One of reggae's living greats

Social Living
Burning Spear
Blood and Fire through Larrikin Entertainment
Rasta Business
Burning Spear
Heartbeat through Larrikin Entertainment
Reviewed by Norm Dixon Burning Spear aka Winston Rodney is one of reggae's most underrated exponents. He is also one of its most politically conscious. Irrespective of the ebbs and flows of fashion and fads — not to mention the prejudices of record company executives — Rodney has stayed true to his themes of black history, resistance against oppression and injustice, and Rastafarianism, the black Caribbean's "liberation theology". In album after album for the past quarter century, Rodney has made it his mission to tell the real history of the African presence in the Caribbean since the days of slavery, their struggles, their troubles and their triumphs. The story and ideas of the great black Jamaican nationalist Marcus Garvey — who by chance was born in Rodney's home town of St Ann's Bay in 1887 — are central to Burning Spear's work. Garvey was a pivotal figure in the nationalist movement in Jamaica and then the African American civil rights movement early this century. In 1914, Garvey launched the Universal Negro Improvement Association in Jamaica. Moving to New York in 1916, the UNIA snowballed in membership and support, becoming the major black rights organisation in urban areas throughout the US. Fuelled by mass resentment and frustration at racism, his calls for blacks to organise to return to Africa struck a chord; at its height the UNIA had millions of members. Fearing his influence, the US government imprisoned Garvey in 1925 and deported him in 1927. He died later in London. Social Living, first released by Island Records in Britain in 1978, was originally titled Marcus Children. It was the last album Rodney released through Island as the company lost interest in Rodney's conscious reggae in favour of lightweight reggae more palatable to the pop market. In the late '80s and the '90s, record companies pushed dancehall — urban youth reggae heavily influenced by US "gangsta" rap — which emphasises survival in the harsh reality of urban ghetto life, but provides few answers to how to fight to improve the lot of poor black people. Commentators now detect a swing back to conscious reggae amongst the youth of Jamaica and New York, and Rodney is well placed to regain popularity without sacrificing his principles. Social Living is a classic album, and remastered for CD is a joy to listen to. It combines roots reggae beats with Rodney's sweet smoky voice, booming bass and distinctive colours and effects. On many tracks, there is the clear influence of the US soul and funk music of the time — tasty funky organ, wah-wah guitar layered with brilliant horn riffs and smooth, jazzy sax. The title track proposes that the problems of the world be addressed collectively, in stark contrast to the individual, often anti-social, solutions proposed in much modern dancehall and hip hop. No less than four tracks are devoted to the ideas and influence of Marcus Garvey. The CD comes with a booklet that includes a discography that list 16 of Burning Spear's essential records and a list of books on Marcus Garvey. Sadly, the lyrics are not included. Seventeen years later, Rodney's latest album, Rasta Business, reveals he has maintained his vanguard status musically and politically. His music is perhaps a little lighter but the horn-soaked, multi-layered improvisational reggae remains its foundation. Lyrically, his subjects range over calls for African unity in "Africa", the importance of knowledge of black history and heritage in "This Man" and "Not Stupid", the relevance of the ideas of Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King in "Every Other Nation", and the need for those ideas to be taught at school in "Subject in School". In "Legal Hustlers" and "Rasta Business", Rodney takes aim at those charlatans who debase the ideals of reggae music and Rastafarian culture and exploit it for commercial gain. These albums represent a perfect introduction for a new generation to one of reggae's living greats.