Toots Hibbert is generally credited with giving reggae music its name with his 1968 song "Do the Reggay." That was only one of a string of hugely influential hits, all of which drew heavily on American R&B styles and combined them with the rocksteady and reggae sounds that were tearing up the charts in late-'60s Jamaica to create a unique hybrid that no one else has since tried to emulate. Songs like "Funky Kingston" and "54-46 Was My Number" owe as much to James Brown as to any Jamaican influence, and Toots even had the guts to cover John Denver (with "Take Me Home Country Roads"); luckily, he also had enough raw talent to make it work. But unique as it is, his sound fits squarely into the category of rocksteady, a bouncy, elastic beat that shimmered and bopped at the nexus between ska's galloping up-up-up and reggae's slower, smokier groove. And the Toots influence has continued to be felt: "Pressure Drop" was covered by the Clash on their debut album, and "Monkey Man" became one of the signature songs of the Two-Tone ska revival in turn-of-the-'80s England. All of the classics are here on this compilation, including the glorious "Pomps and Pride" and his ill-advised (but, again, amazingly effective) cover of "Louie, Louie." These songs are an essential part of any reggae collection.
The Very Best of Toots & the Maytals [Music Club]
Toots & the Maytals
Share on
The Very Best of Toots & the Maytals [Music Club] Review
by Rick Anderson
Track Listing
| Title/Composer | Performer | Time | Stream | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toots & the Maytals | 03:29 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 2 | Toots & the Maytals | 04:52 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 3 | Toots & the Maytals | 03:31 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 4 | Toots & the Maytals | 04:25 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 5 | Toots & the Maytals | 02:52 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 6 | Toots & the Maytals | 03:22 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 7 | Toots & the Maytals | 03:04 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 8 | Toots & the Maytals | 04:22 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 9 | Toots & the Maytals | 03:06 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 10 | Toots & the Maytals | 02:27 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 11 | Toots & the Maytals | 05:42 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 12 | Toots & the Maytals | 03:08 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 13 | Toots & the Maytals | 04:08 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 14 | Toots & the Maytals | 03:33 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 15 | Toots & the Maytals | 04:36 | SpotifyAmazon | |||
| 16 | Toots & the Maytals | 02:48 | SpotifyAmazon |
![The Very Best of Toots & the Maytals [Music Club]](https://rovimusic.rovicorp.com/image.jpg?c=aQLtaGOMjsP3iIGrK489TxyhM-OFI8zG4l-qVpXXB1I=&f=4)
