1/31/2006 - The Heathen (Live)
Song: The Heathen (Live)
Artist: Bob Marley
Why this song is the current jam: This track off of Bob's album, Baylon By Bus is perhaps my favorite Bob Marley song of all time. Probably it is part of a 3-way tie, but for now, lets focus on this song. First of all, this is the seminal version/recording of this song. Just listen to the album version off of Exodus. Severely lacking in comparison. The K-Os track reminded me of this, perhaps my all-time favorite reggae bassline. The rhythm on this track is just so HARRRD. I really never understood why Bob Marley's stuff sounded so fucking good until I had been swing dancing for several years. I had become more and more acquainted with different types of swing music and I eventually found myself (and still do find myself) drawn over and over again to those songs that have a certain tightness of rhythm. Like the band is together in a very synergistic sort of way, one that isnt so much about every little part so much as how they all cohere together. That is what makes a good swing song drive forward and make you want to swing out, the rhythm section punching it out, and everything on top playing off of that foundation. When I listen to Bob's stuff now, I realize that his band is so amazing because those guys were so very tight and together that with seemingly no effort at all they were able to produce these amazingly powerful, deep rhythms which underpinned all of his stuff. I mean, just listen to the drums - there is not a lot happening, but just like in Funky Drummer, it isn't that he does something crazy, he just takes that rhythm and goes deeper with it, accentuates it, and together with the bass, and the guitar, the rhythm is just unstoppable.
This has become a seminal, and hence much sampled, rhythm among reggae artists. Here are a few random examples I found by Yami Bolo, Shabba Ranks, and Pinchers. All still pretty hot tracks which just goes to show, you cant really eff up a beat this hot. I heard a recording of some Dance Hall MC on KMOJ (89.9 FM) a few years ago performing some freestyle to this track at a live show - it was one of the hottest things I have ever heard. The car was just exploding with the sound of this beat, this MC going off, and a crowd going crazy for it all. I wish I knew who it was, cuz I would find it and snatch it up in a second.
Artist: Bob Marley
Why this song is the current jam: This track off of Bob's album, Baylon By Bus is perhaps my favorite Bob Marley song of all time. Probably it is part of a 3-way tie, but for now, lets focus on this song. First of all, this is the seminal version/recording of this song. Just listen to the album version off of Exodus. Severely lacking in comparison. The K-Os track reminded me of this, perhaps my all-time favorite reggae bassline. The rhythm on this track is just so HARRRD. I really never understood why Bob Marley's stuff sounded so fucking good until I had been swing dancing for several years. I had become more and more acquainted with different types of swing music and I eventually found myself (and still do find myself) drawn over and over again to those songs that have a certain tightness of rhythm. Like the band is together in a very synergistic sort of way, one that isnt so much about every little part so much as how they all cohere together. That is what makes a good swing song drive forward and make you want to swing out, the rhythm section punching it out, and everything on top playing off of that foundation. When I listen to Bob's stuff now, I realize that his band is so amazing because those guys were so very tight and together that with seemingly no effort at all they were able to produce these amazingly powerful, deep rhythms which underpinned all of his stuff. I mean, just listen to the drums - there is not a lot happening, but just like in Funky Drummer, it isn't that he does something crazy, he just takes that rhythm and goes deeper with it, accentuates it, and together with the bass, and the guitar, the rhythm is just unstoppable.
This has become a seminal, and hence much sampled, rhythm among reggae artists. Here are a few random examples I found by Yami Bolo, Shabba Ranks, and Pinchers. All still pretty hot tracks which just goes to show, you cant really eff up a beat this hot. I heard a recording of some Dance Hall MC on KMOJ (89.9 FM) a few years ago performing some freestyle to this track at a live show - it was one of the hottest things I have ever heard. The car was just exploding with the sound of this beat, this MC going off, and a crowd going crazy for it all. I wish I knew who it was, cuz I would find it and snatch it up in a second.
posted by Peetski at 12:45 AM
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