Bass Culture - Linton Kwesi Johnson

Advantages: Unaged and powerful poetry, beautiful music and production, memorable artwork
Disadvantages: Short

...While the years may have changed the subjects which ache Linton Kwesi Johnson haven't. Neither has Linton, thankfully. Inspired by the poetry of the Bible - the only book in his grandmother's house in Jamaica, whom he had lived with until moving to Brixton at the age of 11 to be with his mother -, Linton decided at an early age to be a writer. The tense political climate of the time naturally guided a proud and enthusiastic boy to his subject of choice. For over 30yrs Linton has been writing and performing powerful poetry, taking it to all corners of the globe by distribution or in person. Later softer works would be dedicated to family, friends and life in general. His output of late might not be as frequent but that's only because Linton believes in quality control; he never churns. It has always come from the soul. Though... Read review

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Advantages: Brilliant musicianship, great songs
Disadvantages: None

...of their protest was reggae. Reggae had long been an emblem of protest through people such as Bob Marley and Linton Kwesi Johnson but UB40 used it in the context of a multicultural Britain and its problems. Their first single ‘The Earth Dies Screaming’ is not on the album and was a minor hit. The follow up was ‘Food For Thought’ another anthem for disaffected youth. UB40 were not following the protest trend of the punk era as they were more thoughtful and ultimately less cynical. They were also significantly better musicians than all but a very limited number of punk bands. Signing Off starts with Tyler which is about a black youth found guilty of a crime he did not commit. The songs construction and production is very understated and with Brian Travers beautiful saxophone treatment plaintively wailing beneath. Much of UB40s... Read review

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Advantages: See review
Disadvantages: See review

...to you! Jack Johnson comes from Hawaii and has devoted much of his life to surfing and surf culture. After a bad surfing accident several years ago he devoted himself to making and directing surf movies. He also composed the music for many of these movies and it was for this music rather than his movies that he was discovered. I must admit I'm a late comer to the Jack Johnson fan club and only really heard of him when I was out in Germany a few weeks ago visiting friends. It seems that Jack is a major figure over there and my German friends couldn't get enough of him. I expected it to be dreadful. We all know the hilarious stereotypes about German musical tastes, David Hasselhoff being the prime example. However, I must admit I was pleasantly suprised. Jack Johnson is great! His music is very similar to Bob Dylan in a folkey... Read review

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