1973: Country and Southern Rock
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The ‘60s weren’t the best of times for country music, with the mainstream being dominated by the studio-created “Nashville sound” and the last farts of the cowboy ballad era. There were some notable exceptions, such as Merle Haggard and Loretta Lynn, but no organized movement to challenge the establishment. Fortunately, the ‘70s brought hope.
The outlaw country movement was good stuff. Its mainstream image was admittedly silly, as it portrayed its performers as actual “outlaws”, but the musical philosophy was a back-to-basics, devil-may-care attitude that rockers should be able to relate to. Its most famous practitioners were Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Waylon Jennings, the last of which is probably the most directly responsible for the genre conventions. Honky Tonk Heroes is an excellent example of the genre and definitely worth a listen or five.
While generally considered a subgenre of country music, country rock was more often performed by established rock musicians. In the case of Little Feat, the lead (Lowell George) was actually a former member of the Mothers of Invention, fired by Frank Zappa for reasons that are still not well established. Regardless, these guys were masters of their craft and Dixie Chicken is among my favorites from 1973.
Following the death of Duane Almann, a second wave of southern rock acts hit the scene in the mid-70s. Lynyrd Skynyrd was by far the most popular of the group, with a name that was inspired by a former gym teacher, Leonard Skinner, who would berate them about having long hair. The title of their debut album leaves little doubt about the pronunciation (though this strikes me as a bizarre artistic decision considering the simplicity of their material). Despite the high average quality of the songs on this album, it feels to me more like a compilation of singles. Not unpleasant, by any stretch, but not bound for my regular rotation.
Others I listened to:
GP by Gram Parsons - Gram Parsons was the man, but I’ll discuss him more in 1974, with Grievous Angel. However, this one is almost as good.
For Everyman by Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne sits with the Eagles in an unpleasant corner of the rock music spectrum, blending soft rock and country sounds. I don’t know what it is, but don’t listen to it.
1973: Reggae and Dub
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This was truly a landmark year in Jamaican music, so much so that it feels like an appropriate time for a little history.
That Jamaica managed to establish itself as one of the major players in the Western popular music canon is nothing short of remarkable, especially considering that they sport a population <1% that of the US and <5% the UK. It all started in the late 1950s with ska, a fast-paced R&B variant that had the audacity to emphasize the third beat in every measure. This practice was virtually unknown in other major genres of popular music, so it gave ska a feel that was truly unique. Over the decade that followed, the music just slowed further and further, first into rocksteady in 1966, and then finally into reggae two years later. The slowing process was crucial because it allowed for greater complexity in the arrangements, particularly for the bass player, who had previously been restricted to a walking bass line.
Anyway, the genre’s most famous practitioner was undoubtedly Bob Marley, whose Wailers were there every step of the way, performing each of ska, rocksteady, and reggae as the they emerged from the Jamaican musical landscape. It wasn’t until 1973, however, that the band really broke out onto the international scene:
Following the release of Catch a Fire, the Wailers toured the UK and US and planted the first seeds that would eventually make Marley a household name. The timing was perfect, as this is undoubtedly one of his best albums and I can only imagine how breathtaking it would have been watch him perform this material live. Marley had an incredible gift that is difficult to put into words… when he opened his mouth, you just felt like you understood him. To Americans and Britons, his accent and his music were entirely foreign, but his voice was that of your next door neighbor.
The music is relaxed, cool and acceptable to all but the stuffiest of traditionalists -- I personally associate it with barbecues and summer parties -- but his style and attitude belied his music’s real message. Marley was an unapologetic political figure, touching on subjects that included racial oppression, murder, sex, and revolution. These messages often went over the heads of his international audience, but they were present in every one of his most celebrated albums, including the follow-up from that same year:
This is my personal favorite of Marley’s albums, as I think it features his best material and actually achieves some album-oriented flow that is generally absent from Wailers offerings. The third track, “I Shot the Sheriff”, was famously covered the following year by Eric Clapton, helping to further increase the genre’s visibility internationally.
