It’s 1978 and I’m a paperboy. Every cent I collect goes to records, weed, and cigarettes, but mostly records. What few friends I have are stuck in the KISS, Aerosmith, Blue Oyster Cult whirlpool. I know–and Rolling Stone Record Guide knows–that I need to break out, that there must be something out there beyond suburban, white boy, middle-class rawk. The Guide tells me that Bob Marley & The Wailers “Live!” is a fine place to start, so I pick it up, slice it open, and drop the needle.
Until about 1990 or so, you would get no argument from anyone on whether or not reggae was a good thing, a great thing even. That beat, the most visceral thing since Bo Diddley’s, is right there. The Sly & Robbie juggernaut…St. Bob…Ganga as a religious sacrament. It was anti-suburbia. And Joe Strummer worshiped it, and that was good enough for me. I grabbed up every reggae (and reggae-inspired) record I could get my hands on.
Fast forward to 1995. A very good, hipsterish friend of mine says to me “Eew, you like reggae?” I am aghast, but not totally surprised. After all, I had watched the frat boys* all but take over reggae in the worst way possible. I had gone to a Yellowman show a few years before this and was stunned by the number of greeks fist pumping to my sacred reggae beat. By then, Reggae Sunsplash had become MTV Spring Break. Since then, I’ve heard plenty from the anti-reggae crowd. Even as recent as this week another friend told me he didn’t “get” reggae. Sigh.
I knew this post would be a losing battle before I started it, because there is no way to explain reggae to anyone who doesn’t already “get” it. The second I heard Bob Marley “Live!” I got it. “No Woman, No Cry” on that record is one of the most transcendent moments in music history and no amount of convincing will change opinions either way. I was in a one-off band once (one of many) and we did several reggae greats (“No More Trouble,” “Get Up, Stand Up”) with me on the bass. It remains my single favorite music-making event. To crawl inside that reggae engine was more powerful than I can describe.
So, yeah, I have become accustomed to separating the music from the music lover. Even frat boys get it right once and awhile.
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* Full disclosure: I was in a fraternity, but we did not reggae.
liveoakblues
Live Oak Blues 
Posted by NJ Gator on May 18, 2011 at 5:48 pm
I will say this, Chris, as the friend you refer to most recently disappointing you on this issue, I own Bob Marley’s _Rebel Music_ (the only reggae music I own) and think it’s a good album and “Rebel Music” and “Get Up, Stand Up,” are both incredible songs.
That being said, however, I generally find reggae music to sound all exactly alike. If I can’t distinguish one song from another, I can’t consider it a strong musical movement. If that’s small minded of me, so be it.
Posted by Liveoakblues on May 18, 2011 at 5:53 pm
You, my friend, inspired this post (but you probably knew that already).