Archive-name: music/reggae/part1
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rec.music.reggae FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions and their answers)
Edited by Mike Pawka
Nice Up Enterprises
eznoh@no-spam
FAX: 619-226-6108 (US)
Contents
[0]. Is there a Reggae Archives on the Internet?
[1]. Dub Recommendations
[2]. Can anyone recommend some books on reggae?
[3]. What is "Dub" music anyway?
[4]. Can anyone recommend some roots reggae?
[5]. Live reggae recording recommendations
[6]. Who was Marcus Garvey?
[7]. Can you recommend some Dancehall?
[8]. Is there a newsgroup that caters to those of us who enjoy soca, zouk,
[9]. Books on Rastafarianism?
[10]. What are the different reggae styles?
[11]. Can anyone give me some info on the rasta culture?
[12]. Could anyone out there suggest to me any albums which combine reggae and
jazz?
[13]. What is the significance of the "Two Sevens"?
[14]. What's all this about Sound Systems, Clashes and Dubplates?
[15]. Are there World Wide Web Sites for Reggae?
[16]. What is RAW (Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide)?
[17]. Why do purists look down on UB40?
[18]. Can anyone recommend good female reggae vocalists (not dancehall). ?
[19]. Please give an explanation of "One Drop" Style
[20]. What are some reggae videos?
[21]. What is a good way to find concert information?
[22]. Where can I find some information about dreadlocks?
[23]. Why shouldn't I post pictures or sounds to rec.music.reggae?
[24]. Where can I find lyrics on the Internet?
[25]. Where can I find information about Reggae Clubs?
[26.] Where can I find information about Reggae Shops?
The Questions and Answers
[0]. Is there a Reggae Archives on the Internet?
The Jammin Reggae Archives is the gateway to reggae music on the Internet, it
can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://niceup.com. At the archives you
can get the latest news, listen to samples from recent releases, listen to a one
hour weekly webcast in real audio, available 24/7, find dates for festivals and
tour schedules, find links to all kinds of sites related to reggae music, read
reviews of recent releases and access all kinds of reggae music information such
as biographies, charts, playlists, discographies, clubs, shops and much more.
[1]. Dub Recommendations
Ok, here's a FAQ if I ever saw one:
GIMME SOME DUB POINTERS!
I've been there a bit already - got some LKJ, Agustus Pablo,
Lee Perry, Upsetters, but I have yet to find the really mind
searing spaced out heavy dub that I hear hints of once in awhile.
I want loads of echo, pans and sounds like the universe is
being ripped apart at the seams in front of me. Skip the drum
machines unless they're very tastefully done, lay on the heavy
bass and crank up the volume, kick back and close your eyes...
Help me find it! My last try was ROIR's TOWERING DUB INFERNO
and only a couple of tracks get close to as heavy as I'd hoped.
I keep getting pointers to African Headcharge, but that stuff is
very steeply priced - is it worth it?
- malcolm
---------
In article <malcolm.725007752@no-spam> malcolm@no-spam (Malcolm Humes) writes:
>...but I have yet to find the really mind
>searing spaced out heavy dub that I hear hints of once in awhile.
>I want loads of echo, pans and sounds like the universe is
>being ripped apart at the seams in front of me
Two words: Mad Professor
>I keep getting pointers to African Headcharge, but that stuff is
>very steeply priced - is it worth it?
Yes. The best stuff from their first four albums is out on two discs,
titles I can't remember (they'll be obvious, though, they have "volume 1"
and "volume 2" in the title). Also the CD _Songs of Praise_ is excellent,
although it's not as twisted as the early stuff; it's more African in
an On-U sort of way than spaced out in an On-U sort of way.
You are also required to have much Prince Far I within easy reach at all times.
----------
In article <malcolm.725007752@no-spam> malcolm@no-spam (Malcolm Humes) writes:
>Ok, here's a FAQ if I ever saw one:
>
>GIMME SOME DUB POINTERS!
>
>I've been there a bit already - got some LKJ, Agustus Pablo,
>Lee Perry, Upsetters, but I have yet to find the really mind
>searing spaced out heavy dub that I hear hints of once in awhile.
I had a Prince Fari LP in New Zealand which seems to fit the bill - had to
leave it with a friend as a parting gift since he was so in tune with
it. Sorry, can't recall the name now! (it had a track called "Plant Up"
which I was really into). Also try some Mad Professor albums.
----------
rfrance@no-spam (Robert B France) writes:
>In article <malcolm.725007752@no-spam> malcolm@no-spam (Malcolm Humes) writes:
>>Ok, here's a FAQ if I ever saw one:
>>
>>GIMME SOME DUB POINTERS!
>>
>>I've been there a bit already - got some LKJ, Agustus Pablo,
>>Lee Perry, Upsetters, but I have yet to find the really mind
>>searing spaced out heavy dub that I hear hints of once in awhile.
For good spaced-out dub, try Dub Syndicate (On-U Sound). They're hard
to find in the US - try the import or World Music section of your
local mega-store.
----------
malcolm@no-spam (Malcolm Humes) writes:
>GIMME SOME DUB POINTERS!
>Help me find it! My last try was ROIR's TOWERING DUB INFERNO
>and only a couple of tracks get close to as heavy as I'd hoped.
i liked TDI, but i can see what you mean... try any of the ON-U
releases like PLAYGROUP (jazzy dub) or PARTY SOUNDS 1, etc. they're
quite good. also, anything else Adrian Sherwood does by himself
seems to be great dub.
>I keep getting pointers to African Headcharge, but that stuff is
>very steeply priced - is it worth it?
in a word, yes. it's pretty steeply priced here, maybe not at Amoeba
in Berkeley. your best bet is to write ON-U directly for better
prices. this is what a friend of mine does. i'll send you the address
via email when i get home and look on one of my ON-U cds.
-----------
In article <malcolm.725007752@no-spam> malcolm@no-spam (Malcolm Humes) writes:
>Ok, here's a FAQ if I ever saw one:
>
>GIMME SOME DUB POINTERS!
>
>I've been there a bit already - got some LKJ, Agustus Pablo,
>Lee Perry, Upsetters, but I have yet to find the really mind
>searing spaced out heavy dub that I hear hints of once in awhile.
>I want loads of echo, pans and sounds like the universe is
>being ripped apart at the seams in front of me. Skip the drum
>machines unless they're very tastefully done, lay on the heavy
>bass and crank up the volume, kick back and close your eyes...
>
>Help me find it! My last try was ROIR's TOWERING DUB INFERNO
>and only a couple of tracks get close to as heavy as I'd hoped.
>
>I keep getting pointers to African Headcharge, but that stuff is
>very steeply priced - is it worth it?
>
> - malcolm
WOW!! excellent start!!!! You might try some Mad Proffesor Psychedelic Dub.
Umm let me go look... well Iroy Crisis time (any Iroy rocks but dub..)
also try more Perry, Satan's Dub, The Upsetter and The Beat, Scratch Attack..
The best dub (in my opinion) comes from bootlegs, Steel Pulse does some crazy
stuff live: maybe you've heard versions of Roller Skates nana dub style.
There are alot of flip side dubins on Bob singles.
BTW how's African Headcharge coming out???
jafari
-----------
Here are some things to look for from the discography in the back of
Jon Savage's _England's Dreaming: Anarchy, Sex Pistols, Punk Rock, and
Beyond_. He also says that Steve Barrow is working on what should be
the definitive book on Reggae and Dub (looks like nothing available
yet). (Most of this is Dub, since that's what I'm most interested in
hearing, I think.)
Aggrovators (mixed by King Tubby)
Johnny in the Echo Chamber 1989 Atlantic
Dub Justice 1990 ATLP
Collections/Compilations
The Harder They Come 1972 Island soundtrack
King Tubby Meets the Upsetter at the
Grass Roots of Dub 1976 Fay Music
Keep On Coming Through the Door Trojan "talkover"
U-Roy and Friends: With a Flick of My
Musical Wrist Trojan? "talkover"
20 Reggae Classics 1987 Trojan CD
Studio Kinda Cloudy 1988 Trojan Hudson prod.
King Tubby's Special 1973-1976 1990 Trojan 30 tracks
Culture
Two Sevens Clash 1977 Joe Gibbs
Rupert Edwards
Irie Feelings 1990 Trojan CD 20 remixes
Keith Hudson
Pick A Dub 1975 Atra
Torch of Freedom 1976 Virgin ?
Rasta Communication 1978 Joint Records
Junior Mervin (mixed by Lee Perry)
Police and Thieves 1976 Island
Lee "Scratch" Perry ("The Upsetter")
Super Ape 1976 Island
Lee Perry and Friends - Give Me Power 1988 Trojan
The Upsetter Collection 1988 Trojan
The Upsetter Compact Set 1988 Trojan
Prince Far-I
Heavy Manners 1976 Joe Gibbs
Revolutionaries
Dub Sensation
Bamba in Dub 1977 Skynote
Hordcore Dub 1990 OMLP
The manufacturer of a lot of these records:
Trojan Records
12 Thayer Street
London W1M 6AU
A distributor/shop which supposedly has or can get most or all of the
Trojan reissues:
Shanachie Records US
Dalebrook Park
Hohokus, New Jersey 07423
USA
----------
In article <C0CGxt.1A8@no-spam> LB.NKA@no-spam (Nubi Achebo)
writes:
>From: LB.NKA@no-spam (Nubi Achebo)
>Subject: Natty Dub Music
>Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 19:32:16 GMT
>Would anybody give me a list of some natty dub laden reggae music and
>musicians. Also please include any mail order place you know to get these
>albums since I live in a tiny city where the selection is very poor.
>
>I,ll also like to have the address of "Mango" - a record producing and
>distribution company.
>
>Nubi Achebo.
>
Here's a list of 10 particularly fine dub albums by non-dub artists (in no
particular order):
1. Black Uhuru - Dub Factor (Mango)
Sly and Robbie team up with Paul 'Groucho' Smykle for a ferocious
dub album. Almost like a heavy metal album in its intensity.
2. Prince Fari - Cry Tuff Dub Encounter chapter I (ROIR cassette,
Danceteria CD), II (Virgin/Caroline reissue) III (Daddy Kool) IV (Trojan).
The voice Moses heard on the mountain must have been similar to that
of the late Prince Fari's. His dub albums rumble and boom as well.
Especially fine is I where he hooks up with English dubmeister Adrian
Sherwood.
3. UB40 - Present Arms in Dub (Virgin)
Before UB40 sold its soul for mass pop-reggae stardom, they released
Present Arms, a great album. In Dub is even better. Distinguished by its
spare use of traditional dub effects (like echo), it combines a heavy
bassline with crisp drums and UB40's best asset - their horn section.
4. Wailers - Tribute to Carly Barrett (Atra)
Until Island relents in its pigheadedness and releases Dennis
Thompson's dub mixes of the Marley catalog, check the Wailers spotlight on
their late drummer. Carlton Barrett, wiped from creation in 1987, had a
unique drum style which is mixed upfront on this dub of Horace Andy and
Winston Jarrett tracks. Great supporting work from Tyrone Downie's organ
and Bobby Ellis's horns.
5. Aswad - New Chapter of Dub (Mango)
(Mikey) Dread at the Controls serving up a spacey dub of Aswad's
English import New Chapter LP. Includes stellar horn work by Michael '
Bammie' Rose and Vin Gordon.
6. Bunny Wailer - Dub D'sco Vol. I and II (Solomonic).
Unlike his partners, Bob and Peter, Bunny has released two superb
dub albums. Vol. I features his vocals mixed high and then pushed/pulled in
a wash of dub echo. Vol. II is a more traditional dub album.
7. Ras Michael and the Sons of Negus - Rastafari Dub (ROIR cassette,
Crocodisc CD).
Nyabinghi dub. Robbie Shakespeare's bass leads the way while the
akete, funde and repeater drums complement him against Earl 'Chinna' Smith's
flange guitar. Any extremely rare dub album reissued featuring Peter Tosh
on clavinet!
8. Treasure Isle Dub Vol. I and II (Treasure Isle).
Classic rock steady and early reggae tracks given the dub
treatment; like John Holt's 'Ali Baba', Alton Ellis's 'Cry Tough' and the
Melodians 'Come on Little Girl'. A good companion to Heartbeat's Duke Reid's
Treasure Chest of '92. Check several of Studio One's dub albums as well.
9. Dr. Alimontado - Love Is (Keyman)
Like Bunny Wailer's, this is more a vocalized dub album of tracks by
one of reggae's most underrated toasters. A perfect example of how deejays
have followed U Roy's example in incorporating dub.
10. Alpha and Omega - Watch and Pray (A & O, Greensleeves)
Dub's new wave: borrowing a little from Jah Shaka and ON U sound's
African Headcharge, Alpha and Omega combine haunting female vocals, spacey
dub effects, bonecrushing bass and salutations to Jah for an ethereal mix.
Possibly an acquired taste.
Bonus: Kings of Reggae featuring Chris Hinze (Keytone)
More of an instrumental album. Some cheezy flute player from
Holland (Hinze) goes down a yard and teams up with the best of Jamaica's
session men: Sly and Robbie, Mikey Chung, Sticky. While the premise for
this sounds horrofic, the result is a masterpiece: Sly and Robbie rock hard,
the unknown female backups sound great and as a bonus Peter Tosh warbles on
a couple of tracks. One more reason reggae music will suprise you every
time.
----------
Probably the finest single dub album I own is a double LP on Trojan called
"King Tubby Special." It consists, of course, of classic tracks dubbed up by
the King himself. Kicks butt big time.
Also, there is a Prince Far I CD available from Trojan called "Voice of
Thunder," and it's essential.
Keep an eye out for the Bunny Lee reissues coming out on RAS these days.
