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From ska to dub, Bob Marley to Lee \u2018Scratch\u2019 Perry. MOJO selects the greatest reggae albums of all time.<\/p>\n
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Words by Pat Gilbert and MOJO staff<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/GettyImages-583735663-scaled.jpg” title_text=”Bob Marley Performance” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n FOR A SMALL CARIBBEAN ISLAND, Jamaica has had an extraordinary influence on music. Its supreme invention \u2013 reggae \u2013 emerged after the country gained independence from Britain in 1962, when bands started giving the jazz, swing, pop and rock\u2019n\u2019roll tunes they performed to US tourists in resort hotels a quirky local twist \u2013 notably a jerking off-beat guitar rhythm and patois-rich vocals. Electricity being a luxury in Jamaican homes, 45s were played to huge crowds on outdoor sound systems, creating fertile rivalries among the DJs who spun them. First came the loping sounds of ska artists such as Prince Buster and The Skatalites, followed, in the abnormally hot summer of 1966, by the sweet, slowed-down pop of rock steady. After that, reggae got fatter and funkier, splintering into myriad different forms and sub-genres. In March 1969, it went mainstream in the UK \u2013 where thousands of West Indian immigrants had settled in the postwar years \u2013 when Desmond Dekker & The Aces scored a Number 1 hit with the skinhead-friendly The Israelites. Four years later, Bob Marley crossed over to a rock audience to become reggae\u2019s first international star with The Wailers\u2019 peerless Catch A Fire LP.<\/p>\n Jamaica\u2019s failing economy in the \u201970s meant recycling was a part of everyday life, so it followed that, with studio time and recording tape expensive, producers like Lee Perry and King Tubby began taking old backing tracks and remixing them into sonically crackpot but undeniably brilliant \u2018dubs\u2019. Others, like U-Roy and Tapper Zukie, elected to rap over records, foreshadowing hip-hop.<\/p>\n With Marley popularising Rastafarianism and soul rebellion amid the island\u2019s mid-\u201970s descent into political chaos, reggae took a left-turn into spirituality, \u2018consciousness\u2019 and militancy; it subsequently morphed into lovers rock, stripped-down dancehall, pop-reggae, techno dub and much more, with artists like Hollie Cook revisiting traditional styles and The Bug deconstructing the 50-year-old form to make new, exhilarating, experimental sounds.<\/p>\n So, here\u2019s our list of the Top 50 reggae albums, eschewing (please note) contemporary CD compilations in favour of original, vintage vinyl releases and steering clear of multiple entries by reggae\u2019s biggest names such as Bob Marley, Lee Perry and King Tubby. Enjoy, and do let us know your thoughts\u2026<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#111111″ module_class=”custom-divider” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n 50. Aswad<\/b> [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/flatplan-plus-content.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2024\/02\/50_Aswad_New_Chapter.png” title_text=”50_Aswad_New_Chapter” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Classy Brit reggae blending keening harmonies, doleful brass and an early \u201980s inner-London edge.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
\nAswad<\/b>
\nNew Chapter<\/b>
\n(1981)\n<\/p>\n