Roots Archives Forum

Hello reggae people!

I recently started to listen to reggae music, and to feel its power. I really like but i feel kinda lost right now. I don't know which artists to listen

From the songs that i listened in the past few days, i think the roots subgenre is the best for me.

Now i want to start listening "from the beginning". Can you recommend me some artists that are the greatest in the history of this music? (yea, i already know Bob Marley )

Welcome! You certainly are in for a treat...
There is NO way to prepare you for the feast that you are about to partake, but here is a list of the FIRST FEW LP's I heard all those years ago - and they must've worked, I've been at it since 1982! These are ONLY my picks, and many others would pick others, but respectfully I submit:

Max Romeo - "War Ina Babylon"
Gregory Isaacs - "Mr. Isaacs" & "Extra Classic"
Junior Murvin - "Police and Thieves"
Augustus Pablo - "King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown"
Congos - "Heart of the Congos"
Lee Perry & Upsetters - "Super Ape"

The list goes on and on, I'll let others of the RA Massive take it from here...

Totally agree on all of Marky Dread's suggestions. Here's a few more:

Israel Vibration- Same song
Jacob Miller- Who say Jah no dread
Heptones- Party time
Johnny Osbourne- Truth and rights
Freddie Mcgregor- Bobby Babylon
Wailing souls- Wailing souls

You may be opening up a Pandora's box...

Bob Andy - Songbook
Bob Andy - Retrospect
Rico Rodriguez - Man from Wareika
Rico Rodriguez - That man is forward

Enjoy!

Culture - Two Sevens Clash
Burning Spear - Marcus' Children aka Social Living

welcome martin92.

i recommend black uhuru - red. it's one of the best (reggae) albums ever, imo. if you're interested in a little more wide look at the genre, try groundation - each one teach one (or any other of groundation's first four albums). and if you are (or were) in rock/punk, you may like what you find typing "r.a.p. jarocin 1986" in you tube's search field (r.a.p. stands here for reggae against politics).

greetings.
take your day and let only good things come to you.

Try not to get bogged down in Lee Perry/black ark, I got trapped for years thinking that Perry productions were the start and end of reggae

try congos - congo ashanti
max romeo - revolution time
the gladiators - trenchtown mix up
leroy brown - colour barrier
yabby you - conquring lion
the twinkle brothers - countrymen

those are mostly slickly produced easily accessable albums for someone looking to cut their roots teeth

havent seen these mentioned yet. must have essential albums.
mighty maytones - madness
wailing souls - firehouse rock
ijahman - are we a warrior
bunny wailer - rock n groove

enjoy the journey

Great recommendations!!

My two cents, you can't go wrong with these

- Leroy Brown - Color Barrier
- Soul Syndicate - Harvest Uptown, Famine Downtown

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There's a lot of incredible records recommended in this thread so I think you have a good start already. Myself I would recommend one of the best albums produced by one of the best producers, backed by one of the best backing bands and mixed by one of the best mixing engineers. Also ... the singers are one of the finest groups in JA music history. It's widely available on CD and in my opinion nothing else than phenomenal.

It was one of the first reggae albums I bought and it is still one of those albums I still hold in highest regards.