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Showing posts with label Reggae. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reggae. Show all posts

Sunday, August 03, 2014

"Down Under" Men At Work (Original Version, 1980)


This is the original independent Australian self-release of "Down Under" by Men At Work. It was the B-side to their first local single titled "Keypunch Operator", released before the band signed with CBS Records.

This version of "Down Under" sounds almost entirely different from the worldwide famous hit version, which is upbeat and poppy. This original version is much slower, almost reggae in tempo.



Tuesday, February 12, 2013

"Live Is Life" Opus (1985)


Interesting tune from Opus. Austria is usually one of the last places on Earth you'd look for reggae. But this one hit wonder scored a massive new wave hit with this flytape catchy tune.




Instant '80s Pop Culture Fact: "Live Is Life" was the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh's favourite song. It also came out at the height of his cult's popularity.


Imagine a bobblehead of this guy if you want a visual of how the Bhagwan danced.....

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Bob Marley & The Wailers: Early Music


Here's a nifty little compilation of some of Bob Marley & The Wailer's earliest recordings (with Peter Tosh.) Released in 1977 as Bob Marley was making his mark on American FM rock stations and people everywhere were discovering this strange new music called "reggae". Whereas back then, punk was loud, fast and snotty, reggae was the mellow, laid back stuff your stoner next door neighbour played loudly on his stereo every Sunday morning.

While on the surface, this might look like your typical major label budget compilation (Calla was the hard funk/Caribbean music imprint of CBS Records) to cash in on a big trend by reissuing a current superstar's early material, this album is surprisingly well mastered with some instantly catchy tunes ("Wings Of A Dove", "I'm Still Waiting") and excellent liner notes on the back cover.




On this one, you hear more of a '60s soul influence (these sessions were recorded in the late '60s, before Marley's more rock-influenced Island albums in the '70s that made him a superstar) and Bob Marley could have easily scored a few '60s US hits if CBS were actively looking in Jamaica for exciting new music. Which they weren't (NOBODY outside of Island and a few specialty labels were doing that.) These recordings are reissued material Bob Marley & The Wailers recorded for New World Disc Records. It's a necessary companion to Bob Marley's greatest hits album Legend.
And the perfect soundtrack for a Sunday morning.....