Best Old School Roots Reggae on Vinyl

My parents had this album. When I was a small child, I remember having no idea as to what was being said, but just knowing that the music made me feel good!

I mean - is there really a best Bob Marley album?? No, but this one comes close to perfection. After fleeing a political assassination attempt, Bob moved to London where he spent over a year shacked up with former Miss World Cindy Breakspeare. During his more than a year-long residence in London, Marley recorded the songs that would become both the Exodus and Kaya album - his most inspired and spiritual music.

This 1979 album is quintessential Dennis Brown with his smooth baritone voice and powerful messages. When he linked up with producer Joe Gibbs, he unlocked something extra special. Another one we lost too soon.

This Birmingham band was formed in 1975 and is still going strong. They have a formidable catalog of excellent music, but this 1982 release is the one that really put them on the map. Fun-fact: they are one of two non-Jamaican artists to ever win a Best Reggae Music Grammy Award.

The Jamaican reggae jazz band Zap Pow was formed in 1970 by David Madden (trumpet), Mike Williams (bass), and Dwight Pinkney (guitar). It was later expanded. The member that became most influential was singer Beres Hammond who went on to have a tremendous solo career. While Winston "King" Cole, Prilly Hamilton, and Beres Hammond all fronted the band at one time or another, Zap Pow was at heart primarily an instrumental configuration. Combined with trombonist Vin Gordon, Madden and DaCosta were frequently billed as the Zap Pow Horns, and worked with Bob Marley in that capacity for a time. Zap Pow had a tremendous hit in 1978 with "This Is Reggae Music" and the band was a synthesis of reggae, jazz, funk, and soul well before such a concept became fully accepted.

I don't know why this album "Anthem" isn't on streaming platforms. Black Uhuru has gone through many iterations since its inception in 1972 with lead singers from Don Carlos, Michael Rose, Junior Reid, and most recently Andrew Bees. Duckie Simpson has been the mainstay throughout. This album, which features powerful lyrics, catchy melodies, a steady rhythm section, and horns won the first ever Reggae Grammy Award in 1985.

Unfortunately, if you're going to try to find this on vinyl, it's going to cost you hundreds of dollars. With that said, I had to include it since it's one of the best live reggae shows ever recorded! There's a volume 1 and 2 from the show and they're equally excellent. While it was recorded in 1988 in Paris, Burning Spear got his start in the 60s with his powerful anthems and trance-like sounds. His band has always had (and still has) an incredible horn section which is far too rare these days.

This was Tosh's fourth studio album and it was released on Rolling Stones Records. It has some of his militancy, lots of his spirituality, and even the 9 min long disco track "Buk-in-Hamm Palace."

Burning Spear (Winston Rodney) was encouraged to take his music from the rural parish of St Ann's Bay where he grew up to Kingston by Bob Marley in 1969. He connected with Studio One's renowned producer Coxsone Dodd and made a debut album and many well-known tracks together. When they parted ways in the mid-70s, Burning Speak went on to make music for decades about oppression and social injustice. His live shows are epic - he will take a 3 minute song and turn it into a 12 minute jam. He has a very signature sound - no one sounds like Burning Spear!

The Abyssinians are one of the premier harmony trios of Jamaican music. They wrote their anthem of faith "Satta Massagana" (give thanks) in 1969 and has been sampled, covered, and reworked more than any other reggae song. The whole album is excellent, especially on vinyl.

Yabby You, born in a Kingston slum in 1946, was so malnourished by the age of 17 he had to be hospitalized. Long-term effects included terrible arthritis, and he needed crutches to get around. Since he couldn't work, he found solace in making music. Haunting, raw, and bass-heavy, his music is quite meditative. Interestingly, he rejected the Rastafari faith as a Christian, and was nicknamed "Jesus Dread."

Soul meets funk meets reggae. Frederick "Toots" Hibbert (1942-2020) formed the vocal trio The Maytals in 1962 and eventually added more instrumentalists over time. He brought many elements from his church upbringing into his music, and became one of the most successful acts in the 70s with the album and the "Reggae Got Soul" album. The band broke up in 1981 and Toots reformed it in the early 1990s.

My colleague Wendy recommended this album, and I had totally forgotten about it! Produced by Lee Perry, this album was the only one from vocal duo Cedric Myton and Roydel Johnson. Myton went on to record with others as the Congos and Johnson with the UK-based On-U Sound collective.

Jamaican guitarist Ernest Ranglin was considered one of the first to record tracks considered "ska". Not only did he work as a studio musician, he was an arranger for many top Jamaican producers and had his own solo career as well.