(Vocal/instrumental group, 1973–present) Derrick ‘Ducky’ Simpson co-founded this mighty Jamaican reggae outfit in the early 1970s. The line-up settled with Michael Rose on lead vocals, Puma Jones and Simpson harmonizing, and the legendary Sly and Robbie acting as rhythm section. A deal with Island paved the way for the group’s international reputation. The Grammy-grabbing Anthem (1984) established them in America, and though they never quite attained superstar status, their atmospheric, melodic ...
(Vocals, b. 1951) Born in Kingston, Jamaica, Isaacs is one of the top reggae artists of the last four decades. After a handful of records for smaller labels he started his own African Museum label with fellow singer Errol Dunkley. He also recorded for myriad other producers, and discs with Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry and Sly and Robbie began to make his reputation. He signed to Virgin’s Front Line label and released ...
(Production team/rhythm section, 1975–present) Sly Dunbar (drums) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass) both worked for various reggae artists, including Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, before coming together at Kingston’s Channel One Studio in the mid-1970s, where their innovative, but funky combination powered the new ‘rockers’ sound. They backed practically every Jamaican artist of note, from Peter Tosh to Gregory Isaacs, forming their own label Taxi. They toured with Black Uhuru and played sessions and/or ...
(Electronic group, 1989–present) The main fountainhead of creativity was the highly collaborative Dr. Alex Patterson. The Orb redefined ambient music taking listeners on journeys irrespective of genre-fusing elements of dub and even progressive music into long extended pieces. Singles ‘A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld’ (sampling Minnie Riperton’s ‘Loving You’) and ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’ are essential. The Orb’s Adventures Beyond The Underworld (1991) ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1979–present) Innovative Birmingham pop reggae band who helped popularize the genre with early albums Signing Off (1980) and Present Arms (1981) fronted by the Campbell brothers Robin and Ali (both guitar, vocals). They were UK chart regulars with their gently skanking but political singles ‘The Earth Dies Screaming’ and ‘One In Ten’, punctuated by Brian Travers’ sax. Their 1993 version of ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’ gave them a ...
In Jamaica, nothing gets thrown away. Oil drums, floorboards … more or less everything has to be used again at least once, including music. Why throw a tune away just because it’s been a hit, when the same rhythm can be redressed with new lyrics or radically altered instrumentation to liven up the dancehalls again? And again. And again. To many outside reggae, this constant recycling smacks of musical laziness or ...
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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
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