our reggae music

reggae and jamaica are inextricably linked. but in the mid 70s, south london took reggae, added a dash of brixton and sent it back across the airwaves. disenfranchised black britons found an identity and an alternative to the us-led soul scene.

in contrast to the political protest of 70s island reggae, lovers rock dealt with the same issues as 70s soul, but to a different beat. not since this movement has british culture influenced the entire reggae scene to such an extent.

the south london soundsystems provided a haven and identity for inner city teenagers and clubgoers of all races. as such, many of the artists were very young, especially the girls, who provided a realistic and honest outlet for the romantic and sometimes plaintive lyrics.

i was just a baby when this music was popular and it was one of the last truly underground urban scenes - i can't imagine many outside of london were aware of it even at the time. i had no exposure to it whatsoever but when i first heard them, most of the tracks were instantly familiar and perfectly encapsulate the mood of the nation in the late 70s and early 80s.

now in their 40s and 50s, the lovers rock massive recently welcomed many of the genre's stars back into the limelight as part of the soul britannia concerts held at the london barbican centre. though the distinction between reggae and lovers rock became blurred with the advent of dancehall in the mid 80s and later ragga, its legacy survives today.

ten lovers rock classics - download here

the cool notes - i've got to let him know

not all of this group's listeners would be aware that they started their careers as part of the lovers rock movement. in the 80s they were true jheri soul artistes, albeit with a british edge, and had sizeable mainstream success. their most popular lovers tune was the era-defining 'my tune', so I've included a lesser known 1977 cut.

bob andy - honey

established reggae artist bob was one of many jamaican acts swayed by the new british sound, and this 1983 track cemented his new and successful direction. prior to this he served as part of bob marley's band, and since he has become a respected stalwart of the reggae scene, taking up the mantle at bob marley's tuff going empire.

15 16 17 - if you love me smile

one of several lovers rock girl bands, and named after their respective ages when they formed. they didn't change their band name as they got older - in fact they weren't around for very long. they covered soul classics to great effect but also sang sweetly on their own compositions.

john mclean - if i gave my heart to you

a true child of the lovers rock era, john grew up in 70s south west london and started singing with the black starliner sound system at the age of 16. it was another decade before he gained meaningful success with this song, which topped the reggae charts in 1987.

portia morgan - let me be your angel

in the early 80s, the influence of ska has become more prominent. the contrast of hopeful lyrics against a typically melancholy backing track sums up the restlessness and fear of urban britain in 1981.

junior brown - long time me call

more upbeat example of the genre from the mid 80s on the ubiquitous fashion label. not much info can be found by googling this artist...could possibly have recorded under another name?

brown sugar - hello stranger

like 15 16 17, brown sugar were schoolgirls at the peak of their success. if you thought caron wheeler was fresh faced when she hooked up with soul ii soul in 1989, you might be surprised to learn that a 14 year old caron and friends carol simms and pauline cattlin were making music back in 1977.

musical youth - heartbreaker

best known for their no1 hit 'pass the dutchie' which escaped the moral majority despite being very obviously about smoking weed. the shamen got away with a similar act ten years later with ode to ecstasy 'ebeneezer goode', no1 during national drugs week, no less. its easy to forget that musical youth weren't just a novelty act, they also made proper lover rock - like this.

louisa marks - caught you in a lie

by now you know the score...15 year old louisa marks was arguably the first lady (ok, girl) of lovers rock in 1975. she was the first british artist to score a reggae hit.

winston reedy - dim the lights

early 80s example of the genre from popular reggae artists winston, who had several successful albums. still doing his thing.

