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Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King
'Jamaican music at last has the book it deserves' Prince Buster, from his Foreword
'The first comprehensive history of every aspect of reggae (and) it could be the last that talked to those who were there at stage one...Bradley leaves no stone unturned in a coruscating rollercoaster ride through murder, major label gripes, ganja paranoia and racism, ending with Luciano hoping for a return to good songs and good singers. And if UB 40 get a mention, I missed it. Isn`t that recommendation enough for you?' Mojo
'Switches between informed analysis and intoxicating aural history...With epic contributions from major players such as PrinceBuster, Horace Andy, Bunny Lee and Dennis Bovell' GQ
'Fascinating...written with passion, style and gusto. This is a book many musicians would benefit from reading' Jah Wobble, Independent on Sunday
'A compelling social and musical history running from Fifties soundsystem roots to contemporary dancehall...filled to the brim with anecdotes to keep the most hardened music-head happy' Face
'A classic...Hilarious in places, peppered with social and historical comment in others, this is a fascinating account detailing how reggae evolved in Jamaica and became a global phenomenon' New Nation
'The first comprehensive history of every aspect of reggae (and) it could be the last that talked to those who were there at stage one...Bradley leaves no stone unturned in a coruscating rollercoaster ride through murder, major label gripes, ganja paranoia and racism, ending with Luciano hoping for a return to good songs and good singers. And if UB 40 get a mention, I missed it. Isn`t that recommendation enough for you?' Mojo
'Switches between informed analysis and intoxicating aural history...With epic contributions from major players such as PrinceBuster, Horace Andy, Bunny Lee and Dennis Bovell' GQ
'Fascinating...written with passion, style and gusto. This is a book many musicians would benefit from reading' Jah Wobble, Independent on Sunday
'A compelling social and musical history running from Fifties soundsystem roots to contemporary dancehall...filled to the brim with anecdotes to keep the most hardened music-head happy' Face
'A classic...Hilarious in places, peppered with social and historical comment in others, this is a fascinating account detailing how reggae evolved in Jamaica and became a global phenomenon' New Nation
608 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
January 7, 2013
This is not only a comprehensive examination of Jamaican music but a well-written and informative tome on subjects as varied as Rastafarianism, Jamaican independence and politics, as well as emigration, particularly of Jamaicans to the UK.
Musically, it starts with the Sound Systems of 1950’s Kingston and delves deeply into 60’s Ska and Rocksteady before moving into Reggae’s golden age of the 1970’s. Fans will know that, contrary to much conventional wisdom, it doesn’t all sound the same and within the genre there’s a wide range of styles from Roots to Dub to Lover’s Rock and Dancehall.
At 540 pages long, this is probably a book for the passionate fan rather than those looking for an introduction to the music or Jamaica itself; the latter may well be better off with some kind of Rough Guide or suchlike.
Those curious about the subject and willing to make the effort are in for a very rewarding read indeed. (If you think toasters are just an appliance for preparing your breakfast then prepare to enlightened.) There’s little more than one chapter on Bob Marley so the more discerning aficionado is likely to find plenty of interest and learn a thing or two along the way; particularly with the diversity of related topics covered.
Preferring reggae’s social commentary aspect to the full on Jah worship, I particularly enjoyed the sections on UK roots music (albeit very London-oriented). If there is a weakness, it is that the book first published in 2000, appears to tail off, with the second half of the 80’s and the 90’s looking like a footnote to what has gone before.
Bass Culture has been so thoroughly researched that it would be very harsh to criticize Lloyd Bradley for this. Perhaps the music went into a period of decline in the digital age, as the author and others appear to believe, or maybe their time had simply gone and a younger writer will be better placed to pick up the story with the same passion and knowledge Bradley has for the earlier periods.
But for coverage of Jamaican music and its context from the 50’s through to the early 80’s, I have no hesitation in awarding Bass Culture the full complement of five stars.
Musically, it starts with the Sound Systems of 1950’s Kingston and delves deeply into 60’s Ska and Rocksteady before moving into Reggae’s golden age of the 1970’s. Fans will know that, contrary to much conventional wisdom, it doesn’t all sound the same and within the genre there’s a wide range of styles from Roots to Dub to Lover’s Rock and Dancehall.
