Customer Reviews

Burning Spear: Marcus Garvey/Garvey's Ghost

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"And it's like a bell, when you say Burning Spear. And it's like a light, when you say Burning Spear. It's like a cool breeze, when you say Burning Spear. It's like the sunshine, when you say Burning Spear. Yunno, it's a total outstanding atmosphere, when you say Burning Spear." Winston Rodney

I purchased Marcus Garvey when it was first released - knowing next to nothing about reggae - on the basis of a rather mysterious magazine review. After I'd played the album just once, I knew that a world class visionary poet was in my home. The songs owed little to the Jamaican pop current at the time. They were dread, slower, trance-like. Spear's politics rose above the violence & intrigue of Island elections, even transcending Rastafarian belief to achieve a universal spirituality. Burning Spear pleaded for the Lion to lay down with the Lamb. Every befouled river is the suffering Jordan. Any gun fired in senseless anger is an affront to the Creator Spirit. Slavery is an ever-present state-of-the-soul. Marcus Garvey is every great liberator. Without peace, no man or woman truly has a home. Only Bob Marley matched Burning Spear's poetry. Over the course of four brilliant albums beginning with this one, the Spear defined the message he brings to audiences to this day.

The Marcus Garvey CD collection contains that first, beautiful album plus the dub spin-off, Garvey's Ghost. That combination makes a generous package. You won't exactly get the news from Marcus Garvey, but you could die inside for lack of what it gives you.

Bob Rixon

Folks, listen and listen good. In the over 100 reviews of reggae and all Jamaican music music that I have done thus far, I have only mentioned 5 albums as absolute no brainer, essential buys ("Screaming Target" by Big Youth, "Catch a Fire" by the Wailers, "Arkology" by Lee "Scratch" Perry, "King Tubby Meets the Rockers Uptown" by Augustus Pablo, and "Equal Rights" by Peter Tosh), and am now adding "Marcus Garvey" by Burning Spear as the 6th no brainer.

The militancy of "Marcus Garvey" is unparalleled in all of reggae (even Tosh's solo efforts for all their militancy were done after this lp was done), and the grooves on this lp are second to none. It's a shame that the whole lp isn't available to be sampled, so just listen to "Marcus Garvey" over and over and let it sink in...

Add to this 2fer "Garvey's Ghost," a most impressive lp in its own right, and your cup of Burning Spear runneth over 10 fold.

I could write for hours on this lp (and have on numerous occasions for album reviews I do for magazines, and will continue to do so if asked), but even then I can not do the glory of this album a quarter of the justice and praise it deserves, nor the glory of Winston Rodney, THE Burning Spear.

No music collection, no less a reputable reggae collection can be without the most earth shattering debut in all of reggae music. Get it. Get it now.

"Marcus Garvey" is one of the classic albums of the 1970s from Jamaica. In an era which was full of quality releases from such luminaries as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Lee Perry, Burning Spear was more than capable of holding their own. As a reggae album, this is an essential purchase.

There are a series of misconceptions about Burning Spear and the "Marcus Garvey" album, though. The first is that this is the debut album by the band - it isn't. Spear had released two albums prior to this one, however they hadn't done particularly well. Another misconception is that Burning Spear is a solo act - well, not at the time of this recording. Winston Rodney (one of the vocalists) would eventually go solo under the name Burning Spear, but at this point there were three vocalists. The final major misconception is that this album will sound remotely like Bob Marley's output from a similar time - very untrue.

Where Marley's recordings veer towards a more "pop" sensibility, Burning Spear is pure reggae. The music is skeletal and the vocals may not be as pure as the listener might expect, but they are nonetheless outstanding. Winston Rodney himself is often described as simply "chanting", which he does to great effect as his bandmates create a hypnotic sound.

The first 10 tracks constitute the original release of "Marcus Garvey". Every single one of these is a gem, from the title track with its opening line "No one remember old Marcus Garvey" right through to Rodney's repeated question "Where will I find my resting place?" at the end of "Resting Place". Particular highlights are the devotional fervour of "Days of Slavery" and the rock-solid groove of "Jordan River".

The second 10 tracks are the dub versions of the originals. Here, some history is relevant to understanding the recording. Dub is essentially instrumental reggae with added effects - sound switching between stereo channels, random drop-outs of particular instruments, scraps of vocals appearing at odd moments and so on. By the time "Marcus Garvey" was released, it had become customary in the Jamaican market to release a dub companion to the album in question. What ended up happening with "Marcus Garvey" was that dubs were created - on an album called "Garvey's Ghost" - for an English release. The producers decided that the dark, bass-heavy sound of Jamaican dub was not suitable for English ears and so toned down the overtly Jamaican influences. Every review I have been able to find of the original album of "Garvey's Ghost" describes these dubs as terrible. Appended to "Marcus Garvey", however, they seem quite competently done. They aren't up to the standards of dub legends like Lee Perry, Augustus Pablo or King Tubby, but they are uniformly solid and some ("Black Wadada", for example) actually do provide a new perspective on the song. I am as yet unsure whether these are a new set of dubs, the remasters of the original "Ghost" dubs or simply the dubs as released on "Ghost", but there doesn't appear to be that much to have complained about in the first place.

