Thursday
An agreement has been reached
for a major exhibition of Roger Steffens' Reggae Archives - at
the Queen Mary Hotel and Convention Center in Long Beach,
California.
There will be some interesting contributions to the exhibit --
which is
scheduled to open on December 1.
Joe Higgs' daughter is donating his red beret and one of his
stage outfits.
Charlie Comer's sister is giving his 5x Platinum Record Award for
"Legend" inscribed tohim for a "Charlie
shrine." Charlie, a close friend and mentor to Roger, was
the publicist for both Bob Marley and Peter Tosh, and was
largely responsible for bringing both
worldwide fame.
Doctor Dread's sent several Israel Vibration items - from Israel!
I personally lent a standup store display, picturing Marley and
all his Island albums released through
1978's 'Kaya'"
Roger in a recent e-mail to me stated "It's sure to bring
big smiles to lots of his fans. Roger had never seen this item
before.
Everything is being laid out physically now, following months of
sorting through every piece of paper,
every one of the 300,000 titles in the music section of the
ark-hives, countless photographs, and other items, more than
5,000 of which will be on display.
Seven truckloads have been taken out of Rogers Archives already.
Dockside of the Queen Mary retired cruise ship, Roger was given
two buildings totaling 10,000 square feet to fill with the
history of Jamaican music from the '50s to the present in 23
different sections.
It must be fun choosing what to display.
Roger is involved in the conception, design, building and
installing with Curatorial Services, a 26-person design firm
based in Pasadena and NYC, assisting him. The international
design firm's liaison to the project is veteran music biz
executive Michael Warlow, who did Iron and Lion, the Marvel
Marley comix, and who used to own a record store in the early
''70s in North London where he hosted an in-store promotion for
"Catch A Fire" with Bunny, Bob and Peter. Later he
promoted a local show for them that drew 20 people. So he's
totally in tune with what Roger is doing, and an enthusiastically
invaluable source of state-of-the-art design ideas.
Each day Roger opens box after box of things he hasn't seen in 20
years ormore, and keeps
saying to himself , "Wow
- look at THAT!" over and over again.
So far they've picked 800 12" and LP sleeves, nearly all of
them autographed by the artists; 600 7"records, again nearly
all autographed; over 800 posters, many of them wall-sized ones,
from all over the world; countless photographs, original
newspaper and magazine clippings; 3,000 badges; 200 T-shirts;
innumerable artifacts and other things too numerous mention.
The exhibition is tentatively titled [pending legal clearance]
"The Story of Reggae and Bob Marley featuring Treasures from
Roger Steffens' Reggae Archives."
This seems like a culmination of a lifetime of collecting and a
chance to share the six rooms of
stuff in his house with
thousands of people.
I'm sure the exhibit will be tasteful, accurate and respectful as
possible.
The following refers to my discussion of Rogers house back in
middle of
chapter 4 and the middle of chapter 7. "http://rasrojah.homepage.com/"
Friday
Here is another Roger home page: "http://lowelltaubman.homepage.com/Tribute/"
Due to my profession, I occasionally meet people who have
interactions with the Marley family.
I have a relative who is a Radiologist, who checked someone in
the Marley family out.
My Jamaican Dental Hygienist worked on the Marley kids in
Jamaica.
Years ago I met a Physician who was a Medical student at the
Kingston
Hospital, when Bob was shot.
I also heard a story about a nurse who worked with Bob in
America, but cannot discuss this or anything else due to patient
confidentially.
Saturday
These pictures refer to the top of Chapter 14
"http://redyellowgreen.homepage.com/hp/congrats.html"
"http://robinsphotos.homepage.com/"
The following link refers to the Marley Resturant at "http://marleyrestaurant.homepage.com/" mentioned in chartper 11.
The following relates to page 10 of my journal, (Marley images
seen in Los Angeles),
A picture of the Grateful Dead house in San Francisco is thrown
in for good luck. "http://miscellaneous1.homepage.com/"
Sunday
The following page has the pictures that were deleted in various
places in this journal by Angelfire. The first shows the In
flight magazine where The Songs of Freedom box set was featured
(about 1990 on American Airlines) "http://misal.homepage.com/"
My second "http://hechiero.homepage.com/index.html" page, is actually a magic trick
which relates the Discussion of Magic and Medicine in Chapter 6.
