Reggae punk

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Reggae punk (also known as punk reggae) is a genre of music originating in England in the late-1970s. It is characterized by a fusion of reggae music with punk rock. The genre originated amongst punk rock artists who mixed in reggae (and sometimes lovers rock [2] ) elements into their punk rock sound. The most notable band to do this was the Clash, [3] having done so on many records. They even covered reggae songs such as Toots and the Maytals' "Pressure Drop", released as the B-side to "English Civil War", both from 1978's Give 'Em Enough Rope . Bob Marley also gave a nod to this genre by writing and recording "Punky Reggae Party" in 1977. [4]

Contents

As the 1980s dawned, the genre would infuse itself into other Jamaican inspired genres, such as two-tone and ska punk.

History

1970s

Reggae punk first appeared in the late-1970s in England by punk rock bands incorporating reggae (and even lovers rock) elements into their music. The most notable band to have done this was the Clash. [3] They have covered reggae songs by artists such as Toots and the Maytals, and even written their own. This sound continued up until their final album Cut the Crap , with which they avoided the reggae sounds of their prior albums. [5]

When Clash bassist Paul Simonon was getting his start in the music business and learning to play the bass, he found it easier to play along to reggae songs rather than traditional rock songs. [3]

In 1977, reggae musician Bob Marley would give a nod to the reggae-punk scene by writing and recording "Punky Reggae Party". [4]

In July 1977, DJ Tommy Vance of Capital Radio invited John Lydon of the Sex Pistols onto his show, where he gave an interview and was allowed to spin records from his collection. While it featured artists from various genres such as Captain Beefheart and Tim Buckley, no genre was more prominent than reggae, which he revealed he grew up on. [3]

In 1977, the Police would form. Initially considered a punk rock band, they soon expanded their sound to incorporate pop, new wave and reggae. In a retrospective assessment, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine argued that the notion of the Police as a punk band was only true "in the loosest sense of the term", and stated that the band's "nervous, reggae-injected pop/rock was punky" and had a "punk spirit" but it "wasn't necessarily punk". [6]

The Slits have also been described as punk-reggae by The Independent . [7]

1980s and beyond

In the 1980s, the sounds of reggae punk would be absorbed into other genres. Two-tone, which emerged in the late 1970s, arose from a fusion of punk rock, new wave, reggae, ska and rocksteady. [8] The genre took its name from the 2 Tone record label that was founded by Jerry Dammers of the Specials in 1979. [9]

The Clash's 1980 triple-album Sandinista! has been described as reggae punk by Pitchfork . [10]

In the 1990s, a genre derived from two-tone, ska, punk rock, and hardcore punk, known as ska punk, emerged. It is closely tied to third wave ska which reached its zenith in the mid-1990s. Notable bands of this style of music include Sublime, [11] [12] [13] No Doubt, Less Than Jake, the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] and Fishbone. [19]

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones have also been described as ska-core, [20] which fuses ska punk with hardcore punk.

Ska punk would also fuse itself with crust punk to create crack rock steady. [21] Notable bands within the genre include Choking Victim, Leftöver Crack, Morning Glory and Star Fucking Hipsters. [22]

Reggae punk would also infuse itself into hardcore punk to create reggaecore. Bad Brains are a notable band of this style, incorporating hardcore punk and reggae elements into their sound.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reggae</span> Music genre

Reggae is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first popular song to use the word reggae, effectively naming the genre and introducing it to a global audience. While sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of popular Jamaican dance music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that was strongly influenced by traditional mento as well as by American jazz and rhythm and blues, and evolved out of the earlier genres ska and rocksteady. Reggae usually relates news, social gossip, and political commentary. It is instantly recognizable from the counterpoint between the bass and drum downbeat and the offbeat rhythm section. The immediate origins of reggae were in ska and rocksteady; from the latter, reggae took over the use of the bass as a percussion instrument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ska</span> Music genre

Ska is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walking bass line accented with rhythms on the off beat. It was developed in Jamaica in the 1960s when Stranger Cole, Prince Buster, Clement "Coxsone" Dodd, and Duke Reid formed sound systems to play American rhythm and blues and then began recording their own songs. In the early 1960s, ska was the dominant music genre of Jamaica and was popular with British mods and with many skinheads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Doubt</span> American rock band

