Essential Roots Reggae Albums from the 1970s and ’80s

Perhaps best known these days for his collaborative work with Skylarking debut album introduced the world to the lethargic delivery that earned him his “Sleepy” nickname.

Andy kicks the album off with a slight reimagining of Cat Stevens‘ 1970 track, “Where do the Children Play?” swapping in local references to symbolism to highlight Jamica’s poverty issues at the time. Likewise, the title track mourns the plight of youths born into hard situations, encouraging them to rise above their situation and not descend into foolishness, petty crime, and begging. Andy’s plaintive voice is a treat throughout, and the album forms a bridge between the rocksteady sounds of Jamaica in the 1960s and the social reportage of 1970s roots reggae.

Notable as the movie (and soundtrack) that opened doors for reggae worldwide, The Harder They Come tells the story of young Jamaican gangster Ivan and his run-ins with the law as he struggles to get out of the Kingston slums. The movie was the first full-length feature to be filmed entirely in Jamaica by a Black director (Perry Henzell) and featured a wholly Jamaican cast.

Actor and singer Toots and the Maytals. The latter’s track “Pressure Drop,”exemplifies the political messaging draped over the syrupy grooves. Written in 1969, by the early ’70s the song had become a warning of what could happen when the poor people finally fight back: pressure will drop on the heads of those in charge. 

One of the key reasons Manley chose Burning Spear in his output.

Winston Rodney’s (aka Burning Spear) third album, Marcus Garvey, is a horn-filled, swinging tribute to the early twentieth-century Jamaican activist who had called for reparations for African diasporic families whose descendants had suffered at slavers’ hands. Garvey’s campaigning had become part of Rastafarian ideology, and Rodney used his Marcus Garvey album to amplify appeals for social equality. In 2007, Burning Spear was awarded Jamaica’s Order of Distinction for his contribution to national culture.

As Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer used his position to draw attention to the plight of poverty in Jamaica and to explain how Rastafari was on their side.

While other 1970s Jamaican roots reggae artists sang of their opinions on the state of their country, Wailer’s Blackheart Man album is primarily autobiographical. The Blackheart Man in the title was a mythical, heart-stealing figure from Rodney’s youth and the “Fighting Against Convictions” track tells of the financial struggles he experienced growing up in a family of ten. Elsewhere, in “Amagideon (Armageddon),” he addresses a familiar Rastafarian theme: the day when all evil in the world meets its deathly fate. 

In his demands for slavery reparations, Marcus Garvey had written, “When the two sevens clash, there will be Dread,” a prophecy that intrigued I Roy.  

Recorded at The Meditations.

Perry improvised sounds from cow “moos” to dropping marbles on a collection of conscious roots reggae songs that seems to reach back to the beginning of time. If reggae needs an answer to three-CD anniversary set comes with two discs of bonus tracks.

In The Wailers, soundtrack), warns potential opponents of his intent to fight against oppressors. For the album’s title song, Tosh says that peace for his country is not enough; downtrodden citizens should be granted social equality and deserve justice for their sufferance.

A hard-to-find classic, it’s possible that The Wailing Souls.

Clifton Howell. The pair’s style verges on the aggressive as they run through a litany of social crimes, from money-grabbing bosses to jailhouse brutality.

Released in 1979 on the Virgin label’s offshoot, The Specials) — The Wailing Souls rattle through a selection of highly-charged, vocal-led roots reggae. Highlights include the righteous anti-greed parable “Bredda Gravalicious” and “Very Well,” a celebration of moving on to a better life. 

Released as a greatest hits compilation in 1984, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell has come under criticism over time for the commercialization of reggae music, he also provided finance and studio time to elevate the voices of exceptional Jamaican singers and players.

Blackwell signed Live! album, has entered into the public consciousness as an essential track, and “Redemption Song” remains a notable track about emancipation.