(Call it) Reggae (if you must)
by 
Jimmy Dread 
Ska, rocksteady, roots, dub, dancehall, ragga... Using the term 'reggae' to describe virtually all Jamaican music amounts to sacrilege, hence why I've decided to club together a stash of essential JA albums (with a couple of others from around the globe) to let anyone interested embark on their own journey deeper into the genre commonly referred to by the 'R' word. No 2-Tone revival here - just original nuggets, old and new (with compilations generally eschewed, unless it's essential (Scratch, Marcia) or there's no alternative as with Don Drummond - Jamaica was always more about the 45 than the LP). If you're new to it all, I've added some hints as to what to expect with each album, so pick a style and enjoy. And don't be surprised at how low down the order Bob Marley is - there's a lot more to 'reggae' than getting caned to a copy of Legend. Hopefully this chart will steer you in the right direction. Irie vibes and one love - Jimmy, January 2021
- Chart updated: 01/09/2021 17:45
- (Created: 11/21/2013 11:09).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 27 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and (Call it) Reggae (if you must) has an average rating of 94 out of 100 (from 42 votes). Please log in or create an account to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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Available from 
ROOTS/VOCAL HARMONY. Nothing compares.
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Year of Release:
1977
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,621
Rank in 1977:
Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
SKA/ROCKSTEADY/VOCAL HARMONY. Studio One's finest half-hour, and an LP that even the great Sugar Minott said was his favourite, and rightly so. Peerless, effortless rocksteady. Also try their S/T debut on Studio One (aka Fattie Fattie)
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Available from
EARLY DANCEHALL/SOUL. Jamaica's King of early Dancehall, an absolute legend few non-JA aficionados have discovered. Also try 'Fally Lover' or 'Folly Ranking'
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Available from
COMPILATION: DUB, ROOTS, REGGAE. Tons of other Scratch available (DUB - Super Ape seems to the one most people head towards, although I'd go for Revolution Dub or Megaton Dub myself. ROOTS - Roast Fish, Collie Weed & Corn Bread) - but this is an absolute gem of a compy and the best place to start.
[First added to this chart: 04/28/2014]
Available from
DUB. Tubby's finest hour, a cornerstone of dub and justifiably hailed by all and sundry. Also try 'East of The River Nile', 'Original Rockers', "Ital Dub', "...Meets Rockers Inna Firehouse" and many more...
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Year of Release:
1976
Appears in:
Rank Score:
557
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Rank in 1970s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
ROOTS. Stellar set. If you like this you definitely need to seek out "Deliver Me From My Enemies". Also try 'Jesus Dread' compy on Blood and Fire, which includes virtually all the tracks from this LP. Also check out "King Tubby's Prophesy Of Dub", which is essentially the dubwise cuts of this album. One of the best Dub LPs ever.
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Available from
COMPILATION: INSTRUMENTAL - ORGAN. Essential compilation of his golden years with Coxsone. Start here, then try 'Macka Fat', 'Showcase' (on Studio One, rare as the hills), 'In Cold Blood' or 'The Keyboard King'.
[First added to this chart: 04/28/2014]
Year of Release:
2000
Appears in:
Rank in 2000:
None
Rank in 2000s:
None
Average Rating:
Comments:
Available from
DANCEHALL. Her one and only LP. It's a belter.
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Available from
ROOTS. Always sounded his best here, or on Open The Iron Gate (aka Revelation Time). Of course you could go for his 'Wet Dream' era stuff too.
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Available from
DUB. So many alternatives to pick from with the man Hopeton Brown. 'Vampires' and Heavyweight Dub Champion (also from the same Greensleeves series) are also well worth a listen, as is his Dub Landing set on Starlight.
