Reggae Britannia BBC4 - starting this Friday!!

[Spion]

Absolutely, the highlight of the programmes for me.

S'funny, I'm not keen on rocksteady. Love the rawness-brassiness of ska and a lot of early reggae is among the best music ever for me. But rocksteady never did it for me - and I heard a lot of it at the time as a kid with a much older bro who bought a lot of records

 

[Spion]

that's because you refuse to advance past 1973.

Well, that's clearly wrong. 1980 is the absolute upper limit

 

[discokermit]

Well, that's clearly wrong. 1980 is the absolute upper limit

yeh, but by that point he's only liking the stuff that's pretending to be from a decade and a half earlier.

 

[discokermit]

S'funny, I'm not keen on rocksteady.

get out.

 

[Fedayn]

that's because you refuse to advance past 1973.

i like lovers. it was either that or dub on eighties pirate radio round my way and i didn't much like dub. there were some great tunes and some lovely soul voices, to me it's ploughing the same furrow as rocksteady, just ten years on and in another country.

In many ways that's true aye. But as you say I was into 2Tone. For me, and many others, it was a way into the orighinal sounds.

get out.

I can just picture discokermit pulling an angry appalled face from behind those gregory's.

 

[Fedayn]

S'funny, I'm not keen on rocksteady. Love the rawness-brassiness of ska and a lot of early reggae is among the best music ever for me. But rocksteady never did it for me - and I heard a lot of it at the time as a kid with a much older bro who bought a lot of records

I wasn't when I was younger, but it's certainly one of my favourite sounds these days.... Pat Kelly being a master.... Some fella called Lynn Taitt was ok too........

 

[discokermit]

 

[discokermit]

In many ways that's true aye. But as you say I was into 2Tone. For me, and many others, it was a way into the orighinal sounds.

me too. up til i was sixteen i had hardly any money for records and the only stuff i liked enough to buy was two tone. the only two records i owned that weren't by two tone or related bands were pink floyds 'the wall' (i got my dad to buy it for me a couple of days before our junior school disco, i thought it would start a riot and shame the teachers into mass resignations. i was nine) and the twelve inch of 'rappers delight' which my cousin gave me. i still liked lovers though. then again, i fucking loved abba and the carpenters but i would never have told my mates!

 

[discokermit]

when the time came at the disco, by the way, and 'the wall' did get played, i had never been so disappointed in my whole life. nobody cared about the lyrics, teachers were laughing and dancing like it was a big fucking joke, and i realised i had shelled out three weeks pocket money on a shit dirge. i only played the b side half way through at home, it was so shit.

 

[Spion]

Some fella called Lynn Taitt was ok too........

I know Storm Warning. Great tune. Not sure I'd class it as RS tho - it's not overwhelmed by the bassline and the horns and guitar get room to breathe </strokes beard>

 

[Fedayn]

I know Storm Warning. Great tune. Not sure I'd class it as RS tho - it's not overwhelmed by the bassline and the horns and guitar get room to breathe </strokes beard>

Aye, it's a tad less 'soft' compared to his other stuff. are a better look at Taitt's rocksteady.

 

[killer b]

i've only really come to like lovers rock lately, and even then a lot of it is horrid - there's a lot of that 80s soul production sound to some of it that i can't abide. but the good stuff - and there is lots - is great.

 

[discokermit]

Aye, just think of that fantastic song 'Love of the Common People'-ruined by Paul Young-and then think of it done brilliantly, that's Nicky Thomas.

what? better than leonard nimoy?

 

[discokermit]

the version of common people by the winstons is quite good.

 

[discokermit]

and there's a rico solo on the paul young version. so not all bad.

 

[Fedayn]

what? better than leonard nimoy?

Take a fucking wild guess!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[discokermit]

 

[Fedayn]

He should be fired into outer space for that!!

 

[Dr Dolittle]

Going back to the programme, one thing I thought was missing was that they said hardly anything about the Rasta movement. It's obviously no coincidence that the heyday of reggae was during that time, in the late 70s, even if the success of Bob Marley had a lot to do with it. I remember when I was at school, at least half the black boys were would-be Rastas.

 

[colacubes]

Just watched it and thought the first hour was ace. However, for the last hour I'd have substituted it for the doc I heard that Don Letts narrated over Xmas on Radio 4 which was about reggae post about 1977 and covered the stuff in the 1980s in a much more interesting way, particularly the Lovers Rock stuff.

From a geeky local point of view I loved the BBC4 doco as it showed loads of shots of how great my road looked 30-35 years ago compared to today

 

[Kaka Tim]

Pretty good doc - but had to fit a lot of differnt stuff so had to skim over a lot of stuff which deserves a lot more depth - so you got the vaugest of nods to explaining the social political context in the 70s/early 80s and then quick cut to the Police.
I thought they're should been more on the whole 2-tone thing (which UB40 had the cheek to be snotty about) , dub got barely a mention, nor did toasting.

The specials gig was great though.

 

[toblerone3]

I liked Denis Bovell's comments, but there was a tad too much Police and UB40

 

[toblerone3]

And there was nothing on Ragga, Dancehall, jungle and Dubstep.

 

[magneze]

Just finished watching it. Very good, great 90 minutes of music documentary. Could have done with more 2tone but I guess they had to cover loads.

 

[William of Walworth]

But as you say I was into 2Tone. For me, and many others, it was a way into the orighinal sounds.

That was one of my routes into finding out about various original stuff as well, round about that time. That and the Clash

 

[Kaka Tim]

That was one of my routes into finding out about various original stuff as well, round about that time. That and the Clash

Yep - same here and for lots of others.

I think the ruts should have had at least a mention - I think they were the finest exponents of dub-punk.

 

[Numbers]

I've really enjoyed it so far - I love the many genres the docs and gigs have shown, incl' the Police and UB40 etc. We don't see enough of this type of TV, so although they might not show enough of this, too much of that, I've found it to be very enjoyable. I've read and listened for years, so to see something as enjoyable of this, fill in the gaps myself - I'll have it every w/end please.

 

[militant atheist]

Really looking forward to tonight's Rocksteady doc. Have had the soundtrack for a while: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rocksteady...GCZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297618947&sr=8-1

 

[Fedayn]

Really looking forward to tonight's Rocksteady doc. Have had the soundtrack for a while: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rocksteady...GCZ6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1297618947&sr=8-1

Well discokermit's anger might be assuaged with Lynn Taitts 'Bog Walk' being on there.

 

[coccinelle]

The Rocksteady film is a beautiful and gentle film and it's an absolute joy to see the old timers brought back together by Moss Raxlen (the producer). How many of the artistes in the film will still be around in 5 years' time?