Genre: Reggae
Places I remember: The Warehouse (Cambridge)
Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: Jammin'
Gear costume: Natural Mystic, Exodus, Three Little Birds
Active compensatory factors: Why feature Jammin', you ask? The answer dates back to a performance by an Auckland reggae band at Mt Albert Grammar the year after I left school.
A beautiful sunny day in 1977, and the school was having a gala. I went along, maybe with Greg? Not sure. We'd both had our final year at MAGS the year before and so, we'd been part of plans for the gala, or at least, the planning for it was in the air.
What I am sure about is the brilliant song I heard that day from some anonymous band. I never found out their name but they did their version of Jammin' and it sounded amazing.
Not only that, but seeing a joyful bunch of pacific island guys in dreads speaking of jah and other phrases foreign to my ears was something of an ear opener!
Pretty sure this was my first experience of the cool reggae groove as well. I eventually found the source - Bob Marley and he's been soundtracking my summers ever since.
For this album, Bob's singing sounds more mature, more confident to me.
Where do they all belong? Next up, a clutch of live BM albums of variable quality.
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