[First added to this chart: 11/21/2013]
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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(Call it) Reggae (if you must) composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 7 | 7% | |
| 1970s | 47 | 47% | |
| 1980s | 32 | 32% | |
| 1990s | 8 | 8% | |
| 2000s | 4 | 4% | |
| 2010s | 2 | 2% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Lee "Scratch" Perry | 2 | 2% | |
| Sister Nancy | 1 | 1% | |
| George Faith | 1 | 1% | |
| Anthony Red Rose & King Kong | 1 | 1% | |
| Various Artists | 1 | 1% | |
| Lone Ranger | 1 | 1% | |
| Misty In Roots | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
(Call it) Reggae (if you must) chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
Up 16 from 99th to 83rd |
Up 7 from 52nd to 45th |
Up 2 from 98th to 96th |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
Down 10 from 88th to 98th |
Down 10 from 89th to 99th |
Down 8 from 43rd to 51st |
| New entries |
|---|
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(Call it) Reggae (if you must) ratings
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Showing latest 3 ratings for this chart. | Show all 42 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 12/20/2024 23:22 | matterhornrider | 104 | 93/100 |
| ! | 04/19/2019 12:54 |  ForegroundNoise | 472 | 87/100 |
| ! | 04/15/2019 22:21 | amassini | 21 | 85/100 |
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This chart is rated in the top 1% of all charts on BestEverAlbums.com. This chart has a Bayesian average rating of 93.7/100, a mean average of 95.6/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 95.6/100. The standard deviation for this chart is 6.1.
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(Call it) Reggae (if you must) favourites
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(Call it) Reggae (if you must) forum mentions
This chart has been referenced 19 times on the forums, Explore the wider forum discussion to see what members have said about it.
From Jimmy Dread 12/14/2024 18:41 in This Diary Isn’t For You
Jimmy Dread 12/14/2024 18:41 in This Diary Isn’t For You“Has it really been 4 years since I posted anything here? That can't be right, surely... Regardless of where the time's gone (and I swear, as I near half a century on this planet, the days just blend into one another), and all the pressures of life/work/parenthood, music stays constant in my life,…”
View topic (2 mentions) →From Hayden 05/17/2021 16:49 in Hello All! Give me your best Reggae Recs.
Hayden 05/17/2021 16:49 in Hello All! Give me your best Reggae Recs.“Just pick like... 50 off those (particularly the ones that overlap).”
View post →From Hayden 05/27/2019 00:44 in Top 10 Reggae albums of all time?
Hayden 05/27/2019 00:44 in Top 10 Reggae albums of all time?“My chart: Something more Biblical: 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…”
View post →View all forum mentions
(Call it) Reggae (if you must) comments
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From
bluenose 10/14/2014 16:27 | #124492
Oh Yes a truly great chart. I have listened and downloaded many of the recommendations on this chart and if you like Jamaica and other West Indies music take note this guy knows what he is talking about. Fabulous chart wonderful collection.
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From
Graeme2 TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/06/2018 19:45 | #216248
Graeme2 TOP 100 COMMENTER 06/06/2018 19:45 | #216248
Sometimes Spotifying is frustrating when they don't have many of these gems to savour. Still nice.
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From
Jimmy Dread TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/26/2014 07:22 | #107629
Jimmy Dread TOP 100 COMMENTER 03/26/2014 07:22 | #107629
Dem Skatalites inna dis chart already, duck! Good shout on Congo Natty too - one of my fave albums of last year...
...but this is why I LOVE BEA... streaming Super Cat's Don Dada as I type it and I f'ing LOVE IT. 'Nuff love and respect...
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From
drakonium 11/29/2013 22:29 | #95422
drakonium 11/29/2013 22:29 | #95422
Awesome! I thought nezzle was the reggae king here, but you sure know your shit. Thanks a lot for building that, it's fantastic! :D
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From
Jimmy Dread TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/13/2017 19:37 | #201286
Jimmy Dread TOP 100 COMMENTER 11/13/2017 19:37 | #201286
Marcus Garvey's in there pal. As for Tosh, never been a huge fan of any of his albums in all honesty, although I used to own the Honorary Citizen box set many moons back. I'm The Toughest is a boss track, but the version on Bush Doctor is dire compared to the CS Dodd original, and Johnny Clarke's beats both into a porkpie hat.
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