Stir It Up: Reggae Album Cover Art

Before the advent of music videos and CDs, album covers provided international ?audiences with a colorful invitation to the exotic, exciting world of Jamaican reggae. Stir ?It Up surveys this highly popular cover art, featuring rare and classic covers from the ?early ska era through the dancehall style of the '80s. While the cover art frequently ?reflects serious political and religious preoccupations, reggae's lighter ?side comes through in pictorial tributes to American Westerns, steamy dances, and ?smoke-wreathed spliffs. Interviews with the designers reveal the true stories behind Bob ?Marley's outlawed scratch 'n' sniff cover for Kaya, the mysterious fingerprints ?masquerading as Peter Tosh's on Wanted: Dread or Alive, plus many more fascinating ?anecdotes about some of reggae's most powerful covers. These classic reggae albums ?continue to sell as CD reissues and have had an amazing impact on musical styles from ?punk to rave to hip-hop. A celebration of the vibrant spirit of reggae music and style, Stir ?It Up will be cherished by fans ?of reggae and popular music everywhere.