Many of you will recognise the lyrics of Chase the Devil by Max Romeo. Such a wonderfully powerful opening line. But how any singers could deliver it with conviction?
Max Bygraves, Ken Dodd, Val Doonican? Not a chance! And when it comes to hairstyles, Max is the hands down winner.
Inspired by our recent homage to U Roy, here’s a thread in which I would like to hear a little more about your favourite reggae songs, particularly those which you feel have the most interesting, moving, bizarre, soulful lyrics. The Great Reggae Songbook covers so many areas of activity and has so many memorable gems.
Race horses – The Pioneers
What a weepin’ and wailin’ dung a Caymanas park
Long Shot, him kick de bucket
Long Shot kick de bucket
Flying preachers – Prince Far I
Some come from the east
Like a big leggo beast,
Fi guh dip inna di healing stream.
A night out on the razzle – Anthea and Donna
See me in me ‘alter back
Sey me gi’ you ‘eart attack
Gimme little bass, make m’wine up m’waist
NHS staff – Gregory Isaacs
I don’t want to see no doc
I need attendance from my nurse around the clock
DIY and mending a leaky roof – Max Romeo
Lie down gal, let me push it up, push it up, lie down
Huh, lie down gal, let me push it up, push it up, lie down
But first, it’s quiz time, popfans!
Below is an hilarious German translation of a chart-topping reggae single. German speakers among you will get it in seconds. Please don’t post your answers! Keep them guessing a little while!
Ihr seht mich in meinen hochhackigen Schuhen
Die Kerle checken ab, ob wir heiß sind
In Wahrheit haben die keine Ahnung
Dass wir sie an der Nase herumführen.
It’s a classic example of what wonderful patois poetry there is in reggae lyrics and how difficult they are to translate.
When Santa Lucian poet and playwright, Derek Walcott got the Nobel Prize, I read some of his plays. He had a great ear for the spoken language and captured the vitality and inventiveness of the English spoken in the Caribbean. There is a lot of that to be found in reggae songwriting.
Your favourites, please!
Many of you will remember NOT hearing this on the radio in 1969.
I was too young and innocent at the time to know, but this song which was also a hit and got daytime airplay on Radio 1 is about buying weed.
Pluto – Dat
Another from the same man. This time about the perils of eating road kill.
Ram Goat Liver
As someone who is follically challenged, I’ve always been baffled by this fine song …
How many other songs in any genre are there about specific race horses?
This song had a new lease of life thanks to The Specials who included a version on their chart-topping live EP in 1980.
Well I never! Dillinger has also written a song about a visit to Caymanas Park Racetrack.
The Pioneers also had a hit song abut a confidence trickster
Racehorses?
Obligatory Thompson reference.
The Angels took my Racehorse Away.
Both Ends Burning (named after a racehorse)
Also the song Skewbald.
Thanks Hubert. Great stuff.
At this rate I will soon be able to get a job as music critic at Horse and Hounds.
There’s also Seabiscuit I suppose.
No words but a lovely tune.
Mixing posts for you especially: Long Shot was an ‘orse:
…bloody Vikings
“Out of Africa comes the Congoman…”
Hands down my favorite opening line in a song ever. From what, I think, is hands down, the greatest thing that Lee Scratch Perry ever did. The Heart Of The Congos by The Congos is such a great album and Congoman is beyond fabulous. Lines from this just attach themselves to my brain…
“We come with our culture to enlighten the way”
I won’t argue with you on any of those points. It is a masterpiece.
They looked like a gaggle of Rasta Santas when they did live shows a few years ago.
But the charisma was still there.
Bloody Congos, comin’ over ‘ere, enlightenin’ our way.
two from the Melodians.
William Blake could have written the lyrics for this.
Whereas this is pure Old Testament. It’s Psalm 137, I believe.
Try not to think of those ruthless Babylonians, Boney M, who shamelessly nicked it and made a fortune.
Always left me mouth wateringly longing for this sandwich. Finally tracked one down in a Roti shop in Don Mills, Ontario in the mid-eighties..
