I have just finished reading Lloyd Bradley's book 'Bass Culture', and I must say I found this a very interesting read. It traces the out set of Jamaican music from the late 50's, with the birth of sound systems, playing imported American R&B tunes, through the emergence of ska, then rocksteady, into the heyday of roots reggae and all areas in between up to the present day. Although it must be said that from the 80's and to today is a very short ride compared to the rest of the book, and this makes it feel like a bit of a rush at the end. The reason for this could be due to Lloyd's very noticeable disliking of dancehall and digital reggae. He dismisses this as rather a best-forgotten period in which no good tunes surfaced! Although from the listening figures for WCTD Radio there is quite a few of you out there who obviously disagree. The book does end on a positive note though as he describes the rise of the Xterminator record label and its artists like Luciano, Sizzla and Ras Shiloh.
A big plus point for book in my opinion is the that he also looks at Jamaican social history of the time, as the musical styles changed, and how it reacted with the music to produce some truly great records. This interaction he also credits as in some way helping shape the political agenda of the country at times, as the two main political parties vied for the votes of the people. This 'history lesson' really helps to paint a vivid picture of Jamaica as it struggles to find an identity after independence, and also brings home that in Jamaica music isn't just about style and fashion but it is the country's culture. That might all sound a bit heavy going but believe me it isn't, and because of this I would recommend this to anyone with an interest in music in general and not just reggae.
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