Worst 'reggae' attempts

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By non-reggae artists, I mean

― dave q, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Either Bryan Adams' 'Reggae Christmas' or David Lee Roth's 'No Big T'ing'. Or 'Obladi Oblada', of course

― dave q, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

"Sunshine Reggae" by Laid Back. Terrible, terrible, terrible. Thankfully the B-side has since become a nice menacing funk r&b classic... "White Horse".

― Brian MacDonald, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Led Zep : "D'yer Make 'er" or whatever the damn thing's called. At least Plant didn't commit the cardinal sin of trying to sing in a cod- Jamaican accent.

― Dr. C, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Alternative TV!

― Jeff, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

On 'Live Rust' Neil Young sings part of 'Cortez The Killer' in a toe- curling cod-Jamaican accent. Dylan (esp. on 'Live at Budokan'), Van Morrison and Mick Jagger were also up to the same trick in the 70s.

― Andrew L, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

the Police.. Mouse on mars..

― jk, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

i'm sorry these are all cool runnings compared to 10CC

― mark s, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The Clash

― Robin, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Tim Curry covering the Beatles' "I Will."

― Douglas, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Boy George's attempt at Everything I Own, Radio Africa by Latin Quarter. There must be more. Special mention in this category should go to reggae artists who did their best to sound like non-reggae artists doing reggae badly: Step forward Jimmy Cliff post-Harder they Come. Step forward UB40, for various crimes after 1985 or so, e.g. I'll be your your baby Tonight. Or was that Robert Palmer? Robin says The Clash?!?!?!? They made scintillating reggae!!! Bankrobber? Armagideon Time? These are monster reggae tracks!!!!! Even their reggae that's very scrapey and punky works better than lots of 'pure' JA reggae, for my money. My favourite reggae track by a non-reggae artist has to be 'All that she wants' by Ace of Base. I love that record. There's been lots of good reggae by non-reggae bands. The Ruts, Scritti Politti, St Etienne, off the top of my head. Serge Gainsbourg's 'Aux armes...' is a cracking reggae record and he's hardly a reggae artist.

― Daniel, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Re Clash - some of the stuff on 'Sandinista!' was cool but 'Police & Thieves' is like being drenched in three-week-old bongwater.

― dave q, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I don't think anyone should be criticizing the Clash... Reggae would not have the audience it does if not for the Clash. (Actually, Don Letts, I think, was the man who started playing Reggae in the punk clubs.)

― Dave225, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I'd have started listening to reggae a lot sooner were it not for The Clash. Mind you I think Radio Africa by Latin Quarter is ace (also not in any sense reggae or cod-reggae).

― Tom, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

"Reggae would not have the audience it does if not for the Clash."

Yeah, that Bob Marley geezer really couldn't have done it without Joe and the boys. Talking of which, 'Johnny Was' by Stiff Little Fingers, which (amazingly) is even worse than 'Police And Thieves' by The Clash. And didn't The Ruts try their hand at reggae as well?

― Andrew L, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

THE CLASH??????!!!???!??

I don't think anyone should be allowed to say that. Armiggideon Time (spelling is bad this morning) was produced by Mikey Dread. Also, the name "the Clash" is a reference to the famed Jamaican sound clashes.

And Mouse on Mars?? I didn't mind that track on idiology.

I think the worst has got to be that Bryan Adams song someone mentioned. I remember hearing that on the radio and nearly puking.

― cybele, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

you're a cod-reggae virgin till you've heard George Harrison's "Gone Troppo." that's right, "Troppo"--his way of saying "tropical," crinkle crinkle mince mince. anyone who thinks wrongly that the Clash made lousy reggae needs to download THIS piece of shit just to see how wrong they are.

― M. Matos, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Yeah, that Bob Marley geezer really couldn't have done it without Joe and the boys

Say what you think ... I'm not saying that Bob Marley couldn't have made music without the Clash. I'm saying that Reggae would have not reached a mass, white audience without the punk/reggae crossover, of which the Clash was a definite leader.

But I will backpedal a little and give Don Letts even more credit for the success of Reggae.

― Dave225, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

If we are going to start talking chicken and egg like, I think one would have to say that the Clash wouldn't have existed if it wasn't for reggae, and that the reggae/punk connection was surely a major key in providing both types of music with wider audiences.

In truth, I think the major factor in making reggae popular in the UK is the existence of a class division. By virtue of the fact that working class kids of various cultures would hang out together, there would be more of a chance that hybrid stuff (Clash, Specials, Madness- -any ska, really) would be produced and there'd be more exchange and acceptance of different types of music.

To this day, reggae, dub, and dancehall are much more mainstream in the UK than in the US. I could go on, but I think I'm rambling.

― cybele, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I like Tom's answer better. Said it before, said it again, give me the Ruts anyday of the goddamn week over the Clash's monstrosities.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

fuckin contrary: "The Word Girl" sucks.

― Tracer Hand, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Ned,

'kay...you may not like it, but you gots to appreciate it in some small way. There is lots of music I am not particularly fond of, but I can appreciate its historical context and importance...

e.g. (people are going to think me a tone deaf slag) Kraftwerk

...I think I'm edging into a new question here...

― cybele, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Oh, I won't deny its influence, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. ;-) And it sounds like you're the same way about Kraftwerk, so hey.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Beatles (McCartney) did as much as the Clash in bringing reggae (okay, bluebeat and ska) to the "masses," no? I'm thinking "She's a Woman" and "O-Bla-Di-Bla-Da."

