

Reggae suggestions?

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous [BG]' started by NightTripper, Dec 13, 2011.

  1. NightTripper


    Oct 20, 2011
    I love reggae, but I want to know of some artists who don't rant about Jah in their lyrics all the time. No offense to any Rastas out there, it just gets old for me. So any suggestions? I like Ziggy Marley, but can find no others like that.

  2. morgan138


    Dec 10, 2007
    Yabby You was some kind of Christian. Toots was a Baptist, so no Jah there either. They both made some really good 70s reggae records. Lee Perry also made some great music, and went through so many weird phases that I'm sure he's got some less Rasta-oriented records out there.

    At the other extreme, if you're into non-conscious dancehall there are lots of deejays who are all about guns and very little Jah. Not sure how helpful that is though, since they're not going to sound much like Ziggy either.
  3. NightTripper


    Oct 20, 2011
    Thanks, I'll check those out. I hope they don't just replace the Jah stuff with Jesus or something, I'm just looking for some nice, secular reggae.
  4. The Aggrolites
    Jimmy Cliff
    Steel Pulse
  5. BurningSkies

    BurningSkies CRAZY BALDHEAD Supporting Member

    Feb 20, 2005
    Syracuse NY
    Endorsing artist: Dingwall Guitars
    Yabby You is a Jesus Dread, not quite the same thing as Christian.

    I was hoping someone could suggest some good Christian gospel, but stuff that doesn't talk about God. That gets really old to me.
  6. You can check out my band Lap Seven. We are Christian Reggae. Try Christafari and anything on gospelreggae . Com also.
  7. bass12

    bass12 Say "Ahhh"... Supporting Member

    Jun 8, 2008
    Montreal, Canada
    Steel Pulse definitely has some songs that don't go on about Jah, but they also have plenty that do. :) My suggestion would be to check out the dancehall stuff of the late 70s and early-to-mid 80s: Tenor Saw, Yellowman, Wailing Souls, Frankie Paul, Barrington Levy, Cocoa Tea, General Echo, Ini Kamoze, Gregory Isaacs, Eek-A-Mouse, etc. Keep in mind though that you'll still need to do some sifting as religious references will pop up in some of these artists' material - you basically have to go on a song-by-song basis. Another option is to go pre-rasta (in terms of the widespread rasta presence on records) and delve into rocksteady and some of the early reggae from the late 60s. Maybe someone should issue a "Jah-less" reggae box set. :p
  8. DubnBass


    Jul 25, 2010
    Chch NZ
  9. Phalex

    Phalex Semper Gumby Supporting Member

    Oct 3, 2006
    G.R. MI
    Jimmy Cliff
    Peter Tosh
  10. grifff


    Jan 5, 2009
    Towson, Maryland
    Tribal Seeds
  11. pacojas

    pacojas "FYYA BUN"

    Oct 11, 2009
    JAH RASTAFARI!!! :hyper:

    this thread made me laugh because i'm the polar opposite of the OP.
  12. ugly_bassplayer

    ugly_bassplayer Supporting Member

    Jan 21, 2009
    Your are going to miss out some some freakin awesome reggae with that frame of mind my friend.
  13. Lots of Rocksteady and Skinhead Reggae stuff is more soulful than it is Rasta.
    THE TECHNIQUES - I Wish It Would Rain.wmv - YouTube

    Edit: I love reggae and it's the music that I listened to to teach myself bass. I also am not into the whole Jah Jah stuff, although some of it is ok.
  14. Zoa


    Dec 28, 2009
    This is kind of like asking for Gospel without the whole Christian thing.
  15. K2000


    Nov 16, 2005
    Listen to dub, it has minimal vocals, sometimes totally instrumental. Anything by King Tubby would be a great start. He is incredibly awesome, beyond description. But my favorite dub record of all time is "Super Ape" by the Upsetters (produced by Lee Perry) -- but that one is a little hard to find. In general, the golden age of dub is the mid-70s. There is some good modern stuff (example: Mad Professor) but the best stuff is from the 70s, IMO.
  16. One thing you have you have to accept is that Reggae is music with many messages. It is about peace, love for mankind, revolution, natural living and faith. I am trying to learn as much as I can about Reggae bass. It is hard to separate the core message from the music.

    Imagine the great music of the 60's without all of the drug references and peace and love messages.
  17. Jhengsman


    Oct 17, 2007
    Los Angeles, CA
    Is it really? Marley aside most Jamaicans and others who produce Reggae are not Rastafarian. Its not like say American Country music where most would self identify as Christian, yet produce secular music most, if not all of the time.
  18. Gaius46


    Dec 15, 2010
    Black Uhuru
  19. Gregory Isaacs, Lucky Dube, Maxi Priest. By the way, Peter Tosh, Steel Pulse, Toots, and Ziggy sing many songs that are about faith and religion.
  20. A little "Who Shot the Sheriff" Clapton-style.

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