I like reggae. It really does hit the spot sometimes, especially on hot summer days. Its repetitive nature, however, makes it a small dose diversion for me. But it’s repetitive by design. The staccato chords of the guitar (or piano) playing on the offbeat of the dominant rhythm section. It’s instantly recognizable. So, while it may sound much the same, that’s the very nature of the music. Hundreds of reggae songs use the same beat.
Reggae is quite an experience live in concert. In addition to the guitar, bass, and drums, horns are often part of the mix, along with backgrounds singers, and keyboards. The band is often 10 members strong. Long dreadlocks, shades, colorful clothing, and a spiritual vibe. It’s a visual and audio spectacle. In a live music setting, that constant rhythm engulfs you and you can’t help but get into that bouncy trance. So different from a rock concert.
Reggae originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s, evolving out of ska and rocksteady. Bob Marley and the Wailers went through this musical transition in their early days and became the international symbols for reggae with the release of Catch a Fire and Burnin’ in 1973. On the heels of the The Harder They Come film starring Jimmy Cliff in 1972, the Wailers became the most successful reggae band ever by embodying the traditional roots style emblematic of reggae music in the 1970s. They became even more popular when Eric Clapton covered their “I Shot the Sheriff” in 1974. Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, both Wailers, went on to thriving solo careers. Burning Spear, Gregory Isaacs, Culture, Black Uhuru, Dennis Brown, The Mighty Diamonds, and Toots and the Maytals, are some of the well-known artists from this heyday of reggae.
Their influence was immediate and has never waned. British punks discovered reggae (my two favorite punk covers: Bob Marley’s “Johnny Was” by Stiff Little Fingers and Junior Murvin’s “Police and Thieves” by The Clash.) UB40 and Steel Pulse brought the reggae tenets from Kingston to London. Dancehall became a different style of reggae in Jamaica. Latin America artists embraced reggae and modified it for Spanish-speakers with hip-hop, such as reggaeton from Puerto Rico. Numerous white bands have delivered a reggae sound draped in a California rock style, such as Rebelution, Iration, The Expendables, and Slightly Stoopid.
If you have a chance to see one of these roots reggae groups in concert go for it because we are losing the classic reggae generation. In fact, we’ve pretty much lost them. Bob Marley and Peter Tosh died way too young. Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer, and Toots Hibbert left us more recently. Those that are still alive are well into their 70s. Powered by Jah and ganja, reggae is a unique musical form that embodies Rastafarianism’s cultural and spiritual beliefs. It’s remarkable that a small island in the Caribbean can create such a lasting and influential musical genre.
Below, I’ll offer a couple of bands, that while both have made significant contributions to reggae, they are not as well known as Marley or Toots. I’ll give a little background, highlight an album, provide a video, and a ticket stub from a concert for each group. But first, the trivia question:
Trivia ? – What is the best-selling reggae album of all time?
Answer: Legend, a greatest hits collection by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1984.
Wailing Souls
Wailing Souls first formed in 1966 in Kingston as The Renegades, becoming Wailing Souls in 1968. The two founding, constant members Winston “Pipe” Matthews and Lloyd “Bread” McDonald apprenticed under reggae legend Joe Higgs, who trained Bob Marley. The early 80s was their peak as roots reggae standouts with album releases Fire House Rock, Inchpinchers, Wailing, and On the Rocks. They’re known for their four-part harmonies which are wonderful to hear in person. Fire House Rock is probably their best record with the somber chants of “Kingdom Rise Kingdom Fall” and sing-along vibe of “Act of Affection.” I highlight it in this post with the title song.
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Israel Vibration
“Wiss,” “Apple Gabriel,” and “Skelly,” met as children in a rehab clinic, all victims of the polio epidemic that spread through Jamaica in the 1950s. (I’ll never forget seeing them in 2010; the two lead singers singing and dancing with their arm crutches.) They formed Israel Vibration in the early ’70s. After a few albums of growing success, they moved to New York City in 1982 for medical care and the pursuit of solo careers. After striking out on the solo circuit, they discovered there was still interest in them as a band. They got back together and released a comeback album of sorts in 1988, Strength of My Life. “Payday,” “Perfect Love and Understanding,” and the title track are noteworthy songs. The album is spotlighted here with the bouncy “Cool and Calm.” (More sad news for reggae fans…”Apple Gabriel” died in March, 2020 of a stroke and longtime polio infections.)
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