Bragg, well-known in Britain as a folk-inspired, politically active singer-songwriter, aka the 'Bard of Barking,' seeks to restore skiffle to its place at the fountainhead of British pop music. During the course of more than 400 pages of deeply researched, wittily written and persuasively argued prose, he succeeds ... The book’s one flaw is not to delve into the lives of skiffle’s main players as closely as it might ... Debates about authenticity, a leitmotif of British pop, are rendered with a connoisseur’s eye for their comic value. The Bard of Barking has written a first-rate work of history.
...a hugely ambitious account of the postwar style...filling a gaping hole in the literature of 20th-century music ... Mr. Bragg works valiantly to join the disparate dots that rendered 'Rock Island Line' so vital. He devotes chapters to the Anglo-American folk and jazz scenes, American rock ’n’ roll, the Angry Young Men of British stage and screen, the effects of the coffee bar, and the trendsetting roles of both off-shore 'pirate' station Radio Luxembourg and American Forces Network radio ... Roots, Radicals and Rockers contains more detail than necessary; even the most attentive reader will likely lose track of the many players on the scene. But Mr. Bragg’s knowledge of these personalities, and of the shifting cultural tides that brought them together in skiffle, is nothing short of masterly. It would be hard to cite another historical book of such depth, quality and reasoned analysis by a working, nonacademic musician.
...[a] fantastic history of a little known though immensely influential musical form ... As far as that 'dead ground' of British music, Bragg makes good in his argument that skiffle changed the world ... Bragg’s enthusiasm for his subject shines in this definitive, if at times dense, history of skiffle music — and it’s a fascinating read.
No secrets are uncovered, and a slight suspicion takes hold that some of the frequent digressions are there to bulk up a slender core narrative. Bragg’s trawl through newspaper archives fleshes the story out in an entertaining and illuminating way. Another author, though, might have felt it worthwhile to acquire first-hand memories and reflections from some of the many participants who are still alive, counting the royalties from the careers for which skiffle provided the somewhat rickety launch pad. As it stands, Bragg’s unquestionable enthusiasm is slightly undercut by a sense of authorial distance from the subject (he was born, as it happens, in 1957).
...a thorough, compelling survey of a transitional genre that burned briefly but brightly in the U.K. in the latter 1950s ... As good a writer as Bragg is, some imagination on the part of the reader is still necessary to conjure a time and place wherein a genre of music performed on a guitar, a 'tea chest bass,' and a washboard could be deemed so rhythmic and suggestive that it threatened public decency and order.
In his first book, musician, left-wing activist, and sonic archivist Bragg has crafted a remarkable history of skiffle ... Bragg impresses throughout with engaging prose and painstaking research. He further enlivens the text with personal insights and witty asides that give the material a unique cast few professional writers would dare. The introduction of dozens of new figures in the last third of the book diffuses the narrative but that’s a minor demerit to an accomplished work. Ending with a flourish, Bragg convincingly argues for the emotional connection between skiffle and punk rock, something Bragg would know about better than most.
A superb account ... Writing with an expert practitioner’s appreciation for music, Bragg tells the story of British rock-’n’-roll’s forerunner with verve and great intelligence.