No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of its career, the band has consisted of vocalist and founding member Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal and drummer Adrian Young. Keyboardist Eric Stefani, Gwen's brother, was also a former member when the band started to release albums in 1992. Since the mid-1990s, trombonist Gabrial McNair and trumpeter Stephen Bradley have performed with the band as session and touring musicians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Mighty Mighty Bosstones</span> American ska punk band

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones were an American ska punk band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1983. From the band's inception, lead vocalist Dicky Barrett, bassist Joe Gittleman, tenor saxophonist Tim "Johnny Vegas" Burton and dancer ("Bosstone") Ben Carr remained constant members. The band's final line-up also included drummer Joe Sirois, saxophonist Leon Silva, guitarist Lawrence Katz, keyboardist John Goetchius, and trombonist Chris Rhodes.

<i>40oz. to Freedom</i> 1992 studio album by Sublime

40oz. to Freedom is the debut studio album by American ska punk band Sublime, originally released on June 1, 1992, on Skunk Records. It was later reissued by MCA. 40oz. to Freedom's sound blended various forms of Jamaican music, including ska, rocksteady, roots reggae, and dub along with hardcore punk and hip hop.

Two-tone or 2 tone, also known as ska-rock and ska revival, is a genre of British popular music of the late 1970s and early 1980s that fused traditional Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae music with elements of punk rock and new wave music. Its name derives from 2 Tone Records, a record label founded in 1979 by Jerry Dammers of the Specials, and references a desire to transcend and defuse racial tensions in Thatcher-era Britain: many two-tone groups, such as the Specials, the Selecter and the Beat, featured a mix of black, white, and multiracial people.

Ska punk is a fusion genre that mixes ska music and punk rock music. Ska punk tends to feature brass instruments, especially horns such as trumpets, trombones and woodwind instruments like saxophones, making the genre distinct from other forms of punk rock. It is closely tied to third wave ska which reached its zenith in the mid-1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punky Reggae Party</span> 1977 single by Bob Marley

"Punky Reggae Party" is a song by Bob Marley, recorded and released in 1977. Not appearing on any studio album, it was released in 1977 as a 12-inch single in Jamaica only on the Tuff Gong and Lee Perry's Black Art labels, as a B-side to the "Jamming" single on Chris Blackwell's Island Records label in some countries and was later released as a live single on Babylon by Bus. Subsequently, it appeared on a number of compilations and "Best of" albums as well as the Deluxe Edition of Exodus and the 2002 CD reissue of Legend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toots and the Maytals</span> Jamaican musical group

The Maytals, known from 1972 to 2020 as Toots and the Maytals, are a Jamaican musical group, one of the best known ska and rocksteady vocal groups. The Maytals were formed in the early 1960s and were key figures in popularizing reggae music.

"54-46 " is a song by Fred "Toots" Hibbert, recorded by Toots and the Maytals, originally released on the Beverley's label in Jamaica and the Pyramid label in the UK. A follow-up version released a year later, "54-46 Was My Number", was one of the first reggae songs to receive widespread popularity outside Jamaica, and is seen as being one of the defining songs of the genre. It has been anthologised repeatedly and the titles of several reggae anthologies include "54-46" in their title.

There are several subgenres of reggae music including various predecessors to the form.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skankin' Pickle</span> American ska punk band

Skankin' Pickle was an American ska punk band formed in San Jose, California that was active from 1989 to 1997.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toots Hibbert</span> Jamaican musician (1942–2020)

Frederick Nathaniel "Toots" Hibbert, was a Jamaican singer and songwriter who was the lead vocalist for the reggae and ska band Toots and the Maytals. A reggae pioneer, he performed for six decades and helped establish some of the fundamentals of reggae music. Hibbert's 1968 song "Do the Reggay" is widely credited as the genesis of the genre name reggae. His band's album True Love won a Grammy Award in 2005.

People from the Caribbean have made significant contributions to British Black music for many generations.