There's a very nice U-Roy disc ("Rock with I", RASCD 3219), which features
U-Roy toasting over gutbusting dub tracks, and also a great collection of
instrumental tracks by the Aggrovators which isn't strictly dub but features
Bunny's dubwise production style.
-----------
Prince Fari has always been one of my all time favorites. His voice sounds
like he used to drink Drano :-). He chanted my all time favorite reggae
lyric, "The humble cow gives the most milk." I probably feel sadder about
his death than Marley's overall.
The Cry Tuff album that was produced by Adrian Sherwood was the first Cry
Tuff Dub Encounter. It came out in 1978 on the Hitrun label and features the
Arabs as the musicians. (In actuality I think the Arabs were really Dub
Syndicate). ROIR has released this on cassette and Danceteria has the CD.
It's a great dub album, with lots of special effects. Lions roaring that
sort of thing; great for your answering machine message :-)
The Virgin/Caroline compilation called "Dubwize" has 4 unreleased singles/
versions & Cry Tuff Chap II. There are 8 songs listed for II. These Caroline
reissues were notorious for leaving various tracks from the original
albums off of the CD reissues. Does anyone out there have Cry Tuff II on
vinyl? Did they leave off anything?
Here's a Prince Fari discography: *Cd availability
Cry Tuff Dub Ch. 1 (Roir/Danceteria)*
Cry Tuff Dub Ch. 3 (Daddy Kool)
Cry Tuff Dub Ch. 4 (Trojan)
Dubwize (Virgin/Caroline)*
Voice of Thunder (Trojan)*
Umkhonto we Sizwe - Spear of the Nation (Wambesi)*
Musical Revue (ROIR/Danceteria)* - live with the Suns of Arka
Black Man Land (Virgin/Caroline)* - tracks from Message from the King &
Livity
Under Heavy Manners (Joe Gibbs)
Psalms For I (Carib Gems) - Bible verses chanted over reggae beats
Jamaican Heroes (Trojan)
Free From Sin (Trojan)
Musical History (Trojan)
Here's some more I only know about, (if anyone has these and would like to
do a trade swap, please mail me)
Message from the King (Virgin)
Long Life (Virgin)
Livity (Pre)
Rockers in a Suitcase (Pre)
Fari also did stellar work with Sherwood's Singers and Players:
Golden Greats (ON U)*
War of Words (ON U)
Staggering Heights (ON U)
Plus there is a nice Prince Fari love song where he sings and a DJ toasts
over HIM on the ON U release Reggae Archives Vol 1.
If I've left anything out, please let us know.
Robert.
Well, where do we start? I guess I'll limit this too stuff that is in
print...
Dub Syndicate/African Headcharge/SIngers and Players -- some of the
spaciest and furthest out dub, produced by Brit A. Sherwood,
available on import from UK on On-U-SOund.
Mad Professor - DUb me Crazy Series, esp. 2, 4, 5, and 6. Wild,
playfull, slightly more electro dub from UK. Available domestically
from RAS.
Burning Spear - Living Dub I and II. REmixes are not as good as
originals
but what are you going to do? RAS.
Scientist - whatever is available. It's all good.
Prince Jammy - likewise - except for the electro stuff.
Dennis Bovell - some great stuff, some not so great.
Lee Perry - Blood Vapour, Blackboard Jungle Dub, SUper Ape,
Trojan Box Sets. One of the founding fathers.
Prince Far-I - I don't know what's in print, but most
dub titles are excellent.
That's probably about it. Unfortunatley, most of the best
stuff is long out of print, available only on small JA or
UK labels on LP, and all us collectors beat you to it.
Regards,
Pandit
---------
How could I forget? Black Uhuru's Dub Factor and SLy and RObbie's
Reggae Greats.
Pandit
----------
30 Years of Dub on the Go, 2 CD set from Rhino. King Tubby, King Jammy,
Scientist and The Mad Professor.
----------
I have to agree, Mad Professor's dubs are among the VERY best. I rate Dub Me
Crazy Part 2 (Beyond the Realms of Dub) as his best album by a long chalk.
But I haven't heard many of the later ones...
Other than that, most Scientist is great (especially Dub Landing), as is most
of Jah Shaka's output.
Cheers,
|>
|> On And In Dub ...
|> -Echomania is the most recent Dub Syndicate album. Most everything on the
|> On-U Sound label is worthwhile and they're now re-releasing old stuff at
|> quite a clip. The Dub Syndicate Classic Selections and African Head Charge
|> Vintage Selections are good value.
|> -One very fine NEW DUB compilation is Time Warp Dub Clash (Island Records).
|> The first half is old Sly & Robbie Dubs, but the latter part is a bunch of
|> fine new tracks from Jah Shaka,Manasseh, etc. Also check out Jah Shaka's
|> Dub Symphony (Mango)
|> In terms of classics, my favourite dub album of all time is Johnny In the
|> Echo Chamber by the Aggrovators (trojan Records), produced by King
|> Tubby.Also look for Lee Perry, Scientist (his 'Tribute to King Tubby' thru
|> ROIR Records in New York is cool - it got me thru a seven-hour traffic jam
|> trying to get to Glastonbury once.)
|> If it's dubwise but not strictly dub yer after, try anything by THE ORB.
|> Which is ambient dub, but hey, let's not get into that É
>|>
>|> >1 Various - 30 Years Of Dub Music On The Go (2 CD) (Rhino UK)
>|>
Mike, I've seen a lot of requests for more information on
this dub CD - maybe the track listing ought to go in the FAQ???
~Title: "30 years of dub music on the go" - various artists.
Producer: Bunny Lee.
Recorded at various studios in Jamaica.
Label: Rhino Records (RNCD 2046).
(KT=King Tubby, KJ=King Jammy, CMP=Crazy Mad Professor, S=Scientist)
CD1 CD2
--- ---
Zion gate dub - KT Natural dub - KT
Money dub - KT Hard core dub - CMP
Forward home dub - KJ Pretty dub - CMP
Something on my mind dub - S Slow motion dub - KJ
Mellow dub - CMP Jump song dub - KJ
Ten to one dub - KJ Good dub - S
Glad tidings dub - KT Baltimore dub - KT
Happy dub - S Reggaematic dub - KT
Hold on dub - CMP Confusion dub - KJ
Marcus dub - KT Dark destroyer dub - KJ
Fittest of the fittest dub - KJ Penetrating dub - CMP
Movie star dub - S Time dub - CMP
Graceful dub - KT Just say who dub - KT
Different style dub - KJ Impulsive dub - KT
Blood danza dub - S
Blood & Fire's "Tappa Zukie In Dub" - BAFCD 008
the best Tubbys dub comp has got to be
King Tubby and friends Dub Explosion 22 roots classics
cdtrl 366 ,crap sleeve notes , released in 1995,but an awesome
selection of rare dub plates ,also Return to Umoja on Conqeuror
a re release of DEB dub plates every one a bass bin killer!!
I've seen many recommendations for modern dub mixes a la Mad Professor,
African Headcharge and the On-U Sounds crew. I find traditional roots dub
of the '70s far more mind blowing. I recommend the following:
Augustus Pablo "Classic Rockers" [Island Jamaica / US]: Having the classic
dub "King Tubbys Meets The Rockers Uptown" and its vocal side, Jacob
Miller's "Baby I Love You So," is worth the price of the CD alone.
Lee Perry "Voodooism" [Pressure Sounds / UK]: Mind altering sides from
Perry's Black Ark.
Tappa Zukie "Tappa Zukie in Dub" [Blood & Fire / UK]
King Tubby & Friends "Dub Gone Crazy" [Blood & Fire / UK]
King Tubby & Prince Jammy "Dub Gone 2 Crazy" [Blood & Fire / UK]
The Upsetters "Blackboard Jungle Dub" [Coxsone's Music City / JA]: Try to
find the Coxsone vinyl pressing in the red sleeve. Has 14 cuts (compared to
the 12 on later CD pressings), despite the erroneous 12 tracks listed on the
back of the sleeve.
"Harry Mudie Meets King Tubby in Dub Conference" [Moodisc / US]: Tubbys
mixing technique combined with Mudie's use of string orchestrations in his
productions makes for some of the most beautiful dub around.
Prince Far-I "Cry Tuff Dub Encounter Chapter 3" [Pressure Sounds / UK]:
Some of the tuffest versions around.
Also, check out the recently published "Reggae: The Rough Guide." An
excellent record/history book on reggae. One full, 32-page chapter
dedicated to dub.
Garvey's Ghost- by burning spear is the classic dub record for me
Bunny Wailer: Dubd'sco Volumes 1&2 on RAS
-----------
[2]. Can anyone recommend some books on reggae?
See the books page at the Jammin Reggae Archives:
http://niceup.com/books.html
-----------
[3]. What is "Dub" music anyway?
Look at the B-sides of Jamaican 45s beginning with rock steady, and
you'll notice many of them say "Version". This is "dub", a simple instrumental
remix of the A-side that may also include a few scraps of the vocals. The
singers are "dubbed out", but in most other respects the version is identical
to the A-side. Begun as a test for sound levels during the record-mastering
process, version later became vogue. The Jamaican public developed an avid
taste for version, and the scat-singing sound-system deejays took to recording
their master-of-ceremonies raps over the hit-backing rhythms.
"Reggae International", Davis and Simon
Chapter 8, X-Ray Music
The version was originally no more than an instrumental backing-track -
the B-side of a jamaican single with the vocal removed. But King Tubby helped
turn the simple version into a dazzling art form that became known as dub. In
the hands of such a master, dub at it's best could be as complex and rich in
musical interest as the original vocal. Tubby would strip the track down to
it's raw drum and bass and put it back together as something haunting and
strange, using fragments of the vocal as an instrument, in complex interplay
with the other instruments. He would build the tension with amplified cymbal
shots and thundering drum crashes, using reverb, echo and phasing in ways that
anticipated the experiments of contemporary dance music.
Geoff Parker Feb. 99
Liner Notes: The Sound of Channel One: King Tubby Connection
dub music was originally instrumentals of reggae tracks (also known as
"version"), usually put on the b-side of the single it was taken from, much
like rap and r&b singles of today. the name "dub" comes from the fact that
the vocals were "dubbed" out. as this style grew, many soundsystem dj's
would have mc's lay down scatting and rythmic poetry to the tracks (also
known as "toasting"), and many people credit dub with being one of the
foundations for early rap music.
king tubby, usually said to be the first known "dub producer", turned
this into an all around musical genre, using parts of the vocal tracks as
instruments, applying reverb, delay, echo, and phaser effects to them.
modern dub takes mostly from king tubby's style, but can also contain
elements of trance, house, raga-style drum 'n' bass, and hip hop. (i don't
really consider this to be true dub, but whatever.) dub eventually gave way
to dancehall reggae and has influenced jungle in a large part.
sam cercone
----------
[4]. Can anyone recommend some roots reggae?
I always recommend the samplers, that way you can choose what sounds
interesting and branch out from there. I highly recommend the Greensleeves,
Heartbeat, RAS, and Mango samplers, although there are many others.
EZ Noh, mike
Newsgroups: rec.music.reggae
If you like Steel Pulse you will definitely enjoy Aswad. They both sound very
alike, especially in albums like Aswad(live, Hulet,...).Try to avoid its most
recent stuff and check first its old albums. If you hear Bob Marley then you
should check Peter Tosh(Wanted Dread or Alive,...). Other groups I would
recommend would be Black Uhuru, Alpha Blondy(It been considered to follow the
trends of Bob Marley. Although that's a matter of opinion). Another choice
could be Burning Spear(live in Paris, Mek We Dweet,...). There are many more
and the list too long. I hope this helps!
Long live reggae!
Newsgroups: rec.music.reggae
here goes:
if it's on studio one buy it. in particular you might look for burning
spear's 'studio one presents' and 'rocking time', the heptones' 'on top',
the carlton and the shoes' lp--generally you can't go wrong with studio
one.
not on studio one, look for:
augustus pablo 'original rockers'
augustus pablo 'king tubby meets rockers uptown'
augustus pablo 'east of the river nile'
culture 'two sevens clash'
culture 'harder than the rest'
culture 'cumbolo'
black uhuru 'red'
black uhuru 'showcase/guess who's coming to dinner'
linton kwesi johnson 'dread, beat an blood'
linton kwesi johnson 'making history'
dennis brown 'visions'
bob marley 'rasta revolution'
bob marley 'african herbsman'
count ossie and the mystic revelation of rastafari 'grounation'
burning spear 'marcus garvey'
burning spear 'social living'
hugh mundell 'africa must be free by 1983'
various 'wiser dread'
i'm sure others can add more to this list.
Newsgroups: rec.music.reggae
No self-respecting reggae fan should be without a few Lee Perry
albums (either ones that he's produced or recorded - or both)
Best ones include...
Heart of the Ark (Vols I and II)
Megaton Dub (Vols I and II)
Super Ape
Return of the Super Ape
Excaliburman
George Faith - 'To be a Lover' (Lee Perry Produced)** highly
recommended
Build the Ark -|
Open the Gate -|--- All three are three-album boxed sets
Upsetters -|
(There's lots more, but these are the ones that you should investigate
first, especially the George Faith album. I do think, however, that
this album is now deleted [at least on vinyl], so the only place you
may come across it are in 2nd-hand record shops or record fares - but
it's a classic album which you *must* try and listen to. I got my copy
from a record fare a few years ago - for a paltry 3 pounds.)
Here's a list of 10 albums that will give anyone a simple
introduction to reggae music. (These are all readily available from most
record stores/chains). I'll assume that you'll want to pick up most of the
Marley catalog, especially since most of the titles cost about $8 now on CD.
1. Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey/Garvey's Ghost (on CD) (Mango label)
2. Bunny Wailer - Blackheart Man (Mango Label)
3. Black Uhuru - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Heartbeat)
4. Peter Tosh - Legalize It (CBS)
5. Aswad - To the Top (Mango or Simba)
6. Steel Pulse - True Democracy (Elektra)
7. Eek a Mouse - Wa Do Dem (Shan. or Greensleeves)
8. Alpha Blondy - Jerusalem (Shan.)
9. Gregory Isaacs - Night Nurse (Mango)
10. Judy Mowatt - Black Woman (Shan.)
This only scratches the surface, each one of these
artists has many more killer titles all reggae lovers
should own.
Robert.
[For more recommendations from Robert Nelson, check out his list
of 250 albums in the Jammin Reggae Archives, the file is in the
'discographies' directory: 'roots_reggae_core_list' ]
Culture- 'Culture in Culture'
Mighty Diamonds- 'The Real Enemy'
Black Uhuru- 'Anthem'
Bunny Wailer- 'Liberation'
Burning Spear- 'Resistance'
Israel Vibration- 'Praises'
Wailing Souls- 'Fire house rock'
Ini Kamoze- 'Pirate'
Ijahman- 'Haile I hymn'
Erik
ixtst+@no-spam (Isaac Thompson) writes:
What (reggae) life has taught me, I would like to share with you.--Haile
Selasie. The following are reggae artists I think true, dyed-in-the-wool
reggae heads must have:
>Mutabaruka (Ja.--roots poetry, plenty of brain food)
>Linton Kwesi Johnson (Ja.--ditto)
>Luky Dube (South Africa)
>Evi Edna (Nigeria--female, terrific voice, great voice, down right rootsy!)
>Identity (US--group of West Indians)
>Cidre Negra (Brazil--def!)
>Sandee (Japan)
>Check them out.
Couldn't let this one go without adding my essentials:
Junior Murvin - the record with "Police and Thieves"
Gregory Isaacs, esp. early releases
Sugar Minott
Black Uhuru - check out "Sinsemilla"
Judy Mowatt
June Lodge
just a few suggestions!
Dave
Name for his style: IJahMan Levi's music.
Compare him? It's said that Chris Blackwell decided for him to be THE
successor of Bob Marley ("sign me your publishings and I make you a
wealthy man").... yet IJahman did go his own way.
But of similar musical and lyric-wise level and similar sort of music/lyrics
I'd say: A lot of Pablo Moses' (esp. older: Revolutionary Dream and such)
work (also still around and hot), also Sugar Minott's work on studio One,
Junior Byles (Jordan), Lee Scratch Perry's Heart of the Ark collection,
Yabby You's One Love, One Heart (also GREAT), side A of Singers and
Players' Leaps and Bounds, Israel Vibration, Wiss, and such.
Albums and tapes I have, so I can tell about (not in specific order):
`Are We A Warrior?' 1979 (still Island:-) [title song esp. great (7:33min)]
`Haile I Hymn (chapter 1)' (ALL 4 NUMBERS PERFECT) (yet still Island)
esp. numbers: `Jah Heavy Load' and `Jah Is No Secret' are PERFECT+
`Tell It To The Children' (again very great)
`Levi Inside Out' (very great again, incl. 2 love songs, and a new version of
`Jah Heavy Load') JMI 1100 (Tree Roots prod. 1989)
`Lilly Of My Valley' (lot of love songs, yet VERY good) JMI 500 (Tree R. '85)
`IJahman & Friends' (VERY VERY good, esp. most numbers:-) (some guests, like
Black Uhuru and His Majesterian appear) JMI 900, Tree Roots '88
`Africa' (to bore you all...again ALL BRILLIANT, great blazing, as usual)
JMI 400, Tree Roots '84
Very recently (dedicated to 100th Anniversary of Haile Sellasie) my gf
gave me the album:
`KingFari', I love side A, side B (love songs) I like.(JMI 1400 Tree Roots '92)
(Oh yes, I recorded [from radio!] `Live in Paradiso '87, guess that will
not be found worldwide though:-)
Well at the top of my list is BURNING SPEAR!!
Anything of Burning Spear up to the late 1980's. Especially the new compilation
HAIL H.I.M.
CULTURE also primo... newly released BABYLON BRIDGE
LINTON KWESI JOHNSON
THE GLADIATORS
THE ABBYSINIANS....check out their compilation on the HEARTBEAT
label..SATTA MASSAGNA it is now considered to be a colector's item.
THE MEDITATORS
THE ORIGINAL WAILERS.... BOB MARLEY and the WAILERS when they were
called
the WAILERS
U-ROY
JACOB MILLER... an unsung HERO!
INI KAMOSI.... "BEFORE he went to jail"
basically I recommend all roots reggae before the mid to late 1980's
In article <3dqelm$43o@no-spam>, papalee@no-spam (Papa Lee)
writes:
|> >I buy the CD's for a public library and I am trying to build up the
|> reggae
|> >collection. We have about 30 reggae CD's right now and I would like to
|> buy
|> >a lot more. Any suggestions for some great reggae CD's would be
|> appreciated.
|> >irie
|>
|> This is a pretty interesting question, because the implications of buying
|> for a library are very different than buying for a private collection.
|> I'd have to start off with Island's Tougher than Tough Compilation, The
|> Trojan Story V1 and the Trojan Story V2, Duke Reid's Treasure Chest,
|> Mango's Pressure Drop, Coxsone's Ska Bonanza (on Heartbeat). Respect to
|> Studio One and Original Jamaican Classics, Hearbeat's Channel One:
|> Hitbound, Joe Gibbs/Mighty Two, Virgin's Natty Rebel Roots, Bob Marley's
|> Songs of Freedom and the Wailers One Love, Peter Tosh's Equal Rights,
|> Bunny Wailers Blackheart Man and Marcia Griffiths Naturally. Maybe
|> Heartbeat's Dee Jay Explosion. Niney's Observation Station. Clancy
|> Eccles' Fatty Fatty. Any two of VP's Strictly the Best and Jet Star's
|> Reggae Hits series for contemporary balance. Something by Dennis Brown
|> (Some Like It Hot or anything on the Joe Gibbs label would be a good
|> start), something by Gregory Isaacs (anything before 1982), something by
|> Big Youth (on Trojan) and something by U Roy (before 1978). A
|> collection like that would touch on most of the salient points of reggae's
|> history with a touch of contemporary material as well. This material is
|> fairly available in the US as well.
|>
|> Hope this helps.
|> One Love,
|> Lee O'Neill
In article <APC&1'0'69c4b8aa'c77@no-spam>, Lieschen Montaner
<lmontaner@no-spam> writes:
|> mango records has a collection of records called reggae greats. sly and
|> robbie's reggae greats album is a great album indeed.it features dub
|> tracks from their work with black uhuru in the 80's. some of the best
|> reggae in history was created by the combination of sly and robbie and
|> black uhuru.
|> one love, beto.
|>
|>
|> Here are a few records that any reggae fan should own - I tried to keep it
|> it to stuff that's currently available in the USA on CD and is sort of
|> rootsy.
|>
|> Upsetters "Super Ape" - most people on this newsgroup agree that Lee Scratch
|> Perry is the greatest reggae producer ever. He's been very prolific, and
|> this is one of his absolute classics.
|>
|> Gregory Isaacs "The Best Of . . ." - 20 classics from the Cool Ruler. When
|> he's not getting hassled by the man, the Lonely Lover's charming all the
|> ladies. Gregory has real style, an impeccable voice and great tunes.
|> This is my favourite record of his - 20 classic hits.
|>
|> Culture "Two Sevens Clash" - you just can't beat this for great vocals and
|> all around righteousness. It's kind of a roots concept album, as is:
|> Burning Spear "100th Anniversary" - this is the Spear's most famous album,
|> "Marcus Garvey", plus its dub "Garvey's Ghost" on one CD. Unbeatable.
|>
|> I'd also recommend just about any compilation of old stuff on the Heartbeat
|> label. They usually have great sound, good liner notes, and a fantastic
|> selection of songs. Good way to hear a range of artists for little $$.
|> Best in my opinion are:
|>
|> "Channel One / Hit Bound: The Revolutionary Sound"
|> "Soul Defenders At Studio One"
|> or any of the three "Best Of Studio One" single CDs.
|>
|> The great thing about reggae (well, one of them) is that you can start
|> with a few titles and expand from there pretty easily - you'll find that
|> you can trust some labels pretty consistently, that you'll develop have a
|> fondness for the work of certain producers at certain times (give me mid-'70s
|> Lee Perry or Joe Gibbs, anytime!) and some artists almost never let you down.
-----------
[5]. Live reggae recording recommendations
Geof's favorite live discs-
Black Uhuru "Tear It Up- Live" on Mango <-- An incredible release
featuring my favorite BU lineup (Michael Rose, Ducky Simpson,
Puma) with Sly and Robbie rhythm section. Classic rockers
A must have.
Burning Spear "Live in Paris '88" on Slash/Blue Moon <--- There's
been talk of this album on the net before. Whichever version
you end up with is a killer one.
Toots and the Maytals "Live (at the Hammersmith Palace)" <--- You
want great crowd interaction? Check out the 11 (?) minute
"54-46 That's my Number" These guys have got soul. The
must have recommendation is a given for all of these selections.
Peter Tosh "Captured Live" on ??? (this is all from the top of my head)
<--- Killer. Relatively easy to find.
Bunny Wailer "Live" on Solomonic <--- I've only seen this on vinyl
with a pretty low sound quality. Includes stuff from
"Blackheart Man" and "Rootsman Skankin'
(sorry) and an "I'm the Toughest" cover. Anyone seen this on
disc? It's definitely worth it.
BMW "Live" <--- The prototype live reggae album.
Well I'm mostly roots myself, but just by chance I was listening to a "live"
dancehall record tonight- Charlie Chaplin's "Take Two." I know this might
not be the new NEW dancehall you're talking about, i.e. Ninjaman, Shabba, etc.
But Chaplin's the MAN and he's backed by Roots Radics here. I say "live" cause
it's live in the studio, but he's got plenty of people whistling and shouting.
"Take Two" is 1990 on RAS.
More good live stuff would of course be any of the Sunsplashes! I have
Eek-A-Mouse w/ Michigan and Smiley from the '84 Sunsplash and Yellowman at the
'83. They both slam but try to get the Eek-A-Mouse disc if you have to choose.
That's all I can think of for now...
ites,
Brad
Misty In Roots - Live at the Counter Eurovision '78 (on People Unite)
Wonderful stuff
--
You probably have Marley's _Talkin' Blues_. If not, you must get it.
Burning Spear's _Live in Paris_ is very good. My favorite live reggae
album is _Gregory Issacs Live_ from the Reggae Greats collection. It
was released 8 or 10 years ago, but I still listen to it when I need
a dose of Gregory at his best.
Dudley
I've got a 2 album bootleg of Peter Tosh called "Dealing with the
Shytstem". With a wicked version of Babylon Queendom.
There are a couple of other Marley bootlegs in circulation as well:
The Lion's Domain
Wailing For the Last Time.
(I don't feel too bad about picking up bootlegs, since Island shortchanged
alot of the rarities on Songs For Freedom; dem maga dogs!)
Robert.
My favorite "live" CD is Mighty Diamonds "Live In Tokyo", although good
luck in finding it. It's a Japanese Import, I found it at Tower for $22.50 one
day, grabbed it and haven't seen a copy since. I think the performance is from
about 1980.
A few of my favorites that have not been mentioned:
o Bob Marley and the Wailers: Babylon By Bus
o Lucky Dube: Captured Live
o Pato Banton: I think it is 'American Revolution' or 'Reggae Revolution';
it was recorded in San Fran. and has a good version of "Niceness"
and "Don't Sniff ...".
Reply-To: coker@no-spam
Well, once again to address real reggae, lovers rock and the dancehall, the 25th
Anniversary Album from Alton Ellis is an all-time favorite live album.
Though most of my favourites have yet been mentioned, still missing is the
great: Chalice - Live at Reggae Sunsplash 1982 (VSLP 8902, Vista Records)
Greetings, Hans
for live let's not forget the unforgettable "Aswad Live & Direct" &
"Steel Pulse Live in Paris" both of these are massive live sets by
Englands best reggae bands.
-----------
Mike
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[6]. Who was Marcus Garvey?
Excerpted from "Reggae International", Stephen Davis and Peter Simon.
Ethiopianism includes the appreciation of Ethiopia's ancient
civilization as well as its role in the Bible. To blacks, Africa
(interchangeable with Ethiopia) became a glorious, Biblical home-
land equated with Zion. The recognition of African roots and the
desire for repatriation has been a central theme in New World
black religion before and since emancipation. Ethiopianism became
a "black religious reaction to pro-slavey propaganda."
Marcus Garvey's "Back to Africa" movement developed the spirit of
Ethiopianism to its fullest extent.
....since the white people have seen their God through white
spectacles, we have only now started out (late though it be) to
see our God through our own spectacles. Tbe God of Isaac and the
God of Jacob let him exist for the race that believe in the God
of Isaac and the God of Jacob. We Negroes believe in the God of
Ethiopia, the everlasting God--God the Son, God the Holy Ghost,
tbe one God of all ages. That is the God in whom we believe, but
we sball worship him througb the spectacles of Ethiopia.
A. J. Garvey, The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey
Garvey's words planted the seeds for most "Black Cod" movements
in the US and Caribbean. Stressing the superiority of the ancient
Africans and the dignity of the black race, he inspired many
successful nationaiist movements and numerous African leaders
from Kenyatta to Nyerere.