“Clip, clop
Cloppity cloppity cloppity cloppity high
Clip, clop
Cloppity cloppity cloppity cloppity high
Roast fish and corn bread, hey hey hey, now
Roast fish and corn bread, yeah
Roast fish and corn bread, yeah
Roast fish and corn bread is a bite and here ya
And from the bite and tight and, yeah
And from the frightened titan, yeah
Island and opportune yeah
Dreadnought and peanut too
Skank it in the park ya, yeah
Pack it in the park ya, yeah yeah
Don’t be tired, don’t be tired
So don’t be tired, yeah
Roast fish and corn bread, yeah
Roast fish and corn bread, yeah
Dreadnought and peanut, yeah
Peanut and dreadnought, yeah
Skank it in the back yard, hey yeah
Rock it in the back yard, yeah
Skip doop bap bap bap bap doo doo say hey
Skibby bap bap bap baby, groovy sap bap
Talkin’ about
Roast fish and corn bread, yeah
Roast fish and corn bread, yah, yeah
Dreadnought and peanut, hey yeah
Peanut and dreadnought, yeah
Skank it in the back yard, hey yeah”
What a fine track. You can’t get away from Mr Perry, can you?
He had a finger in every pie on Jamaica somehow.
“Here I am sittin’ at a bus stop wishin’ I was somewhere else.. “
Another vote for Romeo, M
” Fire fe the Vatican, ” which uses the War inna Basildon, rhythm..
I understand it is not a reference to plans to upgrade the Pope’s heating arrangements…
including as it does, the controversial lyric
Blood fe the – and here opinions differ – poss poor man – ( No-one believes this..)
or Pope man – more likely owing to the Pope blessing Mussolini who flew bombers to Ethiopa..( Is this right ? Ed)
or as was suggested to me by none other than Jacob ” Killer ” Miller of Inner Circle, it’s
” Blood for the pork man…” or erm kill all the white people….which strikes me as somewhat of an over-reaction…
It is, however, a magnificent piece of work and also includes the couplet, ” No jestering, it’s a serious thing…”
Don’t get me started on ” Bucky Skank…”
Lots of old geezers on this thread.
Let’s have a vibrant young woman to liven things up and balance things out:
Koffee.
What a live an bamba yay, when the two sevens clash…
Say what?!
Splendid!
The magnificent Burning Spear also often has lyrics are a tad opaque.
“Door peep shall not enter this a holy land
Where wise and true man stand sipping
From this cupful cup of peace
Not one shall enter, not one”
But when he is doing his full Old Testament prophet thing and preaching about the iniquities of Babylon, I cannot resist him.
“I am the Magnificent”
Nuff said …
“Mankind. You a sinner.”
You’re like a sprout in this society.
….wait, have I got that right?
‘E’s only likkle..
Lots of marvelous stuff being posted. Thanks.
I suddenly remembered Bim Sherman’s 1995 album , Miracle, produced by Adrian Sherwood and featuring Talvin Singh.
The video was filmed in Nepal and there is wonderfully, gentle, restrained, introspective vibe to the music. Exquisite late-night music.
One more from Bim.
“Go ahead, punk, make my day” {Ed: is the right Clint Eastwood?}
OINK!
That was their catchphrase.
For some reason.
“Sweet as a nut!”
Smiley Culture – Cockney Translation:
“What’s the recipe today Jim?”
Time to rattle those pots and pans.
Slideshow and then they get the name wrong.
And lest we forget the immortal tale of Rasta Ozzy’s shopping trip. Rememberig his facemask was the least of his worries.
A fine blast from the past from Ijahman Levi. Unusually prominent and enjoyable. guitar lines.
Troublesome neighbours are a universal problem. Some tunes keep getting covered.
John Holt wrote this fine song in 1968 and recorded it with his band.
I know it best due to Horace Andy’s paranoid, urban version with Massive Attack.
Bizarrely MNN was used by the Conservative Party during William Hague’s tenure as leader. MA were not best pleased. What was the thinking behind that?
Blue Lines, not blue-rinse.
Thanks Moose. That is so absolutely bizarre!
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2000/sep/08/uk.thatcher1
If Boris decides to embrace his inner Rasta, Bim Sherman has the perfect tune…
I’m am pretty sure that it is against the AW statutes and regulations to have a thread about reggae song-writing and not mention Toots Hibberts.
Excellent piece on the background. It’s a song about revenge and karma.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/sep/06/toots-and-the-maytals-how-we-made-pressure-drop
Toots was in jail for year in the early 60s.
Encounters with the local constabulary were always a great inspiration for JA songwriters…
The Cool Ruler almost loses his cool.
In his later years John Holt became a Rasta. Here he has a run in with the bear in the air.
No mention of Michael Smith yet? Mi cyaan believe it!
Nice one, Vulpes. Fits in perfectly here. A new name for me.
A tragically short life: he was murdered by political opponents in 1983.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikey_Smith
A clip from his visit to London.
