Pressure Drop: Reggae in the Seventies

Pressure Drop chronicles reggae’s most tumultuous and influential decade. Beginning in 1970 and unfolding both in Britain and Jamaica, reggae flourished against a backdrop of political upheaval, gang warfare, Black Nationalism, racial and class discrimination and grinding poverty. 

The music that developed as rocksteady and early reggae gave birth to deejays, dub, rockers, lovers rock, early dancehall and 2 Tone was by turns brutal and revelatory.

Including an extensive analysis of the decade’s major singles and albums, Pressure Drop includes eyewitness accounts and experiences of the decade from the likes of Burning Spear, Chris Blackwell, Gregory Isaacs, Bunny Wailer, Jimmy Cliff, Black Uhuru, U-Roy, Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, Augustus Pablo, Toots and the Maytals, Desmond Dekker, Sly & Robbie, Dennis Bovell, Don Letts and members of the Specials, as well as first-hand anecdotes of Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

“Drawing from his vast wealth of knowledge and treasure trove of interviews with reggae’s greatest singers, musicians and producers, author John Masouri’s latest book Pressure Drop Reggae in the Seventies takes an in depth, year by year look at what made that decade so significant to reggae’s trajectory while providing invaluable contexts for each major development. Pressure Drop Reggae in the Seventies isn’t just for reggae lovers: it’s a must read for anyone with an interest in the evolution of popular music.” PATRICIA MESCHINO - Rolling Stone/Billboard Magazine