Marcus Mosiah Garvey was born in St. Ann, Jamaica, in 1887,
descended from the fiercely proud Maroons. He founded the
newspaper The Negro World, which took as its motto his
nationalist cry, "One God, One Aim, One Destiny." In 1917, he
founded UNIA (Universal Negro Improvement Association) in
Harlem. Its aims were described in a speech delivered by Garvey
in 1924 at Madison Square Garden, New York:
The Universal Improvement Association represents the hopes and
aspirations of tbe awakened Negro. Our desire is for a place in
tbe world, not to disturb the tranquility of other men, but to
lay down our burden and rest our weary backs and feet by the
banks of the Niger and sing our songs and chant our hymns to the
God of Ethiopia.
Garvey's goal of repatriation was expressed in his famous slogan
"Africa for the Africans." His well-known Black Star Line
steamship company was established to trade and eventually carry
New World blacks to Africa. This prophet of African redemption
was not always successfull in his countless business ventures,
but by the 1920s Garvey was the most powerful leader among the
black masses in the United States.
In 1916, before he left for his US campaign, Garvey's farewell
address to Jamaicans included the words "Look to Africa for the
crowning of a Black king; he shall be the Redeemer."
----------
[7]. Can you recommend some Dancehall?
Profile's "Dancehall Stylee" Volumes I-III
VP's "Strictly The Best" Volumes 1-8
Mango's "Ram Dancehall"
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Scott Cairns | email: scairns@no-spam |
My own current dancehall faves, if yuh interested:
"Gal Wine" - Chakademus / Pliers
"Wear Yuh Size" - Lt. Stitchie
"Hypocrites" - Michael Prophet / Daddy Freddy
"Ruling Cowboy" - Cocoa Tea
"Fresh Vegetable" - Tony Rebel
"Love Fever" - Cobra
"Bandaleros" - Pinchers
"Jump Up" - Admiral Bailey
"Talk Tough" - Bobo General / Culture Lindsay
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
| DJ Scotty Ranks | email: scairns@no-spam |
To show respect to the broad field of dancehall stylees I compiled a list
of `Big' DJ/dancehall names (over the years, I guess somewhat since 78).
These man and man have settled their names in many ppl's memories and have
made more than a couple of albums. I added one of my favourite albums for
each of them. I must have missed great ones by lots and must have selected
semi-optimal albums for many of them, so lets grow this list please. Also
a LOT of more temporary starts have made HOT ridims and lyrics, but including
them (Ashanti Waugh, Peter Culture, Scion Sashay Success, Tapper Zukie etc etc
etc) would make this list endless.
I roy - The General
U roy - Natty Rebel (++)
Papa/General Echo - 12" of Pleasure (man died too young, hear next album)
Clint Eastwoord & General Saint - Two Bad DJ
Michigan & Smiley - Downpression
Yellowman & Fathead - I Cant take it (if live was a thing money coulda buy)
Yellowman & Home-T4 - Mr.Consular (this one and previous are 12")
Barrington Levi - Here I Come
Mikey Dread - World War III
Sugar Minott - Time Longer Than Rope
Big Youth - Dread Locks Dread
Jah Thomas - Dance Hall Connection
Jah Woosh - Chalis blaze
Little John - True Confession
Max Romeo - Holding Out My Love To You (maybe not everyone finds this dancehall)
Winston Reedy - Crossover
Maxie Priest (slightly disco-ish) - You're Safe
Dr. Alimentado (not really dancehall) - Best Dressed Chicken In Town *
Eek-A-Mouse (singing DJ) (some like it some hate it)) - Skidip
Dillinger - (SORT of, various experiments) I did like CB200 (ocassionally still)
With the very many names over the years samplers are especially useful for
selecting your taste here. Nice samplers, i.e. `Super Fresh', `Sure Shot',
Very nice live samplers: a series called: `Live Dance Hall Session with ...',
where ... is `Aces International' or `Lees Unlimited' etc.
*) Sons of Thunder is better, yet less dancehall-ish
As I didn't purchase much dancehall the last few years, I missed the latest
great names. Also some stuff lost some actuality. All titles above are (for
me at least) timeless anyway. Oh yes, now we're on it. On MTV I saw Shabba,
Snow, and Shaggy on 3, 2, 1 in English chart as well. In Holland they must
also be in top 5, accompanied by Dr.Alban (reggae from sweden [or danmark?]).
BTW, wouldn't someone be able and willing to post a Jamaican chart on this
group sometimes? Even with some delay it might keep us informed of what is
hot in Jamaica much quicker.
OK, sorry for the length of this, Greetings, Hans (flashbacks will change my
musical diet for some days, and they are already doing so:-)
Yes, it's one of the dusty, sleepy nyah mon making a dancehall
recommendation: Check out the ROIR/RAS CD, "Nice Up Dancee" featuring Sanchez,
Flourgon, Little Lenny, Johnny P., Tiger, Tippa Lee & Rappa Robert, Foxy Brown,
Little Kirk, Paul Blake & Bloodfire Posse, Super Glen, and Natural Beauty.
Also Two Tough Record's "Dancehall Boomshots".
EZ Noh, mike
In article <1993Jun7.012035.27087@no-spam>, walker@no-spam (Sherrett O Walker)
writes:
|>
|> Can someone send me email on the newest and classic dancehall favorites???
|> Thanks in advance.
|>
It's always difficult to determine what is the "latest" dancehall: it
always depends on how soon you were able to get to the local reggae store before
the last shipment done!! Anyway:
-"Oh Carolina," Various Artists, King Jammy's version (Which is substantially
faster and different from the Signet (Sting Int'l) version.
-"Ghetto Vibes" Various Artists, also of Jammy's. Features D. Brown, Courtney
Melody/Risto Benjy, Bounty Killer etc.
-Sound Boy Burial - Trouble, Tan Yah records
-Welfare/Good Enough - Blacka Ranks/ the late great Alton Black, Tan Yah.
-People - Gen. Degree, Penthouse
-Creator - Tony Rebel, Penthouse
_Operation Ardent = Buju, Penthouse
-You a lead/??? - Nardo/Galaxy P, Penthouse
-Love will lead you back - Wayne Wonder, Penthouse
-Excellence - Louie Culture, Madhouse
I will check on some new stuff that I just got in the last month and give you
the
names. Also let me know how far back you mean (1993 stuff, last month, etc..)
As for classic favorites - I'll just name some of mine:
"Here I come" - Dennis Brown
"Pumpkin Belly," "Ring the Alarm" - Tenor Saw
"Bam Bam" - Muma (then Sister) Nancy, Techniques (Winston Riley's - its on the
same rhythm as Tenor Saw's Ring the alarm and more recently Buju's "Do dem
sup'm". Big Beat recently rereleased it with a *Phizattt* hip-hop remix as well
as the original.).
"Murderer," "Under me Sensi" - Barrington Levy
"Night Nurse," "Mr. Brown" - Gregory Isaacs
"Loving Pauper" - Dobby Dobson
"No,no,no" (You don't love me and I know) - Ken Boothe
"Greetings" "Level the vibes" - Half Pint
"Bobo Dread," "Leggo me hand" - Josey Wales
"Gunman Connection," "Suzy Q" - Nicodemus
Innumerable Yelloeman, especially with Fat head (e.g BAM BAM)
"Cry fi the Youth", "Mud up," "Sweet for my sweet," "Under Pressure," "Boops" -
Super Cat.
"Synthersizer voice" - Pampidoo
"Gi me punany," "Think me did done" (part II), "Big Belly Man" - Adm. Bailey
"Big Batty Gal," "Jump Spread out" - Flourgon
"Ram Dancehall," "Boombastic," "No wanga gut," "Mi lover mi lover" - Tiger
Any pre-Atlantic record of Lieutenant Stitchie After: "Father Beat me hot, Old
Confession, All nations, Wear yu size"
"Pretty Looks done" - Major Mackerel
"Cover Me" - Ninja Man/Tinga Stewart
Etc. etc...
Selector Dudu Black
Here are a few more to add:
Zion in a vision - Garnet Silk
Love of a lifetime - ???
Love how de gal dem flex - Buju
If I ever fall in love again (cover) - Pinchers
Why so much gun and ammunition - Tony Rebel
They're not brand new, but are among some of the better '93 selection to come
out.
>As for classic favorites - I'll just name some of mine:
>
>
Some to add here would be:
Jump Up - Tiger
Babylon Boops - Lovindeer
Computer Burial - ???
Sorry - Foxy Brown
Love the life you live - Colonel Mite and Frighty
Gun Talk - Tony Rebel
Dolly My Baby (Original Version) - Super Cat
Cuff - Shelly Thunder
She a Trickster - ???
Love the Ghetto Youth - Admiral Bailey
Telephone Lover - J.C. Lodge
One Blood - ???
>Selector Dudu Black
Some Stuff That Came out in 92 that may be classic soon:
Ting-a-ling - Shabba
Boom Bye Bye - Buju
Murder She Wrote - Shaka Demus and Pliers
Lord, Me Can't Take it No More - General Degree
Granny - ??? (Same Version as that above)
Falling in Love All Over Again - Beres Hammond
Big Up Big Up - ???
Murderation - Capleton
Dem A Bleach - Nardo Ranks
Hot This Year - ???
Love is Guaranteed - Reggie Stepper
Richard Thomas
ac999a11@no-spam
----------
Also, you'd asked about updating the dancehall FAQ recently. I think of course
the selectors like Mr. Black are most qualified to do so, but I do think for
'94 anyhow, the new Pepperseed Riddim should get some mention
Stress Michigan and Smiley
Tickle Her Body Baja Jedd
Big Speech Frisco Kid
Wifee Dugsey Ranks
Dappa Donovan Steele, Daddy Screw
Big Thing a Gwan " "
Kotch, #2 Terror Fabulous
Cocoa Tea
He's been making great music since 1982, sings conscious lyrics and is
better than ever right now. In addition he's now got his own label,
Roaring Lion, which is releasing a stack of great tunes. Despite this
he still seems to be underrated. My top ten favorite songs of his are,
not in order:
Hurry Up & Come (Xterminator)
Burn Satan (Xterminator)
Bun Dem
Good Life (Xterminator)
Love Rain
18 & Over (Xterminator)
Take Time (Digital B)
On Top of The World (Arrival)
Rocking Dolly (Arrival)
She Loves Me Now (Xterminator)
And in combination, my top 5:
With Buju Banton Too Young (Xterminator)
With Shabba Ranks Love Me Truly (Digital B)
With Shaka Shamba One Love (Junjo)
With Jesse Jender She's Got the Love (Xterminator)
With Tony Rebel Grow Youre Locks (Penthouse)
Peter
[8]. Is there a newsgroup that caters to those of us who enjoy soca, zouk,
salsa, or merengue?
Try soc.culture.caribbean and soc.culture.caribbean
----------
[9]. Books on Rastafarianism?
The title says it all. I currently have Leonard E. Barrett's book. Anyone
know of other reputable titles?
Well Steve... it's been a while since I have been up on the topic... ( moved
back to Toronto Canada after working in Jamaica in 1979-80), but you may
wish to check out Joseph Owens, DREAD: The Rastafarians of Jamaica.
Published by Sangsters (Jamaica) in 1979.
Rex Nettleford also has some interesting things to say in his book,
Caribbean Cultural Identity: The Case of Jamaica -
AN Essay in Cultural Dynamics (1978) Institute of Jamaica
I seem to recall a professor at York University in Toronto -
Carol Yawney I beleive working on her PhD. dissertation on this very topic.
If you have access to interlibrary loan, you may be able to get hold of this
work.
Steve Mcgowan wrote:
>
> .... I currently have Leonard E. Barrett's book.
> Anyone know of other reputable titles?
Check for: "Rasta and Resistance" (From Marcus Garvey to Walter Rodney)
By: Horace Campbell
Publisher: Africa World Press, Inc.
PO Box 1892
Trenton, NJ 08607
Phone: (609) 695-3766
ISBN: 0-86543-035-7 (paper, 234 pg, $12.) c1987; 3rd printing, 1990
----
From the back cover:
"Rasta and Resistance" is a study of the Rastafarian Movement in
all its manifestations, from its evolution in the hills of Jamaica
to its present manifestations in the streets of Birmingham and
the Shashamane Settlement of Ethiopia. It traces the cultural,
political and spiritual sources of this movement of resistance,
highlighting the quest for change among an oppressed people.
This book serves to break the intellectual traditions which
placed the stamp of millenarianism on Rasta.
----
From close of Chapter 3:
"The symbols of the flag, the lion, the drum, the chalice, the locks,
and the distinctive language were reflections of a style of resistance.
The Rasta were neither crazy nor millenarian, for they were part of the
sufferers who were making their own protest against the sickness of
the colonial society.
....
The Dreadlocks of the hills were making their imprint on the consciousness
of the poor and it is to the evolution of the movement which we now turn.
The Rastafari were creating the musical forms to strengthen the people
to meet the violence and thuggery of neo-colonialism."
>Dear fellow internet_er,
> I am an anthropology student in Fredericton, Canada and I am
>trying to obtain information about Rastafarianism. I would like to know
>if this movement is a millinerian movement or if millinerian is just a
>generalized title of the movement. I would appreciate any comments or
>information pertaining to this debate.
Check out the books....
AUTHOR: Barrett Leonard Emanuel
TITLE: The Rastafarians
IMPRINT: Kingston, Jamaica Sangster's Book Stores Ltd London Heinemann
Educational 1977
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: ill
CLASSMARK: Theology AF 430 BAR
Revised and Updated Edition, 1988, Beacon Press (Boston) BP795,
ISBN 0-0870-1026-X ; ISBN 0-8070-1027-8 (paper)
and....
