Customer Reviews

The Reggae Scrapbook

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Steffens and photographer Peter Simon, two long-time chroniclers of Jamaican music, have emptied their files into a deeply satisfying guided tour of reggae in chronologico-topical form. Simon's photography has been seen in such works as Reggae Bloodlines and Reggae International. As many readers of this magazine know, Steffens has written and lectured extensively about Bob Marley and reggae music and is also co-founder of The Beat. Reggae Scrapbook brims with the contributors' knowledge as well as their infectious love of the genre and the culture that produces it.

And their memorabilia is now ours, in handy facsimile form. Produced in the same vein as James Henke's recent Marley Legend, Reggae Scrapbook surveys reggae from origins to present and handsomely houses removable reggae artifacts by the fistful.

Page after page, Reggae Scrapbook delights. If you're like me, you'll get your hands on this and wonder whether to read it properly as one should with all books, from start-to-finish, or consume it giddily, turning at random for the treats. At one point, the Scrapbook opens to a splashy little 12-page magazine gummed to the page about the phenomenon of Jamaican dances. Page 43 contains an envelope with three gorgeous postcard-sized photo/illustrations of Haile Selassie. Fastened elsewhere in the book are concert handbills (pages 11, 91 and 129), two panels of peel-away stickers (page 81), miniature reproductions of singles in little white sleeves (pages 85 and 139), some of them autographed by the artists. (Among the latter is Cornell Campbell, who writes a sleeve note correcting a mis-identified 45 of "You're No Good.") Steffens and Simon, mighty repro men for the reggae generation, leave no dead space anywhere in this deluxe volume.

Lodged in a pocket inside the front cover is a dvd culled from the many hours of interviews Steffens has conducted over the years. Steffens likes to query for defining moments and he elicits fascinating replies. After a sound check one night, Joseph Hill narrates, with a riveting performative quality, his harrowing near-fatal encounter with Jamaican police. Luciano explains his decision to leave a high-profile concert in mid-performance in order to trod forward to the hills for sabbatical. Betty Wright gives a memorable explication of the charisma she witnessed of Bob Marley when she toured as opening act for the band in 1979. Judy Mowatt describes the pandemonium of the Wailers' epochal Zimbabwe concerts of 1980. The Wailers Band, Peter Tosh, the Heptones and Alton Ellis are the other interview subjects. The memories and insights are rendered with engagingly varied levels of formality.

The readings shift from overview to close focus. While not exhaustive, the narrative is invariably absorbing and inclusive of career surveys of seminal artists and many wonderful sidebars ranging from aspects of Jamaican culture to such things as a fable composed by Gregory Isaacs and a verbatim eyewitness account by Junior Reid of the shooting death of Hugh Mundell. The book weighs heaviest on artists from the 70s and 80s, although coverage of soundsystems, festivals and a few dancehall artists bring the subject forward to the now moment.

Steffens writes with authority and wit and a heightened ear for poetic utterance.

Jamaica is simultaneously an old country (a crucible of colonialism and slavery for 400 years) and a new country (only independent since 1962). Similarly, reggae is an old music, rooted in tradition (influences range from the griots of West Africa to the old testament) and a new, pathbreaking music (the originator of the term "reggae," Toots Hibbert (who wrote the book's forward), isn't old enough to collect social security, and what we know today as the "remix" was invented in a West Kingston ghetto). Jamaica isn't exactly a world power. But somehow, over 40 some-odd years, its music has spread from gullybanks and zinc shacks to the far corners of the earth.

If you get this book, you will understand why. Steffens and Simon are a "dream team" - a combination of the premier reggae critic and the top photographer. The book, which is conversational in tone, is jam-packed with interesting lore and arresting images of colorful people, places and memorabilia. It's a loving chronicle of a fascinating culture that the authors have been intensely involved with for 30+ years.

To top it off, the book includes a whole host of little "surprises" and a DVD that are themselves probably worth the price...

To be clear, the book has no pretensions of being a complete history of the music, so if you want (for example) a long exigesis of the skinhead/reggae association, as one reviewer mentioned, you'll need to look elsewhere. Rest assured that most fans will find the book enormously satisfying.

The bottom line: If you like reggae, you will love this book, and if you don't like reggae, you'll probably like it by the time you're through.

