30 years ago today...

To Carlton's point, it is very fair, and very true, to say that most people, if they were to name one reggae artist, would say Bob Marley. His shadow does loom large over the genre, even if a lot of current artists don't sound like him.

 

I think Toots and the Maytals were more ska than reggae. I loved that Sublime remade 54-47 on the 40 oz. to Freedom album because Toots (who I admire greatly and love his music) has been overlooked for a long time.

As far as Marley, if you haven't I would suggest the "Catch a Fire" biography written about him. It deals a lot with his formative years as well as the Ras Tafari and Marcus Garvey influence. Also gave me a pretty good understanding about Bob's relationship with Rita.

 

For some reason, I have a soft spot for white bands covering reggae tunes in the 70s. Eric Clapton and the Stones being two particularly guilty parties.

Though I think Clapton's version of What'cha Gonna Do is better than Peter Tosh's version.

I probably couldn't name off the top of my head any reggae artists that haven't already been mentioned, but I'll throw Burning Spear into the mix too.

And how does dancehall, which I hate by the way, fit into the reggae universe?

 

I'm sure the Clash listened to him at some point, but I'd say most of their reggae influences tended to be from more obscure areas of the genre. Same goes for the majority of UK punk bands who incorporated reggae into their acts.

 

I saw Third World live years ago, they were pretty good.

I know a guy who knew Marley and all the other big players in the reggae world in those days. (He still goes on about how Scratch Perry still owes him for a car repair he did that he still hasn't paid for). He was at Bob's wedding - I have seen the pics - and it is fascinating to listen to him talk about the reggae scene in Kingston in those days.

Some of my fave Clash songs are reggae covers: "Police And Thieves", "Pressure Drop" (doesn't touch the Toots and the Maytals version though), "Police On My Back" and my fave Clash song might be the heavily reggae influenced "White Man In Hammersmith Palais".

Will second Catch A Fire. Great book.

 

This is from Wiki, so take it for what it is, but talking about The Clash early recording sessions for the first album it says:

"Police & Thieves" was added to the album when the band realised just how short the tracklist was. Another cover the band toyed with at these sessions was Bob Marley's "Dancing Shoes".

Yes, the Clash had a lot of Raggae influences, but Marley meant more to them than saying "they had listened to him at some point." The same goes for Johnny Rotten and the Sex Pistols...he was HUGE into raggae because, some think, he grew up right outside the Jamaican neighborhood in London.

 

I hate "influence" debates. About as nebulous and impossible to quantify as Willis Reed debates.

 

Then excuse yourself from the thread and smile as your suffering melts away.

 

Fav. Marley cover:

Fav. Marley recording:

 

The King of the Delta Blues would have turned 100 on May 8.

 

Only that it's also Jamaican music.

What we know as reggae has as many splinters as what we know as rock 'n' roll: ska, lovers' rock, dancehall, dub, roots, rock steady, plain ol' reggae...