AUTHOR: Cashmore Ernest
TITLE: Rastaman the Rastafarian movement in England
IMPRINT: London Allen & Unwin 1979
CLASSMARK: Theology AF430 CAS * Adam Smith Lib 2 copies
The first book goes into this subject in reasonable depth, and also gives
valuable pointers to other sources. I've just started reading the second, so no
great comments to give for that particular one...
Maybe you should include this book in the archives...
AUTHOR: Cashmore Ernest
TITLE: Rastaman the Rastafarian movement in England
IMPRINT: London Allen & Unwin 1979
CLASSMARK: Theology AF430 CAS * Adam Smith Lib 2 copies
--Steve.
-----
|> Several books to look for:
|>
|> ITATIONS OF JAMAICA AND I RASTAFARI (First Itation)
|> ISBN: 0-9512222-0-1
|> AUTHOR: Mihlawhdh Faristzaddi
|>
|> AND
|> ITATIONS OF JAMAICA AND I RASTAFARI (Second Itation)
|> ISBN: 1-962-3333-1-2
|> AUTHOR: Mihlawhdh Faristzaddi
|>
|> Both books explore and celebrate Rastafari culture in Jamaica and
|> elsewhere with poetry, psalms, praises and wonderful photographs,
|> including many from Ethiopia. These books are perfect companion
|> pieces to Norman's insightful posts, which by the way, are respected
|> as positive contributions to rmr.
|>
|> The books are available from:
|>
|> JUDAH ANBESA
|> P.O. BOX 160998
|> MIAMI, FLORIDA 33116 USA
|> Here are a few more that I found helpful and/or interesting:
|>
|> Title:Rastafari: The Healing of the Nation
|> Author: Dennis Forsythe
|> Date: 1983
|> Publisher: Ziaka Publications
|> Box 405
|> Constant Springs P.O.
|> Kingston, Jamaica
|> /// I doubt if the address is still valid but I purchased it in JA last
|> summer so, who knows.///
|>
|> Title: Roots of Rastafari
|> Author: Virgia Lee Jacobs
|> Date: 1985
|> Publisher: Avant Books
|> Slawson Communications, Inc.
|> 3719 Sixth Avenue
|> San Diego, CA 92103-4316
|> IBSN: 0-932238-25-4 (pbk)
|>
|> Title: Race, Class, and Political Symbols: Rastafari and Reggae in
|> Jamaican Politics.
|> Author: Anita M. Waters
|> Date: 1985; paperback edition 1989
|> Publisher: Transaction Publishers
|> New Brunswick, NJ 08903
|> IBSN: 0-88738-632-6 (pbk) and 0-88738-024-7 (not pbk)
|>
|> ///This is a scholarly work--almost a textbook--thats appears to be a spin
|> off of a PhD disertation. Nonetheless, there is a whole heap of valuable
|> information and EXTENSIVE bibliography.
|>
|> I hope all of this helps.
|>
|>
|> --Papa Pilgrim
|> Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide
|> pilgrim@no-spam
|> There's a pretty new book on Rasta out called "Rastafari: Roots and
|> Ideology" by Barry Chevannes, a professor of Sociology at UWI. I haven't
|> read it yet, but it might be in there. ISBN 0-8156-0296-0.
|>
|> Robert Nelson
"Rastafari: Roots and Ideology"
Author: Barry Chevannes
Copyright (1994)
Syracuse University Press
Sewell, Tony. "Garvey's Children: The Legacy of Marcus Garvey". 1990,
London, Macmillan Publishers Inc. ISBN 0-333-49124-6
_RASTAFARI: ROOTS AND IDEOLOGY_ by Barry Chevannes
Syracuse University Press, 1994. 298pp
A Rastafari View Of Marcus Mosiah Garvey by I Jabulani Tafari
A valuable new addition to the body of work on Jamaica's most famous
philosopher and activist, Marcus Garvey. This well written, well organized
book assembles historical information on Garvey and the rise and fall of
the UNIA within the parameters of a Rastafari view of African history.
This book should be of interest to schools, colleges and all those who want
to improve their understanding of contemporary black history, and the role
played by Marcus Garvey.
This review was taken from the weekly Gleaner Dec. 15 - 21. 1995.
For ordering information call the Greatcompany Inc. at 305 746-7299, or
write to:
Greatcompany Inc.
2270 N.W 60 Terrace
Sunrise, Fl. 33313
"I am a Rastafarian" (Children's Book)
UK ISBN: 0 86313 260 X
US ISBN : 0-531-10440-0
Lib of Congress Cat card no: 87-50455.
printed in italy
Malika Books
1116 Flatbush Avenue.Suite 340
Brooklyn.N.Y. 11236-6101
E-mail;Malikabook@no-spam
Rastabooks@no-spam
-----
[10.] What are the different reggae styles?
In article <Mar08.171038.66404@no-spam>
jn163051@no-spam (Joel Nevison) writes:
>One thing I am a bit fuzzy on is the defining characteristics of
>the various styles of reggae; dancehall, rock steady, etc etc.
>I have a grip on the difference between ska and dub, but those
>are pretty obvbious. Could some of the experts here give an outline
>of the musical characteristics of the various styles? Also helpful
>would be a short list of titles that are good examples of or define
>a particular style. I've been listening to reggae for so long, and
>mainly break it down into two groups; love it, and okay. Seems I
>ought to maybe think about it a little more now.
I'll start but, it's not easy to do in writing. And I could probably
stand some education myself, anyway:
Ska - 50-60's, pioneered by the Skatalites? There is a thing called the
ska beat, which I don't really know how to describe, maybe you take each
beat and make it triplet with the two outer notes played by a guitar or
keyboard or horn and the center note a drum hit. Anyway, much ska was
just American pop of the 50-60's with a ska beat, but there was orginal
stuff also and there were certainly a lot of variations in the basic ska
beat.
[For more info on Ska, check the alt.music.ska FAQ:
<URL:http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/music/ska-faq/top.html>
<URL:ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/ska-faq/part1>
<URL:ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/ska-faq/part2>
<URL:ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/music/ska-faq/part3> ]
Dub - is just dubing something, usually vocals, onto an instrumental
version, often a B side.
Rock Steady was late 60's and was a slowed down version of ska with more
of a rock feel.
Roots was sort of a cross between American Rock and Ska/Rock-Steady, The
Wailers being the equivalent of the Beatles.
Dancehall seems to be the catchall for 80's and 90's Jamaican music and
is a varied as American Modern Rock/Pop music. Shabba Ranks is probably
the big name here, but there are of course many others. There are lots
of terms for sub-types of Dancehall.
In article Paul Harvey) writes:
>In article <Mar08.171038.66404@no-spam>
>jn163051@no-spam (Joel Nevison) writes:
>>One thing I am a bit fuzzy on is the defining characteristics of
>>the various styles of reggae; dancehall, rock steady, etc etc.
>Ska - 50-60's, pioneered by the Skatalites?
I'm not sure anyone can say exactly who pioneered ska, but the Skatalites
were definitely right there at the beginning...and are still going strong!
>Dub - is just dubing something, usually vocals, onto an instrumental
>version, often a B side.
As far as I know, Dub should probably come in later down in this list, but
that is a minor point.
>Rock Steady was late 60's and was a slowed down version of ska with more
>of a rock feel.
I think you could safely say early 60s...
>Roots was sort of a cross between American Rock and Ska/Rock-Steady, The
>Wailers being the equivalent of the Beatles.
Good call. Fitting in after Roots (chronologically) would be Lover's Rock
and the man Gregory Isaacs, along with many other smooth singers of this style.
Before we jump on to dancehall, I think you should mention its origins, those
being Toasting and DJ. At least I would say these are the precursors, or the
given to dancehall before it was called dancehall. Toasting: U-Roy would
probably be one of the grand-daddys of this musical form (Big Youth as well?),
working the sound systems and chanting and toasting over dub versions of other
popular tunes of their day. Then, that was followed by the DJ style
popularized by The King (in his day) Yellowman; this style glided straight
into Dancehall as we know it today. At least, this is my take on the
situation. I'm more a roots man myself, so I'm not exactly taking about my
field here.
>Dancehall seems to be the catchall for 80's and 90's Jamaican music and
>is a varied as American Modern Rock/Pop music. Shabba Ranks is probably
>the big name here, but there are of course many others. There are lots
>of terms for sub-types of Dancehall.
I think this idea of drawing up catageories and writing descriptions and
listing artists which define the style is a good idea which should be
continued by all who wish to contribute. This could develop into a file
worth saving. Let's keep filling in the blanks!!
In article <1993Mar10.153518.4235@no-spam>,
ld21@no-spam (Lee Dirks) writes:
> In article <f0lZvYp@no-spam> Paul Harvey writes:
>
>>In article <Mar08.171038.66404@no-spam>
>>jn163051@no-spam (Joel Nevison) writes:
>>>One thing I am a bit fuzzy on is the defining characteristics of
>>>the various styles of reggae; dancehall, rock steady, etc etc.
>
>>Ska - 50-60's, pioneered by the Skatalites?
>
> I'm not sure anyone can say exactly who pioneered ska, but the Skatalites
> were definitely right there at the beginning...and are still going strong!
Most people contribute it to Laurel Atikan (I know I spelled that wrong).
>>Dub - is just dubing something, usually vocals, onto an instrumental
>>version, often a B side.
Ah but so much more brah. It started out with people like King Tubby and
Augustus Pablo taking the instrumental tracks from the A-sides, then pumping up
the bass, using delay (like an echo) effects on the instruments and sometimes
maybe a snatch of vocals for the B-sides. If it was just stripping the vocals o
ff, then it's just a "version" record. This is why some songs use the same ridd
ims. But then, they just started having studio musicians provide the music.
Now, with the new techno-dub, for lack of a better word, the drum machines and
synths are doing a lot of it- like Jah Shaka and King (used to be Prince)
Jammy's newer stuff.
> As far as I know, Dub should probably come in later down in this list, but
> that is a minor point.
>
>>Rock Steady was late 60's and was a slowed down version of ska with more
>>of a rock feel.
>
> I think you could safely say early 60s...
>
>>Roots was sort of a cross between American Rock and Ska/Rock-Steady, The
>>Wailers being the equivalent of the Beatles.
>
> Good call. Fitting in after Roots (chronologically) would be Lover's Rock
> and the man Gregory Isaacs, along with many other smooth singers of this style.
>
> Before we jump on to dancehall, I think you should mention its origins, those
> being Toasting and DJ. At least I would say these are the precursors, or the
> given to dancehall before it was called dancehall. Toasting: U-Roy would
> probably be one of the grand-daddys of this musical form (Big Youth as well?),
> working the sound systems and chanting and toasting over dub versions of other
> popular tunes of their day. Then, that was followed by the DJ style
> popularized by The King (in his day) Yellowman; this style glided straight
> into Dancehall as we know it today. At least, this is my take on the
> situation. I'm more a roots man myself, so I'm not exactly taking about my
> field here.
>
>>Dancehall seems to be the catchall for 80's and 90's Jamaican music and
>>is a varied as American Modern Rock/Pop music. Shabba Ranks is probably
>>the big name here, but there are of course many others. There are lots
>>of terms for sub-types of Dancehall.
Definately true- about the deejay style of the 80's before dancehall now. Like
Eek-A-Mouse, Michigan and Smiley, and King Yello. For those of you interested
in some CONSCIOUS DANCEHALL- check out Charlie Chaplin -"Take Two," etc.
>
> I think this idea of drawing up catageories and writing descriptions and
> listing artists which define the style is a good idea which should be
> continued by all who wish to contribute. This could develop into a file
> worth saving. Let's keep filling in the blanks!!
>
I remeber reading about all these wierd names like "sleng-teng" and some others
I don't remember. I think sleng-teng was real techno-synth stuff. And I still
don't know what "inna yard style" is! Yeah yard is your house, but someone tell
me an actual artist in the yardee style, if any.
Respect,
Brad
In article <C3pyGB.sq@no-spam>, stevem@no-spam (Steve
McGowan) writes:
> ld21@no-spam (Lee Dirks) writes:
>
>>In article <f0lZvYp@no-spam> Paul Harvey writes:
>
>>>In article <Mar08.171038.66404@no-spam>
>>>jn163051@no-spam (Joel Nevison) writes:
>>>>One thing I am a bit fuzzy on is the defining characteristics of
>>>>the various styles of reggae; dancehall, rock steady, etc etc.
>
>
> I posted a very similar question a couple of months ago, but got
> no replies. I asked if anyone knew how/where the music style
> known as Mento fitted in with the development of reggae.
>
> I think Mento may have been more blues oriented than reggae (as we
> know it today), but not so distant that reggae could not evolve
> from it.
>
> Anyone shed some light?
My understanding of mento was that it is more like calypso (old calypso as
opposed to soca). It certainly sounds like it, more rhythmical lyrically, in a
storytelling tradition which suggests that it is closer to the original African
music forms. Some fuzzy memory tells me I'm on the right track but don't quote
me definitely. It was probably more influenced by the folk music forms of
England & great britain, since it comes from an era where dances like the
quadrille were still prevalent.
It definitely predates ska, and if you listen to ska then you can hear some of
the mento influence coming through, and of course reggae comes out of the ska
tradition.
There is a Jamaican "musicologist" (whatever that is supposed to mean), Dermot
Hussey, who has published several articles on this. Unfortunately residing in
"Babylon" at present means I have no way of enlightening you:-)
-----------
[11.] Can anyone give me some info on the rasta culture?
Rastafarians
{rah-stuh-far'-ee-uhnz}
Rastafarians are members of a Jamaican messianic movement dating back
to the 1930s; in 1974 they were estimated to number 20,000 in Jamaica.