At 540 pages long, this is probably a book for the passionate fan rather than those looking for an introduction to the music or Jamaica itself; the latter may well be better off with some kind of Rough Guide or suchlike.
Those curious about the subject and willing to make the effort are in for a very rewarding read indeed. (If you think toasters are just an appliance for preparing your breakfast then prepare to enlightened.) There’s little more than one chapter on Bob Marley so the more discerning aficionado is likely to find plenty of interest and learn a thing or two along the way; particularly with the diversity of related topics covered.
Preferring reggae’s social commentary aspect to the full on Jah worship, I particularly enjoyed the sections on UK roots music (albeit very London-oriented). If there is a weakness, it is that the book first published in 2000, appears to tail off, with the second half of the 80’s and the 90’s looking like a footnote to what has gone before.
Bass Culture has been so thoroughly researched that it would be very harsh to criticize Lloyd Bradley for this. Perhaps the music went into a period of decline in the digital age, as the author and others appear to believe, or maybe their time had simply gone and a younger writer will be better placed to pick up the story with the same passion and knowledge Bradley has for the earlier periods.
But for coverage of Jamaican music and its context from the 50’s through to the early 80’s, I have no hesitation in awarding Bass Culture the full complement of five stars.
March 21, 2019
This is what you call a book about musical genre. Simply put, this is PhD in reggae. There are so many beautiful insights from legends such as Prince Buster, Jimmy Cliff, Sly Dunbar, Dennis Bovell and others. Above all, it takes you behind the scene, revealing the connection between music and economy, society, religion and other important factors. Its all about the facts. This book certainly changed the way I look at the reggae and I am now appreciatte it even more (even though I have been hardcore reggae fan for many years now) because there is a real understanding on what reggae is and what is not, who are the core guys and who are not. Reggae music is a universe for itself and the best thing about it, there is so much more to be written about. UK reggae is included a lot in the book, but it deserves a book for itself. It would be nice if Lloyd gives more insights to UK scene in the future, it would be great to see what there is in underground of that scene. All in all, this is simply the book about the reggae that anyone who considers oneself to be a reggae fan, must read.
May 27, 2021
A comprehensive history of Jamaican music from the 1930s approximately. It intertwines politics & culture of the time fluidly to culminate in a very holistic telling of life in Jamaica with music at its heart.
Recommend to anyone interested in the meaning behind reggae.
5/5
Recommend to anyone interested in the meaning behind reggae.
5/5
July 7, 2020
Bass Culture is an extensive history of reggae and the genres that preceded it - ska, rock-steady, and dub. Bass Culture covers reggae's roots in Jamaica as well as its history in the US and UK, hitting on all the major players - Lee "Scratch" Perry, Burning Spear, Jimmy Cliff, and of course Bob Marley - along the way. Beyond the musical history of reggae, Bass Culture catalogs the cultural, religious (chiefly via Rastafarianism), and societal impacts reggae has had on Jamaica and the world. I was curious about reggae before reading this book, but now have a love for the music.
February 1, 2019
If you're interested enough in Reggae and Jamaica to read 500+ pages, this book is everything and anything you'll want. Meticulous attention to detail without sacrificing any of the excitement and turmoil that came out of the birth of Jamaica as an independent nation and reggae as one of its greatest exports.
If that's not your thing uhhhhhh dont read it
If that's not your thing uhhhhhh dont read it
August 11, 2024
Amazingly in depth book. Bradley has already done exhaustive reading but supplements this with extensive firsthand interviews in the UK, US and Jamaica. Transcribed interview quotes will run for two or three pages at times, making the book half conventional history/half oral history. Political and economic contexts are thoroughly discussed to give the reader the full context. So many things I had the vaguest understanding of have now been thoroughly enriched: the evolution of the Jamaican sound system clashes, ska, dancehall, reggae, Rastafarianism, roots, dub, versioning, toasting, lovers rock and more, across Jamaica but with excursions to see how the Windrush generation and their children reworked things in the UK (or in the case of lovers rock, invented something of their own).
Bradley’s also brave enough to query the real musical significance of Bob Marley, suggesting that he was in some ways a less connected figurehead than some other contenders. Bradley reserves the word ‘genius’ for Lee “Scratch” Perry.
