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Reggae Britannia

DuderonomyDuderonomy Haut de la Garenne 7,794 Posts
edited February 2011 in Strut Central
After the Synth Britannia doc, this has a fair bit to live up to. Aired last Friday but I was on a flight to Belfast and haven't watched it yet - was it any good?


http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00ydp83/Reggae_Britannia/

The acclaimed BBC4 Britannia series moves into the world of British reggae. Showing how it came from Jamaica in the 1960s to influence, over the next twenty years, both British music and society, the programme includes major artists and performances from that era, including Big Youth, Max Romeo, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Jerry Dammers and the Specials, the Police, UB40, Dennis Bovell, lovers rock performers Carroll Thompson and Janet Kay, bands like Aswad and Steel Pulse and reggae admirers such as Boy George and Paul Weller.

The programme celebrates the impact of reggae, the changes it brought about and its lasting musical legacy.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/ydp83/

  Comments

  • BeatnicholasBeatnicholas 1,005 Posts
    Nice to watch an old dear cut a dub whilst nodding her head - but many felt the program didn't live up to expectations, due to the intense focus on UB40 (eurrrrrrgh), Culture Club (*puke noise*) et al. Not enough roots rockers radicals, far too much stuart sodding copeland. who i love too but he ain't Jah Shaka, seen.
  • BeatnicholasBeatnicholas 1,005 Posts
    Saying that, it was nice to hear from Janet Kay, who litters bins like firestone christmas over here. Love her songs.
  • Ricky ForcefieldRicky Forcefield 88 Posts
    was mainly 'Reggae validated by White involvement/approval'

    and the dancing in the live segments was excruciating

    Don Letts wheeled out yet again
  • FlomotionFlomotion 2,391 Posts
    Not as good as others in the series - too much pondering and not enough playing but still worth a gander.
  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Did anyone catch the showing of Babylon on the Sunday? BBC4 showed it pretty recently, and that was the first time I'd seen it on TV for decades, so a swift re-run was most welcome.

  • fejmelbafejmelba 1,139 Posts
    very nice


    but


    not in my area.
    is there a way to cop these steller shows on the continent
    or is this an uk exclusive?
  • DuderonomyDuderonomy Haut de la Garenne 7,794 Posts
    The Synth Britannia series made it onto U-Tube, so I'm guessing that some enterprising soul will up these documentaries in the future.
    At the moment there's a trailer


    and a load of clips from a few theatre performances that were staged at the Barbican in connection with the series.
  • bluesnagbluesnag 1,285 Posts
    DocMcCoy said:
    Did anyone catch the showing of Babylon on the Sunday? BBC4 showed it pretty recently, and that was the first time I'd seen it on TV for decades, so a swift re-run was most welcome.


    Damn, this looks good, but I can only find the DVD as region 2 anywhere online. Anybody know where a region 1 version can be coppethed?
  • OkemOkem 4,617 Posts
    If you can get a UK proxy you can watch dem online. They also have "Rocksteady: The Roots of Reggae" up at the moment, which is highly recommended.
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