I’m not so sure about this being a real documentary. I say that because it really doesn’t have a coherent pattern to tell a straight-line story. Instead, this focuses on the early portion of the reggae movement in Britain – or Bablyon as it is to Rastas – in other words, the world that doesn’t belong to them. This is more about nearly seemingly random interviews with the people who were involved in the movement, interspersed with live clips. Now, all that said, this works really well. In fact, for a musical and cultural movement like reggae perhaps it’s even more appropriate than a more pure documentary motif would be. This flows well and gives some intriguing insights.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2009 Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.