The penultimate chapter Johnny Dollar is however depressing as fuck, as it discusses a break in the throughline, spawning the guns and poonany, gangsterism, cocaine, and commerce of Slackness. In fact, the only flaw with the book is that Bradley is so determined to finish on a positive note that he overeggs the final chapter about the return to soulful Rasta roots. The interview with Luciano that closes the book is a little dull and self-righteous for all its attempts to wash out the sour taste of Slackness. Four and half stars if Goodreads would allow...
Bradley’s also brave enough to query the real musical significance of Bob Marley, suggesting that he was in some ways a less connected figurehead than some other contenders. Bradley reserves the word ‘genius’ for Lee “Scratch” Perry.
The penultimate chapter Johnny Dollar is however depressing as fuck, as it discusses a break in the throughline, spawning the guns and poonany, gangsterism, cocaine, and commerce of Slackness. In fact, the only flaw with the book is that Bradley is so determined to finish on a positive note that he overeggs the final chapter about the return to soulful Rasta roots. The interview with Luciano that closes the book is a little dull and self-righteous for all its attempts to wash out the sour taste of Slackness. Four and half stars if Goodreads would allow...
July 2, 2019
Could be the best reggae history available. I have a couple more on the shelf, but this one is a very strong contender.
November 2, 2022
Thorough and serious in its treatment of Reggae, yet highly accessible and almost conversational in tone. Took me a long time to read because I don't have a History Brain. A very impressive feat of research and truly required reading for anyone interested in any of reggae's subgenres or the sociopolitical history of Jamaica. Some small disappointments as Bradley obviously had a deeply emotional bias for roots reggae, a patronising understanding of women's contributions to the genre (esp in the UK!), and no interest in the fruitful scene in New York. But it's already a big book so to be honest he might have just run out of space. Still earns its place as the defining book on the subject.
August 19, 2022
The best music book I've ever read, it's a extremely well written story of Jamaica's musical and sociopolitical history since right before independence up to the end of last century. At no point the book gets boring thanks to the narration and the eloquent interviewees.
If I was forced to point something I didn't like: In the last chapters, dissing gansta rap as 'art' with quotation marks struck me as a bit narrow-minded, and also I missed having a bit more of closure on the current status of the key players from the 70s (for example, King Tubby's murder isn't even mentioned).
But all and all, I can't recommend this book enough.
If I was forced to point something I didn't like: In the last chapters, dissing gansta rap as 'art' with quotation marks struck me as a bit narrow-minded, and also I missed having a bit more of closure on the current status of the key players from the 70s (for example, King Tubby's murder isn't even mentioned).
But all and all, I can't recommend this book enough.
September 5, 2017
Enjoying this authoritative but readable account of Jamaican music, starting with the sound systems of the late 1950's ; full of insight and it will drive me back to the music.Have just got to the point in the narrative pre-Marley,where ska morphs into rocksteady,and how the music gradually shook off its American R&B forms,and begins to find its authentic voice. The number of great recordings referenced is already outstripping my ability to keep up on Spotify with them all.:-) Lovely stuff.
August 8, 2019
Very good cultural history of ska-rocksteady-reggae-digitalJamaicanstuffuptothenineties. Wonderfully positive ethos - the artists Bradley admires get plenty of room; the ones he despises just get a brief mention or are omitted. Would much rather read someone who has committed views like Bradley than a fence-sitter. I’d like it if he updated it to expand on UK dub reggae and I’m sure many would like more on Marley but it is a terrific music book regardless.
September 1, 2020
Comprehensive, insightful, educational history of a unique art form. I’ve listened to lots of reggae for years and still learned tons from this book. Brilliant.
July 20, 2022
This book is not just about reggae, this book is everything you want to know about reggae. It's about Jamaica, it's culture, politics and everyting that goes with it. About how New Orleans jazz and R&B was transformed into Ska, Blue Beat and how to dance Rock Steady because you get tired from dancing on Ska tracks all the time. How that American music evolves into reggae and how reggae turns into English pop and Lovers Rock and goes back to American airwave friendly Soul and Funk Reggae.
It's about the pioneers, the DJ's, the Rude Boy wars, Bob Marley's role in politics and his influence on spreading reggae around the globe, the election violence, the drugs and how all these aspects of Jamaican life was used in lyrics and reggae culture.
