Reggae-Pop

Reggae-pop on vinyl: Jamaican rhythm made for radio

In short: Reggae-pop joins the Jamaican offbeat to catchy pop melodies, often with strings and a polished studio sound. Many of these records were made for a wide audience – cover versions of well-known songs brought reggae to the radio. The Vinyl Room currently has 11 reggae-pop records.

What is reggae-pop?

Vocals with strings: John Holt sings well-known pop songs to a reggae beat on “One Thousand Volts Of Holt”, Nicky Thomas is here with “Images Of You”, and “Reggae Strings” shows how smooth the sound could get.

From many directions: Sheila & Des Majek with “Green Leaves”, Danny Ray with “The Same One” and Serge Gainsbourg, who went into the studio with Jamaican musicians for “Mauvaises Nouvelles Des Étoiles”.

What to look for

Our reggae-pop records are mainly European editions, above all from France and the UK, from the seventies to the 2020s; label, catalogue number and year of release help you tell which edition you have – it’s noted with each copy.

From our stock

First pressings

New in

→ Lovers rock · Rocksteady · Roots reggae · Reggae on vinyl · How to spot a first pressing · Grading explained

FAQ

What is reggae-pop? Reggae with catchy pop melodies, often with strings and produced for radio.

How is reggae-pop different from lovers rock? Lovers rock is London’s romantic reggae; reggae-pop means reggae with a pop slant in general.

Why so many cover versions? Familiar melodies opened reggae up to a wide audience.

Which reggae-pop records do you have? Here, for example, John Holt’s “One Thousand Volts Of Holt” and Sheila & Des Majek’s “Green Leaves”.