Reggae And Politics In The 1970s

★★★

Thibault Ehrengardt DREAD EDITIONS. £25

Guns, ganja, ideology and greed in 1970s Jamaica.

As has been-well documented, Jamaican music has endured a strangely symbiotic relationship with the island’s political figures. Musicians lampooned a corrupt, divisive system while professing neutrality for religious reasons, even as their material was co-opted by the very politicians they criticised, and who sometimes curried favour with them. This self-published exposé by the former editor of the French music magazine Natty Dread, takes a closer look at the origins of these problematic relationships and the music that erupted during Jamaica’s Cold War struggles. Ehrengardt is at his best when integrating first-hand testimony from luminaries such as Max Romeo, Alton Ellis, Dennis Alcapone, Linval Thompson, Kiddus-I and Tappa Zukie, though much of the text is dominated by the author’s musical analysis, supplemented by third-party material and song lyrics. Written in a conversational style, this accessible read allows for a deeper understanding of how roots reggae evolved under the pressures of partisan violence.