I liked this music very much as a kid! I still find the beat almost irresistible.
The basis of the reggae beat is a 4/4 rhythm.
1. Rhythm guitar (or something) chopping chords on the off-beats - 2 and 4.
2. Snare drum hard on the third beat of the bar.
3. Bass guitar syncopated across the bars.
These early reggae (or rocksteady) groups had a simply wonderful loose-limbed quality to the way they played.
Perhaps my favourite - The Liquidator; featuring the ultra-attacking sound of a Hammond organ. I love syncopation - and the Hammond solo work is like a demonstration answer to the question 'what is syncopation?' :
Long Shot (kick de bucket) always sounded very amusing - I only now realize it is about a horse dying during a race (lyrics provided):
And this - having forgotten the title I have been looking for it on you tube for many years - only found it this evening, and listened for the first time in... 35 years? Called The Return of Django
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