David Katz, a music journalist and Lee Perry’s biographer, wrote a good review of the reggae book that I contributed to: “The Reggae Scrapbook”. The review was published in Riddim Magazine in Germany. Riddim was briefly published in english, distributed in the US and immediately became my favorite publication about reggae music. Many of the dub and dancehall artists I wish I had space for in the Reggae Scrapbook are regularly featured in Riddim. Unfortunately, the publishers halted the american edition and haven’t returned to it yet, so you can only get the magazine in german. Roger Steffens was kind enuff to email a copy of this review to me, so I thought I should publish it here for those who would otherwise never get a chance to read it. If you do speak german and you love reggae music, I highly recommend Riddim Magazine. In the meantime, here is David Katz’ book review of the Reggae Scrapbook by Roger Steffens, Peter Simon, Roy Sweetland and me, Molli Fire!
Click on the book cover to open a special slideshow of what’s inside…
David Katz Reviews The Reggae Scrapbook For Riddim Magazine
Born in Brooklyn but a longstanding resident of Los Angeles, Roger Steffens is a pioneering broadcaster and journalist who is also an award-winning Shakespearean actor and voiceover specialist. One of the earliest writers and radio men on the West Coast to champion reggae, Steffens founded the Beat magazine 25 years ago and has done much to bring the music its deserved exposure outside Jamaica. Roger has often stated that he caught the ‘Reggae Bug’ in 1973, and has since devoted much of his life to investigating and promoting the music.
As I spent my youth in northern California, the Reggae Beat radio show Roger co-hosted with Hank Holmes on KCRW, which was syndicated in the early 1980s, became a regular part of my teenage exposure to reggae. I can remember fascinating broadcasts from that period, such as one with Mutabaruka, who was then largely unknown, and others with members of the Wailers and Wailing Souls, as well as the airing of exclusive tracks such as Marley’s ‘Am A Do,’ which could then be heard no where else. The Beat magazine was also an endless source of information and inspiration. Indeed, after having read the magazine regularly for a number of years, it felt natural for me to begin writing for it myself after relocating to England in the late 1980s, and I have continued to be an occasional contributor.
Similarly, Peter Simon’s evocative photographs were also part of my early reggae education, because Reggae Bloodlines, the groundbreaking book he put together with Stephen Davis in 1977, was the first book on reggae I managed to get my hands on, and their follow-up, the 1983 tome Reggae International, was another enthralling volume that I avidly devoured. It was good therefore good news indeed for me to learn of the pair’s Reggae Scrapbook, in which Steffens’ textual overview is nicely complimented by Simon’s wonderful images. The book also features reproduced memorabilia, such as flyers, posters and postcards, taken from Steffens’ massive archive, and a bonus DVD of artist interviews, which make this coffee-table package all the more inviting.
…ska, rock steady, early and roots reggae, sound systems, Rastafari, ganja, and dancehall…
Those who’ve had the pleasure of meeting Roger will already know of his warmth as a person and his boundless enthusiasm for the music, both of which are evident in celebratory text; Roger hones in on what is so great about the music in its many forms, and gradually sheds light on why it has inspired so many. The text thus provides a good overview of major themes, such as ska, rock steady, early and roots reggae, sound systems, Rastafari, ganja, and dancehall, along with illuminating profiles of major figures such as Jimmy Cliff, Joe Higgs, Toots and the Maytals, Alton Ellis, Bob Andy, Clement Dodd, Delroy Wilson, Ken Boothe, Burning Spear, the Heptones, Lee Perry, the Wailers, Dennis Brown, Culture and Morgan Heritage, which are given greater depth through Simon’s spot-on photography: for instance, we are treated to incredible shots of Cliff in the ghetto yard that was his former home, taken in the 1970s, and there is a priceless pic of Marcia Griffiths with three kids and an elder relation, taken in the same era. Most of the images have never been published before, though some are alternates from the books noted above. There is also a ‘fable’ that Gregory Isaacs related to Steffens, which makes rather priceless reading.
Because Steffens and Simon hail from an older generation, Steffens being a Vietnam vet and both being part of the counter-culture of the 1960s, the book is clearly weighted towards roots reggae, but that is not to say that dancehall is ignored. Indeed, part of the book was the result of a recent trip to Jamaica that Simon took with his son Willie, himself an avid dancehall fan. However, for the Dancehall chapter, ‘Worries inna de Dance,’ Steffens chose to turn the text over to one Mollie Fire, a young writer whose consciousness is more in tune with the sounds of her generation. She provides a decent summary of the genre, while the photographs of Roy Sweetland give visual context.
Clearly, a book of this kind could never tell the ‘whole’ story of reggae, but Steffens and Simon make it clear this was not really their intention. Nevertheless, there are some omissions that seem a bit surprising; most notably, there is hardly anything about Bunny Wailer, to whom Steffens has been close for many years. Other readers may be disappointed to find little on the Abyssinians, Mighty Diamonds or other favourites, but I do not wish to imply that the book is ‘partial’ or imbalanced, because it does not feel so in the least. Additionally, as noted in his text, most of Roger’s words were adapted from articles he’d published previously in the Beat, so readers of that magazine may already be familiar with some of the profiles, but because of the superb layout, it all comes across with different emphasis, and the text flows together nicely throughout. Even a few typos/editorial goofs don’t really interrupt, though Peter Simon’s brief literature review in the section called ‘Spreading The Beat’ is, in my view, far too subjective, giving only a limited glimpse of titles on offer, too weighted towards American publications. The bonus DVD footage is also very grainy, though the interviews are highly revealing: where else can you see Joseph Hill tell the tale of how he survived an attack by gunmen, or the Wailers Band revealing their favourite Marley tunes?
Perhaps the nicest thing about the Reggae Scrapbook is that it is broadly appealing, without ever succumbing to ‘lowest common denominator’ foolishness. It ultimately succeeds because you could know nothing about the music and still be captivated by its contents, yet there is plenty for longstanding fans as well. The book is thus a welcome addition to the reggae canon, which can only further our understanding of the music’s ever-increasing relevance.
- David Katz
The book is absolutely gorgeous with the highest quality print job I have ever seen. The photos literally leap off the page and are glossy like real photos. Everyone who worked on this book did an amazing job and everyone I have heard from/showed it to compliments how incredible it is. I am truly honored to be a part of it.
If you love reggae music and love to geek out on pictures and intimate stories about your favorite artists, don’t hesitate - buy this book today!
Reggae Scrapbook Links
Reggae Scrapbook Page On Insight Editions (Publisher’s Website)
You can also check out the book on Amazon.com anytime, just go to our SHOP page or click:
Reggae Scrapbook On Amazon.com
Notes about this review and the book:
- In the review above - the bold emphasis of names and topics is my own doing. I just wanted to make it a little easier to read…
- For the record, Molli Fire (me) wrote the last 2 chapters, “Worries inna de Dance” and “Pass It On” as well as the sections about Soundsystems, Ninjaman, Lady Saw, Buju Banton and Morgan Heritage.
- Roy Sweetland wrote the section called “Inna de Yard” and the Passa Passa pull-out. Sweetland also contributed numerous photos to the book including all the party pics in the Passa Passa pull-out.
I haven’t seen this info published anywhere else, so I just thought I would document it here. The chapters in the book are credited, but there’s been some confusion, so this should clear it up.
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