A Rastafarian vocal group whose harmonies and social messages defined their sound.
For a good sense of their sound, start with 'Poor Man Cry' or 'Strength Of My Life.' Those tracks frame their soulful harmonies and roots reggae rhythms pretty well.
Their music came directly from shared Rastafarian beliefs and a commitment to social justice, which you hear in songs like 'Poor Man Cry' and 'The Middle East.' The title track from their 1981 debut 'The Same Song' became a reggae standard, and tracks such as 'Cool And Calm' and 'Natty Dread' reflected their steady, uplifting approach. They kept recording and touring for decades, with albums like 'Afrikan Roots' and 'The Mission' staying grounded in those early themes.
Israel Vibration formed in Jamaica in the early 1970s with Lascelles 'Wiss' Bulgin, Albert 'Apple Gabriel' Craig, and Cecil 'Skelly' Spence. Their debut album 'The Same Song' arrived in 1981, and after Skelly Spence was murdered in 1984, the band continued as a duo, releasing around 16 studio albums through the 1990s and early 2000s.
Keep it compact: a lyric you come back to, a live memory, or the part of the catalog you would point someone toward first.
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