Roots Rock Reggae - Inside the Jamaican Music Scene
Product ID: 11822859
Fans of 1970s reggae are sure to rejoice at the chance to hear Jimmy Cliff and Joe Higgs talk about their music, to see hyperkinetic producer-musician Lee "Scratch" Perry at work in his legendary Black Ark studio (with Junior Murvin, the Heptones, and the Upsetters), and to enjoy the lively sounds of the Mighty Diamonds, Ras Michael, and U-Roy in concert. Fans of Jamaica's best-known musical export, Bob Marley and the Wailers, may be a little disappointed, however, because the documentary includes only a couple of brief performance clips--though, granted, even momentary glimpses of Mr. Music at his peak are better than none at all. This 1977 installment of director Jeremy Marre's 14-part Beats of the Heart series also features early black-and-white footage of Jimmy Cliff and Toots & the Maytals in concert, the Gladiators in the studio, and the Abyssinians, Third World, and Inner Circle in rehearsal. Scenes of Kingston street life are interspersed with the performance footage and interviews to illustrate the narrator's claim that "Reggae music is much more than entertainment in Jamaica today. It's a powerful social force that mirrors the pressures of everyday life, putting them into words and rhythm--describing, revealing, persuading." --Kathleen C. Fennessy Featured are performances and interviews with Bob Marley, Joe Higgs, Jimmy Cliff, Ras Michael an many more. Review: Great Reggae Time Capsule! A must have! - This is a solid piece on roots and rockers reggae from the 70`s that reveals a rare and intimate side of the icons portrayed throughout. What I found most refreshing in the artist interviews was a degree of humility and earnestness that is not likely to be revealed in main stream media. The content and flow is very engaging with excellent video and sound quality. I'm unaware of the constraints or preferences of the writer and director at the time this documentary was made, but it would have great to see a few more of the seminal artists of the time featured in this segment. Regardless, this is a must have for reggae fans and a true time capsule of a critical era in reggae music and the socio-political landscape of Jamaica at that time. Review: Roots Rock Reggae - A beautiful overall view of some of the iconic and groundbreaking artists of the era. Including interviews and Blark Ark footage not found anywhere else .
| Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 38 Reviews |
R**N
Great Reggae Time Capsule! A must have!
This is a solid piece on roots and rockers reggae from the 70`s that reveals a rare and intimate side of the icons portrayed throughout. What I found most refreshing in the artist interviews was a degree of humility and earnestness that is not likely to be revealed in main stream media. The content and flow is very engaging with excellent video and sound quality. I'm unaware of the constraints or preferences of the writer and director at the time this documentary was made, but it would have great to see a few more of the seminal artists of the time featured in this segment. Regardless, this is a must have for reggae fans and a true time capsule of a critical era in reggae music and the socio-political landscape of Jamaica at that time.
T**E
Roots Rock Reggae
A beautiful overall view of some of the iconic and groundbreaking artists of the era. Including interviews and Blark Ark footage not found anywhere else .
J**N
geat dvd
To me this is some great music and great musicians.For myself I'm going to Jamaica next year to play music for some time
R**L
Four Stars
no comment
"**"
Excellent
a great look into the true roots reggae that existed in jamaica, excellent footage of the Gladiators, Mighty Diamonds, Lee Perry in the Black Ark, and many more. Also there is a great acoustic song by Joe Gibbs. FANTASTIC DOCUMENTARY! -Praise Jah- CHRIS
X**M
Top-rankin' documentary
Anyone who is interested in roots reggae and dub will absolutely flip out over this documentary. Filmed in 1977, an incredibly important year in Jamaica, it covers the music/culture/politics of Jamaica (mostly music though). With unforgettable moments- like entering Lee "Scratch" Perry's BlackArk studio while the Heptones are recording. Then there's the late great Jacob Miller, in underwear, working out a song with the InnerCircle. The Gladiators recording, Mighty Diamonds live, and Joe Gibbs sings a beautiful trenchtown song. Get the idea? This is hugely important to anyone who loves this excellent music. The narration is also insightful and there are many scenes which capture tranchtown and the hard life of Jamaica. This DVD is an absolute must-have for anyone who loves reggae. The picture and sound quality are totally fine, especially considering this was a small documentary that was probably made with very little money. I am sure that the DVD transfer was as good as it could be (and it's perfectly fine). One side-note to reviewers that complain about the picture/sound- this was a small project in 1977, this is not Star Wars or Terminator. Don't have some ridiculous expectation that everything has to be up to the level of a big-budget hollywood blockbuster Ultimate edition DVD. It seems that reviewers all over Amazon like to complain too much about picture/sound quality. I personally own hundreds of DVDs and find that many complaints i've read are just flat-out wrong. I think people just feel the need to complain about something, but don't let them fool you.
A**.
Great stuff, but......
This is a great documentary as it introduces you to the Jamaican reggae scene as it happened in the 1970s (as well as a few rare, choice 1960s clips of Toots &The Maytals and a lively young Jimmy Cliff). However, the film's only shortcoming is that it doesn't do too good a job in expalining various aspects of Rastafarianism (at one point, it makes the erroneous claim that Rastafarianism was started by Marcus Garvey, which is not true), nor does it get much into the history of the music, and Bob Marley appears far too briefly. By this time, Bob was already considered a major force in the music, so this is hard to understand. But it's good as a starting point in understanding this genre.
D**I
Clarification
Just to clarify something: in another review it is stated "at one point, it makes the erroneous claim that Rastafarianism was started by Marcus Garvey, which is not true". Well, it is true (sort of), although Marcus himself wasn't a rastifarian - a statement (prophesy) he made during a speech, that a "king (of kings) will rise out of Afrika, from the line of David" was what initially sparked the Rastifarian belief, which officially started when Haile Seliassie (a name that came with the crowning - his birth name was Ras Tafari, get it?), 225th in line from the house of David, was crowned as Emperor of Ethiopia. When Burning Spear sings "Macus Garvey words come to pass..." he is reffering to the prophesy...
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