― scott woods, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

No reason at all for " " around the word masses above. That kind of thing is just irritating.

― scott woods, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

bob marley

― bob snoom, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Now, just because Marley has become infuriatingly popular with the fratboys n' Phish set doesn't mean some of his music isn't fantastic. It's worst sin is being so damn accessible.

― turner, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

just being silly as per usual

― bob snoom, Friday, 9 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

This business about the Clash and their contribution to spreading the word of reggae. You're not forced to like Bankrobber, but that production is deep and spaced out in a way that (to my recollection) had never been done by a non-Jamaican artist before. It also happens to be a great track. The Word Girl, changing the subject, was nothing amazing, but Sweetest Girl was gorgeous.

― Daniel, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

surely E.Clapton did 'white reggae' to far wider rock n pop listenership well before The Clash (I Shot the Sheriff, etc), and what about C Moon by Wings huh?

loopy

― loopy, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

just read back scott's comments about Beatles... surely these songs were made before Reggae (as such) was known by that name (it was Blue Beat or Ska) and I think there is a difference between these forms... Reggae itself came out of the distillation of this Jamaican pop with Rastafarianism, through dub, ganga and (crucially) Lee Perry, didn't it?

If we accept the Beatles She's a Woman, Obla di, (as Reggae influenced) then I think My Boy Lollypop by Milly was far more influential on a white mainstream, in the UK anyway.t

― loopy, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Not only My Boy Lollipop, there were a *lot* of big reggae hits throughout the late 60s and early 70s in the UK - and these were top 10s and number ones in the normal pop charts. i think the Beatles were just reflecting on this

― m jemmeson, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Worst, bless his soul: Jeff Buckley - Despite The Tears

Best: Wyclef - Guantanamera remix with Beenie Man, though I like to think it's mostly Beenie's doing.

― Diarrhea Storm, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

That makes sense to me--the Beatles were "reflecting on" some of the chart (pre) reggae of the day--but were there really "a lot" of them? I'm asking this partly because I'm mildly skeptical but also because I'd love to hear more stuff that sounds just like "My Boy Lollipop" which is such a great record. Also, I hear more of that particular sound in the later Beatles hit ("O-Bla-Di") than in the 1965 one ("She's a Woman"), which has a much heavier rhythm than the jaunty ska feel.

Is there a good place to read about the influence of reggae on 60s pop and vice-versa (the early Wailers did great Beatles and Dylan covers, after all)?

None of this falls under "worst reggae attempts"--sorry if I've steered this elsewhere.

― scott woods, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

"The Word Girl" is a work of genius, as is Scritti's cover of the (late 64, actually) Beatles B-side mentioned above.

"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight", 1990 model, is a Palmer / UB40 collaboration: got monstrous amount of UK airplay at the time. WHY?

Sinker, however, is on to something. "Dreadlock Holiday" second most hideous thing of the British 70s. Most hideous is an advert placed at the time for the album from which it comes. I'm saying no more.

― Robin Carmody, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

What abt "Redondo Beach" off Horses? This track's presence has prob made me unable to figure out how/why it's allegedly one of those life-changing albums.

― daria gray, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Did anybody hear Bounty Killer bust into No Doubt's new single?

― Honda, Saturday, 10 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

"My favourite reggae track by a non-reggae artist has to be 'All that she wants' by Ace of Base. I love that record."

apparently this was lee perrys favourite tune for years, or somethin

― ambrose, Monday, 12 November 2001 01:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

thirteen years pass...

top

― Cory Sklar, Sunday, 19 July 2015 22:26 (eight years ago) link

bad posts on here

― Live Aid: JFC (Noodle Vague), Monday, 20 July 2015 06:50 (eight years ago) link

surely E.Clapton did 'white reggae' to far wider rock n pop listenership well before The Clash (I Shot the Sheriff, etc), and what about C Moon by Wings huh?
loopy
― loopy, Saturday, November 10, 2001 1:00 AM (13 years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

― (no offence to people) (dog latin), Monday, 20 July 2015 08:26 (eight years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31k3YDH7Qvg

― Tuomas, Monday, 20 July 2015 08:44 (eight years ago) link

spanish death reggae

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbZA_PiCcbA

― Adam J Duncan, Monday, 20 July 2015 09:22 (eight years ago) link

Got a real soft spot for Laid Back "Sunshine Reggae" and Laid Back in general so I disagree with its inclusion near top of thread.

― andrew m., Monday, 20 July 2015 16:49 (eight years ago) link

companion thread:

What does "cod reggae" have to do with fish, anyway?

― andrew m., Monday, 20 July 2015 16:52 (eight years ago) link

Searching for the video of The Belle Stars' "Iko Iko" recently, I came across the Captain Jack Eurodance version, which led to me watching their version of "Say Captain," and this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHfuJ3zI7Jw

― Half as cool as Man Sized Action (Dan Peterson), Monday, 20 July 2015 17:16 (eight years ago) link

As for fake reggae sounds, no time like the present to repost the disco reggae mix I compiled with help from ilxors https://m.mixcloud.com/doglatin/steady-operator-disco-reggae-sounds/

― (no offence to people) (dog latin), Monday, 20 July 2015 17:46 (eight years ago) link

Oh, Sandie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=290VKOBYu7w

― Pheeel, Monday, 20 July 2015 17:47 (eight years ago) link

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