All-Time Favorite Reggae Albums
I thought Bob Marley was a folk singer when I first heard of him around the time he died. I wasn't entirely wrong, but it wasn't until college that I learned from a couple dreads with a radio show that there was more to reggae than Marley. A couple decades later, I've absorbed hundreds of albums, visited Jamaica, read a dozen books on it, and participated in reggae discussion forums. Yet I still feel like I don't know much. Since the early 1960s, there has been an unprecedented proportion of talented active musicians in Jamaica. I wouldn't be surprised if musician was the top occupation, at least through the 80s. Every year previously unknown gems are being unearthed and reissued. The vast quantity of records made during the crazy and chaotic era of reggae's 70's peak guarantees this will continue for some time. My list is hardly definitive. It shows my obsession for Toots & The Maytals, and my preference for quirky, lesser known albums by Rico, Justin Hinds, Cedric Brooks, Ijahman and all things Lee Perry. But if your only point of reference is Bob Marley (whom I love and is well represented), or you've only associated reggae only with annoying hackey sack-tossing college trustifarians, you'll find some rewarding stuff here.
- The Congos - Heart Of The Congo (Blood & Fire) 77
- Toots & the Maytals - Funky Kingston (Mango) 73
- Junior Murvin - Police & Thieves (Mango) 77
- Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Super Ape (Mango) 76
- Rico - Man From Wareika (Island) 76
- Justin Hinds & The Dominoes - Jezebel (Island) 76
- Cedric Im Brooks - The Light Of Saba (Total Sounds/Honest Jon's) 76
- Max Romeo & the Upsetters - War Ina Babylon (Mango/Hip-O Select) 76
- Junior Byles - Beat Down Babylon (Trojan) 72
- The Abyssinians - Satta Massagana (Heartbeat) 76
- Keith Hudson - Flesh Of My Skin, Blood Of My Blood (Mamba/Atra) 74
- Yabby You - Conquering Lion (Prophets/Blood & Fire) 72
- Bob Marley & the Wailers - Natty Dread (Tuff Gong/Island) 74
- The Mighty Diamonds - Right Time (Shanachie) 76
- Jimmy Cliff - The Harder They Come (Mango) 72
- Bob Marley & the Wailers - Catch A Fire (Tuff Gong/Island) 72
- George Faith - To Be A Lover (Black Swan/Hip-O Select) 77
- Burning Spear - Marcus Garvey (Mango) 75
- The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari - Tales Of Mozambique (Dynamic) 75
- Max Romeo & the Upsetters - Revelation Time (Trojan/Blood & Fire) 75
- The Heptones - Party Time (Mango/Island) 77
- Culture - Two Sevens Clash (Shanachie) 77
- Dennis Brown - Visions of Dennis Brown (Shanachie/Joe Gibbs) 78
- Dennis Brown - Wolves And Leopards (Blue Moon) 77
- The Heptones - Night Food (Mango/Island) 76
- Lee Perry & the Upsetters - Blackboard Jungle Dub (Upsetter/Trojan) 73
- The Maytals - Monkey Man (Trojan) 70
- The Meditations - Message From The Meditations (UA) 76
- Lee Perry - Roast Fish Collie Weed and Corn Bread (Upsetter/VP) 78
- The Chantells - Waiting In The Park (Phase One) 78
- Ijahman - Haile I Hymn (Mango/Jahmani) 78
- The Jolly Brothers - Conscious Man (Seven Leaves) 78
- The Meditations - Wake Up (Third World) 78
- Bunny Wailer - Blackheart Man (Island) 76
- The Meditations - Guidance (Makasound) 78
- Sugar Minott - Black Roots (Black Roots/Hip-O Select) 80
- Johnny Clarke - Rockers Time Now (Front Line) 76
- Jacob Miller - Who Say Jah No Dread (Ras) 75
- Toots & the Maytals - In The Dark (Trojan) 73
- The Chantells - Children Of Jah 1977-79 (Blood & Fire)
- Bob Marley & the Wailers - African Herbsman (Trojan) 72
- Jimmy Cliff - Wonderful World, Beautiful People (Island/Trojan) 69
- Kiddus I - Rockers: Graduation In Zion 1978-1980 (Dub Store)
- The Upsetters - Return of Django (Trojan) 69
- Bim Sherman - Love Forever (Tribesmen/Century) 78
- The Maytals - From The Roots (Trojan) 70
- Michael Prophet - Serious Reasoning (Island) 80