80s brit soul - big hair, smooth grooves

uk soul artists in the 80s were not obviously from these shores on first glance. sure, if you listened carefully or read smash hits you would find out soon enough that they were from basildon or wigan rather than minneapolis or atlanta. they didn't go out of their way to represent britain, maybe because the music wasn't as distinct as it is today. they dressed like their us counterparts, sounded like them and some even had as much success across the pond.

many of these acts embraced jheri curl soul in all its aesthetic glory, and so visually you probably wouldn't realise say, that loose ends and midnight star were from different parts of the world. they wore the same metallic suits and piled their hair high on one side (the girls, mostly).

others, well they just did their thing and some endeared themselves to the american record buying public more than the home crowd. critics often believe british artists make cynical attempts to crack the us market by adopting a us-style persona and sound, and that this is the secret of their success. the truth is, they stick out like a sore thumb over there.

what the british acts did have though, despite copycat images and sounds, was a certain sweetness and honesty that shone through their lyrics. most preferred to sing about relationships and avoided the overconfident posturing that captured the essence of the soul glo genre so well.

ten brit soul classics from the 80s - download here

loose ends - hanging on a string (1985)

loose ends are still held up as shining examples of 80s soul - both here and across the atlantic. this 1985 hit from their second album 'so where are you' was one of their many chart successes. one time vocalist trish lewin's daughter, lisa roxanne, has carried on the family pop legacy in recent years.

royalle delite - i'll be a freak for you (1983)

not that much is known about this group, although they had several other club hits which I don't remember but would love to find. great squelchy bass, nonchalant vocals and stop-start percussion.

princess - say i'm your number one (1985)

princess was part of the saw stable...but a million miles from kylie, jason and er, big fun. in 2005 she resurfaced on 'hit me baby one more time', miming. vernon kay barely hid his disgust...wish i hadn't seen it. this was my jam and i nagged my way to a '1' earring like she had in the video. even though it would be another 5 years (of rows) before I was allowed to get my ears pierced.

mica paris - my one temptation (1988)

mica was only 19 when she released her debut album 'so good' in 1988 inlcuding a duet with will downing. never quite hitting the big time, her sound heralded a more sophisticated late 80s, like the aural equivalent of a glossy coffee table book, an ideal background to dinner parties and wine bars nationwide. don't get me wrong, i like mica, but i've never been as surprised at her lack of lasting crossover success as she seems to be.

jaki graham - round and around (1985)

jaki was perhaps best known for several duets with david grant. the former ub40 backing vocalist had a long run of solo hits between 1985 and 1988, of which this was the first. i can remember making myself sick trying to recreate the dizzying spinning dance she does in the video.

errol brown - your personal touch (1987)

he is of course, known primarily as the lead singer of 70s soul band hot chocolate, and this track was released from errol's first solo albun in 1987. after being somewhat ubiquitous around london in the 90s, charming his way around the club and bar scene, he's now living a more settled life with long-suffering wife ginette in the bahamas.

cool notes - in your car (1985)
this south london group started life as a lovers' rock act in the late 70s, morphing via disco to true eighties jheri soul artistes. their biggest hits were this track and 'spend the night' in 1985, from their much sought-after album 'have a good forever'. band couple steve and lorraine mcintosh are the parents of bradley from s club 7. tsk, it's always a shame when the parents are so much cooler than the kids...

pasadenas - enchanted lady (1988)
the pasadenas were a band that paid homage to 60s/70s soul greats - hence 'tribute' in 1988. despite a lot of covers and straight jacking the o'jays, they were decent songwriters, as evidenced by this 1988 track. ok, one of the reasons i like it is also because it featured in the episode of only fools and horses when rodney and cassandra get it together, in the nightclub under the watchful eye of mickey pearce and jevon.

sade - the sweetest taboo (1985)

sade, whilst a respected and successful artists amongst the soul fraternity, was also a favourite of estate agents and dinner party hosts. especially her first album in 1984 'diamond life'. if it ain't broke, don't fix it - she carried this theme through her next five albums. she also invented (or reinvented) the 'croydon' facelift' ponytail . except she looked good in it. she found her work extensively remixed, covered and sampled in the 90s.

billy ocean - caribbean queen (1984)
lazy 80s music journalists labelled billy ocean the uk's answer to michael jackson. i don't remember this ludicrous comparison but i did always dance to 'caribbean queen' in a line with my friends at school discos after one too many cherryades. hilariously, in current chris rock sitcom, 'everybody hates chris', his younger sister tonya is a huge billy ocean fan, and claims that he invented the moonwalk not wacko, who stole it. it would have been great if that were true.