A triumphant oral history of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone and Red Wedge . . . a tale of resistance: first, against a surge of racism and bigotry that an inspired group of activists and musicians played a key role in rolling back; and then against a government, as the same spirit of defiance quickly resurfaced in opposition to the social revolutions of Thatcherism . . . a vivid portrait (Guardian)
Charts punk, 2 Tone and then Red Wedge's subsequent battle for a multicultural Britain in a brilliant account of the period (Q Magazine)
By the Eighties rock had grown a conscience, and Walls Come Tumbling Down, charts how, in the late Seventies and Eighties, musicians became engaged in struggled surrounding race, gender, sexuality and class (Choice)
This incredible oral history tells the movement's story plus the rise of 2 Tone and Red Wedge, through a phenomenal range of voices - Billy Bragg, Jerry Dammers, Rhoda Dakar, Pauline Black et all all provide great insight (Mojo)
It's a testament both to the topic and to Daniel Rachel's organisation of the material that even at 640 pages Walls Come Tumbling Down feels like the opening volume of a much longer history. This majestic work at once confirms and opens up a familiar but often forgotten series of moments in the relationship between music and politics in the UK . . . as always, the delight is in the details, and, finally, the glory of something so amateurish yet passion-driven coming together to change hearts and minds (Wire)
An oral history of Rock Against Racism, 2 Tone, and Red Wedge, consisting of interviews with over a hundred and fifty contributors, from the acclaimed writer of Isle of Noises.