Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright: The Bob Marley Reader [Paperback]

Hank Bordowitz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2004

Throughout Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and America, Bob Marley represents far more than just the musician who translated spiritual and political beliefs into hypnotic, hard-hitting songs such as "Get Up, Stand Up," "No Woman, No Cry," and "Jammin'." Marley was born in rural Jamaica and reared in the mean streets of Kingston's Trenchtown; his ascent to worldwide acclaim, first with The Wailers--Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingstone--and later as a solo artist, is a riveting story of the spiritual awakening of a uniquely talented individual.Now, for the first time, a symphony of voices has joined together to offer perspective on one of this century's most compelling figures. Dealing with Bob Marley as a man and myth, from his "rude boy" teens to international fame and his tragic death at the age of thirty-six, Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright then explores the larger picture, examining Marley as the spokesman for Jamaica's homegrown religion of Rastafarianism, as a flash point for the pressure cooker of Jamaican politics, and his unique status as the first pop musical superstar of the so-called "Third World."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A great read for casual readers and longtime fans." -- Library Journal August 2004

"An intriguing collection...absolutely fascinating...Every entry tells the reader something of interest." -- Goldmine 12/10/04

"Offers a rich variety of angles on the Marley legend." -- Relix August 2004

"Often illuminating...never dull or boring." -- Nashville City Paper 8/13/04

"Readers will be both entertained and informed. This book will definitely hold the attention of music lovers." -- Kliatt January 2005

"This book clearly demonstrates that Robert Nesta Marley was and is an enigma." -- Dirty Linen February / March 2005

About the Author

Hank Bordowitz is the author of the critically acclaimed Bad Moon Rising: The Unauthorized History of Creedence Clearwater Revival and editor of The U2 Reader: A Quarter Century of Commentary, Criticism, and Reviews. He lives in the exurbs of New York City.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (June 15, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306813408
• ISBN-13: 978-0306813405
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,149,316 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Forever Milking Bob, July 1, 2004

By 

Gregory Stephens (Oklahoma City, OK United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright: The Bob Marley Reader (Paperback)

In contrast to Rita Marley's No Woman No Cry, which is on the inside looking out, Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright: The Bob Marley Reader is on the outside looking in. It concentrates on Bob's mythic or iconic dimensions.

On the very first page of text, a mini-intro titled "Marley: Cultural Icon," editor Hank Bordowitz informs us that Marley is a "cultural martyr who suffered for the sins of his audience."
Ouch. That reminds me of a red-headed singer at a Ft. Worth Bob Marley Festival in 2002 who shrilly declared: "Bob Marley died for your sins!" One could grin and bear such lunacies from enthusiastic fans, but in a book whose editor and writers surely want to be taken seriously, it sets one's teeth on edge.

This Reader is divided into two main sections. The first is titled "Wake Up and Live: The Life and Times of Robert Nesta Marley." Each chapter takes a Marley song to indicate its focus. "Waiting in Vain" is an oral history of the 1962-1972 period.

Chapter Two, "Stir it Up," covers the rise to international acclaim by Marley and the Wailers from 1972-1976. This includes a lengthy excerpt from Lee Jaffe's book One Love. Most of the writing dates from the 1970. We listen in on jaded New Yorkers who know how obvious some of Marley's stage mannerisms were, and yet acknowledge that they found his charisma irresistible.

A rough jewel here is Lester Bangs' "Innocents in Babylon." Bangs, writing for his Creem Magazine (immortalized in Almost Famous), freely confesses that Marley is his least favorite Jamaica artists. That critical distance, and the lack of editorial restraint, leads to some typically Bangsian gems. Bangs felt most at home in Jamaican record shops, rather than waiting around on stars. His time in one deafening store produces this memorable line: "the guitars chop to kill."

Chapter Three is "Top Rankin': The First Great `Third World' Star, 1976-1981." This includes Vivien Goldman's colorful portrait of the Wailers in Europe. In a different register, Carol Cooper's Afrocentric feature in the Village Voice describes Marley's ambition as "to resurrect the political ethic of Garveyism."

Chapter Four, "Blackman Redemption," is about the "Second Coming" of Marley 1981-2002. One can see how quickly reportage turned to hagiography in those years.

The much shorter second section of The Bob Marley Reader is titled "Music Gonna Teach Them a Lesson: The Meaning of Bob Marley." An essay by the late Jamaican Prime Minister, Michael Manley, on "Reggae and the Revolutionary Faith," is worth a read. It's worth repeating that, in contrast to, say, R&B or soca, "THE GREATER PART OF BOB MARLEY IS THE LANGUAGE OF REVOLUTION."

There's a famous anecdote, which Ree Negwenya relates in her account of Marley's visit to Zimbabwe, of the I-Threes fleeing to their hotel after getting hit by tear gas. Bob was coming off stage when Rita, Judy Mowatt, and Marcia Griffiths returned. Half-smiling, he said: ""Hah! Now I know who the real revolutionaries are."

I hope the next Marley Reader grapples with some troubling questions Marley's life raises, such as: is the "revolutionary impulse" best enacted abroad, or at home, and what is "the woman's place" in such movements? And, can we or should we aspire to outgrow the messianic mindset? Idolatry was both Bob Marley's strength (his faith in his "perfect father"), but also a form of mental slavery in both the man and his admirers.

(...)