Roots Rock Reggae - Documentary

Roots Rock Reggae - Director Jeremy Marre

This could be the first documentary ever made on reggae music and it is excellent.

It was excellent when it was first shown on BBC TV back in 1977, and it's excellent today. 

It's got so many memorable moments from the Abyssinians sitting in a little church singing like no other group could sing.

You have Joe Higgs reasoning about reggae music. Making the comment about it just needs acceptance, which after all these years it's still hasn't got.

Jimmy Cliff pops up and gives us a memorable melody of all his hits. It's a great tune - which I was always hoping would be released - but it never came.

The same thing with the tune that was being built at the Black Art Studio - The Heptones, Junior Murvin, Boris Gardiner and so many more brothers of talent are all featured in the studio.

Of course, you also get to see old Scratch working his board - with special attention given to his phaser. It's a great sound but it's now forever connected to Perry. This is one problem that isn't to do with Perry.   

It's more to do with Perry fanatics. Who have connected him to the sound like he invented the device. It would be like saying every time you heard a echo or delay being used you would think 'Tubby'. Thankfully most people don't they admire what he did with those FX - but that's it.

Other producers did use phaser's at the time and that brings us to Joe Gibbs and Tony Robinson aka Prince Tony - who was producing the Gladiators in the studio.

Errol T is at the controls and he's also using a phaser! Or something that sounds very much like one.

Other great footage features Jack Ruby in his yard during auditions. Would love to know who those groups are. It could be The Meditations - but that tune was produced by Dobby Dobson. 

Can't really see Jack Ruby not recording that tune - he seemed to be really enjoying the audition.

Despite the acclaim, the documentary gained - from it's broadcast. The BBC never followed it up. Years and years and years went past before they made another documentary on the music. And that was very lacking.