Steel White Table

I didn’t know what rhythm was until I began listening to reggae music. Growing up on rocking & roll, I probably thought I knew what it was — but I didn’t. Reggae opened my ears and my mind to things I didn’t know existed in music. Sadly, what passes for reggae these days sounds pretty bad. Listen to Small Axe, by The Wailing Wailers. The bass. The vocal harmonies. Now compare it to a contemporary reggae song like Needle Eye, by Shabba Ranks. See what I’m saying?

I’ve given up on looking for good reggae records. I don’t think they’re produced anymore. Even artists like the Gladiators, the Mighty Diamonds, Culture, Bunny Wailer, and Israel Vibration, who all put out some of the best reggae records I’ve ever heard, have gone downhill big time. The Congos, whose Heart of the Congos is considered a singular masterpiece by many (thanks to Lee Scratch Perry), are simply an embarassment. In more ways than one, what passes for reggae today is a far cry from what reggae music used to be.

However, many of those good records are still around — and still worth listening to. And it seems that a good number of them have recently been added to the eMusic.com library. So let’s begin with the easy stuff at eMusic and then work our way to the more hardcore reggae.

JOE HIGGS. Criminally under-recorded, Joe Higgs has one the best voices in reggae music, certainly one of the most impassioned. A guy who makes you feel good even when he’s singing a sad song, Joe’s Blackman Know Yourself, recorded with Bob Marley’s old band, is a near-masterpiece of traditional roots reggae. The whole album is worth listening to, but essential tracks include: Blackman Know Yourself, Oh Carol, Small Axe, Sons Of Garvey, She Was The One, Saturday Morning, Wave Of War and Let Us Do Something. Upside Down and There’s a Reward from his Family album aren’t too bad either.

Hmm… This might take awhile.

To be continued…

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Tags: joe higgs, reggae

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