Punky Reggae Party

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"Punky Reggae Party"

Single by Bob Marley
from the album Exodus
Released	June 3, 1977
Format	LP
Recorded	1977
Genre	reggae
Label	Island
Writer(s)	Bob Marley
Producer(s)	Lee Perry
Bob Marley singles chronology
??	"Punky Reggae Party"	??

"Punky Reggae Party" is a song by reggae legend Bob Marley and was recorded in 1977. The song was written during Marley's exile in England, where we was exposed to the punk scene in its early stages. Finding a kindred spirit in the punk movement Marley identified with the punks' struggle against the government in England. Heavily influenced by bands such as The Clash Marley recorded this song. It appears on a number of compliations and 'Best of' albums. Originally it was released on the LP Exodus and was later released as a live single on Babylon By Bus.

"Bob Marley was never really connected to the punk scene because he had his own thing going on. He didn't disrespect punk, but he really had a different position. He respected the black youth of England, and more importantly, the black youth of Jamaica. There were parallels between the two movements Rastas were like Jamaican Punks. They were totally against the "system" in Jamaica in the same way that the punks were in England." [1]

"Reggae was very much identified with Rastafarians. Rastas were regarded as the dregs-the untouchables-the same as punks were. At first Bob Marley was down on punks calling them unclean. After seeing the many parallels between punk and reggae (both protested the inequities and injustices of the society and the system) he came to the conclusion, "See all those people with a safety-pin stuck through their ears? I like to see a man who can suffer pain without crying." That's when he came round and recorded the single 'Punky Reggae Party' to sum up the connection."[2]

The song was inspired by Don Letts' dub reggae DJ sets at the Roxy club in Covent Garden in the late 1970s in between sets by such bands as The Clash, Generation X and The Slits. The song was referred to in Sublime's song "Garden Grove".

"While in exile in London, Bob was introduced to punk bands, such as the Clash. Inspired by their efforts to expose various oppressive tactics used against racial minority groups, the fusion between punk and reggae was imminent. The result was the recording of 'Punky Reggae Party' with producer Lee Perry at the helm." [3]