I'm not a huge fan of reggae music like some of you that may have adopted the Rastafarian lifestyle by growing dreadlocks and smoking ganja all day, but I like it (sort of the opposite of the 10cc song "I don't like reggae - I love it") Reggae music brings back fond memories of when I visited Jamaica during my freshman year in college with my UW teammates. I'll never forget walking down a valley road in the suburbs of Kingston around Christmas 1972 when some Jamaican guy told us we were on the wrong side of the earth. Actually he said, "Hey mon, you on da wrong side of da earth." It's probably one of those 'you had to be there' kind of experiences to appreciate.
Like a lot of casual fans of reggae, I like music from Bob Marley, Ziggy, Peter Tosh, Third World, Jimmy Cliff, UB40 etc, but I'm not as familiar with some of the lesser known reggae musicians. Thanks to our friends at Sonific, I found a reggae artist that seems to have slipped through the cracks of my reggae music universe. The latest SongSpot (I know, I've neglected this for awhile) is the song "Fight to the Finish" from Lee "Scratch" Perry. His biography sounds interesting: "Some call him a genius, others claim he's certifiably insane, a madman. Truth is, he's both, but more importantly, Lee Perry is a towering figure in reggae -- a producer, mixer, and songwriter who, along with King Tubby, helped shape the sound of dub and made reggae music such a powerful part of the pop music world."
after seeing bob marley at the capitol on state street i figured reggae was all downhill. he was up there in my books. on a par with jim morrison as far as charisma but much more positive energy. my kids even dig him. i saw burning spear in the 80s; good but not great. went to see jimmy cliff when i lived in las vegas in the 90s. he was very good but an african reggae artist named majek fashek ("spirit of love") stole the show. "the harder they come" soundstrack has been reissued (and expanded...a must have for reggae lovers) and a worthy reggae compilation for parties and on long road trips is "reggae gold" (hip-o records). jah may ka mon...remember the rum and raisin ice cream (first one to find the raisin wins) and the red stripe in vending machines on campus? gotta love dat mon. chalice mon. high lee sa lassee mon. respect mon. breathe deep mon. sontonna mon. steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeff!!! are you in dere mon!!???
ReplyDeletep.s. 15 jamaican dollars for a half pound mon
Yeah, I remember when finding a rare raisin or two in your rum & raisin ice cream was quite a deal. There were also some pretty nice fruit soft drinks in those vending machines. I only wish I knew about Jamaican food when we were down there. We have a couple of pretty good jerk joints here and it would be great to try the real thing someday.
ReplyDeleteHi Gregg,
ReplyDeleteI work at Sonific and therefore ended up to your blog, following my Google Alerts. Thanks for using Songspots (and congrats for the great song). Keep up the good work with your blog!
Hey the Amazing reggae singer Ava leigh has free music at avaleigh.co.uk
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