Byron Lee and the Dragonaires are a Jamaican ska, calypso and soca band. The band played a crucial pioneering role in bringing Caribbean music to the world. Byron Lee died on 4 November 2008, after suffering from cancer for a sustained period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deal's Gone Bad</span> American band

Deal's Gone Bad is a band from Chicago, Illinois. Their sound mixes reggae, rocksteady, and ska music with American soul. They have been together since 1994, with numerous lineup changes over the years. The current incarnation has been mostly stable since 2003. The band hews to a more traditional ska-reggae sound while many others working in the genre morphed into a more punk variety.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sublime (band)</span> American rock band

Sublime is an American rock band from Long Beach, California, formed in 1988. The band's original lineup consisted of Bradley Nowell, Eric Wilson (bass), and Bud Gaugh (drums). Lou Dog, Nowell's dalmatian, was the mascot of the band. Nowell died of a heroin overdose in 1996, resulting in the band's breakup. In 1997, songs such as "What I Got", "Santeria", "Wrong Way", "Doin' Time", and "April 29, 1992 (Miami)" were released to U.S. radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Skints</span>

The Skints are an English reggae punk band from London, described by Clash Music as "the torchbearers for modern British reggae music." The Skints mix reggae, ska, dub, punk rock, dancehall, soul, and rap, touring extensively across the UK, Europe and the United States. Their album Swimming Lessons (2019) debuted at number 1 on the Billboard reggae chart. Their original style of music has been described as "tropical punk".

References

  1. ↑ Staff, Goldmine (26 May 2023). "Mighty Mighty Bosstones' Joe Gittleman thrives on new LP with ska newcomers". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia.
  2. ↑ "The Clash: Still Calling Page 2". Stereophile.com. 6 December 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stegall, Tim (15 July 2021). "How punk and reggae united and went "outernational" to rule the world". Alternative Press Magazine.
  4. 1 2 "Unite and Fight! England's Punk-Reggae Hybrid, PopMatters". 15 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Salewicz (2007), p. 363
  6. ↑ "The Police Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic.
  7. ↑ "Ari Up: Rebellious and confrontational singer with punk-reggae band". The Independent. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  8. ↑ "Ska Revival Music Genre Overview". AllMusic.
  9. ↑ "The Specials Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  10. ↑ https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-200-best-albums-of-the-1980s/
  11. ↑ Blakinger, Keri (February 22, 2016). "Six Sublime songs that maintain relevance today". NY Daily News . Archived from the original on September 23, 2016.
  12. ↑ Rosenblum, Lenni (January 13, 2012). "A Sublime History: Looking Back on What Happened to One of the Best Ska Punk Bands of the 90s". Phoenix New Times . Archived from the original on September 23, 2016.
  13. ↑ Joel Selvin (March 23, 2008). "Selvin, Joel, San Francisco Chronicle, "A brief history of ska" Sunday, March 23, 2008". Sfgate.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
  14. ↑ Uitti, Jacob (15 March 2021). "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Premiere New Video for "I DON'T BELIEVE IN ANYTHING"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  15. ↑ Hughes, Josiah. "Mighty Mighty Bosstones At Work On New Material". exclaim!. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  16. ↑ Trapp, Philip (28 January 2022). "THE MIGHTY MIGHTY BOSSTONES HAVE BROKEN UP". Loudwire. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  17. ↑ Fiorello, Vinnie (14 July 2015). "The 10 best ska-punk bands of the '90s". Louder Sound. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  18. ↑ Korrs, Ivan. "Ska Punk Band The Mighty Might Bosstones Split: What Could Be The Cause?". Music Times. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  19. ↑ Colón, Suzan (June 1996). "Rudeboy Awakening SPIN's guide to the history of ska". Spin . 12 (4): 28. ISSN   0886-3032.
  20. ↑ Considine, J. d (25 December 1993). "The Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Plaid to the Bone : Pop music: The clothes, which came before the Mercury deal, are meant to reflect the band's diversity". Los Angeles Times.
  21. ↑ "14 Bush-era political artworks that stood the test of time". The A.V. Club. 23 January 2017.
  22. ↑ GENTILE, JOHN (12 September 2015). "Sonic Reducer: Crack Rock Steady" . Retrieved 14 May 2024.
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