The Reggae / Punk Connection!

If you have no familiarity with these two universes, the title above may seem completely nonsensical. Think again. Dissatisfaction with the prevailing system and the desire to change the world were feelings common to dreadlocks and mohawks. Everyone was in the same boat. Long before roots reggae dominated the world, thanks mainly to the film and album "The Harder They Come" and the first Wailers records, there was already a strong connection between white youth living in poor industrial cities and neighborhoods, and Jamaican music. The explanation is very simple. Whites and blacks, at least there, were neighbors, and for the 'mods', listening to rocksteady and reggae was as fashionable as cruising through cities on those souped-up Vespas. Despite the rasta explosion and albums like Natty Dread (Bob Marley), Legalize It (Peter Tosh), CB200 (Dillinger), Natty Cultural Dread (Big Youth) and Two Sevens Clash (Culture), reggae only reached the mainstream because of the punks. Don Letts, responsible for the sound at the Roxy club, in the absence of more punk records (there were only about 10 bands at the time), started playing his favorite reggae singles — when I say reggae here, I mean its wilder side, toasting and dub. It didn't take long for the punks to tell him to forget punk-rock and just play reggae! In '76, Sex Pistols leader Johnny Rotten was invited to present his Top 10 on English radio Capitol. Amid all that noise, in an honorable 3rd place, was "Born For a Purpose" by the madman Dr. Alimantado. The next day, England's main cities woke up spray-painted with the doctor's name. That same year, violent civilian riots took place during the Nothing Hill Carnival, England's most famous street carnival, and as could not be otherwise, "War inna Babylon" by Max Romeo and "Police And Thieves" by Junior Murvin, both Lee Perry productions, were the perfect soundtrack for the riots. From there to The Clash (who covered "Police And Thieves") adopting Mikey Dread and singer Pattie Smith, Tappa Zukie, was a short step. Shops selling reggae popped up everywhere, punk band tours had reggae bands opening. Under the slogan "Black and White Unite", Rock Against Racism was launched, a traveling festival whose cast included artists like Elvis Costello and Aswad. It was a party. Johnny Rotten symbolized this union so much that when the Frontline label of Virgin was founded, he and the label boss went to Jamaica to sign contracts with Johnny Clarke, The Mighty Diamonds, The Gladiators, Twinkle Brothers, Big Youth and the most popular among punks, Prince Far I. A super team that made Frontline the best reggae label outside Jamaica. In the early 80s, the Two-Tone movement, a hybrid of ska and reggae with punk, and "white" bands like The Police and UB-40, diminished the success of roots and culture, which passed, at least for the mainstream, to become uninteresting. To hear the reggae/punk fusion well, I recommend the compilation "Wild Dub: Dread Meets Punk Rocker" and "Sandinista!" by The Clash, for me the band that best knew how to add Jamaican music elements. It's no wonder that when he left the Clash, singer Mick Jones founded Big Audio Dynamite with Don Letts. Later, BAD would become Dreadzone, which along with Zion Train is at the forefront of electronic dub. Another cool example is the aforementioned Johnny Rotten. The Sex Pistols didn't last long and Johnny ended up founding PIL, Public Image Ltd., with bassist Jah Wobble, current leader of the dub/world music fusion alongside Bill Laswell, also from the punk scene. In short, if someone is making reggae, especially dub, in England today, it's almost certain they once sported a mohawk.