The story goes in jazz circles that when legendary pianist and composer Dave Brubeck was formulating the cool tones and avant-garde time signatures that would eventually comprise his quartet’s famous Time Out album, he came upon a group Turkish street musicians.

His interest piqued by the strange timing in which the musicians were playing, Brubeck asked them where they got the rhythm. One replied, “This rhythm is to us what the blues is to you.” Brubeck took this and composed ‘Blue Rondo à la Turk’, now a genre standard.

The same sentiment is echoed whenever one is asked about reggae. Like the blues, reggae is a vast and diverse genre with an important cultural and political history and any music fan would be doing themselves a favour by getting familiar with it. These albums are a good place to start. One of the world’s greatest reggae bands, UB40 are heading to our shores in November so to celebrate we’ve compiled a six record guide to reggae

Bob Marley & the Wailers – Exodus (1977)

Arguably no other artist has had an impact on reggae the way Bob Marley has, nor will any other artist to come out of Jamaica ever have as much of a musical or cultural impact as the legendary singer and songwriter. Robert Nesta “Bob” Marley is both a Jamaican national hero and an icon of reggae.

That’s why it’s difficult to pick just one album from Marley’s extensive discography to feature in this list, though any guide to reggae without at least one Marley album would be incomplete. Following an attempt on his life in 1976, Marley arrived in a London consumed with punk to record an album that was laid-back yet simultaneously conscious and political.

UB40 – Labour of Love (1983)

The band’s fourth album and their first album of covers, on Labour of Love, UB40 not only further developed the pop potential of the reggae genre, but showed how it could be wielded to enhance the melody, rhythm, and emotional depth of already well-known songs.

With covers of classics like Neil Diamond’s ‘Red Red Wine’, now a classic in its own right, ‘Many Rivers to Cross’, and ‘Please Don’t Make Me Cry’, the timeless voice of Ali Campbell combined with one of the most muscular rhythm sections in British music to create magic.

Jimmy Cliff – The Harder They Come (1972)

While it’s Bob Marley that we most closely associate with reggae music in this day and age, the case could be made that almost no one outside of Jamaica and perhaps a few record stores in the UK would have been familiar with reggae if it wasn’t for the soundtrack to this classic Jamaican gangster flick.

The Harder They Come tells the story of a young Jamaican musician who finds himself tied to corrupt record producers and drug pushers as he attempts to make a name for himself as a reggae singer. The soundtrack is effectively a concise best-of of popular reggae released up to that time and it helped introduce the genre to the world.

Peter Tosh – Equal Rights (1977)

Much like Bob Marley, Peter Tosh’s contributions to reggae and Jamaican culture cannot be overstated. Also, much like Marley, it’s difficult to select just one album from Tosh’s discography to illustrate his mastery of reggae and this spot could’ve just as well been taken up by Legalize It.

A former member of Marley’s band, the Wailers, Tosh had a deeply intimate knowledge of the elements that made up quality reggae music. A deeply political album, Equal Rights deals with topics such as unity in the African diaspora, South African apartheid, and standing up to oppression.

Damian Marley – Welcome to Jamrock (2005)

The problem with albums that cross over into the mainstream is it sometimes makes it hard to assess what an achievement they truly are. While Damian Marley’s 2005 LP had a juggernaut lead single in the form of the title track and even garnered two Grammys, there’s a lot more happening behind the scenes.

On Welcome to Jamrock, Marley hit on the perfect blend of roots reggae and dancehall and fused it with a distinctly modern hip-hop attitude. The album is rife with cheeky yet thought-provoking punchlines and lyrical turns, as well as vivid, shimmering melodies and engrossing hooks.

Toots & the Maytals – Funky Kingston (1975)

The story goes like this: the original Funky Kingston was an ode to American rhythm and blues, featuring covers of ike Turner and Shep and the Limelites, as well as a reggae take on ‘Louie Louie’. However, in 1975, a revised version of the album was released in the US.

This version retained only three tracks from the ‘Jamaican’ LP, added six taken from their follow-up In The Dark, and included 1969’s ‘Pressure Drop’, which previously appeared on The Harder They Come. The result was Toots & the Maytals’ best album and a classic release of the genre.

UB40 Australian 2015 Tour

Thursday, 12th November 2015
Brothers, Cairns
Tickets: Brothers

Saturday, 14th November 2015
The Tivoli, Brisbane
Tickets: Ticketmaster

Sunday, 15th November 2015
Cooly Hotel, Gold Coast
Tickets: Oztix

Tuesday, 17th November 2015
C.ex, Coffs Harbour
Tickets: Oztix

Wednesday, 18th November 2015
Civic Theatre, Newcastle
Tickets: Ticketek

Friday, 20th November 2015
Big Top Luna Park, Sydney
Tickets: Oztix

Saturday, 21st November 2015
Waves, Wollongong
Tickets: Oztix

Tuesday, 24th November 2015
The Forum, Melbourne
Tickets: Ticketmaster

Thursday, 26th November 2015
Thebarton Theatre, Adelaide
Tickets: Ticketmaster

Saturday, 28th November 2015
Metropolis, Fremantle
Tickets: Oztix

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