Rating: 5/5
Review:
Terrific stuff
This is a terrific book.
Billy Bragg is immensely knowledgeable about the history of Skiffle and
has done some meticulous research – and what's more he can really write.
Roots, Radicals and Rockers is a detailed history of
Skiffle, that uniquely British phenomenon which was the precursor to so much of
the great British music which followed.
For example, Bragg gives the full context of George Harrison's famous
line "No Lead Belly, no Beatles."
What Harrison actually said was, "If there was
no Lead belly, there would have been no Lonnie Donegan; no Lonnie Donegan, no
Beatles. Therefore no Lead belly, no
Beatles." Well, quite.
This is a thorough account of the origins, development and
impact of Skiffle, reaching right back to early Blues, Jazz and Ragtime. Bragg certainly hasn't skimmed the surface
here because there is a wealth of detail, anecdote and illustration, all of
which I found extremely interesting. He
also shows a real cultural and political awareness of the context of the music
on both sides of the Atlantic, and there's real social
history here, too.
The style is very readable and enjoyable. This little quote, which I liked a lot, is a
good example: "Before commerce made ownership the key transactional
interest of creativity, songs passed through culture by word of mouth and bore
the fingerprints of everyone who ever sang them." It's a real pleasure to read.
I have admired and enjoyed Billy Bragg's music and his work
in other fields for a long time now.
Here, he has shown that he can also produce a fascinating book of real
scholarship which is also a pleasure to read.
Don't miss this if you have any interest in the history of popular
music; it's a gem and very warmly recommended.
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