- Bob Marley & the Wailers - Soul Rebels (Trojan) 70
- Third World - 96 Degrees in the Shade (Mango) 77
- Horace Andy - In The Light (Blood & Fire) 77
- The Wailing Souls - Wild Suspense (Island) 79
- Cedric Im Brooks - The Light Of Saba In Reggae (Total Sounds) 77
- Bob Marley & the Wailers - Burnin' (Tuff Gong/Island) 73
- Augustus Pablo - This Is (Kaya/Heartbeat) 73
- Prince Lincoln & The Royal Rasses - Humanity (Ballistic/Orange Street) 79
- Dennis Brown - Just Dennis (Trojan) 74
- Harry Mudie - Harry Mudie Meets King Tubby In Dub Conference Vol. One (Moodisc) 76
- The Royals - Pick Up The Pieces (Pressure Sounds) 77
- Augustus Pablo - East Of The River Nile (Message/Shanachie) 77
- Bob Marley & the Wailers - Exodus (Tuff Gong/Island) 77
- Rico & The Rudies - Blow Your Horn (Trojan) 69
- The Maytals - Sweet And Dandy (Beverly's) 70
- Bob Andy - Song Book (Studio One) 70
- Horace Andy - Skylarking (Trojan) 70
- The Cables - What Kind Of World (Heartbeat) 70
- Toots & the Maytals - Reggae Got Soul (Mango) 76
- Gladiators - Trench Town Mix Up (Front Line/Virgin) 76
- Yabby You - Chant Down Babylon Kingdom (Nationwide) 76
- Johnny Osbourne - Truths and Rights (Studio One/Heartbeat) 79
- Sugar Minott - Ghetto-ology (Trojan/Easy Star) 79
- Zap Pow - Revolution (Trojan) 76
- The Wailing Souls (Studio One) 76
- Johnny Clarke - Authorized Version (Front Line) 76
- Cedric Im Brooks - United Africa (Aquarius) 78
- Burning Spear - Social Living (Blood & Fire) 78
- Barrington Levy - Shaolin Temple (Auralux) 79
- Gregory Isaacs - Soon Forward (Virgin) 79
- Freddie McGregor - Mr. McGregor (VP) 79
- Sylford Walker & Welton Irie - Lambs Bread International (Blood & Fire) 79
- Norris Reid - Give Jah The Praises (Rockers) 79
- Dennis Brown - Words Of Wisdom (Shanachie) 79
- Dennis Brown - Joseph's Coat Of Many Colours (Shanachie/Blood & Fire) 79
- Ijahman - Are We A Warrior (Mango/Jahmani) 79
- The Silvertones - Silver Bullets (Trojan) 73
- Horace Andy - Pure Ranking (Clocktower) 79
- Prince Alla - Heaven Is My Roof (Blood & Fire) 79
- Herman Chin-Loy - Aquarius Rock (Pressure Sounds) 73
- Rico - Midnight In Ethiopia (Island) 77
- Joe Gibbs & The Professionals - African Dub Chapter Two (Gibbs/17 North Parade) 77
- The Mystic Revelation Of Rastafari - Grounation (Ashanti/MRR) 72
- Cornell Campbell - Natty Dread In A Greenwich Farm (Grounation) 75
- Joe Higgs - Life of Contradiction (Vulcan/Lagoon) 75
- Linval Thompson - I Love Marijuana (Trojan) 78
- Hugh Mundell - Africa Must Be Free By 1983 (Ras) 75
- Cedric Im Brooks & The Light Of Saba - Sabebe (Total Sounds) 78
- Junior Delgado - Taste Of The Young Heart (DEB) 78
- Gladiators - Proverbial Reggae (Front Line/Virgin) 78
- Dr. Alimantado - Best Dressed Chicken In Town (Greensleeves) 78
- Culture - Harder Than The Rest (Frontline) 78
- The Abyssinians - Arise (Frontline) 78
- Gregory Isaacs - Cool Ruler (Front Line) 78
- Rod Taylor - If Jah Should Come Now (Daddy Kool) 83
- Cornell Campbell - I Shall Not Remove 1975-80 (Blood & Fire) 80
- Tetrack - Let's Get Started (Greensleeves) 80
- Hugh Mundell - Time And Place (Jet Star/Rockers) 80
- Bob Marley & the Wailers - Rastaman Vibration (Tuff Gong/Island) 76
- Zap Pow (Island) 73
- The Morwells - Crab Race (Burning Sounds) 77
- Burning Spear - Man In The Hills (Mango) 76
- Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus - Kibir-Am-Lak (Greensleeves) 77
- Prince Far I - Heavy Manners (Joe Gibbs/TP) 77
- Wayne Wade - Black Is Our Colour (Grove) 77
- Peter Tosh - Legalize It (Columbia) 76
- Gregory Isaacs - Mr. Isaacs (Blood & Fire) 77
- Big Youth - Screaming Target (Trojan) 73
- Dennis Brown - Deep Down (Observer) 74
- Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Kung Fu Meets The Dragon (DIP/Justice League) 75
- Pablo Moses - Revolutionary Dream (Shanachie) 75
