Posts Tagged Reggae
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May 26, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 117
Ken Boothe, Everything I Own (1974) Ken Boothe is a sort of journeyman Jamaican vocalist – made over in the early 1970s to sing some Johnny Nash-styled pop-reggae vibes. I like the best of his work a great deal, fantastic cover versions and he wrote a few tunes too. He has great musicians in support […]Archive
May 21, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 119
V/A, Bunny Lee: Dreads Enter The Gates With Praise (2019) “Striker” – Bunny Lee – one of the architects! Here he is making the selections for one of the Soul Jazz Records label’s fantastic compilations; this a representation of some of the heavy-hitters of the 1970s and is a must-have for reggae-heads. It was recommended […]Archive
May 20, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Playlist: Sunny Daze That I Thought Would Never End
Hey, how was that lockdown for you? We’re at level two now and so the walks can extend a bit further and you can add to your bubble, or pop it, or whatever…there are still some rules of course but all going well they’ll ease in the coming days and weeks and hopefully talk of […]Archive
May 20, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 120
Augustus Pablo, El Rocker’s (2000) I remember being introduced to the music of Augustus Pablo – early 2000s. Like many things with music (and you don’t often know it when it’s happening) it came at exactly the right time. I was a fan of some reggae and dub music but didn’t know a lot and […]Archive
May 14, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 122
Roots Radics, Dubbing At Channel 1 (2017) Lockdown has reconnected me with reggae, with dub, with lovers rock, ska, rocksteady – and holy shit maybe even dancehall. Jamaican music and the versions of it that appear throughout the world (especially the UK scene/s) has been a crucial part of the soundtrack to lockdown in my […]Archive
May 8, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 124
Bob Marley & The Wailers, Live! (1975) Bob Marley & The Wailers – at least the 1975 version of the band – sound frighteningly good here on what is one of Bob’s best albums, one of the greatest live albums and possibly one of the great-great albums – unless you’re my wife, who says of […]Archive
May 3, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Playlist: Simmering Rage For Sinners and Slaves
I’ve been listening to a lot of reggae and roots music of late – and always plenty of blues and funk and soul. But with the return of an interest in Jamaican music I’ve been thinking a lot about the word ‘Slavery’ and how it comes up and is used in a variety of songs […]Archive
April 21, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 130
Amazulu, Amazulu (1986) Just the other day I was remembering Aswad – I pair them with Amazulu. Both British bands fusing a type of light reggae with pop, both big in the mid-80s, both beginning with ‘A’ – a lot of surface comparisons I guess. I pair them simply because I discovered them around the […]Archive
April 20, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
The Vinyl Countdown # 131
Aswad, Distant Thunder (1988) Reggae music and reggae fandom – that’s where I’ve found the most snobbery. Not in classical or jazz or any of the other genres. Reggae music as a catch-all is rife with problems of course – there’s the pop side of thing and then separate elements – ska, dub, lovers rock, […]Archive
April 12, 2020 by Simon Sweetman
Horace Andy: Mix Up EP
Horace Andy Mix Up EP Andre Golden Records, Sea Water Records Reggae superstar Horace Andy is in pure dancehall mode here – with an EP that features four different lyrics posted over the very same riddim. It’s a happy, upbeat instrumental track – and that track has been varied, cut to suit each song, starting […]Archive
April 11, 2020 by Simon Sweetman