I will be performing my annual Halloween magic show, next month.
The new Name of my show will be DocJah Magic's' Medicine Show.
Monday
This left over picture shows some of my miscellaneous records,
(non Tosh, non J. Cliff, non Marley, non Bunny, non Toots, non
Wailers related), etc. In other words no particular place or
order to file them.
"http://hechiero.homepage.com/Image4.gif"
The following link refers to the Marley Restaurant at "http://marleyrestaurant.homepage.com/" mentioned in chapter 11.
Tuesday
The following "http://bobandziggy.homepage.com/" were taken by a photographer next to
me, as we stood at Bob's feet together.
(mentioned in Chapter 10) ) At least two of the pictures of him
and Ziggy were not posted here.
Still have my ticket stub.
Wednesday
In the middle of chapter 16 I was getting into Art and Reggae a
bit.
I made this Photography Art page after taking a picture of
various Jamaican houses that I thought were esthetically pleasing
"http://bush-doctor.homepage.com/"
I recently built my own small red, gold and green house in the
back yard, but that is another story.
I eluded a bit in chapter 14 about Art and Bob. These pictures
refer to my first online "http://popajohn.homepage.com/LTPictures.html"
"http://popajohn.homepage.com/LTPictures.html"
Thursday
I was in a Romantic mood and wrote tribute to my wife (chapter
12). This link refers to some stories
about her putting up with me, as discussed in chapter 13 "http://soulmate1.homepage.com/"
"http://robinsphotos.homepage.com/", and my semi Reggae Wedding
(discussed in Chapter
10)
Bongos equals music and heart beat,
Robin with Bob Marley on Velvet (A big hit at Wailersfest 2000)
Robin with Braids.
Robin waiting patiently in a record store,
My Record Collection "http://recordcollection.homepage.com/" as discussed in many chapters.
Friday
Thre are lots of broken links, misspellings, typos and a few
mistakes in this Journal, too bad. (I have a day job)
In chapter 14, I discussed art and photography and Reggae a bit:
"http://redyellowgreen.homepage.com/"
Saturday
I have a small collection of unusual cassettes
A bootleg from Bahamas that says Bob Morley.
A cassette using Bobs music as a promo for cigarettes.
Bunny W. Cassette from Saudi Arabia
Johnny Nash from Germany
Johnny Nash from Mexico
I traded an Egyptian Ziggy Marley with the song "Ya Ya
People" to Roger, who showedit to Ziggy, (who had a laugh)
Legend Cassette from Jamaica on Tuff Gong
Pre release Ziggy with a typewritten a label
I can't stand these web hosts, that take down's one page, or put
up a banner adds, so when you save the page, you save the banner.
What a waste of time and energy.
Sunday
The following post refers to the top of chapter 17.
Check out "family home page"at the lower left hand
corner, to so see how this host screwed up a good page: "http://publish.hometown.aol.com/qp/qp.adp/preview/ltaubman/myhomepage/family.html?time
=933286257&"
The following 3 pictures were taken at "http://ninemiles.homepage.com/"
(I thought I discussed my visit to Nine Miles in my Journal
somewhere, but cannot find the post)
Did I mention that I left my business card there?
Monday
Throughout this journal such as chapter 13, regarding Toots, I
mentioning collecting autographs.
This is a page of some Reggae autographs I own. Several are not
posted, such as Bunny Wailer, Rita, Marcia, Judy, Joe Higgs or
Jimmy Cliff.
"http://reggaeautographs.homepage.com/"
In chapter 16, I discussed misspelled words or names on singles:
"http://blurryrecords.homepage.com/"
Reggae Art was discussed several times: Here is a picture of
Marley on Velvet. "http://reggaeoddsandends.homepage.com/"
In Chapter 18, I mentioned Marley and "http://birdwatching.homepage.com/"
Tuesday
In chapter 4, towards the top, I wrote about Rogers archives. I
failed to mention that it I believe he mentioned that it was
built on an earthquake fault. "http://rarchives.homepage.com/"
Notice the 2 different covers of the Wailing Wailers album.
Wednesday
TUFF GONG Records has been folded by the Supreme Court.
The death blow to what could have been a real monument to the
union of the original Wailers was delivered in the Court on
Thursday, when it granted an order winding up Tuff Gong Records.
