Heffer Wolfe

Love this Dub cut.

trill

I actually like Snoop Lion, hes not bad. But Bob has never let me down >.<

William_the_Bloody

I yi yi laddie, you need to be digging a little deeper than that. At least scratch the surface with steel Pulse & Black Uhuru, i'll give you a hint, look up On U Sound.

Psychedub Dude

Hell yes, especially black uhuru is excellente

__________________
There is only one beer left
Rappers screaming all in our ears like we're deaf
Tempt me, do a number on the label
Eat up all their MC's and drink 'em under the table

[B]Last.fm

Shadows Of Our Souls

Gavin B.

I think Marley is on everyone's shortlist but I like Gregory Isaacs even more than Marley.

Gregory is marginalized mostly by those who dismiss him as a lightweight crooner of lover's rock. Those who are really acquainted with Gregory's prolific body of work know that 75% of his songs are sufferer's tales, politically conscious anthems and hymns in praise of Rastafarian living. Gregory's appeal to females was like a force of nature but those who criticize Gregory's lover's rock forget that some of Marley's most loved songs are lover's rock selections like Three Little Birds, Is This Love, Waiting In Vain, and Could You Be Loved.

Gregory was the consummate singer who understood vocal dynamics, phrasing & timing. In that sense, Gregory had the same sort of vocal chops as the great song stylists like Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday & other jazz vocalists. He usually was backed by Jamaica's premier reggae band, the Roots Radics.

The number of songs he wrote and recorded in the decade between 1974 and 1984 is staggering. Between 1981 and 1984, Gregory's label, African Museum, released over 500 singles by Gregory. Most people outside of Jamaica have only heard a small portion of Gregory Isaacs complete recorded body of works.

Even so, his album releases in the USA number in the hundreds. Gregory licensed a lot of those Jamaican singles out to small boutique labels who paid him a flat fee of anywhere between $1000 & $5000 for the rights to bundle of a dozen or so of his Jamaican songs. June Isaacs, Gregory's widow, told me in 2001 that there were over 500 different licensed albums by Gregory in release worldwide. All Music gave up trying to keep track of Gregory Isaac's official releases at about 100 albums. By comparison, Bob Marley's catalog of official releases is 17 albums. However, if you're interested in hearing Gregory in his prime, don't buy any of his albums issued after 1988.

Gregory should have gotten himself a good manager, instead selling off the rights to his songs, every time he needed fast cash. Long after the supply of Bob Marley's catalog of out-takes and rarities has run out, I'm still coming across first rate songs by Gregory that I've never heard before.

Gregory was his own worst enemy. During the height of the golden age of reggae, Gregory had a bad habit of getting himself locked up in the penitentiary on drug & gun charges. Worst of all his arrests got him placed on the "undesirable" lists of most immigration services which keep him from touring the USA, the UK and the European continent for most of the Eighties. His crack cocaine addiction had a negative impact on his voice & eventually he lost all of his teeth which is the bane of any singer. By 1990 Gregory was finished as a singer. He finally moved to London where he soldiered on doing lackluster appearances at reggae shows and recording some awful albums. He died in 2010. He deserved better.

One of my favorite songs by Gregory Isaacs was Storm because I was living in Jamaica in 1981 when it was released. Gregory's songs were like a musical newspaper to the poor people living in Trenchtown. Many of Gregory's singles commented on the news events of the day and or informed the public of the latest events in his colorful personal life.

Never a dull moment for Gregory. He wrote songs about going on a fast to protest conditions in the General Penitentiary (Dieting), being on the lam from Jamaican authorities (The Border), the need for penal reform in the Jamaican prison system (GP), getting busted for possession of herbs (Mr. Cop), and the oppressive climate of crime in Trenchtown (Black A Kill Black)

In August of 1981, Hurricane Dennis was approaching Jamaica and Kingston residents were panicking for their lives. Gregory went into the studio two days before the hurricane was predicted to make a devastating landfall in Jamaica and recorded Storm. It was a plea to his fellow Jamaicans to hang on and hold steady through the storm. The day before Hurricane Dennis hit Kingston, the single release of Storm was being sold by every record store and street vendor in Kingston. You could walk around and hear the song playing in every government yard and tenement hall in Trenchtown. It was truly amazing. Below is a YouTube embed of Storm:

__________________
There are two types of music: the first type is the blues and the second type is all the other stuff.
Townes Van Zandt

Biznocrats

I like most of Bob Marley songs and I don't get bored to listen them repititively

Soulflower

Same. I can listen to his music forever and never get bored

Bob Marley and the Wailers created some of the greatest reggae music ever made! People easily site him when it comes to the reggae genre because he is a icon and made such an impact on the genre. I think that one of the reasons why his music is so special and recognizable is because most of the messages in his music are so universal. He always wrote about positive, political and social changing issues that were thought provoking but still were catchy behind his awesome instrumentation. I prefer a lot of his material that he did with The Wailers though. I've listened to other reggae artists but none of them move me as much as Marley's music. His music really speaks to the soul and fun to dance too!

Psychedub Dude

Yeah they were really a magnificent group and such great songwriters. The vibe of their songs always got to me when I was growing up and it stuck to me. Such a easy listening blend but like you said still with deep messages buried within the mellow riffs and smooth melodies. Bob and The Wailers will always have a special place in my musical heart. I don't think I will ever stop listening to him haha!

You really can't go wrong with any of their discography but I really love the old old recordings on the Songs Of Freedom CD.

__________________
There is only one beer left
Rappers screaming all in our ears like we're deaf
Tempt me, do a number on the label
Eat up all their MC's and drink 'em under the table

[B]Last.fm

Shadows Of Our Souls

Soulflower

lol Oh for sure!


Thanks for these songs! I also love his singing too, so much soul!

Do you listen to his sons? I really love Damien Marley, I find him to be so underrated!

Zebras

Anyone have a place for me to start with Jacob Miller?