Dub no bass in my head man

(photo by scumfrog (cc))

It's got really cold, really suddenly here. Since November struck, it went pretty much freezing overnight (literally, Tuesday was fine, Wednesday was bitter) - most of the country is basking in subzero night-times, while in London, with our fug of lovely haze, we're comparatively well-off with an average of +2C. So what better way to celebrate than with the sound of the islands?

Everybody loves reggae right? Like, everybody. I do. I love to throw on a Trojan boxset it work, it calms everybody down if they're stressed, it cheers them up if they're down, it gets them dancing. Which is all good, anyone can dance to some extent to a bit of reggae, whether they're professional skankers or not. For a small island, Jamaica has a pop-musical heritage like virtually nowhere else. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anywhere so small that's produced so much great music, with such an identifiable vibe. So: great! Think reggae, think the summer, think sitting on a beach, think a mixture of reggae titans and classic songs.

The Music

Skatalites - Guns Of Navarone

The Maytals - 54-46 That's My Number

Eric Donaldson - Cherry Oh Baby

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Stop The Train

Jimmy Cliff - You Can Get It If You Really Want It

The Slickers - Johnny Too Bad

Max Romeo - Mr Fix It

Augustus Pablo - Pablo In Red

Upsetters - Dub & Praise

Radiodread ft. Horace Andy - Airbag

The 'fo

Skatalites - buy

Maytals - buy

Bob Marley - buy

Jimmy Cliff - buy

The Slickers - buy

Max Romeo - buy

Augustus Pablo - buy

Lee 'Scratch' Perry - buy

Trojan Records - recommended boxsets: Jamaican Hits + Producers + Originals + Dub Rarities
Tags: reggae; Jamaica; Skatalites; Maytals; Bob Marley; Jimmy Cliff; The Slickers; Max Romeo; Augustus Pablo; Lee 'Scratch' Perry; Upsetters; summer; winter

The most eligible batchelor

There are no unmissable TV programmes, I like to think. I prefer to believe that I'm not enslaved to a medium sized box from which coloured light emits, with it's happy happy sounds and pretty moving pictures and... No. I say to myself, no, I can miss TV. And for the most part, it's true. I try not to miss Lost, simply because that's an actual addiction, I can give up any time I want though.

But one that just shouldn't be missed not because of it's cliffhangers, or the promise of bared flesh or any such sordid, cheap gimmicks, but because of it's life-affirming celebration of this diverse and fascinating world, and it's diverse and fascinating denizens, is Tribe (Going Tribal in the US), with the inimitable Bruce Parry.

I would gladly let my unborn (as yet unconceived...) daughter marry Bruce Parry. The man is a beacon of hope that good people still exist, refreshingly free from cynicism or pandering, and genuinely interested in the human condition. He makes an already enticing concept (going to live with obscure and hitherto almost unreached tribes in the depths of Africa, or Asia, or South America, living with them as one of them, eating what they eat, doing what they do) into a beautiful and heartwarming exploration of the meaning and importance of life, bringing into question our own values and attitudes in the process.

I could go on: the man is a legend, and now you can be his friend! Series 2 highlights here, and more clips on the BBC minisite.

Some songs in celebration:

Jimmy Cliff - Wild World (Cat Stevens cover)
Joy Division - Wilderness

<$>Jimmy Cliff/Joy Division<$>

Tags: Bruce Parry; Tribe; Going Tribal;Jimmy Cliff; Cat Stevens; Joy Division

Soul Shakedown Party

Bob Marley has become something of a rite de passage these days, another step alongside a Kurt Cobain hoodie and a Che Guevara t-shirt that symbolises one's transition from sheep-esque child into free-thinking, radical and active young person. Some sort of wall-hanging is obviously the traditional way to show rebellion, although an item of clothing or other such paraphernalia will do in a pinch.

It's ridiculous isn't it? I see kids out today that weren't born when the last Nirvana album came out, strutting around in their black hoodies with the infamous smiley face on, probably bought from a less-than-authentic dealership in a market someplace. Heck, I was still listening to 'I Would Do Anything For Love' when he shot himself, and it made little to no difference to my life when I heard. Oh but his music transcends generations? Sure it does, but really, you're twelve, don't start thinking this early in life that you will be able to identify with other people on the basis of matching eyeliner and an appreciation for, you know, just, like, rocking out. Move on. Same with Che Guevara. How many people with a Che poster have even seen Motorcycle Diaries, let alone understand the politics, principles and ethics of the man? As one of the pictures I could've put in the graffiti post had it - Cliche Guevara. The word 'trustafarian' was coined for people like this.

The thing is, Kurt Cobain had one of those talents that connected with people and spoke to them on an emotional level. Che was a fine figurehead, idealistic and iconic. Bob Marley falls somewhere in between and still manages to have become a throw for sale in Wood Green.
Listening to his first few albums as I have been of late, Bob Marley is first and foremost a soul singer - he has a wonderful voice and the Wailers made maybe the finest reggae of the era. Musically speaking, it's a joy and privilege to listen to, and is all class.
Politically speaking, Marley managed to symbolise an ideal, a culture, even a nation - rightly or wrongly, he's the man most outsiders could most easily name as an obvious Jamaican. Even Americans!

But you know what? Forget all that, he's dead, his work is done. What will last is his great, great music. These tracks are from Soul Revolutionaries, on Trojan, a collection of Bob Marley & The Wailers' early Jamaican albums. You might know Sun Is Shining from the remix, but the original's much more lovely. Stop The Train maybe not, but it's every bit as ace.