The New York Times Book Review - Touré
A rich new oral biography called So Much Things to Say, by the reggae scholar Roger Steffens, narrates the life of Marley from cradle to grave through interviews Steffens has collected over the years from Marley, his mother, his wife, his last girlfriend, several of his children, his musical partners Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, and many more. Steffens has been on the Marley case for decades, and he's a crucial voice in this epic chorus.
Publishers Weekly
★ 05/08/2017
In his page-turning oral history of Bob Marley (1945–1981), Steffens, a reggae historian and producer of a one-man show about Marley’s life, brings the singer to life through conversations with his bandmates, lovers, family members, and musical associates. Through this thoroughly engaging history, readers learn about the sometimes uneasy working relationships at Coxson Dodd’s Studio One in Kingston, Jamaica, during the early days of the Wailers; Rita Marley’s revelatory encounter with Haile Selassie, the Rasta god, on Apr. 21, 1966; and the responses of Carl Colby Jr. (son of former CIA director William Colby) to accusations that Carl tried to have Marley killed. In one conversation, Bunny Wailer (Neville O’Riley Livingston) recalls with joyous insight Marley’s songwriting process—“Bob writes bits of songs, as the inspiration come him write, and then him just put them bits there together.” Two of Marley’s band members, Gilly Gilbert and Danny Sims, recall the nights in 1980 when they opened for the Commodores at Madison Square Garden and more than half the audience left when the Wailers finished their set. In this highly entertaining and informative history, Steffens also includes dozens of photos from his own archive. (July)
Robert Hilburn
"An invaluable insight into the life and times of one of the great pop culture figures of the twentieth century.… Endlessly fascinating."
Mojo - David Katz
"So Much Things to Say is a major work that helps us better understand Marley’s tragic yet inspirational tale."
The New Yorker - Hua Hsu
"What emerges [from So Much Things to Say] isn’t a different Marley so much as one who feels a bit more human."
Chris Salewicz
"A truly definitive interpretation of the life of Bob Marley. Roger Steffens’s immense knowledge and great love for his subject shines out of every page. “Who feels it knows it,” sang Marley. Reading So Much Things to Say, you feel no one knows it more than Roger Steffens. A magnificent achievement."
Dr. Matthew J. Smith
"Indispensable… A captivating and unfiltered narrative of the man, his music and his world…[and] a trove for even the most dedicated aficionado. Absolutely crucial reading!"
The National Book Review
"Kaleidoscopic… [So Much Things to Say] delves deeply into Marley’s music and influences, including his politics and spirituality."
|Los Angeles Times
"A complete portrait.… Calls on many voices to recall the one iconic voice."
Doug Wendt
"Roger Steffens uncorks with remarkable clarity many lifetimes of close personal memories on the evolution of reggae's biggest ambassador. Amazingly, there are few Rashomon-like differing points of view. So Much Things To Say perfectly ferrets out his inherent humanity and complexity while revealing much important information previous biographies were unaware of. Marley's parents bridged two worlds. Steffens' brilliant and concise magnum opus, interjected with his crucial contextualizing, does more than any other book on Bob Marley to showcase the intimate and confounding detail of that tough and troubled tightrope dance. Essential reading for all."
The Guardian - Neil Spencer
"So Much Things to Say . . . is a fitting tribute to the tumultuous life and complex character of the country’s favorite son."
Elle - Best Books of the Summer
"Majestic."
Rolling Stone - Will Hermes
"Definitive...a landmark....This might be the best Bob Marley book ever."
Elle, Best Books of the Summer - Lisa Shea
"Majestic.…So Much Things to Say offers a riveting portrait—drawn from four decades of interviews with friends, family, and fellow musicians—of the Jamaican music legend."
Matt Jenson
"If there’s such thing as a good addiction, this book is it. For anyone who has taken the time to dig even a little bit deeper into the meaning of Bob’s music and life, to get beyond the surface level and often times inaccurate and watered down portrayal of him by the mainstream today, these firsthand accounts will twist your head into a whole new landscape of understanding. Artfully guided by Roger Steffens’s expertise and insight, you will come away with a vision of Bob that is REAL, with all the earthly complexities, contradictions, struggle and transcendent truths that complete the multifaceted prism that was Marley’s life. For any musical artist, this book will reignite the inspiration and challenge that Marley left us with: to dig deep and recommit to ‘who you are and where you stand in the struggle."
Philadelphia Inquirer
"Compulsively readable, exquisitely researched."
Bruno Blum
"By far the most important and definitive book written about Bob Marley."
Echoes Magazine
"A landmark of reggae literature that's been 15 years in the making. …This book, together with his collection of photographs called Family Acid is [Steffens’] defining masterpiece, and the jewel in his crown.”"
