Many of my Facebook and Twitter followers no my musical tastes are wide and varied. I have mentioned Two Tone and Ska before however I feel it is time to open the door on another musical style close to my heart.
Lovers Rock and there is not a head banger in sight.
Lovers rock is a style of reggae music with strong romantic overtones and content. Basically, it is love songs, which are universal in all kinds of music. However, in the mid-1970s, this new sound began to come out of London with its sound an offshoot of rocksteady that was performed by Jamaican vocal harmony groups like The Maytals. This was a British and Black sound that quickly spared hitting the airways thanks to the likes of John Peel and is late night radio show. He always had is ear to the ground, picking up on the new sounds and helping spreading it around the country.
More laid back and soulful than the seriously heavy roots sounds of reggae based around Jah and Babylon the Black British youth were looking to have something that was theirs. Picking 1976 and looking at the chants, you had the likes of Queen, Showaddywaddy, and Brotherhood of Man topping the chants with ABBA the big band of the year not really me has a follower.
This disgruntled section of society would have more than likely been listening to Ska and Rocksteady at home more than reggae, listening to the music of their parents. Being British born they may have not felt part of the roots and culture Jamaica sound. It would also be easier for the white youth and others to commit to this style of music who were not keyed into the heavy sound of reggae. Both Ska and Rocksteady were products of Jamaica and were popular with British youth, and would lead to the Two Tone explosion. The style had particular appeal amongst women and produced many female singers.
It was generally known as the first indigenous black British pop style with its light, airy productions and lyrics almost exclusively devoted to matters of the heart. The music was soon making waves in the home of reggae Jamaica when the likes of Dennis Brown and Gregory Isaacs returned to Jamaica taking the sound back with them. It wasn't long before the Jamaican's were back having embraced the sound.
There is so much to like about this music, so many great tunes but Janet Kay “Silly Games” covers all I like about this gene of music. She has a beautiful voice leading to the most beautiful Lovers Rock record ever made (that I’ve heard anyway) and was the biggest hit the genre produced, getting to No. 2 in the charts.
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