Early 70's reggae

[messengerman]

and on lovely 180g vinyl.

Am I allowed to say that?

 

[SCIDB]

Hi,

For a good selection of late 60s / early 70s reggae, look at some of the skinhead reggae stuff. This is different to the mid 70s/rasta/roots and culture stuff. It had more mass market appeal at the time.

Look at the following for some corking music

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...4849/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_11_1/203-3189018-3998334

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...4849/sr=2-3/ref=sr_2_11_3/203-3189018-3998334

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...4849/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_11_2/203-3189018-3998334

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...4849/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_11_3/203-3189018-3998334

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos...019/sr=1-11/ref=sr_1_0_11/203-3189018-3998334

This stuff appealed to the UK market in a big way at the time.

Dean

 

[merlin]

Earmark have recently re-released Gregory Isaacs' early material on an enhanced vinyl version of Extra Classic. It's been remastered too, plus loads of dubs and b sides. See here

I suspect you are looking for Rocksteady - if you like Marley's " Could You Be Loved" that's based on a Rocksteady groove.

Check out This definitive compilation

 

[guybat]

I tried "Heart Of The Congoes" again, and beautiful as it is, it's way off beam. I just get dreadful flashbacks of roomfulls of hippies nodding their heads. It's just too slow, and "produced". I want something faster, rougher - pre-dub, pre-Marley (who again I can't listen too from overexposure).

"The Harder They Come" is utterly sublime.

I tried the Pandora's Box e-Radio option, and got some really good stuff with a bit of tweaking, most from compilations before it crashed/wanted money out of me.

I think one of the problems is that so much great early reggae was very fragmentary due to the politics of the Jamaican music business - so many great singles, but not many great albums or easily identifiable bodies of work.

I'm going to try some Trojan and Studio One compilations and see if I can get some direction from there.

 

[messengerman]

Guybat, if you can find the Trojan compilation Monkey Business that should be along the lines you're looking for. The slightly faster styles were what the skinheads liked so SCIDBs recommendations above are probably on the money too.

As an alternative you might check out some much later stuff like Capleton. Fast and rough as you like but with grit and soul too. Modern dancehall styles often feature very fast word play over mid tempo electronic beats. Capleton's a personal favourite but others are good too especially if you can ignore the dodgy lyrics (just like some hip hop). Ward 21, Elephant Man, Sizzla, Buju Banton et al.

Shuffles away muttering and complaining. Spoil good music ...pointless swearing....grumble grumble....ignorant cu*ts....

 

[sideshowbob]

I want something faster, rougher

You want some Studio One then.

-- Ian

 

[duncan]

I want something faster, rougher - pre-dub, pre-Marley

So that's later Ska, Rocksteady and early Reggae (1967-72). Almost anything on Studio One or Treasure Island.


You could taste the classic harmony trios:


Justine Hines and the Dominoes – Early Recordings (Ska – early rock steady), Just In Time (rock steady)

Heptones – On Top (rock steady), Party Time (reggae) "live some life before we're old, before we're cold" and a sublime I Shall Be Released, all with that glowing Lee Perry sound. Probably too mellow and produced by your criteria but an essential record.

Wailers (ie before they came Bob Marley and the…). One of the many compilations available, check somewhere like AMG, different amalgamations come and go seemingly by the month. The early stuff is absolutely great and probably exactly what you are after, quite different from Bob Marley FM.

The Cables – What Kind of World. Wonderful harmony trio, only released the one LP, not as famous as some of the above but this is a real gem.

Others to look out for include The Techniques, The Melodians, The Ethiopians and the Gay Lads

Happy listening!

 

[guybat]

Heartbeat Records "Best Of Studio One Vol.1" smack on the button. Great stuff. Am currently dancing round the room like a chicken.

 

[mentalp]

The best dressed chicken in town?

 

[guybat]

I could never aspire to Dr. Alimantado's sartorial elegance.