Tons of Fishing
Web Directories And resources!

rock steady

Inspired by the American soul sound in the late 1960's Jamaica's version, rock steady, featured a slower pace than ska's frenetic rhythms. Its golden era featured celestial vocals from singers Alton Ellis (left) and Hopeton Lewis and harmony groups like the Paragons and The Melodians. Recommended: Duke Reid's Treasure Chest (Heartbeat); Alton Ellis's Cry Tough (Heartbeat): Hopeton Lewis's Groovin' Out on Life (Charly).

reggae

Although the reggae sound--a unique rhythm driven by a heavy drum and bass--started becoming popular in 1968, it was during the early 1970's that the message of social consciousness and tenets of the Rastafarian way of life dominated reggae lyrics. Bob Marley (top left), Pater Tosh and Burning Spear (right) typified this approach. A younger generation, including Luciano and Morgan Heritage, keep the sound alive. Marcia Griffiths (far right), one of reggae's most beloved female singers, was a member of Bob Marley's famed backup trio, the I-Threes. Recommend: The Harder They Come sound track (Island); Bob Marley and The Wailers Songs of Freedom (Island); Luciano's Where There Is Life (Island Jamaica).

dancehall

To differentiate the gritty music played in Jamaican dance halls from the American pop and soul and the lovers-rock style of reggae played on the island's radio stations, the term dancehall reggae was coined in the 1970's. When Jamaican music's digital revolution hit in 1984, as singers and especially deejays--the Jamaican equivalent of rappers--eagerly recorded their vocals over computerized beats (with many artists recording on a single digital rhythm!), dancehall reggae identified Jamaican music's synthesized strain, The genre has produced most of Jamaica's popular artists since the mid-1980's, including Shabba Ranks, Beanie Man, Buju Banton, Elephant Man (at left), and Sizzla (right) Recommended: Beenie Man's Best of Beenie Man (VP); Buju Banton's 'Til Shiloh (Polygram); Tanya Stephens's Gangsta Blues (VP).

dub

Taking its name from the instrumental b-sides (or the "dub" sides) of Jamaican singles, the genre dub is a result of the experimentation of the late engineer King Tubby (ne Osborne Ruddock. at right). While working as a disc cutter in the early 1970's, Tubby created customized versions of rock-steady hits by manipulating their rhythm tracks: A dub is stripped down to its core drum and bass line as other instruments fade in and out with reverberating effects, Dub has influenced many musical genres, including dance, electronica, rave, punk and the bass-heavy trip hop popular in the United Kingdom. Recommended: King Tubby and Augustus Pablo's King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (island UK]; Lee "Scratch Perry and The Upsetters' Super Ape (Mange); Massive Attack vs, Mad Professor's No Protection (Gyroscope); Niney the Observer's King Tubby in Dub: Bring the Dub Come (Headbeat).

SEAN PAUL'S TOP RAGGAE PICKS

Our crush on Sean Paul is still strong. While he's working on new music, due early next year, he took time to play an NBA celebrity basketball game and told us off-court which reggae albums he can't live without:

1. Any Bob Marley album

2. Buju Banton's Voice of Jamaica

3. Sizzla's Da Real Thing

4. My first album, Stage One

5. My second album, Dutty Rock