Staying in the 80s ….
Remember when UB40 were radical firebrands?
When the Specials would enjoy themselves
And when Nelson Mandela was still behind bars (not reggae, but I’m posting it anyway)
It’s weird to discover that Great Uncle Bulgaria, Orinoco, Tobermory et al. were stoners, but thinking about it, it does make sense. Sugar Minott confirms this in Herb Man Hustling It’s not only the lawyer, doctor and commissioner that want their supply –
“Wrap up a draw fi de lawyer
Wrap up a draw fi commissioner
Wrap up a draw fi me doctor
Wrap up a draw fi me idren Wombles, alright’s”
it’s me idren Wombles too. Alright indeed!
Those poor children, exposed to such depraved druggy filth!
It’s Friday evening and I’m getting a little poppy.
On the subject of British reggae, I must confess a soft spot for Maxi Priest. His reworking of the Cat Stevens hit is true to the great reggae tradition of recycling and adding somehing.
Aswad are, I believe, the UK’s most popular reggae band. Very agreeable, But I miss the inspired lunacy of the likes of Max Romeo, Yellowman and Eek-a-Mouse. But they sound like a damn fine live band.
Best live reggae band I’ve seen in recent years?
Well, the sensational Fat Freddy’s Drop from New Zealand take some beating.
They take the passion, the desire to experiment and the showmanship that has always been there in the best reggae music and take it one step further.
Props too to Massive Attack in this respect. Both bands are producing exciting, modern music which is true to the roots.
You want some more of Bristol’s finest?
Me too! This performance of Unfinished Sympathy from the Phoenix Festival in 1996, complete with full orchestra, is truly magnificent.
Dare I compare them to the Specials?
Two bands that began with their love for certain bands from Jamaica and then took it all one step further.
Respect!
Well for you my Swedish chum here’s the magnificently named Edward the Second and the Red Hot Polkas.
Time to be Bjorn Again.
Absolutely splendid, @Hubert
I am fascinated how all these international folk musicians have such awareness of the glories of the polka!
It’s a fairly safe bet that my first exposure to Jamaican music was on Top Gear. And of course TOTP.
So I interested to read this piece about The Venerable Peel and his favourite reggae music.
https://peel.fandom.com/wiki/Reggae
Any card-carrying Peelite knows of his love for Misty in Roots.
But who remembers Popatop by Andy Capp??
That Peel article reminded me of this.
I’d forgotten, but in the early days of Trojan Records in the UK, it was the skinheads who were buying the singles.
Next up: Judge Dread. Banned by the Beeb, that record was an enormous hit for Trojan! And a huge success in Jamaica,
The Judge went over and did a gig in Kingston.
“Those nearest the stage assumed the white man milling around was Dread’s bodyguard or perhaps his manager, at least until he stepped up to the mic. An audible gasp arose from the crowd as no one in Jamaica had considered the possibility that the Judge was white.”
His biography on Allmusic is quite a tale.
.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/judge-dread-mn0000246565/biography
Good grief, that Judge Dread record is a whole level below dismal (and I speak as one who enjoys many novelty records, stupid records and bandwagon jumpers).
Quick Pub Quiz Time!
What does Judge Dread have in common with Tiptoe through the Tulips Hitmaker Tiny Tim?
Know what you mean, Sewer. Big Six is like the Derek and Clive of reggae.
By simply making sure that all his records were banned, the Judge made shedloads of money.
https://www.sites.google.com/site/judgedreadmemorialsite/biography
Prince Buster has a lot to answer for! It was his Big Five that inspired the Judge to try his hand. Not many double entendres here. Buster did not beat about the bush.
Was it just a stage they were going through?
Just stumbled across this BBC doc: Reggae Brittanica.
Long overdue another broadcast.
Could not agree more, it is/was a terrific programme/documentary.
Listening to several UK reggae bands, got me thinking of the Windrush generation and reminded me of Samuel Selvon’s excellent 1956 novel, The Lonely Londoners, which tells the stories of a group of West Indians living in London in the 50s.
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2007/mar/17/society1
It was DuCool who recommended it to me. An excellent read.
As is this article..
https://www.bl.uk/windrush/articles/calypso-and-the-birth-of-british-black-music#
The Reggae Britannica doc is excellent.
Chris Blackwell features significantly.
He mentions how he encouraged Brits to use the Jamaican term ska, rather than bluebeat. Also how he called in session musicians to add some extra bits to smooth off the Wailers’ original rootsy version of the album.
