Roots Archives Forum

Sorry I had a search and could not find anything on this. I am interested in knowing more about UK reggae. What are your top 5 UK reggae or dub albums? Also how do they rate against the very best of Jamaican music?

Misty in roots - roots controller comp is outstanding
Delroy Washington made two outstanding albums, but I think the backing tracks were recorded in JA so maybe doesn't count
Early Cimarons like on the rock is excellent
Capital letters - headline news is very good
Black roots - In session is very fine
The first Azwad album is very good
The naturalites have some good moments
Linton kwesi Johnson is all outstanding early stuff haven't heard any of his modern stuff
Ealry Mad Professor is good for dub... But overall I find his dubs too gimmicky and querky and harsh sounding
Dennis Bowell is a dub master equal of any of his Jamaican counterparts

Steel Pulse made a couple of good albums, although the sound is quite harsh to my ears
Matatumbi also made some good records
I really liked the UK bubblers comp of fast chatting dj's it's cheap to download and a lot of tracks
King sounds did a few good songs to
And you could do a lot worse than checking out all of the bristol archives artists, loads of good stuff there.

Overall I much prefer JA reggae, UK reggae definitely sounds different, I can't describe how, but you can usually spot UK reggae a mile off, it just sounds different, those should keep you going enjoy

try this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYIez3qTDis

Here's 10 I compiled for a magazine last year, not definitive by any means and designed to show the range of British Reggae and interest non Reggae fans with music that was/is readily available and not huge money.

Steel Pulse “Handsworth Revolution” Island/Universal. 1978's stand out debut that with heavy marketing from Island propelled Steel Pulse into the mainstream with an essential album that like Marley reached far beyond the Reggae market. A cornerstone of the British roots sound every track dealing with the realities of the black British experience growing up in Britain's second city it sounds just as powerful and accomplished a statement 34 years later.

Aswad “Showcase” Grove/Universal. Their first two albums are equally worthy of inclusion, but 1981's “Showcase” captures a band at their peak including a full horn section used to devastating effect on the sublime “Warrior Charge”. Extended mixes and not a weak song included this album lives up to it's title, UK roots at it's best.

Misty In Roots “Live At The Counter Eurovision” People Unite. Misty In Roots were a fantastic live band and this much sampled 1979 album comes as close to capturing their energy and vibes as any recording could, it remains the high point of their catalogue and coupled with heavy touring including strong support for Rock Against Racism saw Misty embraced by a largely white audience.

Matumbi “Seven Seals” EMI Harvest. Dennis Bovell could fill a top ten on his own, and appears again with LKJ, here he features as a member of Matumbi one of the UK's first reggae bands, this classic album ifs from 1978 and perhaps best remembered for the theme to the BBC's “Empire Road” however the whole record is British reggae of the highest quality.

Black Roots “Black Roots” Nubian/Bristol Archive. Although London and Birmingham got the attention during the seventies and eighties almost every British city had a vibrant live reggae scene, ignored by the majors Black Roots financed their own recordings and started their own label. Their first album released in 1983 was packed with great songs polished over numerous live shows, an overlooked gem that will see a limited repress in 2013.

Linton Kwesi Johnson “Forces Of Victory” Island/Universal. Dub poetry started in Jamaica, but one man really put it on the musical map and made it synonymous with Britain, LKJ. With musical accompaniment from Dennis Bovell and the Dub Band Johnson recorded a stream of heavily political albums reflecting life in the UK that found a ready audience, I've chosen his second outing from 1979, but could easily have included any of his first four albums on this list.

Janet Lee Davis “Missing You” Fashion. Lovers Rock is arguably the UK's greatest contribution to Reggae as well as being the one area of the music where women get to play a full role, this 1995 album is a worthy inclusion being a particularly consistent collection and on that most British of reggae labels Fashion, hopefully there will be an extended CD reissue next year.

The Mad Professor “Who Knows The Secret Of the Master Tape?” Ariwa. Alongside Fashion Ariwa are the quintessential British reggae label putting out a stream of quality roots, lovers and dub. When dub fell out of fashion in Jamaica it found a safe haven at Ariwa and this the fifth in the Dub Me Crazy series dates from 1985, a fine example of The Mad Professor's sound.

Various “Great British MCs” Fashion. Another release from 1985 and according to Fashion's Chris Lane this was a concept album rather than a compilation with only three tracks having been previously released, it captured the moment when British MCs reinvented toasting and Jamaica followed a British lead, this British style would go on to influence many later styles of British dance music.

Tenastelin “Take A Look At The World” Black Legacy. The late 1980s saw a new wave of UK producers and artists utilising new cheaper recording equipment to record their own updated take on the classic roots and dub sounds of the seventies. Twenty five years later the UK digi roots/dub sound is still going strong, this 1993 outing from Tenastelin and Keety Roots is a good representation of the movement's early years.

I'd also recommend a few of our releases:
Black Roots "The Reggae Singles Anthology" (Bristol Archive) All their singles and just repressed on vinyl.
"The Bristol Reggae Explosion" Volumes 1,2 and 3 (Bristol Archive) Everything from Roots to Lovers they will give you an idea of what was actually happening outside London during the late seventies and eighties.
Bunny Marrett "I'm Free" (Bristol Archive) Reggae meets Jazz and it works, a unique sounding record.
"The Sound 'n' Pressure Story" (Reggae Archive) The nineties UK sound
"Rise Up - The Riz Records Story" (Reggae Archive) Out in January killer UK Roots comp, with a few Ja. vocalists.
I'd better stop there before it becomes an advert.

some of my top UK Dub LP's would be:

(1) Dennis Bovell - I wah dub (Morecut)
(2) Creation Rebel - Starship Africa (4 AD)
(3) Tradition - Tell your friends about dub (BPI)
(4) Black Slate - Omega (TCD)
(5) Black Jade - Contempo (Jade)

Amazing suggestions everyone cheers! This will keep me busy for a while.

jayb: I've got all of those except the Creation Rebel and I think they're brilliant. Definitely going to check out the Creation Rebel. That Black Jade is a dutty piece of dub!

