The Reggae Scrapbook
Starred Review. Though less than comprehensive, Steffens and Simon's illustrated history of reggae music is nonetheless essential reading on the subject. The duo have spent decades covering the genre (Steffens as the founder of reggae magazine The Beat, Simon as an award-winning photographer), and they enthusiastically share their bounty in this interactive scrapbook packed with pull-out ephemera like stickers, postcards, set lists and flyers. The equivalent of spending a long evening with a friendly, eager collector, it's hard not to get caught up in the authors' enthusiasm. Fans will find all their favorites here in bright, full-color photographs, from lesser-known but seminal figures like Joe Higgs to legendary figures like Lee "Scratch" Perry, Peter Tosh and Bob Marley. The authors frequently share their own vibrant, first-hand experiences with the performers: Judy Mowatt discusses a performance in Zimbabwe with Marley that turned into a riot; eccentric Perry provides a tour of the "Throne Room," his home studio; and Steffens recounts the time he presented Peter Tosh with a marijuana bud the size of a cricket bat. Augmented with a DVD featuring a handful of interviews with artists and hundreds of candid snapshots, it's the next best thing to a trip to Jamaica.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.