Beth Lesser - Reggae Quarterly
Dancehall - The Story Of Jamaican Dancehall Culture - Beth Lesser -
Soul Jazz - 218pp
Reggae Quarterly was published eight times from 1981 to 1988. In that
time Dave and Beth Kingston captured exactly what was going on in
reggae music. Every edition was like an event! People loved RQ - and
Augustus Pablo told me that Dave and Beth were loved in Jamaica. RQ
covered reggae music not just dancehall. Roy Shirley gave them a great
interview, Burning Spear did, and of course Augustus Pablo.
Of course the driving force in reggae music in the eighties was
'Dancehall' and its this aspect that is best remembered from those
editions of RQ. Dancehall was viewed as some kind of sickness back
then. A fever that would pass. Well it didn't pass. Next year 2009
will make its 30th Birthday!!!! And its this aspect of the book that
interests me the most.
Dave and Beth got it so right in those eight editions - could Beth sum
up dancehall today. Reggae music is today on its knees. Some would say
in ICU. And a lot of these problems can be traced all the way back to
1988/89 It was around then that the sound system - the engine that had
powered reggae music from the start - changed. The deejays were
replaced by dubplates or so called specials.
On page 180 of this massive book in a chapter called 'The Decline And
Fall Of Dancehall' its all explained. by Beth. Quotes from all the
leading figures are here. My favourite is from Big Jack Scorpio -
while my good friend Dennis Alcapone also makes the same point.
Anyway this is a book that celebrates reggae music its huge - the
nearly the size of a LP. Its packed with photos in full colour. And
its a great work. Congratulations to all concerned.