Solid Foundation: An Oral History of Reggae

by David Katz

A groundbreaking and comprehensive history of reggae, with firsthand accounts by reggae's most prominent and popular figures.

Solid An Oral History of Reggae is an original, in-depth look at one of the most influential music genres. Through exclusive interview material and previously unpublished photographs, David Katz brings to life over one hundred of reggae's most important artists, including Toots and The Maytals, The Melodians, the Skatalites, and the Wailers Band, Augustus Pablo, Culture, Sugar Minott, Cocoa Tea, and Frankie Paul, who speak for the first time about their roles in the music's progression. From the pre-ska years of the late 1950s to the dawning of the digital age in the mid-1980s, Solid Foundation charts the evolution of ska, rock steady, traditional and untraditional reggae styles, and the sub-genres of dub, deejay, and dancehall. The book is largely drawn from conversations Katz conducted with the architects of Jamaica's popular music, and with perceptive and detailed commentary, he celebrates the creativity and individuality that have made reggae music one of the most popular contemporary styles throughout the world.

Genres: Music, History, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

Reviews

[Hex75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

quasi un "please kill me" del reggae: pagina dopo pagina (e sono tante) scorrono le vicende di quasi tutti gli attori principali della musica jamaicana, dai primi sound system all'avvento dell'elettronica.fondamentale per chi ascolta reggae in tutti tutti i suoi aspetti ed è interessato a scoprire come sono nate le tante sottoscene del genere, interessante per chi conosce i nomi simbolo del genere (i vari marley, tosh, skatalites, inner circle, aswad, ecc...) e vuole conoscere anche il resto, ovviamente sconsigliato per quelli per cui il reggae è solo bob marley e basta: qui anzi del buon bob si parla pochissimo, e per fortuna si butta giù quel triste luogo comune che lo vuole massimo rappresentate del reggae la cui scomparsa ha messo fine al genere.

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Katz brings a number of strengths to this oral history. He approaches the subject with an already encyclopedic knowledge of Reggae and Jamaican music more broadly. He understands not only Jamaican patois but also the deeper hermeneutics, the ways that Jamaicans have for talking to white people or to authority without giving anything sensitive away. It’s hard for me to explain, but a more obvious example is saying, “a man like David Katz” when you actually mean David Katz. Then he has the real journalistic chops to fact check and seek confirmation. The result is an exhaustive history that sorts legends and PR from whatever is closest to fact on that Caribbean island and its diaspora along the Black Atlantic. Exhaustive, but also exhausting. I think I started this ten years ago, kept putting it down and then picking it up again.

Katz can tell you if a record that says Augustus Pablo is by “the” Augustus Pablo or someone else and why and maybe even who else was at the session. He can tell you which political party controlled that neighborhood at the time of the recording and which sound systems were nearby and what deejays and selectors were working there that season. Sometimes the story gets lost in the details. But for obsessive record collectors, this is an absolute must. For the casual reggae fan, Bradley’s Bass Culture is the book to start with.

[Kristie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Solid Foundation" is the definitive history of #Jamaican #reggae, from the earliest pioneers of the 1940s to the new stars of the 21st century. Drawing on more than 300 first-hand interviews, this landmark book tells the fascinating story of some of the most compelling characters in popular music. It features a diverse range of reggae pioneers, such as the Skatalites, the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, and Lee 'Scratch' Perry, dub legends such as Augustus Pablo, Prince Jammy, and Scientist, as well as #dancehall giants like Elephant Man, Beenie Man, and Buju Banton. It details the entire evolution of Jamaican popular #music, including ska, rock steady, roots reggae, dub, dancehall, ragga, and more. First published in 2004, "Solid Foundation" was widely praised as a cracking read and a necessary work. This fully revised and updated edition brings the story into the 21st century with new chapters on the key performers of recent times and extensive additions throughout.

[matt. singer. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have to admit: I never actually finished this. Hey, it's long and has small type. What am I, Superman? Seriously, though, the history of reggae (which is really the entire cultural history of modern Jamaica) is a lot more fascinating than Katz makes it out to be. The beginning part, about the feuding soundsystems and dance hall crashers, is the best. From there, however, the book falls into a rather boring formula of introducing important figures, giving their basic biographical information, presenting a few anecdotes then moving on to the next guy without providing any kind of deeper context for why they were so important in the development of the music. If that's all I wanted from a biography, I'd troll Wikipedia.

[Zeke · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has been an ongoing browsing book for me. You can open it anywhere and find a good anecdote or historical tidbit. The dense tangle of names, places,titles and quotes in this book testifies to the intense vitality of music and recording culture in Jamaica in the 1960s and 70s. I need to read Katz's book on Lee Perry...and I'm still waiting for some definitive, researched work on King Tubby--everything I read about him is the same regurgitated paragraph from the Internet.

[Sheehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best oral histories of Reggae Music I have read yet, has all the big artists histories, and so many of the small one too!

Discusses the rise of the soundsystem culture in a historical and political context. You get a great chance to see what a tight group of artists working with what's available can create and change the world.

This book is one of my top ten ever...

[DJ Yossarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've barely gotten 20 pages into this and it's already earned its five stars. Sets the standard for oral histories of music. Fantastically well documented. I'm looking forward to savoring the next 300+ pages.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

More detail than I ever needed to know about reggae.

[Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love reggae music as much as I do, you'll just love this book. It's a truly amazing job of reserach.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any serious fan of reggae music would benefit from reading this book.