Thread of Fake Reggae Songs From Early 80s Pop/Rock Albums

Every band had one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j49CYr7m2co

bob dylan - jokerman

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nXGPZaTKik

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfR9iY5y94s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNP11TOGxyo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yh5RSv52g6U

bob dylan - jokerman

The only reason this feels the slightest bit as Reggae is on account of Sly & Robbie though!

xpost

What does "cod reggae" have to do with fish, anyway?

90% of songs by the Police

I was just listening to the Life Of The Record podcast about the Violent Femmes first album. Despite knowing that record inside and out and being a reggae freak, it never occurred to me that “Please Do Not Go” was a joking attempt at white reggae. Gordon’s singing is so wack that I never heard it as an attempt at Jamaican Patois. He even starts the song with “Tell you MON.” In the podcast they were making fun of themselves for it.

I made a whole C90 cassette mix of this stuff years ago.

Debbie Harry - Inner City Spillover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuJhl7HOsk4

Pretenders - Waste Not Want Nor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jnvTbY0R7I

The Motels - Porn Reggae
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WekeDncaB8

Sue Saad and the Next - Young Girl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTDJxXW58L8

Blondie - Die Young Stay Pretty
Simply Red - Model
10cc - Dreadlock Holiday
Laid Back - Sunshine Reggae
Le Grand Orchestre Du Splendid - Macao
The Police - Walking On The Moon
Linda McCartney - Mr Sandman
Thomas Dolby - My Brain Is Like A Sieve
John Lennon - Borrowed Time
Clout - Sunshine Baby
Patti Smith - Redondo Beach
Nina Hagen - African Reggae

"This Is Love", Tony Banks

Ippu-Do - Chinese Reggae

Smiths / Frankly Mr Shankly

really love this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-EQ4pM7y2Q
Kim Wilde - Everything We Know

Bucks Fizz - The Land of Make Believe

Rolling Stones: "Send It To Me"; "Slave"; "Feel On Baby"

Dire Straits - Ride Across The River

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aGGFxWu2JU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJmqnnB7JU0
Q-Feel - Red Light Zone

Nazareth - Let Me Be Your Leader (among others on The Fool Circle)
XTC - Human Alchemy, All You Pretty Girls, This World Over
The Boomtown Rats - House on Fire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaFJO2xw9UI

I feel like Me & Sarah Jane is the more reggae-tinged tune from Abacab

M&SJ is more ska-ish to me whereas Lurker is more reggae

Also, Queen - Cool Cat
Given that Queen were consciously eclectic-with-a-capital-E band, their reggae tunes are not simply that - so Cool Cat is a smooth soul thing, and Who Needs You is done with Spanish guitars

Does Pink Floyd - Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) count as fake reggae, fake funk, or both?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IpYOF4Hi6Q

Fake disco

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGJwBN-913k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6-iHPO1uTE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6-KW3Tp4W8

New Order - We All Stand, kinda

Phil Lynott - Solo In Soho

New Order - We All Stand, kinda

yeah, i was thinking about that one, definitely influenced by dub. they were also doing a cover of keith hudson's 'turn the heater on' during this era (see the peel session EP) and that really gives 'we all stand' some context i think

I had completely forgotten that Kim Wilde cut, that’s lovely

Linx - I Won't Forget

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlS5Zn8Js78

so fucking good btw

that was a b-side not an album track though. guards - seize him! :)

nooooo

there was a comp that came out a couple of years ago on Time Capsule called 'Tokyo Riddim' which focused on this exact thing within the context of Japanese pop LPs and this gorgeous track was the clear stand out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTb3s2AXGkk
Junko Yagami - Johannesburg

very balearic

this wasn't on it, but i love this one too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4Hqy_PMGIw
Marlene - Zanzibar

I can't load the full thread but has anyone mentioned Bowie - Tonight, Don't Look Down, Ricochet, arguably Fashion is a bit reggaeish, plus there's Yassassin if we rewind a year

i kinda wish we'd picked back up on that cod reggae thread because it also contains some fun discussion on the etymology of "cod."

but while we're here:

"break my stride," matthew wilder. i don't think a link to the video is necessary. it's also a good tune if you need to dislodge a pesky earworm from your brain. of course it'll get replaced with this, but only briefly.

I put this 45 on my new wave reggae mixtape too. Obscure band, and I’ve never seen/heard the album, don’t know what their other stuff was like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C91vizv6VqM

^^^ Tazmanian Devils “Dirty Bop Party,” for when links go dead in this thread in the future.