Pressure Drop by the legendary reggae writer John Masouri is published on 5th September by Omnibus Press and chronicles reggae’s most tumultuous and influential decade. Beginning in 1970 and unfolding in Britain and Jamaica, reggae flourished against a backdrop of political upheaval, gang warfare, Black Nationalism, race and class discrimination and grinding poverty.
Including an extensive analysis of the decade’s major singles and albums, Pressure Drop tells eyewitness accounts and experiences of the decade from artists including 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. It also features many first-hand anecdotes about Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.
John Masouri explains, “I decided to write the story of 70s reggae in the way I did – as it unfolded because that’s how I and fans of the music first experienced it. We eagerly awaited each new release or tour and read about the latest developments in the music press or news reports from Jamaica, thanks mainly to The Voice and Daily Gleaner.”
He continues, “There was a lot to write about, especially after weaving in the political turmoil that permeated the consciousness of musicians on both sides of the Atlantic. The 70s was a decade in reggae history that offered an embarrassment of riches and a kaleidoscope of different forms, sounds and innovations. It started with the rise of deejays: artists who pioneered the art of chanting rhyming verse on records and sparked off a global love of rapping, since there was no hip hop when Count Machuki and Sir Lord Comic first strutted their stuff on local sound systems. A cultural revolution began when Count Ossie took the sounds of nyahbinghi drumming from the Rasta camps and into the consciousness of young rebels such as Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was the decade when proud African descendants fulfilled the dreams of Rastafarian elders who’d suffered persecution and discrimination and stepped from out of the shadows to make their voices heard. Shanty towns and ghettos were transformed from burial grounds of poor people’s hopes into cradles of lyrical and musical brilliance. Great storytellers, influential thinkers and philosophers arose, some of whom could barely read and write. We witnessed the coming of dub, a Jamaican art form where music was freed from all the usual strictures and delivered into the hands of magicians like King Tubby and Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry, whose ability to manipulate sound would attain near mystical qualities.”
He sums up, “That all the artists mentioned in the book were able to achieve what they did in a time of such political turmoil, economic hardship and growing social unrest was nothing short of miraculous. Their hard work, courage and imagination turned the Caribbean island they proudly represented into one of the most enduring centres of musical influence the world has known, lauded by fans, creatives, academics, and UNESCO who, in 2018, designated reggae as an ‘intangible cultural heritage of humanity.'”
About the John Masouri
John Masouri is an author and music journalist specialising in reggae and dancehall. For more than thirty-five years he has interviewed and written about many of these genres’ most influential and
well-known figures, chiefly for Echoes Magazine in the UK and specialist magazines in France and Germany. His work has appeared in Mojo, Music Week, The Guardian, Observer and NME, as well as publications overseas.
John’s previous books include a trilogy centered on Bob Marley and the Wailers, Steppin’ Razor:
The Life Of Peter Tosh, Simmer Down: Marley-Tosh-Livingston and Wailing Blues, an authorised
biography of Marley’s backing group the Wailers, described by Roger Steffens as “the best book
ever written on Bob Marley.” He has recently completed ghostwriting the autobiography of
Marcia Griffiths, and is currently working on book projects with Maxi Priest and UB40.
Keep an eye on our website for our Give-Away of John Masouri’s latest book.
