Top 10 Reggae albums of all time?

[maxacare]

Just getting into Reggae, any tips on where to start? I've obviously listened to tons of Bob Marley, but apart from that I know next to nothing.

[Hayden]

My chart:

Beef Patties & Ginger Beer by Hayden

Something more Biblical:

(Call it) Reggae (if you must) by Jimmy Dread

Jimmy and I have a fair handful of albums in common on those... if all you know is Marley, I'd dive into Gregory Isaacs, Jacob Miller, Dr. Alimantado, The Congos and Jimmy Cliff first. Then maybe some dub records afterwards (Upsetters, Lee Scratch Perry, Keith Hudson). Keep in mind reggae's more a blanket genre than something specific.

It's a great area of music to explore, and there's certainly a lot more out there than just Bob Marley. I'm always digging up records from '68-84 Jamaica, there's plenty of undiscovered gems. My knowledge of reggae resides solely in Jamaica though... there's definitely bigger insights into the UK's output elsewhere.

[Jimmy Dread]

Approaching 'reggae' (in the truest sense) can be a total minefield. Marley's output from Catch A Fire on was specifically designed to break him and the Wailers to a Western audience, with overdubs and session musicians and so forth. The sound is somewhat removed from the overtly 'roots' sound of the likes of Heart Of The Congos, which is still may favourite record to have ever come out of Jamaica.

Personally I'd say the best place for any Marley fan looking to explore 'reggae' (and indeed Jamaican music) in more depth would be to head next to the following erstwhile Wailers' debuts:


Blackheart Man by Bunny Wailer


Legalize It by Peter Tosh

Both solid, if unspectacular LPs (although Blackheart Man is the better of the two). Once done with those any of these three would be an ideal next step - all of which totally essential:


Two Sevens Clash by Culture


Right Time by Mighty Diamonds


War Ina Babylon by Max Romeo & The Upsetters

The first two are 3-part vocal harmony LPs - a classic tradition in Jamaican music from the Rocksteady era on. The latter will expose you to the production work of one of Jamaica's two bona fide musical visionaries - Lee "Scratch" Perry, who also produced the aforementioned Congos LP.

Other classics - Abyssianians' Satta Massagana, Burning Spear's Marcus Garvey and Trenchtown Mix-Up by The Gladiators. Not on a par with the previous 3, but all well-regarded and definitely worth a listen.

From there the world's your oyster - a plethora of spiritual, uplifting, hypnotic and downright terrific music awaits. Bear in mind though that Jamaican music is much more than just about the album - it was (and still is) a market driven by the 45, and for that you can't do much better than any of these 50 killers, some of which can be found on the following two essential compys:


Studio One Story by Various Artists


Studio One Classics by Various Artists
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[badseed]

I second most everything above. I'm not a big expert on the genre but some other popular gateway artists include Toots & The Maytals, Jimmy Cliff and Gregory Isaacs, while Burning Spear and The Abyssinians are tier 2 - you might not enjoy them as much as the pop oriented style of Island-era Marley if you go into them expecting that.

EDIT

*didn't see Hayden's post at first. Weird. Yeah, those two guys probably have it all covered. *cowers in corner*

[travelful]

There was a time when I dismissed Bob Marley & The Wailers as being reggae for people who know nothing about reggae (which is true honestly). I think the dismissal of Bob Marley happens to a lot of people who dive deeper into the music history of Jamaica because it can be annoying that anytime you play literally any Jamaican song the general public will assume its Bob Marley. However, I came full circle and got over that. Exodus is the pinnacle of Jamaican music in my opinion.


Here's my top 10:

1.
Exodus by Bob Marley & The Wailers

2.
Heart Of The Congos by The Congos

3.
Young Tree by Groundation
one of the few concept albums in the genre. also a notable American contribution to the genre.

4.
War Ina Babylon by Max Romeo & The Upsetters

5.
Natty Dread by Bob Marley & The Wailers

6.
Super Ape by The Upsetters

7.
Peace & Love by Dadawah

8.
War Of Words by Singers & Players
this album is an underground gem. basically dark gothic dub...if thats a thing.

9.
Satta Massagana by The Abyssinians

10.
Funky Kingston by Toots & The Maytals

honorable mention to:


Blackheart Man by Bunny Wailer
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