“Bass Culture” by Linton Kwesi Johnson - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1980Album Chart of the Decade: 1980s

TJR says

Essentially, this was the third set from the London-based poet, every time in collaboration with Dennis Bovell’s roots-rockers. “Bass Culture” is the best one yet, with a sublime run of hard-hitters only coming to an end with the final three cuts. The moody “Street ‘66” is darkly atmospheric and seems to infer that the police who’ve come to break up a low-key chilled party are messin’ with the wrong people! “Reggae Fi Peach” is about a school teacher from New Zealand named Blair Peach who moved to England and became active in the movement against Neo-Nazis in Europe. He was killed at a protest against Neo-Nazis… not by the Neo-Nazi’s themselves, but by London’s “Special Patrol” division of their police department. Linton’s addresses can make the hairs on the back my neck stand up: “Oh ye people of England, GREAT injustices are committed upon dis land, How long will ye permit dem to carry on? Is England becoming a fascist state? The answer lies at your own gate, and in the answer lies your fate.” Opening up side two, “Inglan Is A Bitch” is another excellent piece of performance poetry which focuses on the struggles of an immigrant living in London. Johnson moved to London to live in Brixton in 1965. On moving to London he has said that it was cold and ugly and that “it wasn’t the picture book idea one has of the mother country”. It’s highly evocative – he’s a master of his art.

The Jukebox Rebel
15–Apr–2008

Tracklist
A1 [06:06] 7.3.png Linton Kwesi Johnson - Bass Culture (Linton Kwesi Johnson) Reggae
A2 [03:44] 9.6.png Linton Kwesi Johnson - Street ‘66 (Linton Kwesi Johnson) Reggae
A3 [02:41] 8.9.png Linton Kwesi Johnson - Reggae Fi Peach (Linton Kwesi Johnson) Reggae
A4 [03:47] 7.8.png Linton Kwesi Johnson - Di Black Petty Booshwah (Linton Kwesi Johnson) Reggae
B1 [05:26] 8.7.png Linton Kwesi Johnson - Inglan Is A Bitch (Linton Kwesi Johnson) Reggae
B2 [04:09] 5.9.png Linton Kwesi Johnson - Loraine (Linton Kwesi Johnson) Reggae
B3 [03:09] 6.7.png Linton Kwesi Johnson - Reggae Sounds (Linton Kwesi Johnson) Reggae
B4 [02:13] 6.4.png Linton Kwesi Johnson - Two Sides Of Silence (Linton Kwesi Johnson) Jazz

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