As someone who has been involved in the reggae music scene for over 30 years, I recommend this book to those who want a real feel of the reggae pulse from the Golden Years. This is an enormously entertaining and informative book, filled with information, color, and zest for the world it addresses. The book is the brainchild of Roger Steffans and Peter Simon, two of the greatest and most knowledgeable reggae warriors of all time who are not native to Jamaica, and it brings forth not only a lot of information, but reproductions of a lot of the letters, ticket stubs, colorful record labels, old bumper stickers, promotional materials, etc., etc., from the Third World creative juices that is the reggae scene in Jamaica. The pictures from Simon are unparralleled, as usual. The guy belongs in the Reggae Hall of Fame as the top photographer for the genre, if they ever come up with a Hall of Fame. Be aware that the book does not pretend to be a comprehensive look at anything or the last word on any given topic. Not every star is included, or every movement within the music documented. Lord knows these authors could have done this if they wanted to but the point of the book is to bring forth the vigor and color and richness of the reggae scene through the rich momentos that they had available in their collections. If they did not have the momentos, they did not include the topic/person in the book. What emerges from these two authors/reggae legends in their own right is a lot of interesting material/grist for anyone's regggae mill and some wonderful items that you have never seen and will enjoy thoroughly. The book will also bring back a lot of memories for a lot of readers. It sure did for me! This is a fun book for those who want to get totally immersed in the reggae world for a few hours, and it is so unique with its reproductions of, dare I say, informational and promotional paraphernalia that you will be going back to the book time and time again because of the entertainment and wonderment value. There are enough texts on the reggae music business/world at this point that another one would probably not be so special. This book is special because it goes where no book before has gone. It brings the true reggae culture and music business to your living room. In summation, your collection will be missing something without this book.

Astonishing! Anyone into any kind of musical history will have nothing but the deepest respect for this 21st century multimedia presentation. I am "agog" at its depth and quality. I went through it's loving pages slowly. It's a volume of unparalleld significance. The writing, by Roger
Steffens is so insightful and present. The photography by Peter Simon is
so full of life. A must for any Reggae fan. It's beautiful!
P. Michael Kolman

Roger Steffens & Peter Simon's THE REGGAE SCRAPBOOK is an amazing amalgam of obsessed/compulsified righteous reggae flotsam jammed with hidden passaged treasures and unearthed groundations. It's like having a full and impressive collection of reggae memorabilia that would normally take a lifetime to accumulate all in one source with the fun of discovery built in. Jahsome!

Steffens and Simon have put together something very cool for fans of reggae music. This book is great for a person just getting into reggae music and trying to learn about its history. It's also excellent for people who have a lot of knowledge of reggae, because this book has a ton of photographs and memorabilia that few people have seen. I've been avidly listening to and reading about reggae music and culture for around 20 years now, and I found quite a bit of stuff in the scrapbook that I had never come across.

The book itself is of very good quality. Photographs and reproduced memorabilia are what will initially grab the reader's attention, but there are also quite a few articles chock full of information. There is a DVD included as well. At less than $30, this book is a bargain.

Roger Steffens is an icon in the area of reggae history and culture. His legendary "archive" is allegedly incredible. It is great to see him share some of it to fans of reggae. I would love to see him put out more scrapbooks in the future.

I came accross this book in a library purely by chance while waiting for access to a library PC. I
remember scrolling through the pages and being struck by the authenticity of every page. This is not a story
book but a celebration in words and pictures of the best of the last 30 years of Jamaican music and the Artists.
I would recommend this book to any Reggae afficfianado and to ALL Jamaican and Expatriot Jamaicans living
overseas who are fans of the music.
The book doesnt cover all the Jamaican Reggae Artist, and does not go into details and musicographies, but
for anyone who is interested in Reggae Music and the key artiists in its development, This book is a collectors item.
I didnt actually borrow the library version of the book because I knew that eventually I would have to return it. I
went online and bought it instead!!

This product was a gift to my son who is a huge Bob Marley fan. I received rave reviews from him and his family.

Without Amazon I would never have access to this type of gift. Thanks again!!!

Edith Roth

Roger Steffens, the world's premier Reggae archivist and founding editor of "Beat Magazine", with Peter Simon, an award-winning photographer and co-author of "Reggae Bloodlines" and "Reggae International", have put together a captivating visual and musical journey into the multicultural world that is Reggae Music. Steffens brings a lifetime of experience as a Reggae writer, broadcaster, collector and fan. From Roger we get fascinating in-depth interviews with Bob Marley and the Wailers, Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh and Toots Hibbert as well as a chronological overview of historic figures, styles and events. With Simon's stunning images of Reggae's greatest artists and the Rasta culture this collection adds up to a most personal and insightful look into the Reggae Music Revolution. Included is a bonus dvd of Steffens interviews and a treasure chest of artifacts from his archives. An absolute must for any music lovers collection. It just doesn't get any better than the REGGAE SCRAPEBOOK!

Jack Miller
Director of "DREADLOCK ROCK"-Reggae Documentary

A must have book for the Reggae fanatic. I have been listening to reggae since I first heard Bob Marley when I was a teenager. Since then I have gotten deeper and deeper into the music. I would scan liner notes searching for clues to get deeper into the music. Once I found Studio one I was off. This book to me is the ultimate jumping off point for the reggae student. It is full of culture and vibes that I will be sorting through for years to come. It is also an excellent book to have out on the 'coffee' table. Great to flip through. I have the feeling that this book is just the tip of the iceberg for Rojah and Peter. I hope there is another one on the way.
Reggae has truly gone international....