Eric Clapton’s version of I shot the sheriff gave the Wailers an enormous boost despite being a pale copy of the original
Here’s a comprehensive overview of Blackwell’s career. He was a boarder at Harrow School and seems to have everyone who was anyone on Jamaica.
A strange mixture. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth yet he was out there hustling his wares to the record shops of London.
https://www.boisdale.co.uk/journal/at-the-bar-with-chris-blackwell/
This little nugget is right up your street @Kaisfatdad How an older white, suburban bloke became the go to guy for reggae mastering.
https://soundofthehound.com/2011/06/25/the-strange-origin-of-the-uk-reggae-big-bass-sound-john-hassell-recordings-barnes/
See also: “A Porky Prime Cut”. Don’t get them in your mp3 download, do ya?
I have as yet no idea what a porky prime cut was.
But as it is the name of a novel, it was clearly a big thing back in the day.
http://www.uncarved.org/blog/2011/04/tony-white-a/
I’ve now visited New Zealand.
https://craighaggis.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/jayrem-the-label-that-sticks/
But I am still unclear!
The calling scribble of mastering engineer George Pechkam
https://www.soundandvision.com/content/porkys-prime-cuts
Thanks, Rigid! I love to learn this kind of stuff!
Me too. I can spend hours down rabbit holes without knowing what I’m looking for and where the next click may take me.
Thanks a lot @davebigpicture! What a remarkable story. Barnes of all places!
Dennis Bovell was quite a mover and a shaker: a finger in all kinds of pies!
There’s quite a bit about John Hassell in David Rodigan’s autobiography, too. Ram Jam used to go down to Nassau Road to get his exclusive dubplates cut.
Nassau Road is a felicitously Caribbean name for an address in Barnes.
This morning I’ve been reading about how Bob Marley in 1971 spent some time in Nockeby (a rather obscure Stockholm suburb) working as a songwriter with Johnny Nash and Rabbit Bundrick.
http://www.rabbitwho.com/pr_bob_goes_to_sweden.php
Nash was making a Swedish RomCom with Christina Schollin (Pernilla Wahlgren’s mum). Bob later stayed with Christina and her family when he visited Sweden with the Wailers(according to IMDB).
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067951/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0
The film was a total flop.
Bob headed for London where he met Chris Blackwell The rest is history!
https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/chris-blackwell
YouTube decided to give me a hand and suggested that I watched a clip of the One Love Peace Concert which Bob Marley organised in 1978 to try to establish a ceasefire in gang warfare and to try and get the country’s political leaders to talk to each other to stop the ongoing violence.
Robin Denselow was there and wrote an article about this remarkable event.
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/16/bob-marley-peace-concert
I am going to ramble here a bit. One of my favorite songs of all time is The Clash’s “White Man In Hammersmith Palais.” The whole description from Joe Strummer of being pretty much the only white guy at a reggae show and what that meant to him and culture at large? I liked it a lot. It struck me as a thoughtful response to a nation and a culture in flux. I knew I’d never experience that myself.
Except I did, visiting a festival in Victoria Park in Hackney in the late 90s. Sizzla was headlining in one of the tents and, as I was the only one of my mates there who had heard of him, off I went by myself to see him. I think they saw The Prodigy or someone like that. And if there was another white person there when Sizzla played I did not see them. I am aware now that he is considered problematic, but I can say that I was fucking grateful to witness something which I just wouldn’t have experienced in a similar way in Glasgow, where I lived at the time. I had never, before that time, been a racial minority. Obviously, I was fine. The point I am making though, is he was on for an age, till I realised I was the only crazy baldhead I could see. Music is good like that.
And it just showed that Joe Strummer had a point as well.
Great ramble and a fine song.
Please do feel very free to ramble on or off piste whenever you feel like it, Gangle.
It’s a shame that Sizzla’s homophobia very significantly reduces our ability to enjoy his music.
When the guys in the Wailers and their contemporaries started their careers they were probably planning a career in bluebeat or perhaps trying their hand at soul.
Like many musicians of that era, like Sabbath and Deep Purple, they were creating a whole new genre as they went along.
Jah Wobble describes his bluebeat teens..
Love the description of the lighting shop that also sold singles.
Makes me think of the Asian grocer in Harrow where I would buy Marvel comics, OZ and International Times, not to mention joss sticks and rizlas.
Diversity was the name of the game.
The Duke just tipped me off about this BBC gem.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p00x7q94
That’s the Duke of Spånga, not the Duke of Edinburgh!