Product Description

The first major account of the history of reggae, black music journalist Lloyd Bradley describes its origins and development in Jamaica, from ska to rock-steady to dub and then to reggae itself, a local music which conquered the world. There are many extraordinary stories about characters like Prince Buster, King Tubby and Bob Marley. But this is more than a book of music history: it relates the story of reggae to the whole history of Jamaica, from Colonial Island to troubled independence, and Jamaicans, from Kingston to London.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #725870 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 592 pages

About the Author
Lloyd Bradley was classically trained as a chef but for the last 20 years has worked as a music journalist, most recently for Mojo - which he has just left with editor Mat Snow to launch a new men's magazine in Autumn 2000. He is the author of Reggae on CD. He lives with his wife and two children in Kentish Town, London.

Customer Reviews

Exhaustive Roots Reggae Survey
At over 500 pages this thick little British import is an exhaustive survey of the Roots Rocker Era of reggae: '69 thru early 80's when dancehall took over.

The book begins with the birth of Jamaican music, and the rise of the sound systems. Ska, Rocksteady, then Roots Reggae are examined. Economics,and the rise of Rastafarism are woven throughout the story.

The various producers and their work are discussed, along with the importance of Britain as a sales base, and the emergence of Trojan.

Dub, DJ's, producers, singers, rhythm sections, etc are all discussed.

This very dense and packed with stories and information I cannot imagine anyone being disappionted as long as they realize this deals exclusively with the 70's roots era.

outstanding
Very encouraging to see this subject treated so comprehensively.

History, social and political context, music and sound, atists ideas and influences, details of all the major players with the whos and whys -

If origins and growth of the Jamaican dancehall ska and reggae scene interest you this is your book - best to read with access to the original music - should come with a cd. Can be difficult to track down all the pieces but luckily it was done for me by a good friend. Enjoy.

A great reference source
Bass Culture
This is a great resource for any fan of reggae, or anyone interested in Jamaica's recent social/cultural history. Bradley's obviously spent a lot of time collecting and sifting through the history of the music, a seemingly impossible task when you consider the haphazard and apocryphal nature of it all, and presents the accumulated knowledge in a fair and balanced way. Doubtless, there's small inaccuracies here and there but this book is one of the most thorough I've read on the subject. I found this book to be a goldmine of information and it lead me to discover some wonderful music and musicians which may have otherwise passed me by.