Customer Reviews

Bass Culture

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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.

I purchased Bass Culture after reading This is Reggae Music: The Story of Jamaica's Music also by Lloyd Bradley only to find that they are the same text with a different title and publisher. Don't let this sway you...read one of these titles!!! Bradley recounts the rich history of Jamaica's music culture in great detail including aural accounts from crucial purveyors.

If your going to read one book on the history of Reggae - then make it this one. Very well written , well researched book by experts in the field. Can't recommended it highly enough

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.

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.