What Are You Listening To?

The Olivia Tremor Control

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg

Note original lp cover does not mention I heard it through the grapevine

Subsequently album was retitled I heard it through the grapevine

Marvin’s best pre What’s going on album. 1968.

Og shit Jamaican pressing on Isaacs’ own label African Museum

1982 ..the end of the line for me in terms of reggae…..this is slick

Worth 99 cents though

Another cool 99 cent pickup…so far one skip

Pioneer punk transexual

Don’t think I’ve ever knew there was a Wayne county album
Gotta be at least one interesting guest

hutch wrote:

1982 ..the end of the line for me in terms of reggae…..

Yeah there is a tipping point for me with Jamaican music,
For a long time, almost no bad tracks (I’m sure there were some), starting in the 60s right to the 80a
1000’s of great recordings from this tiny island

Then from a vague point, 1982 sounds a right
I can  point to no Jamaican music that i would actually want to listen to on repeat

Yeah we have agreed on this here many times.

Just to add something new

Two main factors
1. The change in equipment (computers/digital) made producers go less with live musicians cause it was way cheaper. And those horrid digital drums and keyboards
2. People got sick about roots reggae singing about jah jah, repatriation, Halie Sellasie and dreads particularly when things in Jamaica got increasingly violent AND the lyrics about 1979 began to shift into dancehall (pum pum, rub a dub and slackness)


And
3. Key figures kept getting killed or moving to Canada, US, UK to avoid getting killed…or laying low in Jamaica to stay alive….reggae became really dangerous…also really political…just read about Peter Tosh’s death…Jamaica got really bad: see King Tubby’s end (and he was laying low). Too many key people moved out: Coxsone of Studio One, the Chin’s of Randy’s Records… so many of them moved to Brooklyn or Queens

So the music becomes stiff digital rhythm backed by lyrics that offer nothing

Such a bummer cause for about 20 years Jamaican music ruled and really evolved…in interesting directions

The optimism reflected in early Jamaican music as an outgrowth of independence in 1962 -with ska- and evolving through rocksteady, reggae, roots, DJ, dub etc 20 years later became violent…sort of parallels the evolution of black music in America from r&b to Motown to soul to Philly soul to rap.. that’s not a coincidence

Good day for blue note

cadhatch wrote:
Don’t think I’ve ever knew there was a Wayne county album
Gotta be at least one interesting guest

There are several albums. All recently re-released.  All quite fun.

A dr john album from 2000 that is new to me

Mostly live with Donald Harrison


I love dr John

hutch wrote:
I love dr John

for sure, almost always worth the listen

Dr John sure has a ton of records

This one with Art Blakey and David Newman


https://www.discogs.com/release/3780368-Bluesiana-Triangle-Bluesiana-Triangle

Art sounds on his deathbed croaking a few songs…sad…

Finally arrived. Not sure why it was held up

Still great in 2025…60 years

Organ Fairchild

grateful wrote:
Organ Fairchild

same but when I usually post about funky jazz organ trios, it's greeted with a chorus of snickers

Deep Sea Diver