I would like to recommend " LKJ in Dub " . ( I dropped this on a turntable at a hi-fi show in Bath last summer and blew the jazz noodlers out of the room , a dread came in off the street and stayed for the two tracks I was allowed to play . . (tu) )

Speaking of LKJ: Before releasing records under his own name there was another great album with LKJ heading the group: "Dread Beat And Blood".
Don't miss it, if you like his other albums!

Speaking of Matumbi: My fave record of him is also his rarest: "Dub Planet Orbit 1" (from 1980).

Dubmart wrote:Here's 10 I compiled for a magazine last year, not definitive by any means and designed to show the range of British Reggae and interest non Reggae fans with music that was/is readily available and not huge money.

Steel Pulse “Handsworth Revolution” Island/Universal. 1978's stand out debut that with heavy marketing from Island propelled Steel Pulse into the mainstream with an essential album that like Marley reached far beyond the Reggae market. A cornerstone of the British roots sound every track dealing with the realities of the black British experience growing up in Britain's second city it sounds just as powerful and accomplished a statement 34 years later.

Aswad “Showcase” Grove/Universal. Their first two albums are equally worthy of inclusion, but 1981's “Showcase” captures a band at their peak including a full horn section used to devastating effect on the sublime “Warrior Charge”. Extended mixes and not a weak song included this album lives up to it's title, UK roots at it's best.

Misty In Roots “Live At The Counter Eurovision” People Unite. Misty In Roots were a fantastic live band and this much sampled 1979 album comes as close to capturing their energy and vibes as any recording could, it remains the high point of their catalogue and coupled with heavy touring including strong support for Rock Against Racism saw Misty embraced by a largely white audience.

Matumbi “Seven Seals” EMI Harvest. Dennis Bovell could fill a top ten on his own, and appears again with LKJ, here he features as a member of Matumbi one of the UK's first reggae bands, this classic album ifs from 1978 and perhaps best remembered for the theme to the BBC's “Empire Road” however the whole record is British reggae of the highest quality.

Black Roots “Black Roots” Nubian/Bristol Archive. Although London and Birmingham got the attention during the seventies and eighties almost every British city had a vibrant live reggae scene, ignored by the majors Black Roots financed their own recordings and started their own label. Their first album released in 1983 was packed with great songs polished over numerous live shows, an overlooked gem that will see a limited repress in 2013.

Linton Kwesi Johnson “Forces Of Victory” Island/Universal. Dub poetry started in Jamaica, but one man really put it on the musical map and made it synonymous with Britain, LKJ. With musical accompaniment from Dennis Bovell and the Dub Band Johnson recorded a stream of heavily political albums reflecting life in the UK that found a ready audience, I've chosen his second outing from 1979, but could easily have included any of his first four albums on this list.

Janet Lee Davis “Missing You” Fashion. Lovers Rock is arguably the UK's greatest contribution to Reggae as well as being the one area of the music where women get to play a full role, this 1995 album is a worthy inclusion being a particularly consistent collection and on that most British of reggae labels Fashion, hopefully there will be an extended CD reissue next year.

The Mad Professor “Who Knows The Secret Of the Master Tape?” Ariwa. Alongside Fashion Ariwa are the quintessential British reggae label putting out a stream of quality roots, lovers and dub. When dub fell out of fashion in Jamaica it found a safe haven at Ariwa and this the fifth in the Dub Me Crazy series dates from 1985, a fine example of The Mad Professor's sound.

Various “Great British MCs” Fashion. Another release from 1985 and according to Fashion's Chris Lane this was a concept album rather than a compilation with only three tracks having been previously released, it captured the moment when British MCs reinvented toasting and Jamaica followed a British lead, this British style would go on to influence many later styles of British dance music.

Tenastelin “Take A Look At The World” Black Legacy. The late 1980s saw a new wave of UK producers and artists utilising new cheaper recording equipment to record their own updated take on the classic roots and dub sounds of the seventies. Twenty five years later the UK digi roots/dub sound is still going strong, this 1993 outing from Tenastelin and Keety Roots is a good representation of the movement's early years.

I'd also recommend a few of our releases:
Black Roots "The Reggae Singles Anthology" (Bristol Archive) All their singles and just repressed on vinyl.
"The Bristol Reggae Explosion" Volumes 1,2 and 3 (Bristol Archive) Everything from Roots to Lovers they will give you an idea of what was actually happening outside London during the late seventies and eighties.
Bunny Marrett "I'm Free" (Bristol Archive) Reggae meets Jazz and it works, a unique sounding record.
"The Sound 'n' Pressure Story" (Reggae Archive) The nineties UK sound
"Rise Up - The Riz Records Story" (Reggae Archive) Out in January killer UK Roots comp, with a few Ja. vocalists.
I'd better stop there before it becomes an advert.

Great overview Dubmart - Spot on with SP Handsworth Revolution and Aswad Showcase. LKJ - Bass Culture just nicks it for me, but they're all essential up to Making History. Counter Eurovision a must (recorded, pressed and released in one day!). Matumbi too. Add in Dennis Bovell Strictly Dub Wize and I Wah Dub. Murdah!