So, for such a strong album, why only 4 stars? The major reason is that fans of Bob Marley will probably find this album very hard to get into - at least to begin with. Spear, in either group or solo mode, is not the most accessible of artists but one who should be attempted at least. The second reason is that not all listeners will want the "Garvey's Ghost" part of the CD - while the second 10 tracks support their originals admirably, it is rather a tough ask for the reggae neophyte to lsiten to both albums.

This album is not just the best reggae album ever released period. It is one of the most important albums to be released, ever. This stirring music deals with one of the great historical travesties, slavery and its result, the impoverishment of entire nations, through a musical examination of a historical icon. It looks at slavery from several contexts, historical, that of the slaves, and that of the children generations later who still suffer from lack of "food to eat" and "money to spend". Not only is the music beautiful and haunting, it is also the benchmark of an entire genre of music, reggae. To listen to this music is to hear an intimate glimpse of a nation and its people, so perfectly embodied in the spirtual aspects of this music. A hundred years from now, this album will be an essential historical document. The same can be said of only a few albums, and Bob Marley, the most well known figure in Jamaican music, only produced a few albums that come even close to this music in terms of historical weight before succumbing to more commercial endeavors that lose the folksier element so important in capturing the spiritual aspects of reggae music.

I first discovered this album when I was a teenager, and while I loved it then more than just about any other album I owned, I used it to channel my own adolescent ideals. When Rodney implores, "hold them Marcus, hold them," and "catch them Garvey" on the title track, I took this to mean the interlopers, or those who would stand in the way of Marcus. How young and naive I was. Only years later, with more maturity, did the true signifigance of these words seize my understanding. This understanding, which occured while I was driving home late one night, brought me instantly to tears.

When Rodney sings, "catch them Garvey," and the background singers answer with the moan of generations that have suffered, he is referring to the children, and those who will fall into the abyss of despair, poverty, and lack of self esteem. Rodney is imploring Marcus, who is now a spirit living on in the culture of his people, to hold the children, to catch them and save them from their fall. This image, like that which imortalized "The Catcher in the Rye", is quite simply one of the most powerful and resonant to ever be captured in music. When you listen carefully, the suffering that he refers to, suffering everyone has heard about in the news and in history classes, is finally crystallized and tangible, and you are stunned by the weight of the injustices that have been done and that still occured in nations like Jamaica when this album was released. The music itself resonates with the moans and suffering of Rodney's predesesors. Yet this is a triumphant song, with a driving rhythm, which heralds the coming of a hero who embodied the pride of an entire culture. Rodney himself becomes a cypher and his singing, a chanting style which is itself spiritual, is mesmerizing, inspiring and heartbreaking all at once.

As you can see, I love this album dearly, and those who have not truly listened to it have deprived themselves of one of music's, and history's greatest treasures.

This CD consists of what originally were two records issued separately -- "Marcus Garvey," Burning Spear's stunning 1976 debut, and the dub version of the record titled, appropriately, "Garvey's Ghost."

"Marcus Garvey" was a masterful record that influenced a whole generation of musicians, combining political lyrics, Winston Rodney's instantly recognizable, yearning, beseeching vocals, and stellar musicianship under top producer Jack Ruby.

The follow-up dub version was a revelation in itself. Some of the remixes emphasize the rhythm section of drummer Leroy "Horsemouth" Wallace paired with bassists Robbie Shakespeare (who would go on to form Taxi) or Aston Barrett (of the Wailers), to form trance-like dubs which became the standard for Jamaican music of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Other tracks rearrange the vocals to create wholly new songs.

The pairing of the two records on a single disk is brilliant. Not only does it take advantage of the greater capacity of CDs, but the ability to program players to play the disk randomly means that one can intersperse the original and dub versions of these songs in a single listening.

Punch up the bass on your amplifier and enjoy this absolutely wonderful introduction to reggae music!

It gets no higher than this. Spear's masterpiece. At one time this is all one heard coming out of any type of Rasta owned business. If you own one Spear LP, this is the only choice. Featuring Familyman on bass, the music is beatiful and honest. Educational.

Socially aware reggae with deep basslines, sweet horns and great vocals. The eleven tracks of Marcus Garvey are followed by dub versions (Garvey's Ghost)- great format! I wish more reggae albums were released with dub versions on the same disc. To me, this is what reggae/dub is all about.

"Marcus Garvey" is one of the classic albums of the 1970s from Jamaica. In an era which was full of quality releases from such luminaries as Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Lee Perry, Burning Spear was more than capable of holding their own. As a reggae album, this is an essential purchase.

There are a series of misconceptions about Burning Spear and the "Marcus Garvey" album, though. The first is that this is the debut album by the band - it isn't. Spear had released two albums prior to this one, however they hadn't done particularly well. Another misconception is that Burning Spear is a solo act - well, not at the time of this recording. Winston Rodney (one of the vocalists) would eventually go solo under the name Burning Spear, but at this point there were three vocalists. The final major misconception is that this album will sound remotely like Bob Marley's output from a similar time - very untrue.

