HERBIE MANN — Reggae (review)

HERBIE MANN — Reggae album cover Album · 1974 · World Fusion Buy this album from MMA partners
1.5/5 ·
Sean Trane
A rather cheesy attempt to capitalize on the nascent ascent of the Jamaican island musical movement, as Marley was slowly rising to fame and Clapton help with his I Shot The Sheriff rendition; Mann’s album went much less noticed though, despite an obvious and blatant attempt at commercialism with cover of the Beatles’ Ob-la-di. With a star-studded guest list (Mick Taylor, Albert Lee and Pat Rebillot), the cast also included the big group of Tommy McCook Band and if they fill out sonically the background of the album, they’re rather lame: they sound like a instrumental wedding day group on a Caribbean cruiseship.

Produced by Ahmet Ertegun himself, the album is so cheesy, that’s it’s a bit laughable about it’s credibility (it lacks the drive and rebellion of reggae) and renders it difficult not to take swipes and cheap shots at it. Don’t get me wrong, the musicians are stellar and all, but the concept is so flawed that you could bring Coltrane or Coleman that even them wouldn’t have saved it. The Fab Four cover is so ridiculously muzak-y that it’s almost insulting to the original. Even the traditional Rivers of Babylon is not exactly enthralling. The best track is probably the Swinging Shepherd with Taylor’s cool guitar intervention (he was in his last Stone days) and Rebillot’s Rhodes solo, but even then it lacks power and dive. The sidelong My Girl is no better really: plenty of gentle music with extended soloing (including a wha-whaed-out guitar in the background from Taylor), but ultimately it stays quite lame.

Some world-fusionheads will probably like this album and in itself it’s not a bad album per se, but for a 70’s-reggae fan like me, this is absolutely atrocious, especially having discovered it two decades after its initial release. I can’t even call this album’s content inoffensive, because my general musical aesthetics are really irritated and at the same time bored and would leave me indifferent if it wasn’t for the huge-production means engendering this equally-huge artistic fiasco. Best avoided if you ask me, but if you’re into Caribbean musics, you’re likely to differ from me.
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