Have your Spotify or your Youtube ready to listen to all of those important reggae highlights that are mentioned in the book. You learn about how styles change from the earliest Blue Beat and Ska to the latest Dancehall and Ragga. A treat to the ears listening to the artists and their songs while you read about them.
A must-read for Reggae fans.
It's about the pioneers, the DJ's, the Rude Boy wars, Bob Marley's role in politics and his influence on spreading reggae around the globe, the election violence, the drugs and how all these aspects of Jamaican life was used in lyrics and reggae culture.
Have your Spotify or your Youtube ready to listen to all of those important reggae highlights that are mentioned in the book. You learn about how styles change from the earliest Blue Beat and Ska to the latest Dancehall and Ragga. A treat to the ears listening to the artists and their songs while you read about them.
A must-read for Reggae fans.
March 25, 2024
There were some really fascinating chapters but it mostly felt like a list of names and songs and for someone who is at an entry level of interest, it felt like it was dragging a lot of the time. I really liked the mention of the music, but without actually sitting at my computer and listening, it just feels like someone trying to describe music to you... Here's a playlist of all the songs Bradley mentions https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3fz.... It was great to see the evolution through the music mentioned. I got to learn about Reggae's roots in Jazz, and now I have been listening to Jazz all the time. Learning about the Rastafari movement was eye-opening. It has lots of mentions of political and social events, which makes this very much of a history book. Now I can understand lyrical themes in my favorite songs much better. Overall, maybe I'd recommend this book to someone who is already past entry-level interest.
April 22, 2019
Me da la impresión de que este es el libro definitivo sobre la música popular jamaicana; pese a la interesante bibliografía que ofrece al final, Bass Culture es tan exhaustivo que es más que suficiente para tener un conocimiento notable sobre el tema. Una biografia de Marley y un libro que ahonde más en el dancehall y en la posible influencia que ha tenido Jamaica en la música del resto del Caribe (supongo que por algo lo llaman reggaeton) serían los dos únicos suplementos que recomendaría.
Bass Culture se esfuerza en narrar la evolución de la música de forma paralela a la de la sociedad y la política de la isla, que es tan particular que siempre resulta una lectura bastante entretenida. Como es obvio, escuchar los temas mencionados a lo largo del libro mientras es el complemento perfecto a la lectura.
Bass Culture se esfuerza en narrar la evolución de la música de forma paralela a la de la sociedad y la política de la isla, que es tan particular que siempre resulta una lectura bastante entretenida. Como es obvio, escuchar los temas mencionados a lo largo del libro mientras es el complemento perfecto a la lectura.
April 26, 2020
Un viaje largo y algo pesado, por más de cinco décadas, a través de enormes parlantes de madera que golpean fuerte con un bajo que se parece mucho al latido de un corazón, de un pueblo. Un ritmo algo pegajoso lleno de sonidos graves y una fuerte percusión que nos hace acordar la esencia del viaje, la esencia que se encuentra hace 500 años, en medio de esclavitud, frustración y rebelión.
Voces marginadas en busca de consuelo, unión y libertad, materializados en un disco de vinilo, en un cd y finalmente en una memoria sd... Desde el Ska pasando por el rocksteady hasta convertirse en Reggae... Bass Culture: La historia del reggae, un excelente libro para todos los amantes, coleccionistas y curiosos de este gran género musical.
Voces marginadas en busca de consuelo, unión y libertad, materializados en un disco de vinilo, en un cd y finalmente en una memoria sd... Desde el Ska pasando por el rocksteady hasta convertirse en Reggae... Bass Culture: La historia del reggae, un excelente libro para todos los amantes, coleccionistas y curiosos de este gran género musical.
August 7, 2024
logged back into Goodreads purely to recommend this - it is one of the best books about music I have ever read. as a kid I loved reading narratives of "and then the Beatles invented this w this album" etc, which I def still love, but lately I have been more fascinated by the economic/sociopolitical background that created the music I love. this masterfully interweaves those threads in with the leading lights of reggae, as well as many figures I had never heard of outside of this book. he also goes to page 380-something without significantly discussing Bob Marley's solo work, and does so with the most nuance I have ever heard applied to Bob.
