1066familyman you seem to like the vocal melody based stuff so sorry you probably won't like this - I prefer the instrumental stuff. BrianB you seem to like everything so you might think this is alright. Everyone else has got bored I think and moved on to threads about Joel Veltman or cryptocurrency
1066familyman you seem to like the vocal melody based stuff so sorry you probably won't like this - I prefer the instrumental stuff. BrianB you seem to like everything so you might think this is alright. Everyone else has got bored I think and moved on to threads about Joel Veltman or cryptocurrency
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Linking singer/dj/instrumental cuts ... Unf I only have IRoy cut - still damn fine but not the holy grail.
It's a good question as to what got us all into Reggae in the first place, especially if we're white and not from an inner city. For me, because of my age, it was definitely Two Tone, especially The Specials and The Beat. Then came UB40 I think. I also have a specific memory of hearing Buffalo Soldier on ToTP and that was when my record buying journey started.
Far more interesting to me is why we developed that love of Reggae and what keeps us coming back for more, years later. As a council house kid I identified with the message I suppose, although I'm not going to pretend I've ever known true 'sufferation' myself. Most of all though it's obviously that beat, the melody, the harmony, the tempo etc, but also the...... s p a c e! I love the space in the music! and it's the exact reason I struggle with a lot of rock music, as it's just too loud and busy to my ears.
I'm going to go back to Miss Lou here though, as the Jamaican language, and culture as I absorbed more, captured my heart from the start and likely sealed the deal. There's poetry in Jamaican patwah and a beauty and directness I just can't resist. I could listen to Jamaican's speak all day long, even if I still wouldn't necessarily understand the whole of it. Rap for example, from a very similar musical route, mostly leaves me cold. The accents and language are a struggle for me. Btw, these are just my gross generalisations about Rock and Rap, I don't dislike all of it, lol
Sorry to ramble, but Reggae has brought me so much joy over the years and helped me through all sorts of things that I almost feel like writing a love letter to it and the people that created it. If this is that letter, then it's not a lot of cop, but it'll do for now. Back over to Miss Lou for something much more eloquent.....
Can I just say at this point that if @jackstraw doesn't weigh in tonight with some of his Aba Shanti favourites then he's coming straight off of my Christmas card list!
Edit: He's in!......Marvellous scenes!
