Reggae Regular: Ghetto Rock - 1984

Reggae Regular were initially a seven-piece London-based roots reggae band formed during the roots boom of the late seventies (in 1976) in fact. 

They had a certain amount of within genre success with the excellent roots grinds of Where Is Jah and Black Star Liner, tracks that often appear on roots compilations. 

This album did not appear until 1984, however, and it proved to be their only release. It was on the Greensleeves label. Their sound was a typically UK-sounding roots one - think Steel Pulse, Aswad, Weapon Of Peace, Misty In Roots and Black Slate as well as crossover kings UB40. Their skanks are pleasant, accessible and melodious and it goes without saying that their message is a serious one. 

Highlights on this excellent, underrated album are Ghetto Rock, Aristocrat, Violence In The Streets, Praise Jah Love, Don't Let Money Rule Your Head and the brassy Jah Bring Them Come. I can recommend this to any aficionado of late seventies UK roots reggae. Despite its eventual release date it is very evocative of that classic 1977-1980 period for roots reggae. Like Black Slate, the band should have achieved more success - this is actually a really good album.

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