from the LP I Love Marijuana, Trojan Records, 1978This seems to me a perfectly suitable choice for the beginning of my musical meanderings; to be sure, ganja is probably about half the inspiration for this blog in the first place! Linval Thompson was mainly known in Jamaica for his production abilities previous to this release; clearly, all that time in the studio helped to forge a true forgotten gem of late-70’s roots reggae in this track and entire album. Backed by the stellar rhythm section of Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett on bass & Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Wallace on the drums, Mr. Thompson tells us in no uncertain terms his amorous feelings about marijuana. So many songs have been written in celebration of this plant, but Linval really cuts through all the bullshit and gets right down to the basic facts: “I love to smoke marijuana, it gives me a deep meditation…it keeps the natty dreadlocks jumping”. The minor chords and dread bassline matched with the smoky-slow pace keep the whole affair more reverent than festive. What else really needs to be said: “marijuana, I love it my brothers”…and sisters…AMEN!
