by Howard Campbell
NEW YORK – Five reggae albums by Jamaican artists are on Rolling Stone Magazine’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, which was released on December 31.
Those named are Exodus by Bob Marley And The Wailers, which is at #48; Catch A Fire by The Wailers, at #140; The Harder They Come Soundtrack at #174; Toots And The Maytals’ Funky Kingston at #344 and Red from Black Uhuru which is named at #466.
#48: Exodus by Bob Marley And The Wailers
Recorded in the United Kingdom, Exodus was released in 1977 by Island Records. Marley left Jamaica in December, 1976 after he was shot at his home in what many believed was a politically-motivated incident.
“As the title suggests, this album wasn’t recorded in Jamaica; after Bob Marley took a bullet in a 1976 assassination attempt, he relocated the Wailers to London. But tracks such as “Jamming” are still suffused with the deep essence of reggae and life at home. Three Little Birds, for example, had been written on the back step of Marley’s home in Kingston, where he would sit and smoke herb. Each time Marley rolled a spliff, he would discard the seeds — and the birds of the song’s title would pick them up. “The music have a purpose,” Marley said, and his spiritual intent was never clearer than on the anthem One Love, with its message of redemption and revolution,” read the Rolling Stone review.
#140: Catch A Fire by The Wailers
Catch A Fire, released in 1973, was one of two albums (the other being Burnin’) by The Wailers released that year by Island Records. Marley left the group, which included Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston, in early 1974.
#174: The Harder They Come Soundtrack
The 1972 movie, starring Jimmy Cliff as Ivan, is dominated by songs by Cliff including The Harder They Come, You Can Get if You Really Want and Sitting in Limbo.
#344: Toots And The Maytals’ Funky Kingston
Funky Kingston, also released in 1973 by Island, contains songs like the uptempo title track. Interestingly, that company also distributed The Harder They Come soundtrack which includes Pressure Drop and Sweet And Dandy by Toots And The Maytals.
#466: Red Black Uhuru
Red, produced by Sly and Robbie, was another Island Records project. Released in 1981, its strongest moments are Sponji Reggae, Youth of Eglington and Utterance.
#1: What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye’s socially-aware What’s Going On, released in 1972, is number one on Rolling Stone Magazine’s The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
