe you'd want some <b>Yellowman</b> to go with it. More early 80s early days of dance hall style stuff and his early work predates Eek, though they were comtemporaries. <b>Mr. Yellowman</b> is a really good album, or any decent hits compilation would be great. Just stay away if you are easily offended 'cause he is far from politically correct.

I'll also toss out another suggestion from the era that is more traditionally roots styled. <b>Alpha Blondy: Cocody Rock</b> is quite a nice album and interesting in that he's from Ivory Coast so you that while it is very much in the Bob Marley brand of roots vein, you also get the direct African influence stronger than usual. He's backed up by the Wailers on this record. <b>Apparatheid is Nazism</b> is another of his classics and more directly and universally political, obviously from the title alone.

And, saw you mention <b>Black Uhuru</b>, so I guess you're already familiar with 'em. But, if you don't have their album <b>Red</b>, definitely check it out. For me, it is their strongest moment.

And, before I go, if you're interested in modern stuff, <b>Sizzla: Wateshed Redemption</b> was a great release last year. Produced by King Jammy (formerly Prince Jammy), it mines some traditional roots sounds with a slight digital sheen and a few more modern flourishes. And, if you haven't heard it, <b>Damian "Jr Gong" Marley: Welcome to Jamrock</b> was a wonderful release last year that fused modern sounds with a mix of roots and old ska to great effect. Cappleton, Buju Banton and others are still putting out great stuff, although much of modern reggae is very heavily hip hip influenced, which I know doesn't always sit well with traditional reggae fans. And there have been more than a few controversies over lyrics that can be homophobic and at times mysoginisitc.

[nobody]

OK...I gotta mention one more. I just moments ago finished my first listen to a reissue from Blood & Fire records, a fantastic reggae reissue label by the way and you can buy just about any of their releases and feel assured it will be solid.

Anyway, this one is called <b>Chantells & Friends: The Children of Jah 1977-1979</b>. It's some obscure roots tracks from the Phase One Label, with all tracks mixed right into their subsequent dub versions (disco style as its called). I can't really speak to individual artists, about half the tracks are the vocal group The Chantells and the rest are a mix of lesser known reggae musicians from the era. Errol Davis is probably the most well-known of the bunch, although you'll likely recognize Sly & Robbie with the Revolutionaries who supply the backing tracks. What I can speak to is the top notch musical content in both the vocal versions and the excellent dubs included.

This is a great release and for me is an instant favorite kinda thing. In fact, I'm gonna go listen again right now...

[bobsticks]

Thanks for taking the time to post Dave.

I've got this great comp on SACD called Reggae in Hi-FI with both Yellowman and Eek-A-Mouse so now armed with specific titles I'll venture that way. I'll keep an eye out for the others as well but, to my dismay, my little shoebox of a music store closed its doors. Evidently, despite my best efforts, I can't singlehandedly support an independant business venture.

A while back I found a great compilation called The Best of Studio One which chronicled the rise and growth of Clement "Coxsone" Dodd's Studio One stable. This week I picked up soem Junior Murvin (Police and Thieves).Both are solid efforts though neither is of the highest sound quality.

Peace

[bobsticks]

And yeah, I've been enjoying the Damian Marley for a while now thanks to your rec back in the day. Thanks again.

[Finch Platte]

...to my dismay, my little shoebox of a music store closed its doors. Evidently, despite my best efforts, I can't singlehandedly support an independant business venture....

There was a great article in the SF Chron yesterday about Mill Valley's Village Music going out of business.

Check it out here. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/04/MNTDRT85B.DTL&hw=mill+valley+music&sn=001&sc=1000)

fp

[bobsticks]

There was a great article in the SF Chron yesterday about Mill Valley's Village Music going out of business.

Check it out here. (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/09/04/MNTDRT85B.DTL&hw=mill+valley+music&sn=001&sc=1000)

fp


Great article and it did make me a little whistful. One of the things about a decent music shoppe is that they provide a sense of community as well as being just...well frankly, arbiters of cool. I've gotten alot of great recs from this site but I also latched on to some fantastic titles just by looking at rec boards or jawing with the kids behind the counter.

I must admit that a significant part of the charm was location. The uptown location was at the halfway point in my work commute. Just about the time drivetime roadrage would kick in and I'd be ready to smash some mouth-breathing inbreeder in the noggin with a ballpeen hammer my little audio mecca would provide safe haven. The downtown location still exists and is, in fact, quite close to home but it can't save me from myself on a daily basis.

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