boss reggae, skinhead reggae

While the sub-genre of reggae known as "Skinhead" is widely debatable, part of that is due to it's ambiguity. What is Skinhead Reggae? Ask any three enthusiasts and you will get three different descriptions, partly because the sub-genre was not identified until well after the original movement had faded. Skinhead arose from Mod Culture in Britain, and a fascination with the ghetto youth culture through which the Mods had the greatest exposure to Jamaican music, the Rude Boy. All the precursors had existed before the term was coined, the haircut, the manner of dress, the class, and the music within Mod culture. As Mod developed, two factions began to drift apart, one being the fashion Mod which was moving toward a more "Hippy" attitude and style, and the Hard Mod, which was developing at the time a gang mentality, a harder look in dress, and a greater commitment to class values. Really, all early Reggae from about 1968 to about 1972 can be classified as Skinhead Reggae, but what part did Skinheads play in the development of this sound? For the first time, Jamaican music had found an international audience, whether those who created it liked it or not. The buying power of this new group of enthusiasts became part of the loop between Jamaica and Britain where once only West Indian immigrants to Britain had this influence, and the Skinheads were buying up records at a staggering rate. Reggae was charting in England, it was the sound the Skinheads wanted, and to deny the scene's influence via cash flow seems almost ludicrous. London based Labels Like Trojan, Pama, both in various imprints. Songs like "Liquidator" by the Harry J All-Stars, "Return of Django" by The Upsetters, and of course Max Romeo's "Wet Dream" which was banned after selling 250,000 copies by the BBC are Skinhead classics. Several less notable songs featuring the moniker were also released at the time, including "Skinhead a Bash Them", "Skinhead Moon Stomp", and "Skinhead Train". If a description of that early sound is needed, I can only say that the sound is beat driven both instrumentally and lyrically (the lyrics are often simple and repetitive). The real standouts of the era feature a predominant use of guitar and organ or piano as the driving rhythmic elements. As the seventies dawned, Skinhead fashion went through changes as did Reggae music in general. By the end of 1972, many of the releases on the labels Skinheads found favor with were weaker, watered down and string laden and did not find favor with the crowds. Also, as in the evolution of any music, Reggae was finding a message. That message was Black Nationalism and Rastafari which the Skinhead set could not identify with. The music popular with West Indians was also changing, slowing down and becoming more mellow (Thanks in part to the brilliant arrangements made by Jackie Mittoo at the time) and the Skinheads, as well as Smoothies and Suedeheads that followed them, being obviously fickle in taste simply deserted Reggae for the new Glam Rock (Bolan and Bowie to name a few), and thus ended an era. Reggae moved back into the West Indian Communities and quietly awaited for Bob Marley to revive the spark that sent Reggae into the mainstream market. http://reggaelicious.pbworks.com/w/pa... A szkinhed avagy bőrfejű egy társadalmi szubkultúrát és az ahhoz tartozókat jelölő elnevezés. Gyökerei a munkásosztályhoz, a szegényebb néprétegekhez csatolják. A skinheadek az 50-es-60-as évek két fő szubkultúrájából alakultak ki. Ez a két szubkultúra a "mod" és a "rudeboy" volt. A "modok" brit munkásosztály fiataljai voltak. Ők akkoriban a legújabb zenének számító reggae-t és ska-t hallgatták. Az öltözködésük a későbbi skinheadekéhez hasonló volt. Ami még elengedhetetlen kellék volt, az a robogó, minden fiatal ezzel járt. Fehér bőrű fiatalok voltak, akik bár a munkásosztályból kerültek ki, az utcán elegánsan, s a legújabb divat szerint öltözködtek. "Rudeboy"-oknak a gengszter típusú jamaikai fiatalokat hívták. Bennük nagyon erős volt az összetartás és nem kímélték azt, aki útjukba állt. A 60-as években sok jamaicai emigrált Britanniába, így találkozott a két szubkultúra egymással. Ebből a két csoportból születtek az első szkinhedek 1969 táján. Hajukat rövidre vágták, mivel gyakoriak voltak az utcai verekedések és ez a hajviselet volt a legkényelmesebb. Kedvencük volt a reggae, a futball és persze a munkásosztályhoz mindig hűek maradtak. Hagyományosan a szkinhed szubkultúra a ska és reggae irányzatokhoz kötődött, olyan előadókhoz, mint Desmond Dekker, Laurel Aitken, Symarip vagy Joe the Boss. Szintén megjelent körükben a soul és a rocksteady irányzat.