I devour music books like nothing else and so I devoured this in a few days. I can't wait to read it again in a few years
I devour music books like nothing else and so I devoured this in a few days. I can't wait to read it again in a few years
July 6, 2022
Amo mucho este libro.
Tiene una manera preciosa de transmitir ese sentimiento de los jamaicanos hacia la música. Porque para ellos la música es símbolo de comunidad, resistencia, unión y fuerza. Jamaica le dio un gran legado a la cultura mundial: El reggae, un ritmo tan bello y con un gran trasfondo que evidentemente tuvo que influenciar otros géneros musicales.
En definitiva es un gran viaje por la isla caribeña y por Inglaterra.
El libro es extenso y tiene mucha información, así que hay que darse tiempo para disfrutarlo. Sugiero poner en tu playlist las canciones que va mencionando el autor durante todo este viaje será experiencia completa. <3
Tiene una manera preciosa de transmitir ese sentimiento de los jamaicanos hacia la música. Porque para ellos la música es símbolo de comunidad, resistencia, unión y fuerza. Jamaica le dio un gran legado a la cultura mundial: El reggae, un ritmo tan bello y con un gran trasfondo que evidentemente tuvo que influenciar otros géneros musicales.
En definitiva es un gran viaje por la isla caribeña y por Inglaterra.
El libro es extenso y tiene mucha información, así que hay que darse tiempo para disfrutarlo. Sugiero poner en tu playlist las canciones que va mencionando el autor durante todo este viaje será experiencia completa. <3
November 27, 2023
Interesting and enjoyable review/history of Jamaican music with lots of direct quotations from those in the thick of it. Like all such cultural histories, it's hard to establish the full truth of what is said and the author freely admits at times that he may be partisan (I'm pretty sure he is). However, despite my already having some knowledge, this book gave me greater insight into some of the twists and turns of reggae's development and some of the participants that I knew only a little of. My criticism would be that, in order to give thematic structure to the chapters, he loses some of the clear chronology and we find ourselves either repeating stuff or losing the connections.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 28, 2017
Very detailed history of the development of reggae from the early soundsystem days in the 1950s to Ska, rocksteady, roots reggae and dancehall. Also, excellent on the social history of Jamaica, Rastafari, the black diaspora and the development of the UK reggae scene. Particularly enjoyed how links were made with the political and social context and its direct influence on the music. I'm left with so many ideas of amazing music to check out. Essential resource for all music heads!
June 2, 2019
Apenas voy por la mitad y me parece un libro precioso y excelente. Una investigación exhaustiva que nos lleva de la mano por cada playa, barrio, palmera y gueto de Jamaica a través del soundsystem y la producción musical. Un libro indispensable, para leerse escuchando reggae y haciendo incontables playlists de música producida en Jamaica. Seguir leyendo y seguir escuchando se vuelve una necesidad que aletarga el proceso de lectura.
April 22, 2021
Hay relativo consenso en que este libro es lo mejor y más completo en idioma español acerca del reggae. Asiento totalmente. Quizás lo único que se le podría criticar es que su recorrido histórico sólo llega hasta fines de la década de los 90, pero ciertamente eso no es culpa de Bradley sino de la desidia de las editoriales locales al no traducirlo antes.
Pese al evidente conocimiento que despliega Bradley sobre el reggae y su cuna, Jamaica, es un libro increíblemente amable con el lector que apenas si conoce los grandes (y más comerciales) nombres del género: Marley, Tosh, Perry, Cliff, Tubby, la producción de Studio One o la camada inglesa liderada por Aswad y Black Uhuru. Desde sus primeras páginas, Bass Culture se dedica a ampliar esta visión, contextualizarla, mostrarte a los verdaderos ingenieros del género y entregarte las herramientas necesarias para entender el porqué desde esta isla tan golpeada por la pobreza y la explotación primermundista surgió el género musical más influyente del último tercio del siglo XX. El relato es entretenido, dinámico y a ratos "ametrallador", pero siempre cristalino: como si pudieras estar bailando en el sound system mientras sientes a la distancia el pollo dorándose en una parrilla y los bajos retumbando en tu tórax.
Recomiendo leerlo con youtube o spotify abierto para ir buscando los cientos de títulos con que Bradley va sonorizando su relato. Una playlist o una discografía recomendada hubiese convertido este libro imprescindible en algo sencillamente perfecto. One love, one heart.
