Young, Gifted, and Black: The Story of Trojan Records

Rating:
Summary: For hardcore enthusiasts only
Review: Trojan Records was reggae's Motown. It's back catalog is vital listening. For the uninitiated, putting down your dollars for one of their great compilations, which usually contain extensive liner notes, would probably be a better place to start. YOUNG, GIFTED & BLACK is more or less a history of the inner workings of the Trojan Records label and staff rather than a document of the artists that it promoted so well. While the story is interesting, and it's a story you won't get anywhere else, the book would have been well served to spend more time discussing the music rather than the music business. The book is 300 pages long but the story ends about halfway through. The second half of the book is merely a printed catalog of all Trojan releases to date (which fills 150 pages!) and underlines the fact that YOUNG, GIFTED & BLACK was meant for avid collectors only. Too bad they couldn't have filled those last 150 pages with more tales of Jimmy Cliff, Desmond Dekker, or the Maytals as all of theses artist are only cited in passing in the story. The CD which accompanies the book is great but it can be purchased seperately.