Roots Archives Forum

everyday man a build explosives
the corruption of the world it exposes jah we need your advices
help us out of the crisis
..diseases..
michigan n smiley

Hi,
Idon't suppose you know of a feed for Riot ina Birmingham?
Thanks,
Chris23

sorry Chris i dont. A major defect of this message board is we dont get a list of new posts on every topic easily available to us, therefore i only found your query by a quite laborious site search.sorry about that Chris.For good political reggae check out
"a lot a man go to dem bed
wid roof over dem head
while another set go to dem bed
dem no have no roof over dem head
dem a walk dem a talk
ca dem a walk dem a talk
dem affe sleep pan sidewalk
dem affe sleep pan sidewalk"
prince fari
some with roof

Sean,

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LINTON KWESI JOHNSON

RASpect

Probably depends on where in the world you come from but to me has to be LKJ simply because he sings about tings which I remeber happening at the time when they happen in places which I am familiar with. Though I also was influeneced by tracks like Tyler and Burden of Shame by UB40 and as someone else mentioned Handsworth Revolution by Steel Pulse tho mainly because my sister lived in Birmingham.

One of my favorites is Big Youth-Aluta Continua,All the Dub Poets,check the comp. Word Sound 'Ave Power with the cracking poem ,To Plant by Breeze.the teaching as Steve Biko also said "the most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is in the mind of the oppressed" as dealt with her other poem on this comp.,Aid travels with a bomb.And lets not forget Brother Resistance,always spittin'da fyah!

Greentings Samboerou

Vaughn Benjamin (Midnite) writes some of my favorite political stuff.

Songs like "Banking In The Pig" and "Earth Cycle Now A Rasta" are top-notch and *scorching*, in my opinion.

someone brought up the lyrics to Junior Byles 'Thanks We Get' - more a sufferah track but certainly valid gripes directed at politricks.
'Some times we no Drink tea,
Just to help our situation
Some times we no Drink tea,
Just to clean up your pollution' an excellent Lee Perry production.
Someone else mentioned Clancy Eccles - Power for the People. Even better I think is the excellent 'Revolution' complete with crying baby and machine gun sound effect. Great voice nice chord progression (it's on Joshua's Rod of Correction).
His 'Hallelujah Free at Last' is an optimistic message of love, rich and poor coming together which I think is a celebration of Manley's mid 70s (?) election victory - great song, but sadly misplaced enthusiasm perhaps.
For politically incorrect you can't beat 'Fatty Fatty' also by Clancy Eccles, but I digress.

Hugh Mundell - Africa Must Be Free(?)

Eek-A-Mouse - Terrorists In The City(?)

I have to say that it takes a great artist to do overtly political lyrics-music-overall message and make it work well as music. While I search through a few thousand tracks on my iPod I'm thinking that the strengths of the really conscious artists are in including the political - or more correctly I think the socio-political message withing the framework of a broader ranging song - or even in a narrower frame of social commentary - and do it subtly.
LKJ - certainly effective, but then he has a formal political and journalist background, a distinctive and melodious voice and a keen mind.

Any repatriation song could be considered political but in expression they generally come across not as urging a political action or solution but to listen and meditate on the concept of repatriation. Am I straying off the point here?

There is also the aspect of geo-politally referencing in some tracks that don't even have a vocal. Listen to the spoken vocal intro on 'Hijacked' by the Destroyers (maybe Tommy McC?) on the Trojan 'Reggae Fever' compilation
'Mayday Mayday Cuba do you read me we have been hijacked' presumably at the height of the late 60s early 70s plane hijacking mania. Nice tune.

The Ethiopians recorded a lot of conscious socio-political stuff.

(ouch, just now hearing 'Oil Crisis' by Dr. Alimantado from 'Born for a Purpose' on the Best Dressed Chicken riddim - terrible track but pertinent to the time).

'Green Bay Incident' by Lord Sassafras commenting (and calling for an inquiry) on actual events where several people were shot by police/armed forces under very dubious circumstance (can't reference the details at this moment)

What about titles of Dub tracks?
'Reform Institution' on 'Slum in Dub' nice Jammy mix could have been called something 'nice' but they chose to name it this. Socio-political even when mainly instrumental.

'Government Land' Horace Andy from In the Light. Not the best perhaps. Always found this a surprising B&F choice.

'Where the Children Play' Horace Andy 'Skylarking'
'tax increase...crop decrease'. This lyrically is a very confused sounding yet really interesting track. HA doing his thing over choice Studio 1 riddim.

'Sound Education' I-Roy from 'Don't Check Me With No Lightweight Stuff'

'Tichion' Junior Delgado. I have to assume he means Attrition.

'False Rulers' Earth and Stone 'Kool Roots' Righteous!

'Heavy Manners' not sure of the DJ on this. On an Esoldun (dodgy perhaps but they issued some stuff I haven't seen elsewhere) issue called 'Heavy Manners' jus' a yout describing life under the 'heavy manners' rule of...Manley? Nice Perry track.

Before anyone says it for me: I do go on don't I?

'Uptown Babies Don't Cry' Max Romeo. I think i really don't like this at all but it has little parts in it that keep on getting into my head. I think perhaps if it had the right harmonies and way less of a pop 'intent'. i wouldn't release this in a fit. Bizarre mix. More bass and less of the cheesy stuff. Max Romeo does a nice job but LP got it wrong. The lyrics are cringy, but the melody is infectious. I am clearly conflicted on this!

'No Peace' Meditations

'Go Seek You Rights' Mighty Diamonds 'Right Time' beautiful urge to become aware - the brass is awesome to say the least.

OK. I'll stop now. I had a lot of fun listening to thse tunes.
Good Idea! How about a topic for best socio-political commentary reggae? Would fill the entire internet!
Bless

make sure you check out MDV/One Style MDV releases;
Roots Allsorts
Style One EP.
Right To Say
International Struggle