So I’ve really been grooving on Toot’s and the Maytals lately. It’s to me almost like classic “Soul” music, than some sun-drenched beach music. I love that, and am looking for some more roots regge that’s not Bob Marley, but has that classic regge groove. Any suggestions?
I’m not an expert ( I listen to a very few artists ), but if you like the Maytals ( I’m a big fan ), you’d probably like Desmond Dekker. I know I do.
- Tamerlane
KEXP has a weekly reggae show; you might want to check it out to see if you like any of the artists.
It doesn’t look like I can link directly to the archive, but do the following:
-Go to the KEXP web site.
-Go to the streaming archive section.
-Click the “KEXP Programs” dropdown on the right and select “Positive Vibrations”.
-Click Go.
-The rest of the process should be self-explanatory.
Have you tried Jimmy Cliff or Peter Tosh? These are Marley-contemporaries (Tosh was in the Wailers) and general Reggae legends.
- Peter Wiggen
I think if you’re not into Marley, than Cliff and Tosh won’t do much for you either. I love Toots and the Maytals too, and they are as important to ska as they are to reggae. In addition to Desmond Dekker, who is wonderful, try the legendary Skatalites, Prince Buster, Ernest Ranglin, and anything on the old Studio One record label. There are some very decent “history of ska” compilation albums on Trojan Records that have a lot of this roots reggae, rocksteady, and proto-ska music, and you’re right, they all owe a lot to classic soul music.
You’re completely right, Big Bad Voodoo Lou - assuming he’s actually not into Marley, instead of simply not requesting Marley. I’ll admit it’s hard to discern from the OP, however, I read Cluricaun’s post as asking for reggae suggestions with that “classic” reggae sound. The sole proviso being, of course, that the recommendation not be Bob Marley.
Given that the OP likes Toots and the Maytals, I think that he/she will find something to like between Cliff and Tosh.
- Peter Wiggen
So I checked out Desmond Dekker, and this is exactly what I was getting after. He also has that same “Soul” vibe that I was attempting to describe from Toots. Kind of a proto-Motown sound. Someone else told me last night to give Marley another chance, and that his real early stuff has a lot of the same sound I’m after, it’s just that the “Legend” 70’s era stuff has been played to death due to it’s commcerical appeal. Jimmy Cliff I already knew thanks to the Jerry Garcia band’s cover of “The Harder They Come”, but this, along with Tosh has that super bouncy slow dub regge beat that I’m trying to avoid.
Ok, I withdraw my Cliff/Tosh recommendation. I agree with whoever told you to check out early Marley for that proto-Motown sound. You might also want to zip over to www.pandora.com and plug in some of your favorite Toots songs and see what comes out.
Good Luck!
Peter Wiggen