I was intrigued with Shane's 'Spill Overview' post and made a comment to add BMW and maybe a 'best of reggae' collection to the list. Rather than clogging up his let's start another one. Here's mine, they're all from vinyl so it'd be a bit of a chore to post 'em all but I'll try, I'm a bit busy just now so it might take a short while. Didn't even get to look at all the CD's or the 7'' file.
1. The Abyssinians - Satta Masagana.
2. Black Uhuru - Utterance.
3. Big Youth - Natty Cultural Dread.
4. Dennis Brown - The Existence of Jah.
5. Burning Spear - Jah no Dead.
6. Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers to Cross.
7. The Melodians - The Rivers of Babylon.
8. Culture - Calling Raster For I.
9. The Heptones - Book of Rules.
10. Gregory Isaacs - Storybook Children.
11. The Mighty Diamonds - Why me, Black Brother?
12. BMW - Jah Live.
13. Third World - 96° in the Shade.
14. Toots and the Maytalls - Pressure Drop.
15. Lee Perry - Dreadlocks in Moonlight.
16. Augustus Pablo - King Tubby meets the Rockers Uptown.
17. Linton Kwesi Johnson - Sonny's Letter.
18. Max Romeo - War in a Babylon.
19. Kiddus I - Graduation in Zion.
20. Junior Murvin - Police and Thieves.
21. The Congo's - Ark of the Covenant.
An impossible task, so many not included who should be, and how do you choose a single cut and decline so many that should be chosen, that's your chore, fill in the gaps
12 comments:
Smells like a fearsome challenge, GF. Great list so far. I think I'd go along with the song choices for most of those listed (though I'd opt for Redemption Song from BMW but what you gonna do with that range of choices?).
So - the gaps. For starters, ten artists who need to get a mention:
1] Judy Mowatt - Black Woman (edging out Down In The Valley, just)
2] Steel Pulse - Handsworth Revolution
3] Derrick Harriott - Eighteen With A Bullet
4] Ken Boothe - Is It Because I'm Black?
5] Prince Far I - Under Heavy Manners
6] John Holt/The Paragons - The Tide Is High
7] Marcia Griffiths - The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (like Ken Boothe, it's a bit of a cop-out to go with a cover but they're both such great readings of the respective tunes)
8] Misty In Roots - See Dem A Come
9] Dave & Ansil Collins - Monkey Spanner
10] Desmond Dekker - desperately trying to think of a hidden gem that's even better than The Israelites but can't
and five irresistible tracks:
1] The Natural-Ites - Picture On The Wall
2] The Slickers - Johnny Too Bad
3] Rupie Edwards - Ire Feelings (Skenga)
4] Eek-A-Mouse - Wa-Do-Dem
5] The Heptones - Crysta Blue Persuasion
Great list, Goneforiegn, can't argue with any of them. I would probably add Peter Tosh--Equal Rights, something by Mikey Dread and something by the Ethiopians, but that's just personal choice...and I think Bob Marley does deserve his own list.
Good choices.. my brain aches from the challenge I set myself so I'm not getting into this.. but it's got to be 10 cd-rs for this..
My Idea (In my own head) was for artists who who hadn't got a best of.. but needed one.. I don't think Marley has ever had a successful one
So I do suggest setting it up and going with it..
When you re-listen carefully to tracks that have been with you a long time, but with other peoples ideas about them in your head.. it's just great.
I say go for it.
I doff my tam to you gf; great list ... but if it were mine .... something would have to give to make room for Ras Michael & the Sons of Negus. And that would have to be from one of my solid gold, desert island discs ... Tribute To The Emperor; heck, start at the begining ...
Gabrail-A-Alma - Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus with Jazzboe Abubaka
Just lost a long response, I'll do it again soon.
@gf - Commiserations - nothing worse than losing a long post. I now do my posts in textedit, then paste them in to the blog comment box. So if something goes wrong, I can just paste it in again.
Very fine list,gf, should make a fine cd, and if there is room for one more song I would have included:
Jacob Miller - Tenement Yard
Glass: Thanks for the sympathy, I usually use textedit also, but sometimes I carried away and start writing...
Anyhow, some of what I said was muchos gracious for the kind comments. Plus I spent the morning digitising vinyl, very satisfying, I played cuts I haven't heard in years, it made me remember why I loved reggae so much.
May1366: Agreed on all counts, I have most of your list, a couple there I don't know, The Natural-ites & D&A Collins. Judy Mowatt, definitely Black Woman or perhaps Joseph. She's a lovely lady, I always fancied her.
Steen: Definitely going to do BMW next, I played some obscure cuts this morning that I think you'll enjoy. Plus I played some Tosh and wondered how he got overlooked.
Tatanka; I used to see Ras Michael all the time when I lived in LA, he lives there also and we were always at the same events, I've got several of his albums, really nice bloke.
OK, can someone post a step by step 'how to' for Boxstr, I have an awful time with it and my playlist is running at about 65MB which is more than I can squeeze into podbean. I want to post this lot and then do Bob.
Some great bass playing on some of these, check the Dennis Brown cut when I get it up, marvellous!
Fine choices GF. "Lion Rock" would be my Culture choice & "Fisherman/Mackaback" for the Congo's. Think Derrick Morgan should be in there. & would like to see Prince Far I too. No contempory stuff either, but that's ok. Any chance of a Dub version?
Shoe: I pulled my CD collection of dub and scanned through the entire collection and had a hard time narrowing it down to a single cut, perhaps it's a category by itself?
I don't know much about reggae but i've got a small and well-loved dub collection.
How about:
Peter Tosh - "Mystic Man"
Did Pete invent Straight Edge with this tune? A call for self-discipline, freedom of religion etc...brilliant.
Errol Walker - "Better Future"
uplifting and inspiring plea for peace in Jamaica
Culture - "Two sevens Clash"
definitely my favourite of theirs. Marcus Garvey prophesised that when two sevens clash (i.e. 1977) then the truth will be set free and Rastafari will spread throughout the world....didn't quite happen, but apparently it's where the Clash got their name (i've heard different stories about this- i'd like this to be the reason though!)
Hope someone will be able to post a few of these tunes when it's finalised 'cos there's a load that I don't know but want to hear...
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