A strange one I know, but this will help tie up a little research my end. I’ve noticed here in the UK that a disproportionately high number of trad folkies also really like Reggae (especially the early stuff), but not always a lot else in the “pop” realms.
Seems on the face of it a bit strange, but Reggae has been very big in England since 1964 so I’m wondering if it’s purely an English phenomenon (I noticed more of a leaning in Ireland to Country, which is less popular in England).
Comments? (For my part, I am also into Reggae. Roots, man.)
[ This Message was edited by: nickt on 2003-01-16 12:14 ]
I don’t mind Reggae music for background listening but I’m not a BIG fan…I’ve got one Bob Marley CD that I put on every now and then…the community radio station here playes reggae music all morning on Sundays.
To my non-reggae attuned ear many reggae songs/tunes sound very similar. hehe
Yeah I like Reggae (but then I’m English).I’m pretty keen on Dub-I happen to think that Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry is a musical genius (yes I know there is a thin line..).I can’t stand ‘bastardised reggae’ like U.B.40. I recently bought ‘The Studio ONE Story’ set of c.d.,dvd and booklet,detailing the history of Coxsone Dodd’s mighty Jamaican record label.I also enjoy Ska of ‘The Skatalites’ variety- now THERE was a band!
I like Reggae but I get a bit bored with the pure stuff. I do, however like ska core and two tone. I got onto them through my sons (I’m much too old a fart to have found them on my own.)
Mike
Voting for the early True Rasta Believer stuff. Maybe because I’m French and it did have a strong influence on our musical culture (when Country had nil, except for rock-a-billy suburbian revival groups). See the tennisman-turned-singer Yannick Noah…
Then I wonder if anything there is whistle-friendly… Or is it ?
[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2003-01-16 14:33 ]
On 2003-01-16 14:28, Zubivka wrote:
Voting for the early True Rasta Believer stuff. Maybe because I’m French and it did have a strong influence on our musical culture (when Country had nil, except for rock-a-billy suburbian revival groups). See the tennisman-turned-singer Yannick Noah…
Then I wonder if anything there is whistle-friendly… Or is it ?
[ This Message was edited by: Zubivka on 2003-01-16 14:33 ]
No ting wrong wid da Rasta man, every time you suck you havto blow.
Where I used to live they had an event called “Reggae on the River”, two days of non-stop reggae. All I know about reggae is that for two days, ambulances zipped back and forth from the event with drug overdoses and boneheads who were convinced that 3 feet of river water was enough to dive in…so as you can guess, my opinion is a little biased.
I’m not what you would call “into” it, and I think it can get a bit monotonous (I had an office mate who was big into reggae several years ago). I don’t dislike it, however, and find it more interesting than a lot of “in” music. God knows it beats rap hands down!
Giving away my age here! In the sixties we frequented West Indian clubs in and around London where Blue Beat/Ska/Reggae were the tunes of the moment. DJ’s like ‘Count Suckle’ and ‘Harry the Horse’ had their sound systems turned up to maximum. With the stark driving rhythm, clouds of Ganja smoke and gyrating bodies all made for eventful nights.
They certainly knew how to party…A bit like the Irish
One of my favourite tunes of all time was one of the first I heard called “O Carolina”
It was recorded recently but the original had something special…I think it was Prince Buster who sang it, he was one of the early pioneers. Toots and the Maytals were another good band.
In my youth (mid-70’s) we used to umm… alter our minds a little and listen to WLIB in New York – “The only station in the nation with a Caribbean education” – strictly as a goof. They played mostly reggae, some calypso. Songs like, “If I had a face like a dog,” and “Disco soka”. Then they had the talk shows with subjects like “Should reggae record stores sell calypso records?” And the weather reports for Jamaica, Haiti and Trinidad. It was all very hilarious.
But a year or so after beginning to listen, a few of us actually started buying the records. I still like a lot of the stuff, and most of it beats the hell out of run of the mill pop music.
I too don’t seek it out, but enjoy it when I happen on it, usually as background in movies (The Mighty Quinn, e.g.). There’s a sort of irreverent mood about it that I like.
I love ska, rock steady and roots but don’t know much about the newer styles. Also enjoy English '80s ska revival bands; well, some of them (Specials, Beat). This doesn’t tell you much about the attitude of Australians to reggae, though. I spent 7 nominally adult years in England and got the taste there.
Reggae is in something like the position of Scottish and Irish music in Australia. You will find it in stores in a separate section rather than lumped in with other ‘world’ music. But it is nowhere near as popular as blues and jazz as an alternative to popular music. Country music is popular but mainly the Nashville stuff which, in my opinion, is popular music in the industry sense of that term. Old-timey, real bluegrass, western swing, genuine honkey tonk are not popular styles and can only be found in specialist and very large general record shops. Of the roots styles, only Cajun is popular.
I have a bit of a theory about why reggae is popular. Many of us crave music being made now which is organic rather than plastic—music which tastes spicey, feels genuine and smells just a bit funky. Pop doesn’t and can’t deliver. When jazz stopped evolving quickly, blues died out as something young African Americans aspired to play and soul became disco, reggae was peaking. Now, I think, those of us who already love it continue to do so. Younger punters probably get the same kick out of African and Carribbean music these days—so do I for that matter. I also think that there has been a huge recent upsurge in interest in Irish and Scottish music that might also be down to the same reasons. Anybody noticed?
Wombat - one of the irksome things about Oz for me (there were very few), was the almost complete ignorance about reggae. All live music seemed to be 70s revival bands. I was once told by a female work colleague “reggae was big in Oz in 1989 when it first came out but it never lasted” - she was a bit shocked when I told her that the first reggae no.1 in England was in 1964! (“My Boy Lollipop”).
Thanks for all the comments guys, it does sound like there’s some old skinheads hanging around here! Just for the record, my vote goes to Rock Steady and Studio One.
Nick, ‘Lollipop’ was quite big here too. The next we heard was the ‘Israelites’. I’m not kidding—nothing in between. I wondered what this wonderful, wierd music was but had to go to England to find out. Well, I could have made an effort, but that’s what it would have been. Saw Bob Marley while in England—not my favourite but an unforgettable show.
I spent many years listening to reggae exclusively. Finally outgrew that thank god, but I still remember some of the tunes fondly. A few more good old guys Gregory Isaacs, Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer.