Despite the overall greatness of Marley and traditional reggae, it was a studio-oriented spin-off that excited me the most. Dub music, as it’s called, takes existing recordings (usually reggae) and remixes them, stripping out most of the vocals and emphasizing the rhythmic elements.
Lee “Scratch” Perry’s groundbreaking masterpiece is not only a landmark in the evolution of dub music, but, in my opinion, also one of the greatest albums of all time. Its throbbing rhythms strike us as if from the depths of a jungle; not a literal jungle, but rather the vast strands of our collective subconscious that have long since frayed from torpor. The crudeness of the recording only amplifies this feeling. When Perry calls to us, it is from this jungle and in a voice that, by contrast to Marley, sounds nothing like our next-door neighbor.
Other recordings I listened to:
Funky Kingston by Toots & The Maytals - The Wailers’ less inspired cousins attempted an international breakthrough at around the same time, but fell short after a lackluster showing as the supporting act for The Who on a 1975-1976 US tour. Listening to the Maytals helped me to appreciate the brilliance of the Wailers’ rhythm section.
Whilst I applaud your endeavours, sp4cetiger, I have a bucketload of issues with your appraisal of reggae and dub in 1973.
The reason you consider 1973 a 'landmark year' in Jamaican music is purely down to the fact that Marley's first two albums for Island got released internationally. Well big bloody deal. Jamaican music in all its many various (and mostly wonderful) forms has always been about the single; the instant hit, the 3 minutes of greatness that would get you up onto a dance floor at a Soundclash. Internationally, JA singles had already started to make a splash, at least in the UK where Desmond Dekker's Israelities and Dave & Ansel Collins' Double Barrel were both No.1s before the end of 1970. From the Skatalites to Sean Paul, to tracks built around the same backing track, it's part of what keeps the Jamaican music scene relatively fresh.
A lot of the stuff on Catch A Fire and Burnin' had already been recorded in session with Lee 'Scratch' Perry in the late 60s and early 70s (the African Herbsman LP is one of a handful of compilations that document this period). What Chris Blackwell did was to realise that to fully crack the international market you need album sales, not just the odd single. And to meet the needs of the US/UK market, you needed a reggae-lite, a Caribbean AOR that felt just that little bit dangerous enough to set it apart from The Eagles. So what does he do? Hire a Muscle Shoals session guitarist, mix it himself in London and hey presto! the soundtrack to student smoking sessions and middle-class BBQs is born.
Don't get me wrong - I don't have anything against Bob, Bunny and Pete. Bob was a fantastic songwriter, but in the same way that Blackwell earmarked Jimmy Cliff for international stardom (especially after The Harder They Come), Marley was watered down to fit neatly into an album-rock niche that helped propel him to international stardom. He was credible, good-looking, talented and spoke for a downtrodden generation - an Everyman rebel that spoke like the neighbour next door to use your analogy. lt's a shame Blackwell took the edge off him musically.
I've also got major beef with your description of Toots Hibbert. In the ska/rocksteady days Toots was miles ahead of Marley - Monkey Man, 54-46 Was My Number, Pressure Drop were all huge - but Funky Kingston was more soulful and less political than Catch a Fire. Toots didn't have Marley's ghetto edge, wasn't as marketable, and suffered as a result.
If you want a true landmark album from 1973 reggae, look no further than...
...for without pioneers like Big Youth, I-Roy and U-Roy (whose Version Galore pre-dates this by a couple of years) who knows where hip-hop might have ended up.
Excellent, thanks Jim! I want to get a range of perspectives here. That is, in fact, why the thread is called "BEA Reviews the History of Popular Music" and not "sp4cetiger Reviews the History of Popular Music". Because of the way my project is designed, my perspective will tend to be very album-oriented and will favor the more acclaimed artists, like Marley.
I do stand by what I said. Whether we like it or not, Marley became the international face of reggae and his breakthrough, along with the other albums I listed, are enough to make it a landmark year in my mind. Also, I gave Toots many listens and honestly found him very dry. I'll give Screaming Target a listen, though.
As you noted, reggae is very much a singles genre. Do you have any recs for compilations of recordings from the late '60s and early '70s?
As you noted, reggae is very much a singles genre. Do you have any recs for compilations of recordings from the late '60s and early '70s?
