Reggae Bloodlines

Album: Reggae Bloodlines
Music: Various artistes
Label: Island
Rating: 3.5
Reggae: Until the mid-to-late 70s, reggae was fairly underground and confined to the Rastafarians in Jamaica. It took a little while however, and the efforts of a few white artistes back around that time to listen to, absorb and introduce that music to a global audience via their own fan base paid off.For example, I Shot The Sheriff was a Bob Marley song that was a monster hit for Eric Clapton when he laid out an ultra-groovy and bass-heavy version of it that made it danceable. Even back in 1968, The Beatles’ Ob La Di, Ob La Da had a distinctively reggae beat that was unlike anything they’d ever done. This collection however, throws back the spotlight on some interesting names in the reggae scene. Uptown Top Ranking was a surprise hit for singing duo Althea & Donna back in ’78 and is a good opener. Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus’ 80,000 Careless Ethiopians has a strong Rastafari vibe, while Rockers Jamboree explores the danceable side of reggae. Roman Stewart’s Hit Song was his biggest hit and fittingly finds representation here. While quite a few tracks here were the sole hits for the said artistes, this is nonetheless quite essential if you have a yen for reggae and want to get a sampling of the genre beyond Peter Tosh and Bob Marley.