The company was founded in 1973 by three original members of the
world famous singing group - reggae icon Bob Marley and superstar
colleagues Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh.
Attorney Michael Hylton, who represented the three petitioners -
the Bob Marley Foundation, Tuff Gong International and 56 Hope
Road Music - told Showbiz that the decision brings finality to
the issue:
"It is finished now," Mr. Hylton sermonised.
"It is the best thing that could have happened for the
Jamaican music
industry. Marley is still the best possible thing going for
Jamaican music and now that this issue has been settled, the
country, in general and the Marley family, in particular, can
finally focus on this valuable asset," said music business
attorney, Lloyd Stanbury.
Mr. Hylton agreed that while Marley, Tosh and Wailer seemed,
originally, to have been committed to working jointly to build
Tuff Gong into a successful enterprise, at some stage they lost
interest, changed their minds and went separate ways.
All the assets of Tuff Gong Records Limited will be transferred
to Tuff Gong International, but whatever royalties accrue to
either Tosh's estate or Wailer's would be paid over to them, Mr.
Hylton said.
The three companies which sought the closure were either founded
by Marley prior to his death or were created, posthumously, by
his estate. They are all owned by his estate, headed by his widow
Rita Marley and a board comprising his children.
According to the 'Winding Up Petition', Tuff Gong Records
Limited, which is being wound up, was incorporated in 1973 as a
limited liability company. Its name was originally Toughgang
Records Limited.
The company was started by Marley, Tosh and Wailer with capital
of J$4,000, which they divided into 4,000 ordinary shares of J$1
each. They had intended to become involved in the business as
producers, designers, manufacturers, suppliers and distributors
of and dealers in phonograph records and equipment, as well as in
pressing records.
However, after Marley split and started his own group in 1975 -
comprised of the Wailers band and the I-Threes singing group -
they decided to go their separate ways.
Marley bought the former Federal Records plant on Marcus Garvey
Drive and founded Tuff Gong International. Wailer started his
Solomonic Records, while Tosh recorded on several foreign labels,
mainly Columbia and EMI, as well as his own Intel Diplo.
After Marley's death in May, 1981, various disputes over his
estate arose, including Bunny Wailer's claim that the Tuff Gong
name belonged to the company they had jointly founded. This led
to litigation being instituted in Jamaica and in the United
Kingdom.
The parties reached an out-of-court settlement on June 28, 1999,
which fully and finally settled the disputes, including disputed
masters and trademark licences owned by Tuff Gong Records.
Under the terms of the 1999 agreement, about US$2 million was
shared between the Tosh estate and the sole surviving member of
the famous trio, Bunny Wailer. The money covered royalties from
earlier sales, as well as later material.
Both Wailer's and Tosh's estate will still be able to use the
original Tuff Gong logo (three fists) on their products, but not
the logo with the image of Marley, which will be retained
exclusively by the Marley family.
Atlanta-based attorney Kendall Minter, who represented Tosh's
estate and gave advice to Bunny Wailer in the matter, told
Showbiz after last year's settlement, that he expected it to lead
to a healing of the wounds created by the conflict:
"For us, it means that there is now a healing and a
re-allegiance between the Marley, Tosh and Wailer families. They
will now be able to act in unison in promoting the products and
to help stamp out the piracy of the products," said Mr.
Minter.
Mr. Stanbury supported the view saying: "Any settlement of a
dispute, especially an out-of-court settlement, is the best way
to go because it saves everyone money."
The above post was recently published in the Jamaican Daily
Gleaner.
Thursday
I do not have anything to say
for a while.
Friday
In my opinion Marley was a Legend like Hendrix.
This article was recently published in th NY Times:
By now everyone should be good and tired of thinking about Jimi
Hendrix. He may have been the ultimate icon of countercultural
rock, but decades have passed since his death. In the hip-hop
era, whole new sound worlds have emerged. The three genres
Hendrix helped found heavy metal, jazz fusion and
funk have evolved beyond his contributions. After the
millionth time around on classic rock radio, it seems impossible
that songs like "Purple Haze" could offer anything new.
