|
|
|
How to Control the Music Download Madness
After following the trend of users coming on to the internet to download music, many resources started to come out offering you the latests downloads. At the very beggining this was great for most users.
After a while, people started to take...
In Three Notes...Can You Name That Band?
Okay, y'all...remember that old TV show called "Name That Tune?"
Well, I couldn't wait a full week to get this one out because,
not only is it so important, but it is, in fact, vital and can
get you involved *very* quickly in a lawsuit,...
Nine Movies That Make You Want To Yell, "Stop Saying That"
Movie moments are nice things to share with the people you care about. Most of those shared moments consist of “Remember that one part when the guy with the thing…” and before they can finish you’re interjecting with your own vague, “Oh totally,...
ONO fuses classical music and rap in a unique and powerful blend
The man who calls himself ONO (for the One N' Only) is part of the post-hip hop generation of artists who grew up with the music, but now see it as irrelevant and self-indulgent. Where does hip hop go next? If 17-year-old ONO (birth name: Jake...
Recent Updates to the Dish Network Channel Packages
Dish Network is continually trying to meet the needs of their viewers by improving the Dish Network channel packages. This is one of the ways that Dish keeps their customers satisfied. The Dish Network channel packages are frequently being updated...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bob Marley Remembrance in Meskal Square
Last Sunday saw the 60th anniversary of the birth of the legendary Bob Marley. Appropriately, thousands of Rastafarians, bedecked in red, gold and green, gathered in Meskal square, Addis Abbaba in Ethiopia, to salute their spiritual fellow traveller and great inspiration.
They formed part of a vast crowd that had assembled to commemorate the life and philosophy of the towering figure that was Bob Marley, who died of cancer, aged 36, in 1981. A musical tribute, in the form of a free concert, was paid by the likes of Youssou N’Dour, Baaba Maal and Angelique Kidjo.
There’s no question that Marley’s music captured the world’s imagination and was instrumental in establishing reggae as the pre-eminent world-music from the 1970s to the late 80s. He came to global prominence with his group The Wailers – who initially formed in 1963, securing quick credibility in Jamaica with a number of hits, produced under the guidance of Coxone Dodd.
International recognition was slower in coming – Marley even had a spell working on a car assembly line in the USA in 1969 – and only materialised once a deal with Island Records had been signed and the collaboration with producer Lee Perry established the sound that came to define Bob Marley and the Wailers to millions of fans around the planet. With the backing vocals of the I-Threes (including Bob’s wife Rita) and a new line-up in 1974, the Marley bandwagon began to roll in earnest.
1977 and 78 marked the release of 2 seminal albums: Exodus and Kaya – which ,in addition to the critical acclaim they received, were
massively successful in commercial terms, too. Island Records calculated that, in 1981, the extent of Marley’s global sales stood at £100 million.
Record sales have continued apace since his death. In fact, the 1984 compilation: Legend has consistently topped album charts around the world. There’s a compelling view amongst critics that this appeal is based on the unshakable loyalty of his fan base rather than a significant growth in younger generation converts to Marley’s brand of reggae – which is now seen, very much, as ‘old school’ and the less vibrant and engaging upcountry cousin to the much sharper modern dancehall music – whose influences are drawn from hip-hop, funk and R&B and melded into a powerful, street, hard-hitting, in-yer-boat, urban fusion.
Personally, I happen to think that the music does stand the test of time. Some of the landmarks in the Marley catalogue are:
• Catch a Fire, featuring Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, and released in 1972. It was the first reggae album to be distributed internationally.
• Burnin’, 1973, containing the gems that are: ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ and ‘Get Up Stand Up’.
• Rastaman Vibration, 1976. It stormed into the US charts and articulated many of Marley’s core beliefs – take ‘War’, for example, with the lyrics coming from one of Haile Selassie’s speeches.
• Survival, 1979, with it’s pan-African message of solidarity – promoted by such songs as: ‘Africa Unite’ and ‘Zimbabwe’.
About the Author
Chris Meehan is the features editor
at www.Just-Jammin.com. As well as a freelance writer on many subjects
|
|
|
|
|
|