Beth Lesser

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.