Bob Marley

chas · Post by **chas** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 7:14 pm

One of our local PBS stations, Howard University television, is showing a Bob Marley concert from around 1977-78. I'd forgotten what a great performer he was. I never saw him, but have both live albums and have seen some footage; this is a really good show. The thing I love about his performances is that they're very different from his studio performances. He doesn't just mess with the vocals like most performers, the arrangements are different and there really seems to be a connection with the audience. He feels what he's singing, while in the studio I suspect the emphasis is on getting everything perfect. (Those of us who are middlin' musicians and post clips can appreciate that.

)

He died at 36. What a loss.

Akiba · Post by **Akiba** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 10:04 pm

Chas,

I just saw that same show on PBS about a month ago and was, once again and then some, blown away at how great a musician, singer, magician Marley was. It seemed every single sound/note he uttered was perfectly placed, sung at the perfect time, in perfect tune/inflection, all in the groove, could hit it hard and loud, and swing it soft and low--absolutely amazing. He truly was a genius. I heartily echo your approbation and admiration.

I think during the pledge break, it was quoted from the NY times or some heavy-hitter critic that this movie of this show is one of the greatest musical performances of the century. I'd say there is a strong case for that.

Jason

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:29 am

I have become really interested in the Rastafarian movement and Haile Selassie I through Sinead O'Connor, and Bob Marley is intimately connected to all that. In her last few years of recordings, Sinead has been really influenced by reggae music in general and Bob Marley in particular. It's interesting to see a white woman singing some of his songs, but was indeed a great performer. And a pot head.

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:31 am

Cranberry wrote:.... And a pot head.

Ain't nothin wrong with that, right?

Bob Marley was a fantastic musician and songwriter. Grew up listening to his stuff; was how I got into the third-wave ska movement as a young man.
Was also how my cousin got into ska, now he's got himself a tidy gig as a professional musician.

Thanks Bob!

'course, I'm a big fan of Family Man Barrett

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:01 am

I've never smoked pot but I used to eat it all the time and it made me fat.

You know I'm convinced it wasn't the brownies, cookies, cakes, pastries, and even things like quesidillas and scrambled eggs I put it in that made me fat, it was the pot itself. It makes you hungry, you know.

Boody · Post by **Boody** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 11:16 am

I really like Marley's music, but it does kind of annoy me how famous he is. At my highschool there were several kids who wore Bob Marley t-shirts, but they all just thought he was cool because he smocked pot. None of them knew anything about reggae. I would be cranking some Toots and the Maytals and they'd ask what it was! I would tell them Toots invented the word reggae and they all thought Bob Mayely invented reggae.

So very good music, but as far as roots go I like Johnny Clarke and Barrington Levy more.
But I like Trojan reggae more than roots anyway.

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:18 pm

Cranberry wrote:I've never smoked pot but I used to eat it all the time and it made me fat.

You know I'm convinced it wasn't the brownies, cookies, cakes, pastries, and even things like quesidillas and scrambled eggs I put it in that made me fat, it was the pot itself. It makes you hungry, you know.

Cran, you owe me a new keyboard!

Tyler · Post by **Tyler** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:22 pm

Boody wrote:....At my highschool there were several kids who wore Bob Marley t-shirts, but they all just thought he was cool because he smocked pot. None of them knew anything about reggae. I would be cranking some Toots and the Maytals and they'd ask what it was! I would tell them Toots invented the word reggae and they all thought Bob Mayely invented reggae.

So very good music, but as far as roots go I like Johnny Clarke and Barrington Levy more.
But I like Trojan reggae more than roots anyway.

heresy.....just sad...

just in case anyone's unfamiliar... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trojan_Records

Wombat · Post by **Wombat** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 9:20 am

I saw Bob Marley live back about 77 or 78 in a big theatre in Highbury. Great show. A lot of weed about and a lot of knives too.

Bob Marley really invented reggae as a suitable vehicle for rock superstardom. In doing that, inevitably he smoothed out a few rough edges that purists prefer. You can't really hear it comparing Marley's early work with his mature work. His early work was rougher but not all that great either, IMO. By 77, he'd left the 'singles for Jamaica and the UK only' market a long way behind.

A better case study is his old singing partner Peter Tosh. Tosh made a bid for superstardom with a couple of albums in the 70s the first of which was Legalise It I like those albums, but they recycled for the world slick versions of singles for Jamica only that he recorded at the same time. Those singles were very much tougher. I love them.

chas · Post by **chas** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 4:17 pm

And by 77 or 78 Tosh had pretty much abandoned reggae for some sort of reggae-meets-rock-and-R&B. I love the album with Buck-in-ham Palace on it (I can't call up the album name), but reggae it's not.

I love the earlier Wailers stuff when Bunny and Tosh were still with Bob, and I wonder what would have happened if the three of them had stayed together. Probably somewhere between the music being that much better, that much worse, or them killing each other.

There are many people responsible for reggae becoming (somewhat and gradually) mainstream. Desmond Dekker, Jimmy Cliff (one of the best singers alive), all of the Wailers, Toots, Johnny Nash, Eric Clapton, and many that I can't call up right now. But nobody has touched as many hearts with reggae music as Bob Marley.

Good for you for seeing him, Wombat. Quite an experience, I bet.

peeplj · Post by **peeplj** » Sun Mar 23, 2008 5:32 pm

Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.

Oh.

Wrong Marley, sorry.

--James

jkwest · Post by **jkwest** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 2:22 pm

My favorite artist of all time....

sadly, since I'm only 31, I never was able to see this man perform.

His teachings of love and music could have really had a serious effect on our world, IMO.

Not to compare anyone to him, but, I really enjoy Ben Harper also...this man has a great soul, also. I would love to meet him one day...maybe share a bowl for memories sake..

rh · Post by rh » Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:27 pm

chas wrote:"One good thing about music
When it hits you feel okay" -- Bob Marley

hey chas,

i'm pretty sure the line from Trenchtown Rock is "when it hits you feel no pain".

evryting be irie,
rh

djm · Post by **djm** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:35 pm

I'm surprised no-one has linked the <A TARGET="NEW" HREF="http://youtube.com/watch?v=fEQXvsQJVnY">buffalo thread</A> into this one yet.

Woy yoy yo

djm

chas · Post by **chas** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 5:43 am

rh wrote:
chas wrote:"One good thing about music
When it hits you feel okay" -- Bob Marley
hey chas,

i'm pretty sure the line from Trenchtown Rock is "when it hits you feel no pain".

evryting be irie,
rh

You're absolutely right. I meant to change it before anyone noticed.

Actually, I think I'll change it to something I heard Tom Waits say once.