Jeremy Marre
"I thought I’d read all there was to know about Bob Marley, but So Much Things To Say offers fresh insights into his life and times. Steffens allows the voices—often surprising, contentious, provocative—to speak for themselves. Riveting."
Joel Selvin
"Eyewitness to history, Roger Steffens braids his voice with all the other major players from the Bob Marley story in So Much Things to Say for a gripping, detailed, and penetrating look at one of the 20th century's greatest musicians. Jah lives."
Dermot Hussey
"Jamaican oral history is never simple. Testimony goes from re-collection to re-collective, which brings us as close to the original as nuance will allow. Roger Steffens has expertly navigated this diversity to bring us the journey of the incredible spirit of Bob Marley."
Philadelphia Inquirer - John Timpane
"Compulsively readable, exquisitely researched."
Kwame Dawes
"All true gospels are shaped by the accounts of eyewitnesses. Roger Steffens has collected these accounts and has given us a book of truths complicated by the bending of memory, motive and mystery. The effect is a fresh and renewed affirmation of Marley’s genius, humanity and mystique. This book is a triumph of the storytelling virtuosity of Jamaican people and a testament to the care and glorious obsessions of Roger Steffens. "
Marlon James
"There has never been and will never be anything quite like this: Reggae's chief eyewitness, dropping testimony on Reggae's chief prophet with truth, blood, and fire."
New York Times - Touré
"[So Much Things to Say] narrates the life of Marley from cradle to grave… Steffens has been on the Marley case for decades, and he’s a crucial voice in this epic chorus….Illuminating."
Stephen Davis
"So Much Things to Say is Steffens’s must-read/can’t-stop-reading account of Bob Marley’s historic career and his indelible achievements."
Paste Magazine - Jason Rhode
"Marley is not a demigod here, but an unwanted boy who fell upon the gift of brightening the world… So Much Things to Say reveals a Marley of flesh and blood."
The Guardian
"This sprawling but gripping biography is a fitting tribute to Jamaica’s favourite son."
Los Angeles Times - Agatha French
"A complete portrait… So Much Things to Say calls on many voices to recall the one iconic voice—Marley’s."
Reggae Festival Guide - Chuck Foster
"Crucial to the understanding of [Marley] the artist and the man….If you think you know the story of Bob Marley’s life and career from existing biographies, you’ll be amazed at how much you learn reading this book….Highly recommended!"
Guardian - Colin Grant
"Steffens identifies many more pieces of [Marley] than have ever before been put together in one book."
Gleaner
"So Much Things to Say is a fascinating page-turner which leaves conclusions to the reader."
Carlos Santana
"If Bob Marley is Jesus in these times, Roger Steffens is Peter."
Library Journal
02/15/2017
Steffens, who owns the world's biggest reggae archive and has traveled worldwide with a one-man multimedia show called The Life of Bob Marley, draws on 40 years of close-quarters interviews with Marley's band members, family, lovers, and confidants to chronicle Marley's life and art. A small-press edition of this book ran through two printings; here's the big time.
Kirkus Reviews
2017-05-08
An oral history that presents a well-rounded portrait of the music legend, allowing for multiple, sometimes-conflicting, points of view. Robert Nesta Marley (1945-1981) left a legacy of beautiful music, helping to push reggae from its Jamaican roots out into the world at large. Mindful of the many books about Marley already available, reggae historian Steffens (The Family Acid, 2015, etc.) worked to make a complete narrative covering the musician's entire life and filling in the cracks left by previous books. The author goes into great detail about Marley's early recordings, the inner workings of the Wailers, and the cancer that eventually took Marley's life. Steffens has interviewed dozens of major and minor players in Marley's life, including Wailers Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, Island Records' Chris Blackwell, Marley's mother, Cedella Booker, and various friends, musicians, and associates. There is a fullness to the collective weight of all these observations that is well-suited to the oral history format. What emerges is a not a clear picture of Marley the man but rather a true sense of how complicated his life was. His legend and impact, his work ethic, his abilities as a musician and leader—these are beyond question—but there are a lot of contrasting voices. On the question of who wrote "I Shot the Sheriff," for example, Marley's then-girlfriend Esther Anderson and his friend Lee Jaffe both think the story starts with them. There are disagreements over how people met, who paid royalty payments, who deserves credit for music and lyrics, etc. Steffens inserts himself as a voice like any of the others, offering structure and sometimes serving as a referee. If someone has told what has proven to be a lie, the author steps in and clarifies. But mostly, he lets his subjects speak for themselves. The author's approach allows him to tell more of the story, and even without presenting Marley's voice directly, this is an illuminating portrait of an extraordinary life.
