Reggae UK Hits

Ska, dub, rocksteady, dancehall . . . reggae pulls together all the musical threads from one lynchpin Caribbean island: Jamaica. From political protest to steamy hedonism, reggae runs a lyrical gamut as wide as the Caribbean Sea, and these Essentials all struck a chord in the U.K. Mash it up for starters with the likes of Desmond Dekker ("Israelites"), before taking your Next Steps.

No doubt about it — we like our reggae in all its crossover splendour, whether that means Sean Paul's highly infectious mainstream dancehall ("Like Glue"), or UB40 teaming up with Chrissie Hynde for a cover of Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe", or even Jimmy Cliff lending his island vibe to Cat Stevens' "Wild World". And we didn't mention Eddy Grant yet. Too late, it's time to sample our Deep Cuts . . .

No Jamaican experience of London seems complete without a blast of Junior Murvin's "Police & Thieves", given reggae's effectiveness as a social mirror and barometer; perhaps no track better represents a summer afternoon in Brixton or Camden Town than Bob Marley's "Jammin'"; and the words "Tomorrow People" suggest more than just a cult '70s sci-fi TV series, thanks to Ziggy Marley.

Reggae is one of the richest genres in all of popular music: as soon as you hear those guitars chopping on the backbeat (the bedrock rhythm they call skank), or the electronic flourishes of dub and dancehall, you're instantly transported to Jamaica, and immersed in its political and spiritual history. These tracks, alongside those of native artists, not only transform a feel-good island vibe into something that captures the joy and pain of being human; they also impart a special resonance to British listeners.