Yet Hendrix, the self-proclaimed voodoo child who never saw 30
(not to mention Watergate, glasnost or cable television), remains
an object of widespread fascination. He is the most prolific
ghost in pop-music history. All Music Guide, an online database,
lists 196 nonbootleg releases from Hendrix and his two bands, the
Experience and Band of Gypsies, nearly half of which were issued
in the last decade. Compare this with the catalog of the two
other stars lost at about the same time: Janis Joplin, with 18
releases, and Jim Morrison of the Doors, with 33.
Given this constant flow of Hendrix material, it is hard to
remember that this is a notable year, the 30th since his overdose
of sleeping pills. The expected tributes, which include the
deluxe box set "Jimi Hendrix Experience" (Experience
Music/ MCA) and the all-star concert "A Magic Science:
Celebrating Jimi Hendrix" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
next weekend, happen to coincide with another crest in the
Hendrix wave. Anniversaries have nothing to do with his current
influence; it is simply another sign of his inexhaustibility as a
source.
Young soul musicians are making much of Hendrix's influence on
black music, with D'Angelo, who recorded his latest album,
"Voodoo" (Virgin), at Hendrix's studio, Electric
Ladyland in New York, leading the way. Such devotion is also
surfacing in hip-hop, with the forward-thinking duo Outkast
ending its latest single, "B.O.B.," with a screaming,
Hendrix-esque solo. Even post-punks who scorned Hendrix's style
may be reaching into his catalog for reference points as Jonny
Greenwood of Radiohead makes guitar heroism chic again.
The musicians playing at the academy are, for the most part, more
seasoned Hendrix devotees. The guitarist Vernon Reid has long
been acknowledged as a major Hendrix inheritor, continuing to
mine the link between rock and jazz. He will be the center of a
group that includes three generations of musicians, from the
seven-piece Gil Evans Orchestra, which was to play with Hendrix
at Carnegie Hall at the time of his death, to the hip-hop
turntablist DJ Logic.
Each participant is a genre-bender. The tabla player Badal Roy is
known for his jazz work with Miles Davis. The organ-driven trio
Medeski, Martin and Wood and the guitarist Hiram Bullock blend
jazz, funk and rock. Chris Whitley is a bluesman with a post-punk
edge. The singers Sandra St. Victor and Marc Anthony Thompson
stretch the definition of soul.
Kissing the Sky
The fact that Hendrix is an inspiration to all of these players
suggests the reason for his inexhaustible appeal. It's not just
that he was eclectic or, to invoke a clich , beyond category.
Hendrix never reached the point of categorization; instead, he
made music evoking the moment before decisions must be made. In
an either- or world, he was both-and. He would not say no to an
option.
Hendrix was an ironic idealist whose hallucinogen-fueled visions
were tempered by a constant awareness of the racism he endured.
He was a tragic humorist equally intrigued by the death drive and
the pull of eroticism, and able to chuckle in the face of horror.
He was a sexy introvert, waving his mojo in songs like "Let
Me Stand Next to Your Fire" and bending gently into ballads
like "Little Wing." He was a black power integrationist
who reclaimed rock music as an African-American tradition. He was
a hook-happy art rocker whose experimentalism never caused him to
abandon great sing- along riffs. He was a singing guitarist when
most rockers were one or the other, and he used his extraordinary
instrumental gifts to extend the range of a very human voice.
Most of all, Jimi Hendrix was a seasoned innocent. In his short
life he learned more about rock 'n' roll and the story that feeds
it, the struggle over American identity, than most of his peers.
But in the process of creation, he always made what he called
that "slight return" to a state where such awareness
would not shut him down.
"A musician, if he is a messenger, is like a child who
hasn't been handled too many times by man, hasn't had too many
fingerprints across his brain," Hendrix told an interviewer
in 1969. "That's why music is so much heavier than anything
you ever felt." And that attitude, resonant throughout his
music, is the challenge that makes it impossible to put Hendrix
to rest.
During a recent rehearsal at SIR Studios in Midtown Manhattan,
the "Magic Science" ensemble wrestled with the
intimidating task of making Hendrix interpretation fresh.
Leadership bounced around. Miles Evans, son of the orchestra's
founder and now its leader, steered the horns while playing
trumpet himself. John Medeski advised on dynamics and Mr. Reid
guided the general tone. Danny Kapilian, the event's producer,
spoke about how the light show provided by the visual artist Glen
McKay, incorporating 1,600 hand-painted slides, would maximize
the music's heady effect.
Each musician took the rehearsal down a slightly different path.
