Re: New to Reggae

I love the idea of giving my thoughts on various album and getting suggestions on where I should go, so now that I've had some time to digest stuff I'll give it a try.

Some stuff I've been listening to in alphabetical order:

The Abyssinians -- Satta Massagana

Great stuff! Love the lead vocals and the arrangements and it grooves.

Black Uhuru -- Red

I'm not fond of the production, but the music overcomes it. Sort of. It will be an occasional listen, but I'm happy to have it in my collection.

Burning Spear -- Garvey/Garvey's Ghost

Great stuff (of course!) I've since ordered the Dry & Heavy/Man In The Hills, Hail HIM, and Social Living album which will no doubt keep me happy for a long time.

The Congos -- Heart of the Congos

I love the production and the vocals on this album. It's somewhat dense and will require some listening to get my head around. I've ordered the two disc remaster to make sure I get it 'right'. "Fisherman" is magical.

Culture -- Two Sevens Clash

Mixed feelings on this one. I love the music, but I'm not fond of the lead vocalist. I can get used to that in time, but I'm not there yet. I'm sure I'll grow to enjoy it greatly in time.

Augustus Pablo -- King Tubbys Meets.../East of.../Rockers Meets...

I love his work. Love it. I'm in the process of collecting more and likely shall be picking up a Pablo album here and there for a while.

Lee Perry -- Super Ape

This is shorthand for a variety of his stuff, because I've done some sampling on other stuff (Return of..., Cloak & Dagger) and enjoyed most of it. I love his sound, though it's mood music, to an extent. Something as heavy as Dread Lion isn't exactly morning music. I'm not as fond of Roast Fish, Collie Weed, and Corn Bread, but that one is probably a grower. I've been very fond of Perry's productions in general, including his work on others albums.

Scientist -- Rids the World of the Evil Curse of the Vampires

Great stuff and I'm happy to find any dub artist doing stuff like him. I've currently got all the Scientist albums I could ever need in Apple Lossless format until they're re-released again and I can ease my conscience by buying them, so no Scientist recommendations are needed.

Steel Pulse -- True Democracy

Despite my best efforts, I cannot stand this album. The music is fine, but I HATE the production. Far too slick for my tastes. I'm unable to make it more than half-way through this album and I've tried several times. On a lighter note, I listened to Handsworth Revolution on YouTube and loved it. I think I'll stick to their early stuff.

Bunny Wailer -- Blackheart Man

At first glance this album was too mellow for my tastes and I nearly discarded it from my order after listening to it on YouTube, however, something drew me back and I'm glad it did. Wonderful, beautiful album. Great for opening the morning or closing the evening. I've now ordered the remaster to replace the cheap version I bought.

Wailing Souls - Fire House Rock

On first listen (on YouTube) this album seemed a bit poppy for my tastes, with the soul-styled harmonies and whatnot. A bit too commercial, a bit too smooth, but given its recognition as a classic I decided to buy it and find out. Once I heard it on CD in higher fidelity I could immediately tell what I was missing. Wonderful production, and the album is a bit too heavy if anything, not too poppy. I love "Run Dem Down" and "Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall".

There we have it! These albums don't make up the entirety of my current reggae listening, but they consist of the material I've listened to enough to digest. I'm happy for any thoughts on where I should go from here based on my current tastes.

Here are a few highly recommended albums

1 - Greensleeves 12" Rulers: Henry Junjo Lawes

Various Artists in the Channel One Rub A Dub style which is like the production on Scientist Rids the World and Fire House Rock. Each song is in a 12" mix which means a dub version by scientist comes in during the second half after the vocals. This will get you familiar with other artists during that era.

2 - Wailing Souls - Most Wanted: Classic Cuts

Same Channel One era same 12" style different tracks. The only song that doesn't have a dub is Fire House Rock, but the previous album I mentioned has Fire House Rock with the dub version. If you haven't heard the 12" of Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall buy this album and you will be amazed.

3 - Culture - Lion Rock
4 - Culture - International Herb

In my opinion both are far better musically and production-wise than Two Sevens Clash.

Thanks for the tips. I'm still working on getting my head around 12" singles and all that jazz. Meanwhile, I decided to search on YouTube for that Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall 12" and the dub is indeed pretty impressive. I'll be giving "International Herb" a listen soon.

Hi, havent listen to a lot of reggae over the years but more the latest mouths and a record I heard that my friend used to play a lot is Dr Alimantado. best dressed chicken in town. maybe it could be something you like too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBBJ53Ih-nQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pxHI7tL4A&feature=related

Check out King Tubbys sound clash in a Dub plate style..VERY good...

as mentioned, if you like the Wailing Souls then definitely pick up the Greensleeves / Channel One material.

You're getting the early Spear and Pablo stuff so that's good too.

Much great reggae is not based around album releases by individual singers or groups, so I also recommend some of the various artist compilations on Pressure Sounds, Heartbeat and Blood and Fire. (Or anything on those labels is worth checking.)