Bob Marley: Soul Rebel: The Stories Behind Every Song 1962-1981 [Paperback]

Maureen Sheridan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 4, 1999 | Series: Stories Behind Every Song

Bob Marley left a legacy of politically and religiously charged songs of lyrical power and social significance that has changed the history of popular music. In addition to exploring the experiences behind Marley's best work, Chris Welch reveals the significance of the superb singles and albums delivered by Bob Marley and the Wailers from the early '60s to Marley's untimely death in May 1981. Includes 90 color and black-and-white photographs, a complete discography, and a chronology.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press (November 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560252049
• ISBN-13: 978-1560252047
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,333,900 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Bob Marley Songs and Gossip, November 22, 2002

By 

frank fillebeck (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bob Marley: Soul Rebel: The Stories Behind Every Song 1962-1981 (Paperback)

I am a huge reggae fan, for reggae is more about a message than any particular stylistic of music. Bob Marley was, and still is, the king of reggae. And despite all of his personal faults and flings with the 'women of Babylon' and such, his message is what will forever be remembered.

I originally bought this book thinking it would better assist me in penetrating deeper into Bob Marley's lyrics, which are sometimes difficult to decipher for someone who is not a rasta and lives outside of Jamaica. However this book reads more like a gossip column rather than delving more seriously into issues that Bob Marley stood for and the context he found himself within. The later is why people in the Carribean and Africa on the annaversary of Bob's death, not the former. Yeah, sure, Bob was not perfect--JUST LIKE THE REST OF US-- but at least he got off his butt and did something positive for his people. And he did this by speaking the truth to the wealthy and the wicked.

This is why people love Bob Marley, and this is his message; yet our author spends most of her time recounting all the gossip floating around the reggae industry rather than fully embracing Bob's lyrics. Well, perhaps this is expected when our author is a former reggae columnist for Bilboard Magazine, which means she is probably college educated and from a middle to upper-class background. Perhaps this can explain why she is oblivious to much of what is going on in Marley's lyrics.

Case in point. Commenting on one of Bob Marley's most political songs, "So Much Trouble", she states:

"The word "illusion" appears more than once in the lyrics of Survival's songs. This...indicate[s] a deep inner struggle with the widening gap between reality and the fantasy that the decadence of the Studio 54 scenes of the Seventies...A "Million miles from reality", Marley muses" (103).

OK, this is a good interpretation for someone writing from her studio in NYC. But common! Just listen to the lyrics of Marly:

"...Men sailing on their ego trip...Blasting off on thier space ships...million miles from reality...no care for you no care for me...[chorus]So much trouble in the world"

This is social commentary on the fact that the US and USSR were literally blowing billions of dollars on blasting monkeys and human beings into space while billions of people on the face of this earth were starving. Comments like this are why the CIA wanted Bob Marley and other reggae musicians dead. I only wish that our author would take his lyrics more seriously. But no, catering towards a low-brow audience sells more books.

Ill just stick to listening to Bob Marley himself.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Every picture tells a story, June 27, 2003

By 

Jonathan M. Mason "jm_1951" (Punta Gorda, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bob Marley: Soul Rebel: The Stories Behind Every Song 1962-1981 (Paperback)

I think this is a pretty good book for Bob Marley fans. If you want a lot of detailed biographical and political background, then Catch A Fire is a pretty good biography that I recommend, but this book makes a great supplement as there is plenty of material about the history of the music, who composed what, and the story of all the albums.

The book appears to be based largely on a number of interviews with people who were important in Marley's life, such as Cindy Breakspeare, Chris Blackwell, manager Don Taylor, and record producer Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd and others, so their viewpoints (which may be self serving) tend to prevail.

There is at least a paragraph or two about every song, as well as sections that explain the personal and political background to the lyrics of the songs. There are also lots of pictures. On the other hand, there is not a very detailed explanation of the lyrics. For example I learned what 'a government yard in Trenchtown' (from No Woman No Cry) meant from Catch A Fire, and not from this book.

Definitely a mass market book, and not terribly deep, but I think this book will delight most Bob Marley fans and probably help them get deeper into his music.

There is not much critical evaluation of his music, and if you are looking to find out which albums are the best the book won't help you. But I will! Just save yourself the trouble and buy all the Island/Tuff Gong albums first, then if you still want more you might look into the earlier stuff. If you already have everything, there is a new Live at the Roxy double CD that
has great remastering and really rocks.

Given that CD covers don't provide as good a platform for rolling spliffs as the old LP covers, this book, which is in a coffee table book size paperback might be a useful purchase in more ways than one.

30 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Is This Love?, December 23, 1999

By 

Ras Boe (New Hampshire) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bob Marley: Soul Rebel: The Stories Behind Every Song 1962-1981 (Paperback)

Marley fan like I-mon love to read 'bout Bob. But too much of the best runnings in dis seem to `soon-come' from natty write-t'ings on the Gong like-a T. White's "Catch A Fire" or "Rock Lives," C. Salewicz's "Songs of Freedom," V. Goldman's "Soul Rebel--Natural Mystic," or M. Whitney & D. Hussey's "Bob Marley, Reggae King," and other t'ings in me personal library, but dis storyteller don' check fe dese roots works or favor one likkle tip o' the dreads. Seen? So "One Love" fe dis labor got downpressed to somet'ing like "1/3 Love" or maybe "1/4 Love" or "1/5 Love." Next time, I-mon keep on moving. Seen?