What is the best reggae album of all time?

Born in Jamaica, reggae spread a message of love, resistance, and spiritual elevation across the globe. Which album best captures the soul of reggae music?

1

Exodus

Bob Marley's 1977 album featuring Jamming and One Love was named album of the century by Time magazine.

2

Catch a Fire

Bob Marley's 1973 international breakthrough introduced reggae to the world with searing political and spiritual urgency.

3

Natty Dread

Bob Marley's 1974 masterpiece, his first fully credited solo album, is rich with Rastafarian spirituality and social commentary.

4

Burnin'

Bob Marley and the Wailers' 1973 album features Get Up Stand Up and I Shot the Sheriff, two of reggae's defining protest anthems.

5

Rastaman Vibration

Bob Marley's 1976 album became his first US top-ten chart entry, bringing reggae's positive vibration to mainstream audiences.

6

Heart of the Congos

The Congos' 1977 Lee Perry-produced album is a hypnotic dub reggae masterpiece of unearthly beauty and spiritual power.

7

Funky Kingston

Toots and the Maytals' 1973 album is a joyful, soulful celebration that helped introduce reggae to global rock audiences.

8

Legalize It

Peter Tosh's 1976 solo debut is a bold statement of Rastafarian conviction and a landmark of reggae's golden age.

9

Blackheart Man

Bunny Wailer's 1976 debut is one of the most spiritual and musically inventive albums in reggae history.

10

Two Sevens Clash

Culture's 1977 prophetic roots reggae album is a cornerstone of the genre's golden era, dense with biblical imagery.

11

Super Ape

Lee Perry's 1976 Upsetters album is one of the most influential and experimental dub records ever created.

12

Night Nurse

Gregory Isaacs' 1982 album is the definitive showcase of his smooth, romantic lover's rock style and velvet voice.

13

Equal Rights

Peter Tosh's 1977 album is a fiercely political statement demanding justice and equality, one of reggae's greatest.

14

The Harder They Come

Jimmy Cliff's 1972 soundtrack album exposed the world to reggae through a seminal film, featuring some of the genre's finest songs.