Pese al evidente conocimiento que despliega Bradley sobre el reggae y su cuna, Jamaica, es un libro increíblemente amable con el lector que apenas si conoce los grandes (y más comerciales) nombres del género: Marley, Tosh, Perry, Cliff, Tubby, la producción de Studio One o la camada inglesa liderada por Aswad y Black Uhuru. Desde sus primeras páginas, Bass Culture se dedica a ampliar esta visión, contextualizarla, mostrarte a los verdaderos ingenieros del género y entregarte las herramientas necesarias para entender el porqué desde esta isla tan golpeada por la pobreza y la explotación primermundista surgió el género musical más influyente del último tercio del siglo XX. El relato es entretenido, dinámico y a ratos "ametrallador", pero siempre cristalino: como si pudieras estar bailando en el sound system mientras sientes a la distancia el pollo dorándose en una parrilla y los bajos retumbando en tu tórax.
Recomiendo leerlo con youtube o spotify abierto para ir buscando los cientos de títulos con que Bradley va sonorizando su relato. Una playlist o una discografía recomendada hubiese convertido este libro imprescindible en algo sencillamente perfecto. One love, one heart.
September 8, 2019
Sometimes this book is great and filled with interesting information but more often than not it’s just paragraphs after paragraph filled with names, just lists of names, the same names you read in a previous chapter, there is only so many times each name needs to be said
March 29, 2020
This is an outstanding book. The most in depth look on Reggae music. From its roots in Jamaica to its conquest of the UK and the USA, this tells the story about the whole genre and it's impact on society and culture. Music fans will want to read this.
April 13, 2021
Superb book that brilliantly articulates the history and significance of the music. Many insightful and revealing interviews throughout. Would've liked a recommended discography at the end, but apart from that, this book is a great overview on reggae.
February 6, 2019
The essential history of reggae!
May 22, 2023
One of the best books I’ve read about music. Highly recommended
June 30, 2017
One must give this book the greatest respect for being the most passionate, inclusive, and comprehensive history of reggae music there is. Bradley traces Jamaican popular music from the early soundsystems of the 1950s to the conscious dancehall movement in the mid 1990s. Not only this, he also weaves in an excellent political narrative – keeping in theme with the largely socio-political content of roots reggae music. However, he is also keen to look to the music’s influence and evolution abroad – particularly the UK. His analysis is particularly strong in relation to the changing sound of Jamaican music. Surely the greatest chapter was “Dubwise Situation,” an ode to the sonic universe of dub.
Before I start my criticism, I want to make it very clear that this book is beautifully written, and that my criticism does not detract from its value as a work of narrative cultural history (with plenty of oral history too). I think there are a few dangers in the very sense of comprehensiveness that this book presents. To the uninitiated, it might skew one’s perception of reggae in certain ways. Firstly, Bradley places the early development of popular music in Jamaica in something of vacuum from Trini calypso and its local offshoot mento. I feel as though a greater influence was felt from this than this book would suggest, though I may be wrong. Secondly – as I have mentioned already – Bradley spends a lot of time discussing the effects of Jamaican music on the UK, and the home-grown scene there (particularly in London). This is of course a fruitful area worthy of study, but it’s done at the expense of the other places where Jamaican music made an impression. I’m thinking here of the plausible centrality of the Jamaican “deejay” style in the early development of hip hop. All of this is understandable given that Bradley grew up in Britain, but it just has to be noted that this book is slightly UK-centred. Thirdly, Bradley’s own musical tastes inevitably makes its impact on the book. Really, the music that takes centre-stage in his story is roots music. Music that reflects the social, economic, and political problems of the time. Though of course this is completely relevant to much reggae, it leaves the more purely party orientated music under-appreciated. This relates to an issue that many have taken up with this book: Bradley’s difficulty with reggae’s evolution into dancehall, a music that is practically defined by its disinterest in “roots and culture” (though this is somewhat simplistic). This simply means that Bradley’s heart isn’t in it for huge swathes of Jamaican music. Given this book’s age, it would be fascinating to see an updated edition where Bradley would be able to reflect with more perspective on dancehall.
