#4 June 24, 2012
Rebel Music Bob Marley & Roots Reggae by Kate Simon
Genesis Publications Ltd.
ISBN 1399473799
2004
256 Pages

(Regular Edition shown above)

Some books about Bob Marley are extremely informative in nature, some are merely eye candy and some go beyond the norm of books and enter into the world of book art.   What exactly am I trying to say?  I’m not sure but my point is that Kate Simon and Genesis Publications put out a tome that goes beyond anything previously published in the Marley book world.  The book is titled ‘Rebel Music Bob Marley & Roots Reggae’ and was published in 2004 by Genesis out of the UK.  This is a massive book that has only seen a very limited printing.  In fact only 2000 copies were printed and of those 2000, 350 were published as deluxe editions.  Both editions were housed in wooden boxes and were signed by Kate.  The deluxe edition features a full leather cover, hinged housing box (as opposed to the slip case style of the normal edition) and is signed by both Kate and Eric Clapton.  The regular edition features a leather spine and hessian type of cover. Both books contain identical content.

‘Rebel Music’ features nearly all of Kate’s incredible photos of Bob and The Wailers as well as numerous other reggae pioneers.  The photos are accompanied by delightful text from 24 contributors including, Roger Steffens, Family Man, Junior Marvin and Chris Blackwell.  Being the work of art that it is, the original price tag was quite hefty.  I believe I paid somewhere around $500.00 U.S. for the normal edition and remember the deluxe edition being in the $700-$900 range.  I still see copies coming up for sale quite frequently and those prices seem to still be relevant.   This is the only downside I currently see with this book.  The price and availability is much too steep for your average Marley fan.  This is such an incredible volume that it needs to be perused by all Marley loving eyeballs.  I initially predicted (without any facts) that the book would soon see a much friendlier priced package.  About a year or two ago some sprinkling of hope was spread that that might be a reality but to date nothing has been published.

With all of that said, I can only reiterate how awesome this book is.  The photos are beautiful, especially those that come from Bob’s 1977 short lived Exodus tour.  Kate, along with her friend Vivian Goldman, was able to penetrate Bob’s inner circle and capture some incredible intimate moments.  Many of the photos have been used throughout the Marley world for years but many more are seeing the light of day for the first time. The candid shots from Jamaica are snapshots from an extremely special time in musical history.  This is photo documentation at its best.

Kate Simon captured many iconic photos over the years of musical giants.  From Marley to the Sex Pistols to Led Zeppelin, she had an eye for great shots and we all can be thankful for that.  She continues to work hard and many of her photos are available for purchase.  Check out her website and make contact with her.  If you ever gather the funds needed to purchase ‘Rebel Music’, try your best to do it.  Even at the high prices it demands, the book is worth every single penny.

Kate’s Website

Genesis Publications Website (Buy Book Here)

Photo Gallery   Click on next photo to see more photos of the book