Roots Archives Forum

It IS funny how personal tastes vary.

Aside from the weird drum machine song, I think "Heart Of The Congos" deserves every ounce of praise.

I also LOVE "Kaya". I prefer it to "Burning" or "Rastaman Vibration", which are my two least favorite albums from Bob. My favorite Bob Marley is still the pre-island stuff, but to me "Kaya" is great because of songs like "She's Gone" (Oh mocking bird have you ever heard, words that I never heard...) and "Crisis"...come one, "Crisis" is SO KILLER!!

I do agree on the Max Romeo and Junior Murvin tip though. Except for a couple songs, neither album ever really reached me.

arjendeparjen wrote:black uhuru - red.

it is a fine album but not as good as reviewers wrote back in te eighties, it being the answer to bob marley.
so my expectations were too high.

I think that hits it on the head right there. Trying to find the "Next Bob Marley" killed reggae music like trying to find the "Next Michael Jordan" killed NBA basketball.

Roots reggae's post-Marley torpor--where sloppy, slow, ponderous, and cynically faux-spiritual music dominated--was a drawn out death bell. 80s output by Gladiators, Itals, Wailing Souls, and so many others who would pretend to the throne.

Say what you will about Steel Pulse, Black Uhuru, etc., but they what they could, for as long as they could, to break that mold. Ditto all the other artists who kicked some humor, fun, and beauty back into the music that had been drained of it.

Been thinking about this... I have a few candidates IV the same song or Kiddus I graduation in zion.... Most late keith hudson.... But finally settled on the all time most over rated reggae album to me; has to be Bob Marley Natty Dread

Pablo Moses - Pave The Way

I paid more than I normally would for a CD to get this on the strength of the positive reviews and people raving about it after I heard it was being reissued - and because I'd liked 'Revolutionary Dream' so much.

I thought that it absolutely sucked.


Edit to add:

Bob Marley - Babylon By Bus

I know that this one gets cited as the quintessential Marley live document by music journos, but it just doesn't touch me at all. Certainly not as good as Live!, IMO. I sold my CD copy after I realized that it had been sat on my shelf for over a decade, without being listened to (or even touched).


I've never really 'got' Steel Pulse either. There's something about the singer's voice that stops me feeling the music...

Before I mention any records, it's worth mentioning that albums or artists that don't really do much for me when I first hear them often get filed in the 'have-another-listen-in-two-or-three-years' folder in my head. And it often seems more enjoyable a few years later.

But I have tried a couple of times over 10 years with Big Youth's 'Screaming Target', and it doesn't strike me as a great album. It has it's moments, but the toasting doesn't strike me as powerfully as some of his other stuff. When I want to hear Big Youth, I go for 'Dread Locks Dread'. (Or 'All Nations Bow' - what a tune!)

Pots n Pans wrote:Before I mention any records, it's worth mentioning that albums or artists that don't really do much for me when I first hear them often get filed in the 'have-another-listen-in-two-or-three-years' folder in my head. And it often seems more enjoyable a few years later.

But I have tried a couple of times over 10 years with Big Youth's 'Screaming Target', and it doesn't strike me as a great album. It has it's moments, but the toasting doesn't strike me as powerfully as some of his other stuff. When I want to hear Big Youth, I go for 'Dread Locks Dread'. (Or 'All Nations Bow' - what a tune!)

Yes! Big Youth's 'Screaming Target' is another well-regarded album that left me cold. TBH, I couldn't (and still can't) understand most of his lyrics and his vocal stylings didn't really catch my interest.

Kamikazi dub by prince jammy. I still do not like it too much, as i find it dull. Just my opinion..just not too great but not too bad....

sean wrote:Kamikazi dub by prince jammy. I still do not like it too much, as i find it dull. Just my opinion..just not too great but not too bad....

I feel this way about most dub LPs.

Franco Nero wrote:I feel this way about most dub LPs.

If you don't have a subwoofer I highly recommend that you get one. It makes all music especially dub a lot better.

star wrote:Franco Nero wrote :I feel this way about most dub LPs.

If you don't have a subwoofer I highly recommend that you get one. It makes all music especially dub a lot better.

Interestingly I was considering that today...