In sum, this is an excellent and readable book, and essential for anyone seriously interested in reggae and its sisters. Much recommended!
Before I start my criticism, I want to make it very clear that this book is beautifully written, and that my criticism does not detract from its value as a work of narrative cultural history (with plenty of oral history too). I think there are a few dangers in the very sense of comprehensiveness that this book presents. To the uninitiated, it might skew one’s perception of reggae in certain ways. Firstly, Bradley places the early development of popular music in Jamaica in something of vacuum from Trini calypso and its local offshoot mento. I feel as though a greater influence was felt from this than this book would suggest, though I may be wrong. Secondly – as I have mentioned already – Bradley spends a lot of time discussing the effects of Jamaican music on the UK, and the home-grown scene there (particularly in London). This is of course a fruitful area worthy of study, but it’s done at the expense of the other places where Jamaican music made an impression. I’m thinking here of the plausible centrality of the Jamaican “deejay” style in the early development of hip hop. All of this is understandable given that Bradley grew up in Britain, but it just has to be noted that this book is slightly UK-centred. Thirdly, Bradley’s own musical tastes inevitably makes its impact on the book. Really, the music that takes centre-stage in his story is roots music. Music that reflects the social, economic, and political problems of the time. Though of course this is completely relevant to much reggae, it leaves the more purely party orientated music under-appreciated. This relates to an issue that many have taken up with this book: Bradley’s difficulty with reggae’s evolution into dancehall, a music that is practically defined by its disinterest in “roots and culture” (though this is somewhat simplistic). This simply means that Bradley’s heart isn’t in it for huge swathes of Jamaican music. Given this book’s age, it would be fascinating to see an updated edition where Bradley would be able to reflect with more perspective on dancehall.
In sum, this is an excellent and readable book, and essential for anyone seriously interested in reggae and its sisters. Much recommended!
September 6, 2015
La música moderna jamaicana es tratada aquí con respeto y amor (la parte de los agradecimientos es lo más noble que he leído en mucho tiempo) evitando, eso sí, caer en fanatismos cegadores o apreciaciones excesivas. Por el contrario, en el trazo que hace desde el ska a fines de los cincuenta hasta el dancehall de mediados de los ochenta y noventa (pasando por el rocksteady de los sesenta y dub de los setenta) no falta la severidad cuando de culpas y errores se trata. Entrevistas, contexto social, similitudes y discrepancias entre la escena original y la diáspora inglesa, paralelismos entre los movimientos por los derechos civiles en Norteamérica, influencia en el punk inglés y la escena two-tone, personajes fundamentales (¡Scratch Perry!), avaricia, religiosisad, un cordón umbilical con África que se fortalece, singles gloriosos, marihuana, dreads, y cientos de cosas más que llegaron a nosotros distorsionadas por el mercado y la moda logran aquí su justo lugar, borrando cualquier prejuicio anterior. Se echa en falta más fotografías, pero el balance final es positivo dada la cantidad de información que ofrece, (incluye lecturas recomendadas y un glosario exclusivo para la edición en español) escrita siempre con claridad, soltura y toques de humor. Fascinante.
March 21, 2016
This is by far the best history of Jamaican music I've read. Personally, I prefer music histories that reference the concurrent cultural and political events of the time and this book delivers. I particularly liked the astute contributions by three of my favorite reggae artists, Prince Buster, Derrick Harriott and Dennis Bovell. If you are a casual fan of ska, rock steady and roots reggae, there may be too much information here. I enjoyed reading about how the music business interacted with Jamaican music. There's great stories about a U.S. push for ska "craze" connected to the New York Worlds Fair; the development of Jamaican sound systems and record sales; the growth of Rastafarianism;the UK reggae market and more. This is the first book about reggae I've read that outlines the gradual development of Jamaican music from the late 50's forward in the UK, U.S. and Jamaica. I really enjoyed the authors well written assessment of what made Bob Marley a great star.
As other reviewers pointed out, the author is not as enthusiastic about the dancehall style and beyond but I expected that. There should be a book about dancehall that includes its development in Jamaica, UK and West Indian populations in the U.S.
As other reviewers pointed out, the author is not as enthusiastic about the dancehall style and beyond but I expected that. There should be a book about dancehall that includes its development in Jamaica, UK and West Indian populations in the U.S.
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