Where Marley's recordings veer towards a more "pop" sensibility, Burning Spear is pure reggae. The music is skeletal and the vocals may not be as pure as the listener might expect, but they are nonetheless outstanding. Winston Rodney himself is often described as simply "chanting", which he does to great effect as his bandmates create a hypnotic sound.

The first 10 tracks constitute the original release of "Marcus Garvey". Every single one of these is a gem, from the title track with its opening line "No one remember old Marcus Garvey" right through to Rodney's repeated question "Where will I find my resting place?" at the end of "Resting Place". Particular highlights are the devotional fervour of "Days of Slavery" and the rock-solid groove of "Jordan River".

The second 10 tracks are the dub versions of the originals. Here, some history is relevant to understanding the recording. Dub is essentially instrumental reggae with added effects - sound switching between stereo channels, random drop-outs of particular instruments, scraps of vocals appearing at odd moments and so on. By the time "Marcus Garvey" was released, it had become customary in the Jamaican market to release a dub companion to the album in question. What ended up happening with "Marcus Garvey" was that dubs were created - on an album called "Garvey's Ghost" - for an English release. The producers decided that the dark, bass-heavy sound of Jamaican dub was not suitable for English ears and so toned down the overtly Jamaican influences. Every review I have been able to find of the original album of "Garvey's Ghost" describes these dubs as terrible. Appended to "Marcus Garvey", however, they seem quite competently done. They aren't up to the standards of dub legends like Lee Perry, Augustus Pablo or King Tubby, but they are uniformly solid and some ("Black Wadada", for example) actually do provide a new perspective on the song. I am as yet unsure whether these are a new set of dubs, the remasters of the original "Ghost" dubs or simply the dubs as released on "Ghost", but there doesn't appear to be that much to have complained about in the first place.

So, for such a strong album, why only 4 stars? The major reason is that fans of Bob Marley will probably find this album very hard to get into - at least to begin with. Spear, in either group or solo mode, is not the most accessible of artists but one who should be attempted at least. The second reason is that not all listeners will want the "Garvey's Ghost" part of the CD - while the second 10 tracks support their originals admirably, it is rather a tough ask for the reggae neophyte to listen to both albums.

I don't say that lightly. I have EVERY Bob Marley album, LOTS of Burning Spear and other classic reggae. I've been listening to Reggae for 35 years and I saw Bob Marley perform live in New York City at Madison Square Garden as well as Burning Spear and Peter Tosh etc at hundreds of concerts over the years. So, I know my reggae.

But, this pair of albums is really something special. If you've ever spent time around Jamaicans, all kinds of Jamaicans - country folk, city folk you know their vibe: proud yet humble, soft spoken yet demanding respect and sometimes with a mystical or spiritual air about them. These albums express THE SOUL of Jamaican people, their sorrows and their aspirations. And in a way, they express the soul of all oppressed people that have had to fight for their rights and for the basic justice that most of us take for granted.

I first got Garvey's Ghost around 1978. It blew my mind. I play jazz saxophone professionally so I understand music and it's elements. This music seemed so simple yet so intricate but overall it was profoundly HONEST. I always considered Garvey's Ghost to be a kind of Jamaican Jazz - largely instrumental with beautiful horn figures and flute solos and wonderful arrangements. Later, I got Marcus Garvey. Then I got to listen to Winston Rodney's message. PROFOUND. Basically it's all about LOVE for your brothers and sisters, the uplift of the Jamaican people and righting the wrongs of 400 years of oppression. If you've ever experienced injustice, oppression, poverty, racism or any of the world's wrongs, you'll feel Winston Rodney TALKING TO YOU in these songs. STRAIGHT SHOT TO THE HEART!

Last year I travelled throughout Jamaica for the first time, with my Jamaican wife of 11 years. My understanding of Reggae music went to a whole 'nuther level. Hanging out with Rastafarians, hanging out with simple folk in the countryside, amazing artists and painters and wood carvers, yogis (yeah some Rastas do yoga!and meditate), breathing the air, seeing the land that gave birth to these amazing people was amazingly inspirational. Yo, I'm LATINO so my favorite island was Puerto Rico, then I went to Jamaica and it blew my mind. I could FEEL Burning Spear, I could FEEL Bob Marley in a way that I never had before.

My suggestion: If you don't already own this album, buy it NOW. Listen with headphones and meditate on the message. It just might change your life. And if you really FEEL the message that's communicated and want to take it deeper. GO TO JAMAICA and experience the people and the land that gave this music it's birth. Go to Kingston and spend time in Bob Marleys house (open to visitors). Go to Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay. Go hang out with some Rastas out on the beaches or in the forests. You'll come back a better person.

How much do I love this album? I've owned thousands of albums in my lifetime. This one is SPECIAL. Definitely a TOP 10 DESERT ISLAND DISC of ALL the music I own.

This CD tops my list of the top roots albums of all time. To my list I add
Twinkle Brothers "Rasta Pon ToP"
Isreal Vibration "Forever"
Culture's "Two Sevens Clash" & "Wings of a Dove"
Yabba You
and of course
The Gladiators "Dreadlocks The Time Has Come"