Possibility shaped the music's design. As Ms. St. Victor sang a
blues based on "Are You Experienced?," tipped toward
greasy funk by the bassist Chris Wood, Mr. Roy gradually took
center stage on tablas, incorporating Indian-style vocals that
carried the lead singer into an ear-opening duet. Mr. Reid,
returning after a fresh-air break, broke out laughing at this
unexpected alchemy.
Surprising Moments
Such surprising moments are what Hendrix craved. They provide the
highlights on the "Jimi Hendrix Experience" box, which
fans will treasure as an excellent compendium of the master's
official studio output. Intriguing, different versions show the
careful, but always playful, construction of hits like
"Third Stone From the Sun" and "Hey Joe,"
while live tracks clarify the difference between Hendrix's
interplay with his rock-oriented English bandmates in the
Experience, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding, and his soul-trained
collaborators in Band of Gypsies, Billy Cox and Buddy Miles.
With outstanding remixing by the longtime Hendrix engineer Eddie
Kramer and detailed liner notes from the critic Dave Marsh and
the Hendrix biographer John McDermott, "The Jimi Hendrix
Experience" is a boon for the converted. It's also fun for
nonbelievers, who will discover the warmth and humor of Jimi the
man along with the genius of Jimi the rock star.
This is the apex, so far, of what should be a continuing series
of high-quality sets organized by Hendrix's family and friends.
Beyond the archives, and beyond next weekend at the Brooklyn
Academy of Music, Hendrix's presence floats on. After its academy
debut, "A Magic Science" travels to Seattle, where it
will be sponsored by the Experience Music Project, the rock 'n'
roll museum that opened this year under the patronage of the
ultimate Hendrix fan, the billionaire entrepreneur Paul Allen.
The concert opens the first of the museum's new
"Innovators" series of weeklong celebrations of
legendary rock artists; Hendrix inspired the series and it opens
on Nov. 26, the day before what would have been his 58th
birthday. Meanwhile, in Cleveland, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame
is featuring an exhibition of artwork and other Hendrix
artifacts.
Fresh Nuances
Back in Brooklyn, the jazz singer Nora York will bring her
intelligently cheeky versions of Hendrix music to the BAM Cafe on
Oct. 26. (She promises to perform "Foxy Lady" in the
first person, countering the effects of the Playboy-fantasy
version of that song so memorable in the movie "Wayne's
World.")
Ms. York approaches Hendrix as a songwriter, finding fresh
nuances in his work by clearing away the brilliant debris of his
guitar playing. She is one in a long line of Hendrix
interpreters; another batch is represented on "Blue
Haze" (Ruf Records), a new tribute album that emphasizes his
blues roots, with performances from, among others, Taj Mahal,
Eric Burdon, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Michele Shocked, Mr. Reid and
Buddy Miles, the drummer for Band of Gypsies.
Hendrix would probably have been pleased to see his ideas teased
out on such projects. "He was very scared of being
boring," Robert Wyatt, the English singer and songwriter
whose band, the Soft Machine, toured with the Experience in 1968,
recently told a writer for the English magazine Uncut. Although
critics have made much of Hendrix's other anxieties his
racial ambiguity, sexual machismo, fear of and longing for
death this creative tension is the real key to his music.
A back-to-back listen of rough mixes and finished cuts reveals
something fascinating: Hendrix songs never sound finished. That
does not mean they are rough; his technical prowess was
unmatched. But whether it's the thuddingly familiar "Manic
Depression" or the obtuse "1983 . . . (A Merman I
Should Turn to Be)," his psychedelic blues emphasize process
over results, alternative realities over firm conclusions.
The mirrorlike veneer of his music was inspired by mind-expanding
drugs, a strong interest in science fiction and his Bob Dylan
fixation. But that sense of productive inconclusiveness permeates
deeper, into Hendrix's very style of playing and singing, and in
the frenetic arrangements he created, whether in the
rock-oriented Experience or his more overtly jazz-based later
work.
"He was not a hyphenated man; he did not play hyphenated
music," wrote Charles Shaar Murray, whose biography
"Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix and the Rock 'n' Roll
Revolution" (St. Martin's Press, 1989) remains the
definitive book on the icon.
