Reggae's cultural breakthrough in the UK in the 1970s had many points that seem like watersheds including but not only: Bob Marley's rise to global fame and string of hit singles; Chris Blackwell and Island Records' focus on the Jamaican sound systems and artists; the Notting Hill Carnival's growth and popularity; various punk bands covering and promoting reggae and dub songs (not least The Clash's punk- reggae covers and John Lydon's enthusiasm); various budget price reggae compilations such as the Reggae Chartbusters and Tighten Up series of albums; and a pair of films and their soundtracks, 1972's The Harder They Come starring Jimmy Cliff and featuring a host of classic reggae songs and 1978's Rockers.
The Rockers OST is a brilliant primer, a collection of hits and deep cuts from Jamaica, stars and lesser known acts, a sampler of roots reggae at its best. The film shows 70s reggae and its culture at its best, following Horsemouth, a drummer, and his money making plan to sell reggae records to the soundsystems, buzzing around the island on his orange motorbike. It started as a documentary and stars many reggae artists as themselves- Leroy Horsemouth Wallace is filmed at their homes with is actual family. Robbie Shakespeare, Big Youth, Dillinger, Gregory Isaacs and Burning Spear all appear. Eventually things go wrong for Horsemouth and his bike is stolen and he runs into problems with organised crime.
The soundtrack is fourteen songs from the film (with another sixteen heard in the film and not on the soundtrack album). This is sample of five of them opening with Inner Circle and the line, 'Dreadlocks, dreadlocks/ Flying through the air',a tribute to roots rockers reggae...
Junior Murvin's Police And Thieves is a genuine classic, his voice quivering and floating over Lee Perry's production..
The Heptones' Book Of Rules is a sensational piece of vocal reggae, originally a single in 1973, the three way vocals a joy and the song apparently based on an American poem A Bag Of Tools by Robert Lee Sharpe.
Bunny Wailer's Rockers provides the film with a title and a very slinky piece of reggae, harmonica on top of the rhythms and Bunny singing of skanking with the rockers in the morning.
Burning Spear were led by the golden voice of Winston Rodney, represented here in almost a capella style over an ambient/ found sound backdrop, Winston singing of Marcus Garvey, Addis Ababa and Jah. Weirdly, this is the first time that I've ever posted any Burning Spear here.