Bob Bashing - give it a rest!

[Ites]

not sure if i agree with you that not anyone has the right to dis marley, that's exactly what they have a right to if they don't like the approach/sound to the music, etc

different strokes for different folks

[todd]

Jerusalem by Alpha Blondy and the Wailers is great.

[Ites]

sure,i know what you mean, leggo, and that is questionable behavior if anything, envy etc

however, 'human behaviour' and so on

[Rootsgal]

I think bashing ANYONE even if they are not Bob Marley or a reggae artist should not be condoned at all.
Embrace and learn from each others differences whether they be cultural, spiritual, musical, whatever. Life is too short to spend it on negativity...after all, no one gets out alive~
"Good over evil everytime"~ Guidance & Respect to all....
The bible says not to judge a man for having one bad day.

[blackbeltjones]

But Bob Marley as a solo act simply was not "Roots Reggae" and as the guide stated very clearly, his music didnt even reflect the music of the times which has now been labled "Roots Reggae". He was a thing unto himself and his music may have been good (depending on the listener) but it most certainly was not Roots.

bob marley's solo career wasn't roots?

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[darewon]

It wasn't Bob who got me into reggae in 1987. It was Jimmy Cliff, then Bob!

This argument is interesting since there are factions trying to uplift Peter Tosh's memory considering Bob's museum in Kingston (which I've been) and the whole Marley industry (clothing, rizzlas, posters, etc.).

I think the dissing of Bob are mostly by youths getting into the next thing and disavowing what they once liked!

[ras jah g]

how many of you ever had the good fortune to see Bob Marley in concert?i saw him with the wailers live at the Apollo in New York in 1979! i've seen many of the greats live(Coltrane,Hendrix,Janis,The Dead,Allmans,Tosh and many more).when i remember Bob's performance,i get chills.i have never been to a show where there was so much energy.the man never stopped moving.as a result,the audience never sat down.i can't remember a show where such love filled the room.black folks,white folks,asian folks,dreads,old and young alike!Bob,the Waiers,and the I-Threes truly united us.bless them all.i wish all of the"Bob bashers" could have been there.do yourselves a favour-watch a Bob Marley and the Wailers video-i know it's not the same as being there,but hopefully you'll change your minds.Respect,Love,Peace,and Happiness-Namaste' ras jah g

[Dave K]

Many people discover reggae via Bob's music, and then delve deeper into it. When others not so deep into the music say that they like reggae, and site Marley as an example, they are often met with a response from the hardcores such as "but there is better stuff...." or "that's not real reggae...".

It's not so much a condemnation of Bob as it is a matter of one-upmanship ("I know something you don't...").
As Jah G eloquently stated, if you have seen Marley live, and experienced the electricity and love that fills the air, you know that this man was the real deal as a communicator. And what a legacy of songs and performances at our disposal, that span ska, rocksteady and reggae. I can't believe that ANYONE who is passionate about Jamaican music can't find at least one Bob song or recording that they rate highly (but I am willing to stand corrected on this....).

Unfortunately people seem to have to denigrate one thing to boost something else.

[rokkimake]

I don't want to pour any polemic salt on these open wounds, but there are some issues which have troubled my mind.

I wonder why Marley didn't pick anything to his music from the ever developing reggae music in Jamaica in the late 70's when he must have heard what was going on. No dubs, no DJing, no heavier riddims, no prominent horn lines.
Or vice versa. Why Jamaicans didn't try to copy the way to success?. Maybe it is more important to the Jamaicans to be stars on their on turf than in Sweden.

I know strong artistic personalities take their own paths and if I've understood it right, Marley was very determined to achieve success outside Jamaica already in the sixties when he was writing songs to Johnny Nash and poppish rock-steady songs to Danny Simms' publishing company.

I have no idea how popular the Wailers were in Jamaica in the late 60's/early 70's, though it doesn't matter when we are evaluating Marley's music. He who likes it, likes it.

Probably none in Jamaica listens nowadays this music of which we babble here daily. A friend of mine recently visited in Jamaica and he played some 70's reggae to the locals by his MP3-player and they said: "This is very oldfashioned stuff".

[Dave K]

I think you are right about Jamaicans wanting to be more famous in Jamaica than Sweden, just as a Swede would want to be more famous in Sweden than in say, Madagascar.

But people in Jamaica LOVE music from the past, they must have been playing the wrong tunes. I just came back from a visit, and 80's sounds are ruling right now, in a very huge way.

As for "horns", "dubs" etc etc....there are quite a few tapes circulating that show that Bob did work within the context of what was modern at the time, but remember he had a record company that was focused on presenting his music in the most palatable way possible to a world-wide audience.