Lover's rock: the story of reggae's Motown

Lover's rock influenced the Police and Sade, and gave women a voice in reggae – so why was it sidelined in its native Britain?In 1979, Janet Kay's piercing falsetto was one of the defining sounds of the summer. Silly Games, her bittersweet ode to a faltering relationship, enjoyed heavy radio play, thanks in part to a subtle arrangement by songwriter/producer Dennis Bovell, a distinctive drum pattern from Aswad's Angus Gaye and distribution on a Warners subsidiary. The song reached No 2, the hi...

Read full article Share article