Roots Archives Forum

Who do you think is better? And why?
I cannot decide between them, Shakespear has some of the greatest bass lines on Black Uhuru's debut, but in general I prefer Flabba Holt

when play robbie i like robbie
when play flabba i like flabba

and dont forgot famyliman, clinton fearon. fully, boris gardiner, bagga walker, junior dan.............etc,etc

Truly and honestly I couldn't choose. It's like Gaspar says. When I play some Radics it's just the most breathtaking music in my life and then I put on Taxi from the same period and I realise it's the very same feeling.

I've been thinking the exact same thing lately. it has to be
Robbie, He combined outside influences with sparse tuff lines. Taxi gang tunes from the early eighties have a swagger to em. i'm a big taxi fan so pretty bias.
my number two would be Boris Gardner, one word sums him up - Heavy

Yes, of course there are a lot of others, but it seems to me that these two really invented those heavy heavy basslines... And there is one more bassist I would like to highlight - Jackie Jackson! He played on most of the Maytals albums from 1968 to 1978, I think he is really underrated. His basslines were really ahead of his time. They were heavy, groovy and funky!

Jackie Jackson is the man.

no comparison
career-wise Robbie started in 72 and is still very much in demand nowadays, 40 years after his first session (for Errol Dunkley)
Flabba started a lot later, and apart from Israel Vibration, hasnt been very busy since 86
Plus Flabba hasnt done anything with non-Reggae artists, which would have been nice, and also hasnt done much outside the late rockers, rubadub periods.

Now, dont get me wrong: I LOVE a lot of Flabba's basslines. He and Robbie really ran things in the rub a dub days. Both men dont feel any competition between them, by the way. And Robbie loves to record Flabba on vocals.

I made the only photo where they are together when we were at Anchor during the sessions for Brinsley Forde. I'll look for it and upload it.

Definitly Flabba Holt for me. Early 80s Radics is just my favorite music. Familyman is second. Of cause I got nothing against Robbie, but I just don't like his music THAT much.

Same with Sly by the way, great great drummer of cause, but far away from being my personal favorite. But that's just me.

The Errol holt tune 'Danger zone' combines these two great musicians beautifuly.
i gotta mention Val Douglas who is also a hugely underrated bassist

Yes Val Douglas was super bad. I have fond memories of the Pablo Moses album "Pave the way" in which he just shines throughout every song.

I love Ranchie McLean too.