According to Rastafarian belief the only true God is the late Ethiopian
emperor HAILE SELASSIE (originally known as Ras Tafari), and Ethiopia is
the true Zion. Rastafarians claim that white Christian preachers and
missionaries have perverted the Scriptures to conceal the fact that Adam
and Jesus were black. Their rituals include the use of marijuana and the
chanting of revivalist hymns. REGGAE music is the popular music of the
movement. The Rastafarians, who stress black separatism, have exercised
some political influence in Jamaica.
Bibliography:
Barrett, Leonard E., The Rastafarians: Sounds of Cultural Dissonance
(1977); Sparrow, Bill, and Nicholas, Tracy, Rastafari: A Way of Life
(1979).
"In the beginning Jah created heaven and earth".
This is what the the Bible says. Jah is the creator, Jah is God. Jah,
Jahova, Jehova, Jahve are just different spelling of the name of God.
In the beginning of this century, a man called Marcus Mosiah Garvey
from Jamaica said "Look to Africa, where a black king shall be crowned". A
little after that, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned, and became the Emperor
of Ethiopa, His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I, King of Kings, Lord of
Lords, conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah, Elect of God.
Marcus Garvey started an organization with the aim to help black people
in Babylon (the West World) cross river Jordan (the Atlantic Ocean) and go
back to Zion (which is not Israel, but all of Africa, especially
Ethiopia). People in Jamaica followed Marcus the prophet. This was the
beginning of the Rasta movement. Rasta is of course short for Ras Tafari,
the name of Haile Selassie.
There is more to say, and I'm sure many others will add to and correct
what I have written.
Jah Love
Bo
[12.] Could anyone out there suggest to me any albums which combine reggae
and jazz?
Just about every jazz/hip-hop fusion album has a couple of reggae
numbers. Check out Us3, Arrested Development, or Dream Warriors.
Of course, if you aren't into get-down funky groovin' dance music,
you probably won't like the rest of the stuff on the albums.
dudley
.
I would suggest some Dean Fraser, in particular "Taking Chances".
Along these lines, there is an interesting snippet in the current issue
of The Beat about a sax player named Arturo Tappin and an album called "Strictly
Roots Jazz". Anybody heard it?
EZ Noh, mike
I'd recommend Jamaican pianist Monty Alexander. Check out his Chesky
release "Caribbean Circle".
Chico.
John P. Stevenson@no-spam
try rico rodriguez.
I'm a big fan of a hitherto neglected sub-genre of reggae that
I call "instrumental reggae" This type of reggae generally is very
horn-heavy and contains lots of solos. It is frequently also heavily
dubbed, and often the 'straight' and dubbed versions of songs are
both included on the same album. Some examples of albums which I
consider to belong to this category are:
Aggrovators Meet Revolutionaries: Side 1 is straight instrumental
stuff, lots of horn solos, side 2 has dub versions of the songs
on side 1
Fatman Riddim Section Meets Downtown Horns: A great album with
reggae versions of some well-known jazz standards.
The Workers Speak To Their Slave Masters With STRIKE!: The best
album title (and cover) in the known universe. I've never seen
another copy of this one but it has great tunes, with titles
like 'Better Working Conditions for Workers' and 'More Opportunity
for Workers' Children'! A Studio 16/Winston Edwards production,
all tracks played by the 'Well-Pack Band' Some tunes are dubbed
versions.
Count Ossie -:Tales of Mozambique: Not strictly instrumental,
but lotsa horns and good soloing.
Also, there is tons of early instrumental ska that contains
extended soloing - anything by the Skatalites - Tommy McCook,
Don Drummond, Roland Alphonso et. al. The jazz pianist George
Shearing considered the late Don Drummond one of the best
trombonists in the world.
Jeff Ibsen
Check out Arturo Tappin's "Java" on the SaxRoots Label!!
Any fan of Jazz/Reggae should love this album ...
Mike
----------
[13.] What is the significance of the "Two Sevens"?
here is what the liner notes for the album has to say:
"One day Joseph Hill had a vision, while riding a bus, of 1977 as a year of
judgement -- when two sevens clash -- when past injustices would be avenged.
Lyrics and melodies came into his head as he rode and thus was born the song
"Two Sevens Clash" which became a massive hit in reggae circles both in Jamaica
and abroad. The prophecies noted by the lyrics so profoundly captured the
imagination of the people that on July 7, 1977 - the day when sevens fully
clashed (seventh day, seventh month, seventy-seventh year) a hush descended on
Kingston; many people did not go outdoors, shops closed, an air of foreboding
and expectation filled the city."
"Mi know prophet Marcus Garvey prophecI say:
St. Jago de la Vega and Kingston is gonna meet.
And I can see with mine own eyes
It's only a housing scheme that divides.
What a liv on bamba yay when the Two Sevens clash!
Marcus Garvey was inside at
Spanish Town District Prison,
And when they were about to take him out
He prophecied and said:
As I have passed through this gate,
No other prisoner shall enter and get through.
And so it is until now:
The gate has been locked. So what,
What a liv on bamba yay when the Two Sevens clash!"
--Culture
Excerpts from a very interesting article by Beverly Hamilton
in the June '91 _Jamaica Journal_:
"...One version of the prophecy claimed that Garvey said there
would be severe hardships, doom, and destruction 'when the two
sevens meet'. Another was that Garvey said that if black people
could pass through the seventies, they could pass through anything.
A third claimed that Garvey said that the black man would rise up
when the two sevens met. This prophecy received official sanction
when Mr. Edward Seaga, the then-Leader of the Opposition and a
noted sociologist, referred to it in his New Year's message. The
idea gained further currency through the music of some reggae artists,
especially Culture...
"In 1977 I interviewed two Garvey elders about the prophecy. Z. Monroe
Scarlett said quite clearly he had never heard Garvey make any specific
statement about two sevens. What he remembered him saying was that if
black people could pass through the seventies they could overcome all
major difficulties. The other, Van Riel, a BITU veteran, explained:
'Him (Garvey) say 1977 will be a hard year. Yu see already. The Prime
Minister say yu belt tight.' ... Two months later, Jamaica went to the
International Monetary Fund for assistance.
"...One must remember that this period followed the 1976 elections, the
most violent in Jamaica up to that time. As 1977 progressed, different
versions were added to the prophecy...finally it was a special day, July
7, 1977, when the 'four sevens' met. One even heard that blood was going
to flow and that Manley's head would roll. A report in the _Daily Gleaner_
of July 7, 1977 [says]:'...The Combined Security Forces have been put on
full alert so as to be prepared [for] possible trouble when the four 7s
meet today (the 7th of the 7th month of '77), Minister of National Security
Munn told the _Gleaner_ yesterday...'
"There was a further official response. That day was used to launch a
constitutional reform programme...with the Prime Minister scheduled to
speak at 7 p.m. -- when the 'five sevens' met...
"...Other Garvey prophecies are about Jamaica...Garvey is credited with
predicting the twinning of Spanish Town, the capital of St. Catherine,
with Kingston, the present capital of Jamaica. In the late sixties and
early seventies, a massive housing development scheme known as Portmore
was carried out in southern St. Catherine. A causeway was built across
Kingston Harbour to link this development with Kingston, thus fulfilling
Garvey's prophecy...
"...Another prophecy relating to Garvey's stay in Spanish Town prison
is that he is supposed to have put a seal on the prison door through
which he left. Many claim that this door has been fastened to this day.
Prisoners in the Spanish Town Penitentiary still tell of being shown
the gate on which Garvey was supposed to have put this curse..."
[from "The Legendary Marcus Garvey", by Beverly Hamilton, _Jamaica Journal_
24(1)54, June 1991.]
_________________________________________________________________________
COMMENT: I used to think that the Two Sevens was a classic example of
failed prophecy. However several explanations have been offered.
1) Who knows what happened that day which didn't get noticed by the
world? Maybe someone was born, for instance.
2) The mid Seventies were the high water mark of the Soviet Empire,
which engulfed Ethiopia a little earlier and was on the move in the
Caribbean along with its CIA mirror-image. In late 1976, an Orthodox
monk named Seraphim Rose (who was almost certainly unaware of the Garvey
prophecy) had a vision on the Day of the Seven Sleepers in which he
saw a vast multitude singing the Easter Psalm ("Let God arise, let his
enemies be scattered, as smoke vanishes so let them vanish, as wax which
melts before the fire!"). It was explained in the vision that for one
particular enemy - the Soviet Empire - this would "now" be fulfilled:
it would vanish. In 1977, people doubted this prophecy, to say the least!
3) As Bop pointed out in his post, two sevens clash in Pharaoh's dream in
Genesis. The clash reflects conflict and opportunity, as do the various
versions of Garvey's prophecy. The clashing sevens saved Israel, because
Joseph by correctly interpreting the dream went from being a slave (and on
top of that, in jail and presumed dead by his relatives!) to Prime Minister
of Egypt, able to save his people. But the Israelite migration into Egypt
was a mixed blessing; they would end up as slaves and it would take Moses
to get them back to Zion. All this is connected to the Garvey prophecy,
which seen in this light is very much deeper than it appears.
From atohakeem@no-spam Tue Jul 21 08:46 PDT 1998
The way Iman interpret the lyrics, has nothing to do with the Gregorian
Calendar year 1977. There is nothing particularly magical or significant
about the months or years as used in Europe, to my way of thinking. For
example, the date July 7, 1977 in Ethiopia, was Senie 30, 1970 !!! (Senie
being the 10th month)
Rather, when I hear the song about Two Sevens Clash, I interpret it as total
invironmantal downstruction of the Elemants. The two "sevens" are: the Seven
Spirits of the Heavenly Faada, and the Seven Spirits of the Earth (see Rev.
1:20 & 4:5) who, while not opposed to one another, are bein downstroyed by the
hand of humankind in many ways, as man pollutes the Air, Earth, Water, etc. &
misuses it. The coming "clash" (& it has already begun) will result in more
trees dying, until they "are so few even a child could count them" (Isaiah).
If the end hasn't come by then, it will come when there are not enough forests
left to produce the oxygen necessary to sustain animal life. Then, prophecy
tells us there will be 1) Resurrection of the dead 2) Judgemant (especially on
those responsible for the trees!) 3) Eternal Kingdom of JAH. **Im not makin
this up, this was all foretold thousands of years ago.
Peace & Raspect,
Ras William I
Mike
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[14.] What's all this about Sound Systems, Clashes and Dubplates?
>Dumb question...but here goes,
>What is a sound system?
>Hope this does not destroy my credability has a true reggae
>music lover :-)
A sound system, well consider it to be a glorified stereo system. Basically
it is usually lots of base boxes lots of mid-range boxes and lots of high end
boxes ( what I mean by boxes is large speaker cabinets). All this is driven
by lots of amps to make it so loud that the base makes the hair on your neck
move to the beat. You really haven't experienced true dancehall until you've
been to a true yard dance like Stone Love at House of Leo (Kingston JA)
In article <2qp6iv$s1k@no-spam> pennyr@no-spam (Reginald Penny)
writes:
>Subject: sound systems
>From: pennyr@no-spam (Reginald Penny)
>Date: 10 May 1994 23:49:51 GMT
>Does anyone have a list (brief or massive) of what people are in what
>sound system? Also what are the top 5 largest sound sytems in the world
>or JA?
>BTW - what exactly is meant by a clash? Is it when more than one SS battle?
>R-
Wow thats a tough question as to the top five. It would fall under personal
pref. " Stone Love" is one of the best; the selectors are Rorey , Weepow and
Cancer. "Bodygaurd" is another top sound, their main selector is Johnny and
they are bringing in a few more. " Metromedia" is a more classic sound,
selector is Skyjuice who is a performer in his own right -- you really haven't
seen metro until you've seen Skyjuice take his shirt off. "Jamrock" is
another big sound, I don't remember who the seletor is. There is straight
outta NYC "Addis" with selector Baby Face; they were up in the top at the
world cup. Innercity, with selectors Mark, Danny and Wally -- they rank
right up there. There are tons of sound systems and I could go on for ever
listing them.
As far as a "clash" there can be at least two sounds clashing. It is best
with two, a clash is like a strategic chess game. When sounds clash they try
to out do each other, who can play the best "Garnett Silk" dubplate and who
can get the crowd to respond more. You try to play what the people want to
hear and the trick is to do it better than who you are clashing. Maybe I
should explain what a dub plate is. A dub plate, aka "a special", is created
when you take a tune and ask the artist to customize it for you, such as
getting Buju Banton to do a version of Boom Bye Bye, but, change the lyrics to
Boom Bye Bye in a sound boy's head. In other words they customize the lyrics
of there songs to put either the sound systems name in it or the sound system
that the are clashing's name in it. None of this is free -- it costs dollars
unless you have connections but it still costs dollars.
I hope this all makes some sense and that I havn't totally confused you if you
have any quetions post them and I will try ro answer them.
In a Message Dated: Thu, 03 June 1999 08:11 AM EDT, paddy_maher@no-spam
Wrote:
>I know the basic idea but can someone give me a
>detailed explanation of how a soundclash works ie
A soundclash is when two or more DJ's/ Sound Systems come together and "battle"
over who has the best/ most current/ rarest records.
>who decides which side plays when and for how long?
The way we normally do this is to split time evenly at first and flip a coin,
but the one spinning the hottest stuff (audience reaction) is usually who is
going to spin the most/ longest in the end. The winner of the clash is usually
judged on the best records, the way they are mixed/ played (in my neck of the
woods we like to be creative), and who has the best "specials" or Dub plates.
>etc??
Sounds Clashes are always done in fun. Often, it will appear as though the
DJ's are "insulting" one another, but this is all just part of the show. Some
DJ's will even record there insults and cut them onto a Dub plate to work them
into the musical mix. Peace!
*********************************
DJ Spleece (RAW #911)
----------
[15.] Are there World Wide Web Sites for Reggae?
