Is Bob Marley the Greatest Reggae Artist Ever?
- Thread starter Greenfish
- Start date
ringo
Macaroni cheese controller
No, he wasn't.
Of course he was the most successful, but not the greatest.
He had a lovely voice, but not the best. Slim Smith, Dennis Brown, loads mentioned above had better voices although it could be argued that he had one of those voices which touch people somewhere deeply. Like he said "who feels it knows it". Which brings us to the next point - he was a great front man; very charismatic with good delivery and capable of a fine turn of phrase.
Influential - not really. He was guided very strongly by Coxsone Dodd at Studio 1, by far the most influential man in reggae music. Dodd gathered masters of music and arrangement such as Don Drummond, Leroy Sibbles and Jackie Mittoo to create the Studio 1 sound. He employed Joe Higgs to teach the Wailers about singing and specifically harmonising.
Marley had an appetite for global success and a willingness to ignore Jamaican reggae fashions which led him to Chris Blackwell and the Island Records rock/pop style marketing machine.
Of course he was the most successful, but not the greatest.
He had a lovely voice, but not the best. Slim Smith, Dennis Brown, loads mentioned above had better voices although it could be argued that he had one of those voices which touch people somewhere deeply. Like he said "who feels it knows it". Which brings us to the next point - he was a great front man; very charismatic with good delivery and capable of a fine turn of phrase.
Influential - not really. He was guided very strongly by Coxsone Dodd at Studio 1, by far the most influential man in reggae music. Dodd gathered masters of music and arrangement such as Don Drummond, Leroy Sibbles and Jackie Mittoo to create the Studio 1 sound. He employed Joe Higgs to teach the Wailers about singing and specifically harmonising.
Marley had an appetite for global success and a willingness to ignore Jamaican reggae fashions which led him to Chris Blackwell and the Island Records rock/pop style marketing machine.
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
I like the ones played on the radio most often, you know no woman no cry, jammin etc.
Fozzie Bear
Well-Known Member
Innit.
I don't think reggae is "about" who is the best singer anyway. Or what is the best album. "Scenius" rather than "Genius" for me.
Sorry.
foo
dirtysweet
Spion
I hear ya
In a nutshell. A fine post
That's OK - people can say who they pick as their 'number 1' and why (eg what it is they like most about them). No need to get hung up on abstractions - you can just point out great songs and say nice things about them. This isn't a competition that needs to be won, it is about sharing and appreciation of something we all (presumably since we have chosen to post on this thread) enjoy. A discussion about 'greatest' is just a hook to hang it on, an excuse to talk about reggae.
Without doubt, the greatest is anything Yellowman did with Junjo Lawes. Thankyou and goodnight.
Idaho
continuity character
I still like some Marley stuff. His music is still a very tall poppy in reggae, and attracts the proportionate amount of knockers.
My personal favourites are some of the earlier recordings. I used to have very raw versions of Trenchtown Rock and Natural Mystic that were as good as any other in the genre.
My personal favourites are some of the earlier recordings. I used to have very raw versions of Trenchtown Rock and Natural Mystic that were as good as any other in the genre.
i'll go with the fashionistas and say that he wasn't the greatest reggae artist ever. but only 'cause it's trendy and pretentious to say so!
well why else would you say something like that? it couldn't actually be *your opinion*, could it?
kained&able
Here for the football.
I reckon he was about thes best. Don't know the genre paticularly well though and in fact would struggle to name or recognise a song from an artist on dubs list(okay i can name a maytals and lee perry tune or two)
so as a pop reggae fan its all about the bob unless i can say sublime with a straight face!
dave
so as a pop reggae fan its all about the bob unless i can say sublime with a straight face!
dave
Rollem
two kinds of wonderful
not on this forum anyway....
Rollem
two kinds of wonderful
i think thats bang on actually. that and a lot of his songs are cheesy easy reggae.
but that has a place, and he has got some great stuff, just maybe not right at the very top of the genre
i said genre <shoots self>
foo
dirtysweet
lol. fucking predictable...
i'll go with the fashionistas and say that he wasn't the greatest reggae artist ever. but only 'cause it's trendy and pretentious to say so!
also, the beatles were rubbish and girls aloud rule. but amy winehouse can sing...
wot?
i'm neither trendy or pretentious ta very much. i like Bob Marley's music, but don't think he's the greatest ever reggae artist (tbh i couldn't say that about any reggae artist, they're all too different).
Spion
I hear ya
Are you knocking poppy knockers?
foo
dirtysweet
albionism
A successful virus clinging to a speck of mud.
Certainly not shit by any means, but not the best ever.
I rate Big Youth, Phillis Dillon, Baba Brooks, Cedric 'Im' Brooks,
Alton Ellis, Toots and the Maytals, The Ethiopians, Black Uhuru,
Lee Perry, Desmond Dekker, Prince Buster,Marcia Griffiths,
Laurel Aitken,Don Drummond and so many more way above
Marley.
I rate Big Youth, Phillis Dillon, Baba Brooks, Cedric 'Im' Brooks,
Alton Ellis, Toots and the Maytals, The Ethiopians, Black Uhuru,
Lee Perry, Desmond Dekker, Prince Buster,Marcia Griffiths,
Laurel Aitken,Don Drummond and so many more way above
Marley.
foo
dirtysweet
oh ok, i agree with the point that it is very very stupid to reject what is popular just cos it's popular (something i alluded to in one of my superb posts on this thread) - and in my experience, only stupid music snobs do that - but that still doesn't excuse the fact that some of us are saying he's not the greatest reggae artist because that is OUR OPINION. 
don't get in the way of me being defensive please dodge.
don't get in the way of me being defensive please dodge.
foo said:
Yes, this /\ /\ /\ more or less. I like some of his stuff lots, we sometimes play it ... but there are definitely better artists ....
Such as him ...
No-one's mentioned Burning Spear.
and also plenty of the legends that Jeff and Fedayn and ringo mentioned.
I think the only think I'd be actively anti-Bob Marley about though is that his 'Greatest Hits' got seriously overplayed fuckin everywhere a few years ago. Some of those hits and some of the album tracks (especially early) still damned good though.
I notice there's little mention of Tosh (apart from El Jefe) when reggae afficionados talk about their favourites - is Tosh seen as being as 'poppy' as Marley?
toblerone3
Grrrrr
oh ok, i agree with the point that it is very very stupid to reject what is popular just cos it's popular (something i alluded to in one of my superb posts on this thread) - and in my experience, only stupid music snobs do that - but that still doesn't excuse the fact that some of us are saying he's not the greatest reggae artist because that is OUR OPINION.
don't get in the way of me being defensive please dodge.
But the question is NOT "Who is your favourite Reggae artist?
It IS "Who is the Greatest Reggae Artist?"
Those are very different questions.
foo
dirtysweet
i know they are.
AS I HAVE ALREADY STATED, i dont think you can say who is the greatest reggae artist because reggae is so broad....i don't think reggae is the type of music you can easily say that about.
ok that was very badly written but hopefully my point shines through.
Nanker Phelge
Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.
Lee 'Scratch' Perry has certainly been involved in some of the greatest reggae music ever produced, but as a producer I'm not sure how in fits into the 'reggae artist' question....but I think he has a definite place at the top of the tree.
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