This song is about the times spent with Ben Zanotto rolling around on the bus where reggae was usually playing. When they played newer reggae stuff on the bus they were saying "hey this crap sucks compared to the real guys like Desmond Decker". Also they liked the Mighty Diamonds, Dandy Livingstone, up through to Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, the Ethiopians and so on. Give em the "Roots", give the newer reggae and dub the "boot".
This song is about the roots of reggae, which of course were ska, and thats why Desmond Dekker is referred to because he is the father of ska music. And, by using the C F G chord progression as the basis for the song structure, they are paying further tribute to the ska movement of the early 60's.
Almost every ska song by every ska artist in Jamaica at the time had this same basic chord progression, I IV V or I IV V IV, or any combination of the I IV V progression. Although Rancid throw a little twist with the Bb chord, but basically every ska song was either CFG, GCD, ADE or EAB. It wasn't until rock steady that minor chords were slightly used and then with reggae, the minor chord became more common. Modern reggae and modern dub rarely use the I IV V progression, and that is why this song is expressing the fact that "hey the early stuff is the reall stuff, the roots, the reggae".
This song is about the times spent with Ben Zanotto rolling around on the bus where reggae was usually playing. When they played newer reggae stuff on the bus they were saying "hey this crap sucks compared to the real guys like Desmond Decker". Also they liked the Mighty Diamonds, Dandy Livingstone, up through to Bob Marley, Jimmy Cliff, the Ethiopians and so on. Give em the "Roots", give the newer reggae and dub the "boot".
This song is about the roots of reggae, which of course were ska, and thats why Desmond Dekker is referred to because he is the father of ska music. And, by using the C F G chord progression as the basis for the song structure, they are paying further tribute to the ska movement of the early 60's.
Almost every ska song by every ska artist in Jamaica at the time had this same basic chord progression, I IV V or I IV V IV, or any combination of the I IV V progression. Although Rancid throw a little twist with the Bb chord, but basically every ska song was either CFG, GCD, ADE or EAB. It wasn't until rock steady that minor chords were slightly used and then with reggae, the minor chord became more common. Modern reggae and modern dub rarely use the I IV V progression, and that is why this song is expressing the fact that "hey the early stuff is the reall stuff, the roots, the reggae".
@janeaparis1
@janeaparis1
This is the smartest answer!
This is the smartest answer!