Alpha Blondy, a native of the Ivory Coast, grooves Pink Floyd’s classic tune, ‘Wish you were here’. I love the addition of the bag pipes, which surprisingly fit in very well with reggae. I’m also pleased with the female background vocalists, who blend a gospel music texture to the song.
First the studio version, which I prefer (as usual):
And then the live version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7o2jRQ66sI
In the past, I’ve heard only one Beatles’ song played in the reggae format, the Israelites’ take on Come Together. For me, it’s an annoying and feeble song and should only be used for the purpose of torture. For those with a touch of masochistic tendencies, click on the link to listen but don’t feel bad if you can’t listen to the entire song.
Now here’s the good news: on April 14, 2009, Easy Star All-Stars release Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band, a reggae version of the Beatles’ LP masterpiece, St. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band.
You may remember Easy Star All-Stars from their 2003 release of the much acclaimed Dub Side of the Moon, a reggae version of Pink Floyd’s eternally classic Dark Side of the Moon. I consider it one of the best reggae albums ever.
The Lonely Hearts Dub Band LP sounds promising. Pre-released is Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. You not only will be able to listen to this entire track, but you’ll want to hear it again right away…maybe more than a few times.
Nice roots reggae tune by an unknown artist. Someone posted it sounds like Pablo Moses. Not to me.
Incidentally, I am not a fan of Pablo Moses, but I really like his ‘I Love I Bring from his Revolutionary Dream LP released in 1975.
(photo above: Peter Tosh, Rita & Bob Marley)
A mellow mood reggae cover for Bob Dylan’s classic ‘Like a Rolling Stone’. Lead singers are Bunny Wailer and Bob Marley.
Too funny to pass up on…
Ska is the happiest music on the planet. The next video gives us an idea of what the ska scene was like in the early 1960’s.
Listen to the old studio recording.
Here’s a recent live version. Skip to 32 seconds to hear the song.
For those of you who can’t enough of this great tune, here’s another recent live version.
Read more about Max Romeo on his profile on myspace.com.
Nouriel Roubini is the economist whose opinions I follow most closely. Read this Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article for some details about his plan to temporarily nationalize the giant, U.S. banks. If you don’t subscribe to the WSJ, then go to Roubini’s RG Monitor blog, which you can find in my blogroll.
See the links posted under comments for an enriched discussion on this issue.
And for entertainment to go with the theme of nationalization, listen to Max Romeo’s ‘Socialism is Love’.
Such a nice soothin riddim…from 1991’s Fire House Rock LP.
An obscure but very moving and mournful “gospel” song of Bob Marley & Wailers song, “Love Light (Shining)”
“Just keep your love light burning…let it burn, burn, burn.”
I like best the version on the Complete Upsetters album with the Wailers as background singers. Click here to listen to it and then click on play (top right).
Warning: Listen to this song and it’ll get stuck in your head the rest of the day.
What a great morning today. For the first time in my life I heard this Bob Marley demo song. It was on the radio, 88.1 FM in fun, fun, fun Santa Cruz, California. This version has a heavy base, giving the song a much needed groove. It registers high on my funk-a-meter and is far superior to the original studio version of the early Wailers, which I rarely listen to. I absolutely love this demo!
A few years ago my uncle, the intellectual of the extended family who was a huge fan of and expert on Ludwig Van Beethoven, said with authority, “Bob Marley is the Beethoven of Reggae music! No one else in reggae music has ever or will ever compare.” I couldn’t agree more.
