Burnin' And Lootin': Warlock Reviews The Encyclopedia Of Reggae

"The Encyclopedia Of Reggae" by Mike Alleyne

Right about now in this time, as I would like to tell it to ya:

Also from the Northgate Branch of the Seattle Public Library, this book caught my eye the other day. It's called The Encyclopedia Of Reggae: The Golden Age Of Roots Reggae. My friend Brian has The Encyclopedia Of Punk in his living room (I'm prone to leafing through it when I go to his house) and my other friend Pete tells me that there's an Encyclopedia Of Metal as well. Like Punk, Reggae is a bit cheesy. Sort of tabloid-ish with a bit of a high school yearbook vibe the coffee table book is great for leafing through at your buddy's house or would probably do well in a pristine bathroom, (it's a fancy coffee table book) The Encyclopedia Of Reggae is by no means a definitive history or even necessarily weighing in heavily as a worthy contributor...but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't cool for me to roll up one spliff and peruse the book while I listened to a strictly Jamaican playlist that I concocted for the occasion.

"Just play dat. I-mon wan' hear it 'pon di turntable"

It has the vibe of a reggae album cover, with all kinds of old photos and fliers, etc. I poured over the photographs of my obscure and ill-documented heroes for hours. Those dudes sure did consume a shit ton of joints and Red Stripes!

The Encyclopedia Of Reggae doesn't actually attempt to cover "reggae" as a whole, but focuses on what it refers to as the golden age of reggae--the 70's--thus largely omitting the nitty gritty details of ska,dancehall and digital dub from its dubious indexes. What I find crazy about this book is the undertaking of the sheer scope of "reggae" (Jamaican) music. I can't think of any other form of popular music that is so tenuously intertwined with the religious, political and social climate of one specific geographical location. Documenting the history of punk must have been an undertaking, for sure. New York, London, Detroit and LA all started taking their rock a little rawer and rowdier around the same time after the hippie crash, but the history of reggae music is concentrated, with roughly 95% of it unfolding on the island of Jamiaca and the other 5% on the island of England. And as far as the history of metal it's not that hard to recount Maiden's numerous lineup changes, is it? But actually writing about the history of reggae music in a linear manner is mindblowing. You can't write about it without attempting to break down the entire culture of  a nation for the reader. Rock & Roll can be called American if you like, but so can Disneyland. There is only one Jamaica and its history is inextricably linked with that of reggae music.

Reggae album covers have always been dope

So after that tirade, I say Kudos to Mr. Mike Alleyne for his attempt at chronicling such a sprawling subject. Or, I should say, Big Up Yaself.

There's all kinds of lists in the back of this thing, all subjective, like "Top 25 Essential Roots Reggae Albums" "Top 10 Songs About Ganja" "Top 10 Underrated Artists", etc. Also there are a few sections deviating from the "encyclopedia" format of blurbs about artists, record companies, etc., including a three page insert attempting to explain the connection between reggae music and marijuana and another spread about Chinese Jamaicans and their involvement in reggae music in the 70's and beyond.

And on that categorical note, here's the playlist that I threw together and am listening to as I write this.
Ah sey one. Bad like yaz.