Reggae Routes: The Story of Jamaican Music

The reggae era had two phases, 'early reggae' up to 1974 and 'roots reggae' up to 1983. Ska dates from about 1960 to mid-1966, rocksteady from 1966 to 1968, while from 1969 to 1983 reggae was the popular beat. Jamaican music can be roughly divided into four eras, each with a distinctive beat - ska, rocksteady, reggae and dancehall. The authors describe each stage in the development of the music, identifying the most popular songs and artists, highlighting the significant social, political and economic issues as they affected the musical scene. Since 1983 dancehall has been the prevalent sound. While they write from a Jamaican perspective, the intended audience is 'any person, local or foreign, interested in an intelligent discussion of reggae music and Jamaica.'.

"Reggae Routes - About so much more than music." according to A Customer. MUCH MORE THAN MUSICTwo Jamaican Reggae enthusiasts pen the history of reggae music from the Jamaican perspective - and end up giving us so much more.REGGAE ROUTES - By Kevin O'Brien Chang and Wayne Chen"Jamaica has less than one-twentieth of one percent of the world's population and produces even less of its wealth. A Wonderfully Entertaining And Informative Read For Reggae Lovers kingston Reggae Routes is by far the best written and most entertaining book on reggae. Unlike so many others that get bogged down on irrelevant details it cuts to the chase and tells you everything a curious and intelligent person could want to know about Jamaican Music. If you want to know about obscure albums released onl. "INADEQUATE" according to kaysixone. This book certainly makes a lot of bold claims for itself. According to the back cover it's "the authentic story of Jamaican popular music" as well as being "the best book ever written on reggae". So my first disappointment after receiving "Reggae routes" (a gift from a well-meaning friend) was to discover how short

"the new bible of Jamaican music." -- Jamaica Sunday Gleaner, Mar 8, 1998"InsightfulEnthralls from start to finishAccurate." -- Jamaica Sunday Observer, Jan 11, 1998"It is alivethe reader experiences the history in-depth. -- Jamaica Sunday Gleaner, Feb 22, 1998