Happy Music Monday! For some reason, lots of people listen to reggae on this day. No one seems to know why this particular day is so popular among reggae fans. It just is! So Scott's digging up some of his favorite reggae hits to share with you. Also please note that he's using "reggae" as a very broad term today. Stay chill.
There are a lot of sexist, racist types in reggae. It's impossible to deny. But when reggae is at its best, it's a genre that fights for good. Desmond Dekker wasn't being purposefully racist when he referenced the evil Oriental overlord from those old movies. It could just as easily been Lex Luthor or Ultron. All he meant was that bad guys win when we're jerks to each other and bad guys lose when we embrace as family. Can't we all agree on that?
More to come inside. Happy whatever today is!
John Holt - You'll Never Find (You're Gonna Miss My Loving)
There's not a lot better than a good reggae cover. There's not a lot better than a good John Holt song. I figured to save a little space I'd just combine the two.
Lee "Scratch" Perry - Hold Them Kung Fu
Where would the world of audio production be without Lee Perry? The answer is nowhere. Like, seriously. So many modern producers list Lee Perry as an influence.
Women are often overlooked in reggae, but they've always been right there with the fellas. This UK hit is not often played over here, which is good, because it still sounds fresh. And it's very pretty.
Bob Marley - Three Little Birds
If you had to pick one person to sum up what reggae could be, Bob's your uncle. But that doesn't mean he's the only person to ever influence the genre. In fact, big reggae fans will find the above list to be full of gaps! Almost as though I were hoping someone would post about the gaps in the comments, hmmm?
So now it's up to you! Throw your favorite reggae tunes into the comments below and celebrate this lovely April. Oh, and let us just remind you: some images come from the corresponding Wikipedia page and are here under fair use. See you next week.