There's loads. Seriously, loads.
Although it's not strictly late 60s - early 70s, one of the finest compys you could possibly get would be Studio One Classics on Soul Jazz Records. You've got ska (Skatalities, Don Drummond), rocksteady (Heptones, Slim Smith), early rockers/roots (Burning Spear) and loads more besides covered, even if some early dancehall (Johnny Osbourne, Sugar Minott, Michigan & Smiley) creeps in. Stream it in its entirety below:
Aside from that, check out my Studio One chart which should give you some insights into some of the lesser lights of the genre, or at least those most won't have heard of.
Back to Marley. If you listen to the Studio One Classics album above there is a Wailers track called 'Simmer Down' featured. The Wailers were just one of a slew of vocal trios in the ska/rocksteady era - The Heptones, The Paragons and the Wailing Souls were others, but historically there is a rich lineage of the harmony 3-piece in Jamaican music, running throughout the 70s with acts like The Gladiatiors, The Abyssinians and Culture. What Blackwell did was turn this on its head by singling Marley out from Bunny and Tosh - and it's no surprise that in doing so this destroyed the Wailers Mk1. Marley always had the looks, the charisma - Bunny was the soul, and Pete had a natty bobble hat - but before this they were very much a trio in the truest sense. Just because Marley became (as you put it) the 'international face of reggae' doesn't mean you have to put him on a pedestal.
Marley was a case of clever marketing and AOR production values being stuck on top of (what at the time of release were) old songs that had been doing the rounds for years. In my mind, there are 3 true Jamaican musical geniuses that stand head-and-shoulders above the rest - Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd and King Tubby. Just my opinion, though... _________________ 'Reggae' & t'ing Folk 'n Stuff SHAMELESS RECORD DEALER PLUG
Just because Marley became (as you put it) the 'international face of reggae' doesn't mean you have to put him on a pedestal.
Marley was a case of clever marketing and AOR production values being stuck on top of (what at the time of release were) old songs that had been doing the rounds for years. In my mind, there are 3 true Jamaican musical geniuses that stand head-and-shoulders above the rest - Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Clement 'Sir Coxsone' Dodd and King Tubby. Just my opinion, though...
That is the point, isn't it? You'll see in the lead post to the thread that we are not writing a history text here, we're mostly just giving our opinions, with some historical context on the side. With Marley, I "put him on a pedestal" because I love his music. It's nothing more or less than that. I want people with different opinions to speak up, but they're just opinions, not facts, and we shouldn't waste time bickering about whose is right.
As for your three favorites, I agree on Perry, half agree on Tubby, and need to hear more of Dodd. Also, thanks for the compilation rec. I'm aware of the fact that there are many such compilations, that's why I asked for recs.
A lot of the stuff on Catch A Fire and Burnin' had already been recorded in session with Lee 'Scratch' Perry in the late 60s and early 70s (the African Herbsman LP is one of a handful of compilations that document this period). What Chris Blackwell did was to realise that to fully crack the international market you need album sales, not just the odd single. And to meet the needs of the US/UK market, you needed a reggae-lite, a Caribbean AOR that felt just that little bit dangerous enough to set it apart from The Eagles. So what does he do? Hire a Muscle Shoals session guitarist, mix it himself in London and hey presto! the soundtrack to student smoking sessions and middle-class BBQs is born.
Hallelujah!!!! Thank you, Mr. Blackwell. Turns out I owe you for some kickass times. And here I was always thanking Marley. I'm such a sucker for good marketing.
Awesome thread guys! Keep it up. I need me some good reggae right now...
You can't go wrong with noWaxJim's chart. Dude seriously knows his stuff. Nothing but the highest quality herb for this man.
If you guys are in the mood for early Wailers, The Birth of a Legend is a rather excellent compilation of their early recordings. I found it at a record store 10 years ago and it totally changed my perspective about Marley. These recordings are so much warmer than what was later put out. I prefer it over Exodus, Catch a Fire and anything else that made Marley an International superstar.
http://www.discogs.com/Bob-Marley-The-W...ter/134516 _________________ http://jonnyleather.com
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