Is Marley reggae?

[_Easy_]

Haha, good post though, rattlin some cages, haha we could raise a few more eyebrows and say the UK has nothing to offer as far as roots rock reggae

[oddsnobb sobs]

I happen to have the deluxe version of Catch A Fire and I like the both versions. Funny, even the Jamaican version doesn't resemble the reggae that was made in Jamaica then.
In Steve Barrow's book Rough Guide to Reggae Marley gets five pages, it is FIVE PAGES of 450 pages and that,s Marley's influence to reggae, musicwise.
Of course Marley was big star in Jamaica like any cricket star, film star or gangsta but did they play Marley music in sound systems maybe in uptown discoes. Check "Rockers" movie. Can you imagine any Marley music played in that sound system scene where throbbing pulse makes the audience skank.
Not to say that Marley isn't danceable, on the contrary.
Did ya know there is a Finnish expression to ragga
"pimpelinpompeli". Don't know what it actually means but sounds describing.

[Red Eyes]

"Natural Mystic" the island version has a pretty fantastic bassline

[Nigel]

Marley and the Wailers are the first group showcased in the Roots Reggae section after a 1 page intro to the chapter. Really dig the "Rough Guide." Mr. Barrow seems to consider Marley Roots. I can imagine "Rainbow Country" playing in a sound system. Watching the party scene in "Rockers" gives me chills. Reminds me of some of the best underground house music parties here in Chicago.

[ital kemar]

is marley reggae? if not could somebody please define what exactly reggae is. cos i thought i was listening to it for years. maybe not... everybody has an opinion on what reggae is to them. is elephant man reggae? sean paul? beenie man? well thats wots for sale in the high street music shop reggae section. maybe thats why i dont buy my music from them. some people might like the elephant man 'reggae'. its not for me. i would ask... is elephant man reggae? or sean paul etc.somebody would have to spend a long time trying to convince me it is. anyway... bob marley also the wailers to me is serious reggae music. not the most crucial ever made, but still good conscious vibes.

ites

ital kemar

[leggo rocker]

Yes-I Itel Kemar, well said!

[daCENSOREDone]

Agree with you Oddsnobb.
I struggle to see why a lot of his post Perry stuff is put on the Reggae shelves in music shops.I'd categorise it elsewhere. I'm not expecting many people to agree with me but I and several friends voted with our feet and boycotted his 1975 UK tour because we felt he had already abandoned his roots and "crossed over" by then.

But to me, calling him King of Reggae would not ring true because he had left the genre before much of the classic late 70s stuff was produced albeit some of it inspired by Bob."

Regards

Rob

maybe the best words I could read about marley. nuff respect rob.

I know it's quite risky cos many people here are from uk but we shouldn't underrate the negative influence of uk on reggae music.

did you know that the original version of "the man who sold the world" was called "the man who sold reggae"?

[pf]

did you know that the original version of "the man who sold the world" was called "the man who sold reggae"?

you mean the Bowie song? are you serious or is a joke?

[leggo rocker]

You have a serious envy problem Oras, er, I mean daCENSOREDone.

The Man Who Sold the World was released in 1971. Long before Marley's outernational heydays.

Right now I am listening to Burning Spear and I am struck by how close the structure of the music is to much of Marley's mid 70s output. The voice is different, Spear has an onerous, almost miserable voice, great for the sufferer's genre that reggae is.

Marley's voice has a different quality, but it still seems to express the sufferer's lot. But the music is very similar, the sound is similar, and the lyrics are similar.

Also, take a look at the footage of Marley's early concerts. Like the Rainbow gig. This is spine tingling stuff and it is definitely roots rock reggae music.

This Bob bashing is just fashion, born I feel always out of envy.

If you want to rip some reggae apart, there's plenty of artists out there who produced some complete rubbish (shock horror, even the much lauded Lee Perry is among them) but I don't see them being ripped apart here.

And maybe it's time we slated the Roots Radics. After all, what is their LP 'Freelance' if it isn't a total bunch of poppy sell out?

Is Marley reggae. Sorry, but it's a really dumb question. Of course he played reggae.

[leggo rocker]

And those that think there are no dubs, or DJ versions of Marley stuff are simply wrong:

Small Axe by U-Roy

For example?