- Paperback: 572 pages
- Publisher: Grove/Atlantic (Sep 24 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0802138284
- ISBN-13: 978-0802138286
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 15.3 x 4 cm
- Shipping Weight: 798 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#328,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #18 in Books > History > Americas > Caribbean & West Indies > Jamaica
- #30 in Books > Entertainment > Music > Musical Genres > Reggae
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
With flair, skill, passion and stamina, Bradley (Reggae on CD) fluidly traces Jamaican music's odyssey from the pure energy of 1950s Kingston's open-air sound system scene to the eruption of homegrown ska, the "smooove of Rocksteady," reggae's depth; holding his nose for digital/ragga/ roughneck, he regains optimism for the emergent new roots genre. But the meat lies in how Jamaica's poverty, societal strife and "politricks," tempered by the creativity, spirituality and upbeatness of its people, yielded the music, which for better and worse reached the U.K., the U.S. and beyond. Born in London to Jamaican immigrants, Bradley spent six years studying his subject. Avoiding the who/what/ when tedium that encumbers many music histories, he reveals the whys and hows. The legendary Prince Buster whets readers appetites in the foreword, then passes the mike to Bradley. Hardly a ham, Bradley passes it often to the originators and major players (including Lee "Scratch" Perry, Big Youth, Burning Spear) for lengthy, lively quotes and anecdotes. He pays scholarly attention to musical detail and attempts to highlight everyone who has made reggae waves, not just the stars. He writes, "It's a brave publisher that will put out a volume about reggae in general without its jacket artwork conspicuously featuring Bob Marley's face." And a brave writer who forestalls addressing the master's impact until the 17th chapter. "For many, Marley is reggae"; but it's a "colossal irony that, during his tenure at the top, reggae's most famous exponent exerted practically no influence over the music's development at grassroots i.e., Kingston studios level." Such insider-expert revelations will delight reggae's many devotees. Agent, Sophie Brewer, Penguin UK.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
For most casual listeners, reggae music can be reduced to one artist Bob Marley. This book, however, proves in exhaustive detail that there is greater breadth and depth to the 40-year-old art form. Bradley, who ran his own sound system for reggae dances in the late 1970s and has written for many British music periodicals, is well qualified to present a history of this scope. In a witty and engaging manner, he traces the development of the genre from mento to sound system dances, ska, rock steady, reggae, dub, toasting, (precursor to American rap), and many other offshoots. He also provides comprehensive and incisive histories of the Jamaican and British cultures and societies (touching on many Rastafarian influences) that acted as catalysts for the development of the music. Readers who want to learn about Marley are still best served by Timothy White's Catch a Fire: The Life of Bob Marley (LJ 6/15/83; Owl Bks., 1998. rev. ed.). But for enthusiasts, this book is fabulous, on a par with Kevin O'Brien Chang and Wayne Chen's Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music (Temple Univ., 1998). Highly recommended for large public or academic libraries. Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
the definitive tome so far,
By Esther Rabinowitz (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: This is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music (Paperback)
Excellently researched, engagingly written and an absorbing read, THIS IS REGGAE MUSIC is the best book so far on the topic. Bradley takes care to set the story in the proper cultural, socio-economic and historical context, and he knows the music inside and out.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Must read for reggae fans,
By
This review is from: This is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music (Paperback)
This book is great. Great stories ang great history. If you want a detailed acount of the development of reggae from the begining to the end of roots, this is the book. It's true that the book basicly ends at the begining of the 80s, but up till then this book is great. I have read most of the books out on reggae and this is my favorite one. A must for roots fans.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bass Culture . When Reggae Was King !,
By
This review is from: This is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music (Paperback)
It's a shame that the publishers deemed it fit to release this book with a new , bland , user friendly title to cater for the American market , rather than to stick with the far more appropriate British title of - Bass Culture . When Reggae Was King - , but the biggest disappointment for me is replacing the great cover on the British edition ( it says as much about dub as a thousand words ) with the almost Jamaican holiday brochure photo . The book itself is a great read . Lloyd Bradley traces the evolution of Jamaican music from the wild soundsystem days of the Fifties up to the digital reggae of the Nineties , the biggest chunk of the book revolving around the two most important decades in the development of reggae , the Sixties and Seventies . He also traces the often violent political evolution of the island after independence , and the consequences this has had on its people . These two subjects are easily entwined as the development of reggae has always been inextricably linked with the political climate in Jamaica . Some of the main players add their enlightening anecdotes , to give the reader a much more vivid picture of who or what was pushing the envelope back at crucial times in the development of this vital music . There is also a chapter dealing with the history and philosophies of the Rastafarian that is crucial if you want a better understanding of reggae . Lloyd Bradley then follows the Jamaican diaspora across the atlantic ocean , and chronicles the bad race relations it encountered in England that would ultimately herald in the rise of British reggae . This part of the book is entertaining enough , although I think the author has wildly overestimated the importance and influence of British reggae in general . Considering that this story has its fair share of suffering and violence , it's a nice touch to have two contemporary reggae stars ( Luciano and Bobby Digital ) ending this book with optimistic and positive views on the future of reggae .
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