Roots Archives Forum

What do you Jamaicans think?

what!? dude...i mean i dont play bobs tunes that much either, but to say he is not reggae is a pretty wild claim, and your on this DJ tip like thats hard roots, and i think marley is way more roots than some DJ chanting over a track, LONG LIVE ROBERT NESTA MARLEY!, if it werent for him a lot people wouldnt even know what reggae is.

hey oddsnobb, perhaps you need to train your ear a little better, you mean to tell me that marley songs dont have good basslines? you are smoking crack. if you cant hear the basslines on the marley albums perhaps you should turn the bass up on your stereo system. unless youve been listening to reggae music through a tin can

Yeah, when travelling abroad you can hear some deep music like Abba, Kylie Minogue, Sting, U2, probably all of them saving poor people in the third world.
But musicwise. I was introduced to reggae by Rastaman Vibration, but after being acquainted with I Roy, Big Youth, Gregory Isaacs, Sugar Minott, Horace Andy, no whitey mixed, whitey produced Marley to me.
I must admit I am no good with elevated, world embracing lyrics. Much prefer Ranking Toyan DJing "Spar wid me and I'll show you Barry G.".

Agree with you Oddsnobb.

Here's what I said on a previous post:

"I struggle to see why a lot of his post Perry stuff is put on the Reggae shelves in music shops.I'd categorise it elsewhere. I'm not expecting many people to agree with me but I and several friends voted with our feet and boycotted his 1975 UK tour because we felt he had already abandoned his roots and "crossed over" by then.

I am not criticising what he did. With his talent, I would have done the same and gone for the money. He justifiably died a rich man unlike so many of his fellow artists who stuck in the Reggae groove. But to me, calling him King of Reggae would not ring true because he had left the genre before much of the classic late 70s stuff was produced albeit some of it inspired by Bob."

Regards

Rob

100%

No room for argument.

Leggo, yes Marley is reggae or yes, you agree with oddsnob?

Marley is 100% reggae.

There are literally hundreds of reggae artists whos output is not exactly heavy roots. But they still play reggae.

The word 'reggae' covers a wide range of sub-genres, from almost crooning to almost rap with an awful lot in between.

To discount Marley as a reggae artist is simply absurd.

hi oddsnobb,

1. well, I think you have to compare a little bit. there are international versions (island) of the albums. when you say the music on them is too pop then you're right. I don't like this syntethizer and rock guitar overdub stuff, too. it's for the masses.

but there also the jamaican versions (tuff gong). strictly roots. strictly reggae. the best example for that is catch a fire. the tuff gong pressing is SO great. one of my favourit lp's.

2. the work with mr. lee perry can be decribed as a good example for roots style (well mayby besides punky reggae party )

3. there are solid dubs on the b-sides. they not as good as king tubby's or Jammy's but they're solid.

4. check out u roy's kingston 12 shuffle

jah guide