Sunday, April 10, 2022

Ten Bold Cover Tunes Part XIII: Reggae Versions Of Classics

Reggae music, a genre inspired primarily by the rhythms of Africa, American rhythm and blues, and the traditional folk music of the Caribbean, never quite caught on in the United States. The late, great Bob Marley was a rare example of a reggae artist who had multiple hit albums in the States. British New Wave Bands of the 1980s like the Police and Punk band like the Clash were able to get reggae beats on American FM radio, but by and large the genre still remains obscure over here. 

There have been a number of great (or at least intriguing) reggae versions of classic songs. Below are 10 of them. I especially like it when rock bands adopt a reggae style when covering a tune, but I also appreciate it when reggae bands apply their style to a rock tune. The list below has both types represented. Here they are: 

#10 The Abyssinians cover of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." Dylan's classic civil rights movement anthem always had a sermonic quality to it. The Abyssinans' roots reggae style is sermonic by design, and as such they end up with a powerful, beautiful version on the song. 

#9 Eric Clapton, Swing Low Sweet Chariot (Traditional hymn). In the early 1970s British rocker Eric Clapton had an international hit with his cover of Bob Marley's reggae classic "I Shot The Sheriff." In 1975 he recorded a version of the traditional Christian spiritual "Swing Low Sweet Chariot," demonstrating a mastery of the reggae genre in the same way he had mastered blues in the 1960s. (Note to people who cannot separate art and politics: yes, I know that Clapton has been a Covidiot the last few years.). 

#8 Frank Zappa, Ring of Fire. During a concert stop in Germany in 1988, Zappa and his band by chance were staying in the same hotel as Johnny Cash. Zappa got Cash to agree to perform on stage with his band, but apparently June Carter Cash got ill so Johnny could not attend. Instead, Frank's band did a reggae version of "Ring of Fire." It's pure Zappa in how it weds sublime musicianship with satire. 

#7 The Clash, "Junco Partner". As their music became more overtly political and international in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Clash turned to reggae as a vehicle to express their views and emotions. Their cover of "Junco Partner," a classic New Orleans blues tune originally recorded by James Waynes, is a remarkable rendition of a song about a "worthless" man. 

#6 UB 40, Red, Red Wine. Neil Diamond's original recording of "Red, Red, Wine" from the 1960s is one of his most underrated songs. It's one of the great heartbreak songs of all time, evoking all the misery that anyone who's ever suffered through a breakup can immediately identify with. UB 40's upbeat reggae version in 1983 brought the tune back into the public consciousness. 

#5: Bob Dylan, Don't Think Twice, It's Alright. Bob Dylan's cover of his own classic folk song appeared as a reggae version in his "Live at Budokan" album of 1979. No doubt the Japanese audience must have been intrigued by the reggae treatment. This is not Dylan's best work by a longshot, but what I like about it is that he took a risk to do something radically different. There's nothing worse, IMHO, then a popular recording artist who performs the same songs in the same "safe" way year after year. 

#4 Devo, Satisfaction. The alternative 1970s/1980s band Devo were known and admired for the wackiness they brought to rock. I'm not really even sure if this version would be considered reggae by music purists, but it certainly has the same beat pattern. Devo claims that they actually met Mick Jagger in New York and played him the record before releasing it, and he allegedly claimed it was his favorite version. 


#3 Joss Stone, "Here Comes The Sun". British soul crooner Joss Stone is such a fantastic singer it is difficult to imagine her doing a poor cover of anything. Her version of the Beatles' classic "Here Comes the Sun" appeared on a reggae tribute album for Nina Simone. It's amazing and ends up honoring not just Nina, but also the Beatles and the reggae genre.  

 #2 Shaggy, "In The Summertime." People of a certain age will remember Mungo Jerry's 1970 "In the Summertime" as a kind of baby boomer anthem of carefree living. Jamaican-American artist Shaggy's 1995 cover  updated the tune for Generation X, keeping its humor intact while making it much more danceable. 

Shaggy, In the Summertime


#1 Soul Asylum, "I Can See Clearly Now". Here's an example of a rock and roll band trying to cover an actual reggae song. It ends up sounding like a rock band imitating a reggae band imitating a rock band playing reggae. Or something like that. I love it. 

Soul Asylum, I Can See Clearly Now 

Listen to Previous editions in the Ten Bold Cover Tunes Series: 

 

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