Bob Marley is one of the most revered figures in pop music today. He was one of the first people to bring reggae -- and Caribbean music in general -- to a much larger audience. His face is emblazoned on a multitude of posters, t-shirts, beach towels and the like (although often for the wrong reasons). Also, he was deemed 11th greatest artist of all time by the Rolling Stone. His estate has been able to release album upon album of content after his death, which shows just how deep his artistry really was. However, one reason that many people love and respect the man so much (including me) was the message that he spread with his music. He talked about themes such as poverty, racism, and just loving your fellow man unconditionally. His message was an important one that I feel would benefit most people if they could take it to heart.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/90/MarleyTalkinBlues.jpg
The album that I chose to review for this piece is my favorite recording out of Marley's entire repertoire: "Talkin' Blues". This album is my favorite because I've been listening to it for as long as I can remember. My parents would always like to listen to "Talkin' Blues" at dinner time, especially during the summer. Because of this, I know every song by heart, as well as their lyrical content. From what I understand, the overall theme of this album is Bob's experiences with poverty in the ghettos of Jamaica. This theme is especially pertinent in the album's title song. The opening lyric, "Cold ground was my bed last night, and rock was my pillow too", goes to show the kind of masterful imagery that Marley employed when writing his lyrics. Other songs have different themes. For example, the song "Slave Driver" is very racially themed. Marley talks about how his blood runs cold at "the crack of the whip". Hi racial conscience shines through at other points in the album too, including "Walk The Proud Land" and "Get Up, Stand Up". However, not every song on this album takes itself so seriously. The tracks "Am-a-do" and "Bend Down Low" have overt sexual themes that you can probably decipher just by reading the names.
One thing that makes "Talkin' Blues" unique is that it is technically a live album. While some of the tracks are from actual concerts, most were recorded in a claustrophobia-inducing closet. This gives each recording a very tight, close-knit feeling, with the band members essentially playing only to themselves. Because of this, it is much more raw and personal than many of Marley's studio recordings. "Talkin' Blues" borrows even more from traditional Jamaican music and instrumentation than Bob's previous recordings. My personal favorite song off the album, "Rastaman Chant", sounds like it was taken right off the streets of Kingston. Another aspect of "Talkin' Blues" that differentiates it from Marley's other work is the multitude of interview clips interspersed throughout. Marley, with his trademark Jamaican patois, talks about the meanings behind his music, as well as what was going on in his life when he wrote it. This makes the album feel even more personal to Marley, since you relate each song to his feelings.
SCORE: 5/5
HIGHLIGHT: "Rastaman Chant"
People definitely try to use Bob Marley as a spokesman for marijuana, but his music is so much more than that. I think his humanitarian views expressed in his music need to be highlighted more rather than his drug use. This sounds like an extremely creative Bob Marley album based on the use of interviews throughout the album and the way it was recorded.
ReplyDeletePeople definitely try to use Bob Marley as a spokesman for marijuana, but his music is so much more than that. I think his humanitarian views expressed in his music need to be highlighted more rather than his drug use. This sounds like an extremely creative Bob Marley album based on the use of interviews throughout the album and the way it was recorded.
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