Actually there a hundreds, check the Jammin Reggae Archives
Web page for links for many of them:
http://niceup.com
----------
[16.] What is RAW (Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide)?
What is Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide?
Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide (RAW) began with a seed planted in 1990 by
Inner Circle guitarist Roger Lewis. In a casual conversation he mentioned
that everywhere they performed they met a "Papa Pilgrim," that is, someone
familiar with local runnings and committed to the growth of Reggae music.
He suggested that we begin linking up and do some serious networking. In
the ensuing years Roger would again mention networking each time we met.
During the summer of '92 I had a chance contact with Rastaman Nane' of
Grand Rapids, Michigan. As we chatted I mentioned Roger's suggestions.
Nane's response was "Let's do it." When I put him off because I was "too
busy," he countered with "When I want to get something done I give it to
the busiest person." How could I refuse? Grand Rapids was selected as a
meeting place because of Nane's certainty that that city's Reggae
community would endorse such a gathering. Encouraged by Nane's
enthusiasm, support, and confidence, letters were written, phone calls
made, and off we went. As Nane' said, "Even if there are only two of us,
that's a start."
On December 11-13, 1992 more than fifty conferees representing the grass
roots of Reggae met in Grand Rapids to forge the beginning of an exciting
new direction for popularizing Reggae music. This meeting, which came to
be known as Conference '92, represented the fruition of that seed planted
by Roger Lewis. Our combined vision was that Reggae music, given the media
support it so richly deserves, would become as mainstream as rock, country
and other "Top 100" genres. Further, we wanted to actively contribute to
increasing the public's awareness of Reggae artists living both in and out
of Jamaica and to provide increased opportunities for unsigned performers.
Borrowing the concept from Third World's hit of the same name, Reggae
Ambassadors Worldwide was "born."
Performing artists, deejays, promoters, club owners, writers, label
representatives and others met and began forming a networking system aimed
at having Reggae music achieve 100% parity with other genres. With so many
facets of the business of Reggae coming together, we realized we were
doing something right and we were doing it with a sense of purpose,
commitment, optimism, and unity . The bottom line for each participant
seemed to be to "Forward the Reggae Vibe...Everytime!"
Conference '93 was again held in Grand Rapids August 13-15. More than one
hundred Ambassadors and other conferees shared visions, created ideas, and
networked. Foundations were laid for an album release and tour showcasing
member artists. Committees were formed to assist with various tasks and a
decision made to seek non-profit incorporation.
Conference '94, in Wichita, Kansas brought the grassroots of Reggae to
the Heartland of America. More RAW business was conducted along with a
whole heap of Networking.
Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide, the world's largest Reggae network, is
hosting Convention '95 in Las Vegas, Nevada August 25-27, 1995. This
year's theme is "Networking Works" and the focus will be on Education,
Entertainment and Networking. Invited keynote speaker is world reknowned
author and Marley lecturer Roger Steffens. Three nights of RAW members
artist showcase will be at the Fremont Street Reggae & Blues Club. For
more information on this once a year Networking opportunity that you
can't afford to miss contact the following. Rastaman Nane' at
702-256-4532 (phone/fax); e-mail <70431.615@no-spam> or Papa
Pilgrim at 801-355-1405 (phone/fax); e-mail <pilgrim@no-spam>.
RAW Mission Statement:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide is an international network of
Committed Reggae Enthusiasts who have joined forces to spread the positive
vibe of Reggae music. Daily we will move forward educating humankind
about our music, always remembering the vision of One Love!
RAW Vision: To be the primary reference for the Reggae Industry.
^^^^^^^^^^
Annual membership fees range from $15 to $50 depending upon
membership category. Lastly, in conversations with Ambassadors from around
the world, I and others are beginning to sense that the growth potential
of Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide is limitless. We are growing because of
your efforts. Ambassadors are helping Amassadors!
If you want more information about Reggae Ambassadors Worldwide e-mail me
<pilgrim@no-spam> your postal mail address.
Forwarding the Reggae Vibe...Everytime! ----papa pilgrim
reggae ambassadors worldwide
pilgrim@no-spam
Finger for more info.
------------
[17.] Why do purists look down on UB40?
UB40 has consistently released albums with intelligent lyrics, though
sometimes Ali Campbell's enunciation is not that great! My question, why
do so many "reggae purists" consider the UB's contribution to the genre
as minimal at best? Their lyrics speak about individual power, fighting
injustice, and are backed by a solid reggae beat. Is it because they
seldom refer to Jah?
--
Nah, homey... It's the sound... the sound... the One Drop, Heartbeat Riddim
I Ya! No doubt, lyrics are important and, from what you say, their's seem
to be on the one. But it's about the music.
The way UB40 "reggaefies" mainstream songs annoys me.
For me it's how lame their new stuff sounds compared with their early
eighties tunes like "Madame Medusa", "Tyler", "Burden of Shame" and "My Way of
Thinking".
EZ Noh, mike
I'm not too sure, but I'm almost certain Elvis wasn't writing {insert UB40's
last remake} in the mindset of a poor Jamaican fighting oppression in his
homeland. Not that much oppression of Jamaica in Tennessee...
it might have more to do with the fact that
Campbell is white. I think they have had a major
influence in popularizing the genre/music, and their
earlier releases (pre Rat in the Kitchen) were representive
of the whole Steel Pulse/Naturlites UK roots-dub sound.
Political lyrics, horns, bass heavy dub mixes while
Junjo and Phang and their dancehall style was the style
in Jamaica. When UB40 got more "pop"ular in their sound,
"I Got You Babe" - "Red Red Wine", which was around when
their mixer/producer Pablo Falconer? , the bass players
brother, died (in a car crash?), they lost all alot of their old fans,
me included. I still think they are great for what they do,
but "Signing Off" thru "UB44" were genius, and the 12"
mixes from that time are really great.
Ultimately race and success may have been their un-doing
in the eyes of the so called reggae "purest"
For me the best reggae is often the most un-pure.
Give me Everly Brother covers and harmonica and banjo
riffs to keep the sound the mix of influences that first
turned me on to that funky music from Jamdown.
In article <walkup.780270352@no-spam>,
John Walkup <walkup@no-spam> wrote:
>
>The way UB40 "reggaefies" mainstream songs annoys me.
The way UB40/35 "mainstreams" reggae songs annoys me.
:)
Cool.....................
Kev
UB35: Manipulative opportunists who have been pushed and pedestalised
by the white controlled music industry - with need for white
stars/bands/with token black backdrops. And in their top
position, they now vilify RasTafarians in the scene, and
the influence it has in reggae. They are Pomie Ras Clots
that's all - what other mind set would you expect from a
bunch of shaved faced, baldhead poms - that are more than
proud to be citizens of England? We are all happy for them,
and their preferential treatment that they have received.
Always sounds like an inside job to the I.
It's a pomie creation, invention, outward push to the world.
For we know about all of the shunned Jamdown artists, who
are replaced with phoney chart pushed of Snow, Vanilla Ice,
UB35, Ace of Base, New Kidsionne of the Block.
Anti-Jah, Anti Ras Tafarians - that is UB35. Their vocal
expressions against such, will always be their downfall -
and but a constant pagenote on the Internet - so let the
world know, of the eradicated truly Jamaican style, fashion,
artists.
Ras Mikael Enoch
----------
I can't resist responding to this question. I think that there are many
minor reasons as to why UB40 has is so disrespected by reggae "purists"
but there are also a couple of serious reasons that many people probably
don't want to deal with.
First, the easy stuff (1) They did their most serious work and some think
their best work before A&M picked them up so many of their best and most
conscious songs were not heard until the poppier material gave them their
image. (2) They really haven't done much interesting songwriting in
about seven or eight years. (3) They don't sing about Rasta themes and
don't use Rasta iconology (4) They don't connect in any way with Jamaica
(5) There is a natural inclination among purists of all genres to dismiss
those who achieve success on a more universal level (George Benson,
anyone?) (6) There is also a fundamental distrust of any act that even
deals on a global level. Although I believe Third World's last two or
three records among their best and some of Steel Pulse's flirtations with
modern R&B to be exciting, there are too many people who pine away for the
good old days when they were on Mango. UB40, on A&M and Virgin, "suffers"
from the same attitude (7) They emerged at the same time that the Two-Tone
movement was peaking and to many are indelibly linked to Madness, the
Specials and that ilk. The relationship of those acts to "real" ska is
tenuous at best but it can influence the perception of the connection
between UB40 and "real" reggae.
On a deeper level, I believe that there is a certain amount of racism
involved here and I also believe that many people come to reggae with a
very specific cultural perspective that is not entirely musical.
On the issue of racism, I've seen this over and over again in the
criticism and literature of different musics that were invented or
developed out of various black communities. Jazz, soul and blues have all
had passionate arguments over the issue of white musicians within those
genres and while it is undoubtedly true that jazz is fundamentally a black
based musical style, that doesn't mean that Bill Evans, Stan Getz and Art
Pepper aren't creative, innovative and exciting musicians. The same
arguments have raged over Stevie Ray Vaughn, Paul Butterfield and Joe
Cocker and they are equally pointless there as well.
As regards UB40, I have to believe that at least in their material from
Signing Off to Labour of Love (and Rat in the Kitchen as well), that the
very fact that they are (predominantly) white works against them within
the reggae community. One other band that I think suffered from this kind
of racism was the Blue Riddim Band, a truly excellent American band from
the early 1980s that never quite got the recognition they deserved despite
a tremendous talent and devotion to classic reggae.
Finally, I believe that there are distinctions to be made between reggae
and Rasta and reggae and Jamaica. The three are not identical and it is
important to keep their identities somewhat separate. Reggae is a
*musical* form that was born out of commercial necessity and grew up in a
competitive, commercial environment. It has consistently adapted
influences from all over the place and had grown tremendously in content
and popularity. The fact that many international listeners "discovered"
reggae in an era in which most musicians were dedicated to Rasta themes
or came to find the music through Bob Marley has caused them to identify
the music with that specific culture. That's a mistake. Reggae is much
broader than the music of Bob Marley would indicate just as the culture is
broader than reggae. Yet because UB40 exists completely outside of the
culture defined by Bob Marley they are dismissed by those who define
reggae by Marley's standards. That's unfortunate because UB40 are
excellent musicians who are often capable of powerful songs (although
their last three records have left me pretty cold).
One Love,
Lee O'Neill
> UB40 has consistently released albums with intelligent lyrics, though
>sometimes Ali Campbell's enunciation is not that great! My question, why
>do so many "reggae purists" consider the UB's contribution to the genre
>as minimal at best? Their lyrics speak about individual power, fighting
>injustice, and are backed by a solid reggae beat. Is it because they
>seldom refer to Jah?
I like UB40, myself, but the only record I own by them is a single of
"Red Red Wine", which I knew would be a hit the first time I heard it, I
thought they did a great job with that song. A long of reggae fans
prefer more rootsy Jamaican reggae, I guess. I don't know why people
waste so much energy putting them down... maybe it's easier than saying
something positive for some people. I think UB40's records have helped a
lot of younger people get turned on to reggae in general, which is a good
thing. The band themselves are always very honest about their roots,
having recorded two albums worth of older Jamaican songs (Labour Of
Love). I think that UB40 are just another facet of the modern reggae
scene, they love the music, and have as much right to play it as anyone
else. As far as the rastafarian aspect, there are plenty of non-rasta
Jamaican artists who get respect in Jamaica. Reggae is a musical form,
not a religion, and although the rastafarian movement has had obvious
influences on reggae music, it is far from the only influence on Jamaican
music. American rhythm & blues, mento, calypso, etc. are some of the others.
I have heard musicians in Jamaica mention UB40 with respect,
they seem to be accepted there, if not a favorite. Many Jamaicans,
including recording artists, seem to be proud that musicians from
other countries are interested in their music. Another point in UB40's
favor is that when they record material by Jamaican artists they have gone
out of their way to made sure that the original writer gets paid. This
type of thing does not go un-noticed by musicians & artists in Kingston.
Al
*Allen Kaatz* <highnote@no-spam>
From tpj@no-spam Fri Sep 30 09:39:48 1994
Interesting question, this. At a guess I would say that UB40 are loved and
hated in roughly equal proportions! I think it is not really UB40 who are
perceived as the problem, but they do tend to get a lot of flak as the result
of a more general problem.
It is clear that UB40 have achieved a level of success exceeding their
abilities as a reggae band. I have nothing against them musically, except
to say that they are very ordinary.
A similar case can be made concerning ex-Simply Red's Mick Hucknall. He's
got a good voice, but not the best, and his style is basically an
good imitation of other people's music. Also Lisa Stansfield (sorry these are
all English examples), the soul singer- good singer, but not *that* good...
the list goes on.
Why is this?
Check out the old Macka-B song that says something like, "UB40 a-make the
most millions." In there, I don't think he's criticisng them personally,
but using them as an example of something more general a lot of black
artists have been complaining about for years. Their argument is that the
music they produce is marginalised and marketed as something alien, to
then be replaced in the mainstream by weak imitations by white artists
(or at least partly white, in UB40's case).
However, if this is indeed the case (I would tend to agree) I think that
the 'consumers' and not just the marketers of the music must shoulder some
of the responsibility for this phenomenon. Most people, and I certainly,
with hindsight, must include myself among them at some times naturally
aren't aware of this bias for whatever reasons. They genuinely think that
lisa, Mick, Ali or whoever are the better artists.
That's the opinion of this purist, anyways.
Best wishes, all.
Tom (tpj@no-spam
From kaleek@no-spam Sat Apr 11 12:10:24 1998
I'm not even a purist and I have always thought this band was the
definition of cheese. Here are some reasons.
