Customer Reviews

Pure Reggae

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

WHOEVER PUT THIS TOGETHER HASN'T A CLUE! I AM A JAMAICAN. I GREW UP WITH REGGAE. THIS ALBUM SHOULD BE CALLED "25% REGGAE", CERTAINLY NOT "PURE REGGAE".

"Pure Reggae?" Please. Whoever put this together was so scared of offending Joe Armchair (who, by the way, buys TV CDs more than any other group), that they've managed to take all the fun and adventure out of Jamaican music.

"Montego Bay" is about as reggae as the Osmond Brothers. Just because you're FROM Jamaica (Bobby Bloom, Eddy Grant, e.g.) doesn't mean you necessarily do reggae music. Did you EVER for a SECOND think of "Electric Avenue" as anything but a rock song?

Skip this and order "Tougher Than Tough: The Story Of Jamaican Music" on Mango. It has almost 100 tracks in all and is worth every darn penny.

That Track Listing is wrong. Here is the track listing in the correct order:

1. Stir It Up-Bob Marley & The Wailers

2. Don't Turn Around-Aswad

3. Hot Hot Hot-Arrow

4. Now That We've Found Love-Third World

5. Bad Boys (Theme From "Cops")-Inner Circle

6. I Shot The Sheriff-Eric Clapton

7. Israelites-Desmond Dekker

8. Rivers Of Babylon-The Melodians

9. Many Rivers To Cross-Jimmy Cliff

10. Tease Me-Chaka Demus & Pliers

11. Montego Bay-Freddie Notes & The Rudies

12. Kingston Town-Lord Creator

13. My Boy Lollipop-Millie Small

14. Boom Shakalak-Apache Indian

15. Electric Avenue-Eddy Grant

16. Baby, I Love Your Way-Big Mountain

17. You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)-Dawn Penn

18. Exodus-Bob Marley and The Wailers

Although Tracks 1, 2, and 18 are correct.

If you like REGGAE, don't waste $... on this CD. Although Marley's tracks are good, "ELECTRIC AVENUE" is about about as close to Reggae as "Gangsta's Paradise" is to opera. Hearing "Bad Boys" reminds me of a bunch of cops beating down on some guy with nightsticks. Some of the middle tracks sound like they were copied off a cassette. I know they are old, but if you want to hear reggae from the '70's go buy some Jimmy Cliff or Peter Tosh CD. When friends are in the car listening to the cd, they don't believe me when I tell them it is pure REGGAE. Thats how well this CD covers reggae. Also, don't think you can turn this on to get a party going. Most of the songs are slow and not jumpy. Bottom line, PURE REGGAE is far from being pure reggae. The last time I saw Erich Clapton, I'm pretty sure he was a white guy with glasses and not a Jamaican with dreadlocks. SUGGESTIONS FOR GOOD REGGAE CD'S: Anything by UB40 or Inner Circle, LEGEND by Bob Marley

For the most part I agree with the caustic review from the gentleman from Phoenix. But. The Eddy Grant, Big Mountain, and Eric Clapton tracks obviously reduce the risk factor for people who wouldn't even venture out this far otherwise. The box set Mr. Tuerff recommends looks great, but hello, 56 bucks... More affordably, I recommend the Toots and the Maytals CD on the Music Club label. Sadly, however, the self-promoting liner notes, which "decree" that "if you only have two Reggae records in your collection...they will be Legend by Bob Marley and Pure Reggae," are probably correct for a lot of people.

I got this for a couple of classics I'd read about (Dave Marsh, Heart of Rock and Soul, great book): the Melodians' "Rivers Of Babylon" and Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers To Cross." The most pleasant surprise--song I may never have stumbled on otherwise--was the beautifully-sung "Kingston Town" by Lord Creator. The vocal has an echoed effect that reminds me of doo-wop and/or Little Anthony and the Imperials. With a reggae beat, of course. I also liked Chaka Demus and Pliers' "Tease Me." I already had the early hits "My Boy Lollipop" and "Israelites," which are both authentic and good.

"Electric Avenue" is a great song. But it belongs here as much as any other great song that isn't reggae, which is not at all. I knew Arrow's "Hot Hot Hot", a 1988 hit for Buster Poindexter a/k/a David Johansen, was also not reggae, but I won't pretend I knew it was actually soca before I saw the Amazon review above. Humble to the end...and then there's Aswad's "Don't Turn Around." Written by reggae pioneers Diane Warren and Albert Hammond, this later became a big hit for Ace of Base. I guess it's reggae, but it sure wasn't in earlier versions by Tina Turner and Neil Diamond. Big Mountain's "Baby I Love Your Way" may draw the whiny Gen-X crowd (it was originally released on the "Reality Bites" soundtrack), but it's my least favorite song on here. My finger still hurts from changing radio stations during its top 10 reign of terror in 1994.

All in all, enough good songs in one place to get three stars, but the title should be reported to the Better Business Bureau's anti-fraud division.

This CD is a great CD for those who are not great fans of reggae. Is it a down deep Rock Steady Compilation - NO. But if you are looking for somethng to play at a party that anyone can enjoy, this CD works. You may convert a few listeners and then feed them the classics later. All of the songs are fun even if they are not all pure reggae - at least you'll have a CD that doesn't get ripped out of the player and replaced with Britney.

This is one of my favorite CD's. My friends like it, my wife likes it, and even my kids like it. I love the variety, the pacing, and how the songs go from one great song to another.

First of all, half of the songs on this album are barely even what I'd consider Reggae. All this album basically is made up of is hits that border on Reggae and overcommercialized hits. If you are a true fan of Reggae, save your money.

This is so far the best reggae that I have heard in a long time...I really love Bob Martley but some of these other artists are also wonderful....I can't get enough of listening to it....I love the songs that was picked for this cd....keep up the good work!

I was given this album on a casette many years ago. Unfortunately, someone misplaced it. I've been hoping to find another one, even another casette, but a CD is even better. This CD purely and simply makes me feel HAPPY!!!!!