reggae music

[Uston]

OP, you've been given some of the worst advice I've ever read on these forums. I'm surprised no one suggested you check out Dy'er Maker and the theme song from Cops.

There are two CD's that stand out among all others. They are among the most universally loved, if not the most commercially viable, CD's in any genre. Any serious reggae fan needs to have them:

"Heart Of The Congos" by The Congos, specifically the Blood & Fire two-CD version.

"Marcus Garvey" by Burning Spear. If you can find the version that contains Garvey's Ghost (currently out of print but widely available used) you'll have one of the best roots CD's ever and one of the best dub CD's ever.

"Satta Massagana" by The Abyssinians
"Wild Suspense" by Wailing Souls
"Handsworth Revolution" by Steel Pulse
"Two Sevens Clash" by Culture

are also near-flawless recordings.

If you're at all a fan of Dennis Brown or Gregory Isaacs (what fan of Jamaican music isn't?) your best bet is to pick up a compilation. They were such prolific artists and so much of their later work is sub-par. Money in My Pocket: Anthology 1970-1995 and Gold are the best I've come across.

[JaredL]

You can get the Marcus Garvey and Garvey's Ghost version on iTunes for 10 bucks.