(A) Mainstream radio airplay. These days when an artist is doing some
sort of quality "rebel" music, you can be assured that it will not be on
radio. This is directly because the mass audience will not relate to it,
or enjoy it.
(B) The vocals. They are so whiney. It just makes me want to puke.
(C) They are unquestionably the artist of choice when hanging out with
the surfy crowd. Them and Depeche Mode.
(D) They look like they are about to go in for an interview at GQ
magazine. If you are so damn dread, what is the need for hair gel?
(E) Personally, I think many artists have been sucked into this
menatlity that if you want to break it big then you have to look at what
popular American radio is doing. Who are the leaders of this train of
thought? UB40. Sadly, many great bands have pursued this route to fame
and money and in turn have failed miserably. I can honestly say that I
have not seen a reggae show rock my world hard in about ten years or
more. The only exception has been the Skatalites. For some reason they
seem to understand that what made them popular in the first place is
what will keep them popular regardless of the fads in the states. I
remember the first time I saw Steel Pulse in 1985 and I was blown away.
By the late eighties they were coming out with renditions of Bobby
Brown's "It's My Perogative." What the hell is that? It sounds like
someone got signed to an American label. It is really sad to see such
extremely talented bands just go to pot. Look at the line ups for Reggae
Sunsplash. They are just awful. Bands like Big Mountain headlining? I
work at a college radio station and we get so many crappy American
focused releases of reggae. I was in a shoe store a few months ago and
they had MTV on and all of a sudden I recognized a voice. I looked up to
my dismay and disgust to see one of the guys from Black Uhuru in some
awful rap video. There is a big reason that I simply do not buy new
releases of reggae, espaeciialy from older artists. That is because they
just suck really bad. I don't think it is because these artists don't
know how to make good music, I think it is because they have some UB40
listening manager and record label executives telling them what will
sell. If anyone knows these older artists please beg them for some
roots. End the UB40ization of what once was some of the best music ever.
---------------
[18.] Can anyone recommend good female reggae vocalists (not dancehall). ?
A friend turned me on to Annette Brissett and the Taxi Gang's
"Annette." He's crazy about her and since he's got a birthday coming
up I was wondering if any kind souls could offer suggestions? Thanks
in advance for the help.
Check out Sophia George, either the "For Everyone" or "Latest Slang" CD.
Also "Black Woman" by Judy Mowatt.
EZ Noh, mike
Try one of my faves... Kofi Her first cd is great, I believe it's
called "with sugar". Try Ernie Bsssssss, he has it.
BUSH DOKTOR sppcarso@no-spam
Judy Mowatt's "Look At Love" CD is a recent favorite
Marcia Griffith's "Naturally" is a mellow classic
Rita Marley's "Who Feels It" LP with "One Draw" track is another good one
Martha Velez's "Escape From Babylon"--Produced by Bob Marley
(If you can find it!)
TAKE YOUR PICK... I'm sure there are lots more!
[dEEN]
Marcia Griffiths is an amazingly talented singer and almost any record
she's ever made is worthwhile. Judy Mowatt (Griffiths, Mowatt and Rita
Marley were members of the I-Threes, the harmony singers for Bob Marley)
is good songwriter and singer and her Black Woman album is one of the
greatest of all time. Hortense Ellis is another great female singer,
although finding her records is getting to be very difficult these days.
I'd also recommend Doreen Shaffer and Dawn Penn unequivocally. I also
love JC Lodge and Carlene Davis, although both have a tendency to get a
bit mawkish. And before I forget, there's Sandra Cross, Janet Kay,
Carroll Thompson and Susan Cadogan from England.
Happy hunting,
Lee O'Neill
Marcia Griffith's Studio One LP is a classic... I think it is currently
available, although the music is older style...
Al
I would recommend Aisha, either "High Priestess" or "Daughters of Zion".
Nice roots style, Mad Professor at the controls....
Erik
[19]. Please give an explanation of "One Drop" Style
In article <3lkbp7$bpm@no-spam>, lcarmean@no-spam (L Carmean)
writes:
|> My understanding of the one drop style is that the drummer doesn't strike
|> any of the drums on the first beat of a four beat bar or measure. Then on
|> the third beat the drummer will usually strike the snare drum and bass
|> drum at the same time. However, he/she might hit only the snare or bass
|> drum on the third beat.
|>
|> The drummer might strike the high hat on the first beat, but he/she
|> "drops" the first beat as far as the drums are concerned and instead
|> emphasizes the third beat with the drums. Frequently the bass will make
|> up for the dropped first beat by landing on it with a strong bass note.
|>
|> If anyone has a better explanation I would be happy to hear it.
|>
|> Larry Carmean
|> RAW #336
|> This is a pretty good explanation of one drop - but the bass also often
|> misses the first beat too. Ska was the original "one drop" rhythm...
|> leaving off the down beat with the bass drum is one of the things that
|> made Jamaican music so unique and instantly recognizable. American R&B
|> and rock drummers are habituated to hitting the downbeat really strong
|> with the bass drum - this is one of the reasons it is so hard for them to
play
|> authentic-sounding reggae.
|>
|> Reggae lost the "one drop" feel somewhat when Sly Dunbar started using
|> different patterns that he adapted from funk & rock beats... this created
|> the rockers style, where the bass drum hits all four beats, and led to a
|> "heavier" style that you can hear on a lot of the late 70's/early 80's
|> records that SLy & Robbie played on & produced, where the drum pattern
|> is almost like a simple, slowed down rock beat. I miss the one-drop
|> beat, a lot of the modern dance-hall records don't use it anymore, but
|> you do still hear it sometimes. IMHO it is the classic reggae beat.
|>
|> Al
|>
|> --
|> ~~~~~~~~~~ Allen Kaatz (highnote@no-spam ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[20]. What are some reggae videos?
Reggae and Related Video Information
1. ASWAD Live Island # 082 987 3 (1991) 70 minutes, live at the Hammersmith
Odeon - London
Justice, Chasing for the Breeze, Need Your Love, Roots Rockin', Don't Turn
Around, Bubbling, 54/46 That's My Number, Tradition, Smokey Blues, Give a
Little Love, Feelings, African Children, One Love, Set Them Free.
2. ASWAD Always Wicked Island #440 083 221 3 (1991) 42 minutes (Studio Videos)
54/46 That's My Number, Chasing For The Breeze, Give A Little Love, Set Them
Free, Don't Turn Around, Beauty's Only Skin deep, On and On, Next To You,
Smile, Set Them Free (LIVE @no-spam Hammersmith Odeon).
3. Aswad Live ROCK n DOCK Limelight Studios London (1985) Japanese Import
No Notes Available.
4. Black Uhuru - Tear It Up - LIVE @no-spam the Rainbow Theatre, London (1981)
ISLAND # 440-082 991 3
Shine Eye Gal, Plastic Smile, Puff She Puff, I Love King Selassie, Youth of
Eglington, Push Push, General Penitentiary, Happiness, World Of Reggae,
Sponji Reggae, Sensimilla.
Micheal Rose, Puma Jones, Duckie Simpson, Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare,
Mikey Chung, Darryl Thompson, Skyjuice, Keith Sterling.
5. Lucky Dube LIVE in Concert Shanachie# 1021 (1993) 90 minutes
Feel It, The Hand That Giveth, Natural Man, Back To My Roots, I've Got You
Babe, Together As One, Prisoner, House Of Exile, Dracula, It's Not Easy,
Reggae Strong, Don't Cry, War And Crime, Remember Me, Truth In The World
Lucky Dube - Vocals, Thuthukani Cele - Synthesizer, Eugene Mthethwa -
Synthesizer, Chris Diamini - Percussion, Vulindela Yeni - Brass, Robert Jabu
Mdluli - Brass, Ndumiso Nyovane - Brass, Jabulani Sibumbe - Bass, Sandile
Dhlamini - Lead Guitarist, Innocent Mathunjwa - Drums, Nolusindiso Gaeza,
Cynthia Malope, Kabanina Ntsele - Backing Vocals, Richard Siluma - Manager
6. Bob Marley and the Wailers Caribbean Nights 100 mins.(1988) Island #
440 082 373 3
No Woman No Cry, Bad Card, Trenchtown Rock, Stir It Up, Rastaman Chant,
Slave Driver, Concrete Jungle, Lively Up Yourself, War, Jammin', Zimbabwe,
Redemption Song, Could You Be Loved.
7. Bob Marley And The Wailers Live At The Santa Barbara County Bowl -
Copyright 1981
No Notes Available
8. Bob Marley And The Wailers LIVE! (Rainbow Theatre London, 1977) 72 mins.
Island #082 971 3
Trenchtown Rock, Them Belly Full (But We Hungry), I Shot The Sheriff, Rebel
Music (3 O'Clock Road Block), Lively Up Yourself, Crazy Baldhead, War, No
More Trouble, The Heathen, No Woman No Cry, Jamming, Get Up Stand Up, Exodus.
9. Bob Marley And The Wailers Legend (Best Of) (1991) Island #082 965 3
Want More, Is This Love, Jamming, Could You Be Loved, No Woman No Cry, Stir
It Up, Get Up Stand Up, Satisfy My Soul, I Shot The Sheriff, Buffalo
Soldier, Exodus, Redemption Song, One Love/People Get Ready.
10. Bob Marley Time Will Tell 90 mins. (1992) Island/Tuff Gong # 440 060 100 5
Archive footage featured: Coming In From The Cold 1980 Essex House, Concrete
Jungle 1973 BBC Old Grey Wistle Test, Curfew/Burnin' & Lootin' 1974
Sheltervision, Them Bellyfull 1976 Exeter/1977 Rainbow, Lion Of Judah 1978
Peace Concert, Forever Loving Jah 1980 Tuff Gong Studio, I Shot The Sheriff
1979 Santa Barbara/1980 Rockpalast, Lively Up Yourself 1980 New Zealand, So
Much Trouble 1978 Tuff Gong Studio, War 1977 Rainbow/1980 Rockpalast,
Revolution 1980 Tuff Gong Studio, Ambush In The Night 1979 Santa Barbara,
Running Away 1980 Zimbabwe, Jammin' 1978 Peace Concert, No Woman No Cry 1977
Rainbow, Could You Be Loved 1980 Tuff Gong Studio, Exodus 1977 Rainbow,
Africa Unite 1979 Santa Barbara, Zimbabwe 1980 Zimbabwe, Redemption Song
1980 Miami Rehearsal, Coming In From The Cold 1980 Essex House, Natural
Mystic 1980 Rockpalast, Get Up Stand Up 1973 Edmonton/1974
Sheltervision/1976 Exeter/1976 Smile Jamaica/1977 Rainbow/1979
Sunsplash/1979 Santa Barbara/1980 Zimbabwe/1980 Rockpalast.
11. Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers Concious Party Live At The Palladium
60 mins.
(1988) Virgin Music Video # 3 50127
Concious Party, Tomorrow People, Tumblin' Down, Lee & Molly, We Propose,
What's True, Rat Race, Time Will Tell, Unuh Nuh Listen Yet, We Love Reggae
Music: Give It All You Got, Lord We A Come.
12. Third World Prisoner In The Street (1979) Mono Sony/Island/CBS Japanese
Import 70 mins.
Now That We've Found Love, Slavery Days, Third World Man, Give A Little
Something, Talk To Me, Cold Sweat, Irie Ites, Tribal War, African Woman,
Street Fighting, Satta Masagana, 96 Degrees In The Shade, Prisoner In The
Street.
13. Peter Tosh LIVE (at The Greek Theatre August 23, 1983) Japanese Import
EMI/Picture Music 1984
Intro, Start All Over, African, Comin' In Hot, Not Gonna Give Up, Rastafari
Is, Where You Gonna Run, Glass-House, Equal Rights/Downpresser Man, Johnny
B. Goode, Get Up Stand Up.
Peter Tosh and Word, Sound and Power. Donald Kinsey - Lead Guitar, Carlton
"Santa" Davis - Drums,
Keith Sterling - Keyboards, Stevie Golding - Rhythm Guitar, George "Fully"
Fullwood - Bass, "Vision" Walker - Percussion, Winston Morgan - Percussion.
14. Bunny Wailer In Concert (1986 Madison Square Garden concert) 80 mins.
Shanachie #104
Old Dragon, Blackheart Man, Dreamland, Love Fire, Struggle, Rise And Shine,
Dance Rock Runnings, Galong So, Ram Dancehall, Ballroom Floor, Walk The
Proud Land, Rudie, I Stand Predominate, I'm The Toughest, Hypocrites
Together Again.
Backed by the 13 piece Reggaestra (including Roots Radics band and backing
vocalistsPsalms (formerly the Gaylad), the Umojah Dance Ensembe, The Switch
Dancers, MC: Bagga Brown.
15. Heartland Reggae (1983) 95 mins. Palm Beach Entertainment #8002 (shot
1977/78)
Bob Marley and the Wailers, The I-Threes, Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, Judy
Mowatt, Dennis Brown, U-Roy, Junior Tucker, Lloyd Parks.
16. Rockers Its Dangerous (1977 re-released 1993) Rockers Film Corp.
Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer, Third World, Peter Tosh, Jacob Miller, Kiddus
I, Junior Mervin, Inner Circle, The Heptones, Grgory Isaacs, The
Abyssinians, Big Youth,Leroy Smart, Dillinger, Rockers All Star Band: Robbie
Shakespeare - Bass, Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace - Drums, Earl (Chinna) Smith
- Guitar, Earl (Wire) Lindo -Keys, Bernard (Touter) Harvey - Keys, Bertram
McLean (Ranchie) - Guitar, Tommy McCook - Flute and Sax, Herman Marquis -
Sax, Richard (Dirty Harry) Hall - Sax, Bobby Ellis - Trumpe