One week today...

Sunday, 28. Juli 2024
Green Stage

Burning Spear back at Reggae Jam Festival

#burningspear #winstonrodney #rastafari #roots #reggae #singer #songwriter #reggaejam #livemusic #photography

1000 Day Album Challenge (#61) Burning Spear: Marcus Garvey (1975) [01.03.24]

slavery days / do you remember the days of slav'ry?...

I was lucky that as early as high school I was listening to reggae beyond Bob Marley & The Wailers. as I got older I became aware that often when someone claimed to like reggae they actually only meant, “I like Bob Marley.” it is my experience that many people aren’t familiar with much more than the Legend album by BMW. I think Marcus Garvey by @officialburningspear entered my life during my freshman or sophomore year of college.

as I listen to Marcus Garvey I realize it has been way too long since I last sat down and listened to it start to finish. as Live Good, the fourth song, plays and draws my attention to it, some time passes before I recognize it. the same thing with Give Me, which follows it. still love it though. I am going to have to listen more often.

I had no such problem with the first three tunes – Marcus Garvey, Slavery Days, and The Invasion all came roaring back. Winston Rodney (lead singer) and Burning Spear were on that Afrocentric vibe long before Native Tongues would take up the mantle a decade and a half later. it is likely Burning Spear’s strong political bent that kept them making a bigger dent in the U.S. market. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

not long before bed last night, but after I had already decided to post about Marcus Garvey today, I learned through a post by a friend (Steve Dolley) on FB, that today is Winston Rodney’s 79th birthday. a nice touch of serendipity involved with this post. I guess it was just the universe validating my choice.

here’s to keeping on!

#1000DayAlbumChallenge #BurningSpear #MarcusGarvey #SlaveryDays #TheInvasion #WinstonRodney

[This guest post was written by mega-contributor platenworm about number 624 on The List; the album was submitted by buffyleigh.]

One of the milestones from the golden age of reggae. Dark lyrical matters on a ultra heavy bass background. With a deep deep production from Errol Thompson & Jack Ruby, this album has it all.

It came out in 1975 and on the bass we hear the recently passed away Aston “Family Man” Barrett alongside the also gone but not forgotten Robbie Shakespeare. But the man of the hour is of course Winston Rodney a.k.a. Burning Spear with his soulful voice. And lyrical wise, his uncompromising conscious Rastafarian views and the suffering due to the African diaspora by slavery. Deep Soul Blues music from Jamaica……..

And don’t forget to play the dub version “Garvey’s Ghost” right after this Roots Rock Reggae Masterpiece.

• Songwhip: Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey
• Songwhip: Burning Spear – Garvey’s Ghost
• Discogs: Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey
• Wikipedia: Burning Spear – Marcus Garvey

[Alt text for accompanying image: The album cover of “Marcus Garvey” by Burning Spear. The band name is printed at an angle in red font in the top-right corner, and the album name is along the bottom edge in grey font, with chainlinks printed on each side. The artwork is in black and negative of two people holding spears, with a round photo of Marcus Garvey in the bottom left corner.]

https://1001otheralbums.com/2024/02/23/burning-spear-marcus-garvey-1975-jamaica/

#1001OtherAlbums #1970s #AstonBarrett #BurningSpear #Jamaica #MarcusGarvey #reggae #RobbieShakespeare #WinstonRodney