Reggae In The '70s

Developed in the '60s as a slowed-down version of ska, reggae exploded into the mainstream during the '70s, the genre's strongest decade, and the reason for these all-time classic Essentials. Begin with the great Bob Marley ("No Woman, No Cry"), and Jimmy Cliff's signature from the cult movie of the same name, "The Harder They Come", before taking your Next Steps.

The big names of reggae will already be familiar to you, so here we're going to introduce you to a fistful of Jamaican legends who may have slipped under your radar. Barry Biggs had covered an Osmonds track before breaking through with "Work All Day" in 1972, while Junior Byles gave up his job as a firefighter to deliver some of the finest roots reggae ever recorded ("Curly Locks").

Several '70s reggae heroes took their names from legendary American outlaws, hence the existence of one Dennis Alcapone (who had been born Dennis Smith) and Dillinger, who hooks up here with the high-voiced Junior Murvin under Lee "Scratch" Perry's production umbrella for "Roots Train". Tapper Zukie took part of his moniker from a Kingston gang, the Zukies.

The '70s remains reggae's greatest decade, a time when roots reggae artists like Bob Marley, Johnny Clarke, and Horace Andy cemented their legend, and the highly inventive overlords of studio production — notably King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry — shaped the foundations of dub. These Essentials carry the intoxicating whiff of smoke, the ecstasy of Rastafarian spirituality, and burning anger at the forces of oppression, all held together by the skank and bass of a genre that never seems to lose its relevance or its impact.