I’ve never heard anyone but Bob Marley refer to the sun as the “high yellow moon.” Fantastic poetry. “Concrete Jungle,” from Catch a Fire, is one of the bleakest songs about urban dystopia you will ever hear. It was the lead-off track from Bob’s 1973 masterpiece, Catch a Fire, and is an incredible piece of dark reggae funk. Bob’s melody is 100% authentic emotion, and his brilliance lies in this fact. Whenever I hear this song, Bob puts me in his shoes, and lets me stare right through his eyes. The live performance below is culled from the “Old Grey Whistle Test,” whatever that was, and is just a strait up reminder of what the world is missing today, namely, Bob Marley and the Wailers giving you some of the best music the world has ever heard. Enjoy.
“Every need got an ego to feed.” If that’s not the lyric of a master, than nothing is. “Pimper’s Paradise,” from 1980’s Uprising LP, is one of Bob’s best songs. Anyone else obsessed with the way he sings “Well-ell aelll..?” How about the line, “Now she is blusing when there ain’t no blues…?” I’m not really sure what he means by that line, but it makes my spine shiver every time…in the good way. “She loves to smoke, sometimes shifting coke, now she is laughing when their ain’t no joke, a pimper’s paradise.” My God, this song is genius. Not that anyone’s comparing or asking, but Bob was every bit the brilliant songwriter that John Lennon or Bob Dylan were. I’d go even further to say that he was more natural and fiercely unique than those two guys, as it never seemed that Bob, who struggled greatly in his life, never struggled with being himself like Johnny or Zim. Please vote!
We’re back in the 1974 Catch a Fire sessions as Bob Marley and the Wailers cut a fifth version of “Duppy Conqueror.” What is a “duppy,” and why is Bob conquering them? Interesting question. Well, in Jamaica, duppy is slang for ghost, and Bob was thinking about opening up a Jamaican branch of the Ghostbusters. Actually, according to legend, i.e. Wikipedia, Bob’s success was bringing a lot of leeches and hangers on, draining his spirit like vampires (duppys.) Bob was determined to rise above the situation and conqueror them, and presto, a song was born. The song itself is a beautiful slow harmonized jam about overcoming prisons both mental and physical. It’s a great abstract metaphor and a great song. Bob sings it so soulfully, yet again bringing his unique perspective to a universal pop context. Genius at work here folks. Enjoy.
Some very generous youtube benefactors recently uploaded over 30 videos of Bob Marley in the studio recording tracks for his Catch a Fire record. The video below is a priceless take from the sessions of “Get Up Stand Up,” Bob’s most righteous moment in his career. This version is a hard slow funky jam of the classic tune featuring Bob putting a delicious spin on the melody that only he can. Bob Marley was a master of melody, and the way he incorporated the various inflections and subtle changes to the verse is just addictive and breathtaking. The video too is a brilliant psychedelic cut capturing Bob and the Wailers at their most iconic. Expect Bob to take over my site for the next few days, until then, enjoy.
Part 55 of my countdown grooves on with Bob Marley’s gem “Stir it Up.” Written in 1967, this was one of Bob’s first songs to gain international fame when Johnny Nash covered it and made it a top 20 hit in 1972 in both Britain and America. The song is one of Bob’s incredible love songs, featuring a slow jam rocksteady melody, unpretentious lyrics, and beautiful background harmonies. There is simply not much to add with words to its already self-evident splendor, but I tell you, this is a marvelous video. Its just Bob and his band, playing a note perfect rendition of the song with Bob looking utterly iconic of course in all his natural coolness. I hate that he died so young, him and John Lennon, the two people I’d do anything to see play live. That’s why these videos mean so much to me, because its all I have of these people that changed my life so completely. Enjoy.
