Titus writes:
After
exploring Country Music last week, I thought I would give Reggae a
long overdue airing this time. It’s a music genre that is hugely
popular with many people all over the World, but you will hardly need me
to tell you that it has its roots in the Caribbean. In our modern
society, several U.K. reggae bands and artists (es) have emerged, and
have quite rightly achieved success.
The
early John Peel Shows were called ‘Top Gear’ (a World away from
Clarkson & his mates), and in 1969, he played his first reggae
record on that show, which was Andy Capp’s ‘Popatop’. John was somewhat
annoyed that when a new book on reggae was published in 2001, he was
referred to as ‘an ageing hippy’ with an ‘abrasively left of centre
programme’. John reminded the author of the book in typical Peel
fashion by playing ‘Popatop’, saying “There haven’t been many better
records than that”.
Over
the years Peel played an awful lot of reggae, ranging from the ultra
famous Bob Marley & the Wailers, to Lee “Scratch” Perry to Steel
Pulse to Misty in Roots– and it was this British based band Misty that
recorded 9 sessions for the programme. Some reggae purists did not
accept Misty in Roots as a true reggae band, as they were from Britain
and not Jamaica. However at Peel’s funeral in October 2004, the Order
of Service included a quote from Misty’s first album ‘Live at the
Counter Eurovision 79’: “When
we trod this land, we walk for one reason.... to try to help another
man think for himself. The music of our hearts is roots music – music
which recalls history, because without the knowledge of your history,
you cannot turn in your destiny: the music about the present, because
if you are not conscious about the present, you are like a cabbage in
this society”.
So,
who are Misty in Roots? I say the word ‘are’ because they are still
playing today. They are a British reggae band from Southall, London and
got together in the mid 1970’s, and as I stated previously, their first
LP was called ‘Live at the counter Eurovision 79’. This disc was
recorded live in Belgium, and was packed with Rastafarian tunes. John
Peel thought that the album was wonderful, as it assisted the bringing
of roots reggae to a mixed audience. Unbelievably the group started
with no less than FIVE lead singers, but by the time of the second
album, this had been rationalised to a mere 3! Including inevitably
‘The John Peel Sessions’ for Strange Fruit, the band released 8 Studio
and Live LP’s plus 2 compilations between 1979 and 2002. The nine
sessions for the Peel Show were also broadcast over the same period. They also made “In Concert” appearances for the BBC in 1983 & 1985,
and had the honour of a request to play Zimbabwe in 1982, in
recognition of their support for the independence of that country.
