The Words and Music of Bob Marley

The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection

by David Moskowitz

Throughout his life and perhaps even more since his death in 1981 at the age of 36, Bob Marley's music has demonstrated a unique ability to combine with almost any cultural setting, no matter how different the elements might at first appear. Through his adaptable, yet enduring musical messages, he represents an especially articulate type of singer-songwriter. Marley released a large quantity of introspective, autobiographical material at the height of his success and it is thus only in a work such as this―in which the artist is investigated through his recorded output―that one can understand who this great man truly was and what he hoped to achieve through his life and music.

Time magazine made Bob Marley's impact strikingly clear when it named Exodus the most important album of the 20th century. Throughout his life and perhaps even more since his death in 1981 at the age of 36, Marley's music has demonstrated a unique ability to combine with almost any cultural setting, no matter how different the elements might at first appear. Through his adaptable, yet enduring musical messages, he represents an especially articulate type of singer-songwriter. Marley released a large quantity of introspective, autobiographical material at the height of his success and it is thus only in a work such as this―in which the artist is investigated through his recorded output―that one can understand who this great man truly was and what he hoped to achieve through his life and music.

The Words and Music of Bob Marley investigates Marley's creative output chronologically and provides complementary biographical information where it is relevant and helpful. Themes discussed throughout the book include protest, revolution, love, hate, biblical concepts, and Rastafari culture.

192 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2007

Reviews

[James F · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've gotten about halfway through Marlon James' A Brief History of Seven Killings, the novel about the assassination attempt on Bob Marley, and I was curious about what was based on fact and what was made up; so I decided to stop and read a biography of Marley first. The library had two, both by the same author, David Moskowitz, a musicology professor in the US; the other book was a YA biography, very short, so I decided to read this one, which focuses more on his music but also has a basic biography. I was surprised that some of the things I thought Marlon James had invented were actually based on fact, or at least on actual rumors (such as the horserace allegedly fixed by Marley's friend Alan "Skills" Cole, which rumors suggested as a reason for the attempt). I was less surprised that Papa_Lo and Shotta Sherriff were based on actual people. But this is a review of the Moskowitz book, not the James book, so . . .

The book is quite short, but it manages to cover all of Marley's albums; it explains simply the differences between ska, rocksteady and reggae, how they evolved, and how they differ from American rock music, and the political and religious background to the lyrics. The level of political analysis is less than in the novel, but the author explains the events in a straightforward way which I found helpful. I can figure out the analysis myself. I also got some good direction as to what to look for (and request at the library, which only had one Marley album) -- Marley and reggae were not something I was into in the sixties and seventies, so I'm discovering his music a few decades late, but it's incredible. Plus I'm learning a lot of new synonyms for marijuana.

[Brucie · Rating 3 out of 5]

adequate biography focused on the songs, not my style.