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Reggae & Caribbean Music: Third Ear - The Essential Listening Companion
More than a listener's guide this book reveals the rich historical development of a regional music that is now embraced worldwide. Packed with incisive essays ratings and reviews of 2 700 recordings plus fantastic photos and engaging biographies this guide captures the allure of reggae calypso dancehall rock steady soca and other evocative styles of the entire English-speaking Caribbean region past and present. Featured artists Bob Marley and the Wailers Jimmy Cliff Peter Tosh Lord Kitchener Arrow Lee Scratch Perry Buju Banton Brother Resistance Prince Buster David Rudder Wailing Souls and many others.
- GenresMusic
534 pages, Paperback
First published October 10, 2001
2 people are currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Dave Thompson
266 books42 followersEnglish author Dave Thompson has spent his entire working life writing biographies of other people, but is notoriously reluctant to write one for himself. Unlike the subjects of some of his best known books, he was neither raised by ferrets nor stolen from gypsies. He has never appeared on reality TV (although he did reach the semi finals of a UK pop quiz when he was sixteen), plays no musical instruments and he can’t dance, either.
However, he has written well over one hundred books in a career that is almost as old as U2’s… whom he saw in a club when they first moved to London, and memorably described as “okay, but they’ll never get any place.” Similar pronouncements published on the future prospects of Simply Red, Pearl Jam and Wang Chung (oh, and Curiosity Killed The Cat as well) probably explain why he has never been anointed a Pop Culture Nostradamus. Although the fact that he was around to pronounce gloomily on them in the first place might determine why he was recently described as “a veteran music journalist.”
Raised on rock, powered by punk, and still convinced that “American Pie” was written by Fanny Farmer and is best played with Meatloaf, Thompson lists his five favorite artists as old and obscure; his favorite album is whispered quietly and he would like to see Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” installed as the go-to song for the sad, sappy ending for every medical drama on TV.
Kurt Cobain, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, David Bowie, John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Bob Marley, Roger Waters and the guy who sang that song in the jelly commercial are numbered among the myriad artists about whom Thompson has written books; he has contributed to the magazines Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Mojo and Melody Maker; and he makes regular guest appearances on WXPN’s Highs in the Seventies show.
However, he has written well over one hundred books in a career that is almost as old as U2’s… whom he saw in a club when they first moved to London, and memorably described as “okay, but they’ll never get any place.” Similar pronouncements published on the future prospects of Simply Red, Pearl Jam and Wang Chung (oh, and Curiosity Killed The Cat as well) probably explain why he has never been anointed a Pop Culture Nostradamus. Although the fact that he was around to pronounce gloomily on them in the first place might determine why he was recently described as “a veteran music journalist.”
Raised on rock, powered by punk, and still convinced that “American Pie” was written by Fanny Farmer and is best played with Meatloaf, Thompson lists his five favorite artists as old and obscure; his favorite album is whispered quietly and he would like to see Richard and Linda Thompson’s “I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight” installed as the go-to song for the sad, sappy ending for every medical drama on TV.
Kurt Cobain, Phil Collins, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, David Bowie, John Travolta, Eric Clapton, Jackson Browne, Bob Marley, Roger Waters and the guy who sang that song in the jelly commercial are numbered among the myriad artists about whom Thompson has written books; he has contributed to the magazines Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, Mojo and Melody Maker; and he makes regular guest appearances on WXPN’s Highs in the Seventies show.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 20, 2025
I read this book quite throughly in the 2000s and used it as a reference and found much great music. I had given it away to help somebody else to discover some great tunes. Now I will repurchase another copy to gift again. Highly recommended
April 28, 2013
I've found this to be quite a valuable tome as an aid in seeking out great reggae albums and for its incisive information and album ratings. Still, it can be quite difficult to find your way around. Breaking down Caribbean music (not just reggae) into genres can be confusing. Some artists aren't where you thought you'd find them, and some very significant artists are barely mentioned. The great reggae group Wailing Souls, for instance, doesn't have its own entry. A couple groups such as Wailing Souls have albums listed among other groups of albums as essential listening, but do not have album-by-album listings. Also, there is no effort made to be all-inclusive, so the book addresses only the albums it deems worthy of covering. I understand "essential listening companion" is in the title, but because rating albums is so subjective, listing all of the albums for major artists wouldn't have hurt. I also find a few of the ratings a bit odd, but I guess that happens with every such book.
Overall, I enjoy this very much, with the reservations I've mentioned.
Overall, I enjoy this very much, with the reservations I've mentioned.
March 13, 2013
Absolutely excellent reference work.
August 4, 2016
Some weird exclusions (no Mighty Diamonds?), but all-in-all and excellent combination of basic primer on reggae, record guide and feast of anecdotes.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews