The Friday Canon: REGGAE REGGAE CANON

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

Shabba! It's time for another genre canon. The songs under the cut are taken from 1994's Best Reggae Album In The World...Ever! and as you might expect there are a few surprising inclusions! You get to pick your favourite FOURTEEN tunes.


[Poll #1085622]

Comments

[catsgomiaow.livejournal.com]

Kat is right about Musical Yoof there. Also, I wd like some port now.

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

But you are wrong about Shabba (Shabba!) It's SO GORGEOUS that song.

You are right about port though.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

That's just too bizarre a compilation for me to get my head round voting on, sorry! I want Proper Reggae! Where are The Gladiators?

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

There's some great stuff on it though! I can't bear to untick Red Dragon or Chaka Demus & Pliers...

[whalefish.livejournal.com]

I had that problem. So much good stuff on there and yet how can I not tick Tease Me?

I reckon that if they're including SL2 they should find room for Sweets For My Sweet by CJ Lewis though.

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

Don't get me wrong, there's some really good stuff on it, it's just...weird. Something about the choice and arrangement of the thing messes with my head and makes me uncertain about ticking things I otherwise would tick (like the lovely Mr Decker).Can't explain why.

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Not very reggae, but nevertheless an excellent compilation which I have owned and treasured for many years now.

I don't think I ever made it to the end of CD2 though, so I can't remember ever hearing Chaka Demus & Pliers' cover of 'Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic'. But it does beg the question, which recent chart hits would most benefit from a cheesy faux-reggae cover version?

[sbp.livejournal.com]

"Umberella, umberella" to the tune of "oh carolina, carolina"?

Something by Lily Allen would benefit from a cheesy faux-reggae cover. No, wait....

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

were these actual real ja hits? ppl like john holt and ken boothe are core pop reggae in the islands (or were in the 70s) but only ever big with specialists and/or foax w.real caribbean roots in the UK

althea and donna and janet kay both had massive crossover one-offs -- both terrific records, esp."silly games" which i recommend to one and all

on the other hand, did two-tone ever chart in jamaica? seems a bit unlikely

[lockedintheatti.livejournal.com]

that ken boothe song was a hit in the UK - it was number one 33 years ago this week (I know that as it was number one when i was born)

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

happy birthday LitA! (hint very smoothly made!)

yes fair point -- the holt was a hit here too (#6 acc.guinness) but both of them are/were BIG STARS at home

still it probably does mean it's somewhat calculated by chart action here

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

Hmm I really don't know very many of those and it doesn't even seem very reggae. Most of the reggae I really love is recent stuff ie dancehall. Althea & Donna and Shabba (Shabba!) are the only ones which stand up to Ce'cile, Vybz Kartel, Sizzla, Beenie Man, Lady Saw, Sean Paul, Elephant Man...

[genie22.livejournal.com]

Soca - Alyson Hinds!

x

[alexmacpherson.livejournal.com]

yes! she is great. and Destra Garcia!

[bengraham.livejournal.com]

Incidentally, good call on 'Shy Guy' - that was one heck of a tune.

[blue-russian.livejournal.com]

unfortunately this was the best reggae album in the world in 1994, that's part of it

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

True - however for the other genre polls I've stuck to Best....Ever! comps as i) they have a reasonable number of songs for tick-purposes ii) generally include some stuff people will have heard of.

[damnspynovels.livejournal.com]

Searchin' by China Black was definitely in my top 10 for 1994.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

I bought it on cassingle.

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

this comp wd be much more borin to think abt or duiscuss if it were more restricted to "proper reggae"; which (like "classic soul") attracts a weird offputting niche piety sometimes, which really misconceives the context as the people makin the music see it

so yes, this is a strangely random selection but i really like how it slews across a bunch stuff largely made in the same fairly small place (albeit over a large space of time)

haha most outrageous entry = betty wright? (great) us soul singer singing (great if creepy) police song! tho i *think* i recall martinskidmore praising this; i've never heard it (maybe soundwise it's the most rootsiest thing on the LP)

[genie22.livejournal.com]

Definitely prefer adulterated reggae - e.g. pop/ska/dubstep. The roots stuff takes itself a bit seriously and I'm never sure when it crosses into being a religious rastafari thing :S

[friend-of-tofu.livejournal.com]

this comp wd be much more borin to think abt or duiscuss if it were more restricted to "proper reggae";

I hoped it would be obvious that my tongue was in my cheek there - maybe not!

*blushes*

I just can't get my head round the selection criteria for this one, though, it seems a bit random, to say the least.

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

I am not sure I have ever heard it!

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

yes i wasn't having a go! i probably prefer "proper reggae" actually to listen to, being the age i am, dead-centre teen punk-rock in the punk-rock dreamtime! (i was playing "heart of the congos" a week or so back -- what a lovely lovely record)

but i do think there's a kind of collector-mentality narrowness comes down on the discussion of some musics -- i got most allergic to it writing and reading abt jazz when i wz at wire in the 80s -- which is worth pushing back against (and randomness seems to do that pretty well!)

[jeff-worrell.livejournal.com]

More love for 'Good Thing Going' and John Holt pls. kthnksbye.

What no Rat In Mi Kitchen

[freakytigger.livejournal.com]

Reggae is great. Cod-reggae is also great. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG WITH A REGGAE BEAT KIDS. Unless yr the Clash probably.

MEN AT WORK

[dubdobdee.livejournal.com]

the clash are ok at cod reggae it's the entire rest of all world-beat ever they suck at

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, Lewis. HOw are you today?

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

EVERYTHING ON THE FIRST CD IS GOOD. FIRST TIME EVER.

[awesomewells.livejournal.com]

Therefore I am going to tick none of them, with the exception of:

Chaka Demus & Pliers - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Which I have never heard but surely must be awesome.

[katstevens.livejournal.com]

That track is half the inspiration for this entire poll!

[martinskidmore.livejournal.com]

I am appalled at the low score of my favourite reggae tune ever, and one of my all-time top ten in any genre, Jimmy Cliff's Many Rivers To Cross. I would take the muted organ intro and his first word ahead of 99.99% of all other tracks ever.