Hendrix's peers, from Eric Clapton to Mick Jagger, were firmly
entrenched by the time they reached their prime; their challenge
was finding ways to escape their solidifying artistic
dispositions. Although Hendrix sometimes felt trapped by his wild
persona, as a musician he remained willfully unsettled. That is
why listeners never exhaust his work. It may have been frozen in
time by his death, but its core still radiates with
questions."
The above was taken from the NY Times
Saturday
Please refer my
previous comparisons of Dylan or the Beatles to The Wailers.
Sunday
The following article appeared
in a strictly Business Related Newspaper called "The
Investor's Business Daily." Basically it states, a well know
fact, that hard work leads to success.
Despite admitting that I am a member of "Babylon," I do
not read this Newspaper. It was brought to my attention by
someone I know and love dearly.
"His Insistance on Getting details Right helped him
popularize a new Genre."
By Alison Young
It was July 23, 1978, and Bob Marley was hunting a quiet place to
play the tape of the performance and his Reggae group had just
finished at the Santa Barbara County Bowl.
He wanted to analyze it critically so that in later performances
he could take out what was weak and add what was lacking.
What appeared to be impromptu sets to his fans, were for the most
part carefully rehearsed. When it came to his music, Marley
was perfectionist.
These high standards assisted in the unlikely rise of Robert
Nesta Marley (1945-81) He was born in Nine Miles, Jamaica, to a
white, middle aged man, Norval Sinclair Marley, and a young
teen-age black woman named Cedella Malcolm. His father,
emloyed by the colonial government, left his mother shortly after
his birth.
Marley decided his fate at age 6. Upon returning to Nine
Miles from a year long stay in Kingston, where he was exposed to
various musical styles, Marley announced to friends and family,
"I am a singer now."
From that point on his life
centered on music. At the age of 18, Marley formed the
Wailers, which consisted of Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and
himself. The bands first released recording, "Simmer
Down," became an instant number 1 hit on the Island.
The Wailers' success never faltered.
The reggae band sold more than $240 million of albums, with
significant sales in countries where it never even played.
From 1967 to Marley's death in 1981, every concert he played was
sold out. In 1980, Marley drew a crowd of 100,000 fans to a
stadium in Milan, Italy, outnumbering the pope, who'd appeared
the week before.
"Legend," a compilation of Marley songs released in
1984, three years after his death, has sold more than 10 million
copies. At 76 weeks, it stayed atop the Billboard pop music
chart longer than any other album.
Marley knew that if he wanted an international stage, he had to
aspire to the highest qualities show business.
His discipline and deep spirituality helped him do that, says
Marley archivist Roger Steffens. Steffens has assembled an
exhibition featuring Marley memorabilia and the history of
reggae, which will open Dec. 2 at the Queen Mary in Long Beach,
CA.
Steffens, who traveled with Marley in 1980, says the musician
wouldn't leave key details to others. At the Roxy nightclub
in LA, Steffens watched Marley spend 3 hours checking each
instruments for sound quality.
To be continued:
Monday
Observers would sense that
Marley's singing onstage would often take him to another
spiritual plane. A four minute song could turn into a 20 minute
piece. Marley understood that band members confident with their
instruments would feel comfortable with his improvisations.
Marley was an originator of Reggae music. In devising it, he and
others fused steel pan music, jazz influenced Ska, rock and roll,
and rhythm and blues.
To fulfill his mission of introducing this form of music to the
world, Marley slept only four to five hours a night. He spent
most of his time writing songs, perhaps several a day.
As a lyricist, Marley's compassionate words broke through global
barriers. When he sang "Don't worry about a thing," or
Lets get together and feel all right," Africans, Europeans
and Asians all felt inspired. His "One Love" and
"One world " message was inspired by his RASTAFARI
faith.
To stay aware of what concerned people, Marley would consult
those around him.
In Jamaica or on tour, he would often for make a circle with
strangers and ask each person to say a line he could weave into
his songs.
Marley would talk and reason with people from all walks of
life-from youngsters to reporters to teachers.
Marley's status in Jamaica reached astonishing heights. Time
magazine said during his life "he rivals the government as
political force" there.
To be continued:
Tuesday
In 1978, Marley leading a
peace concert in Jamaica, brought together Prime Minister Michael
Manley and opposition leader Edward Seaga on stage in front of
thousands of their countrymen.
He gently joined their hands together and raise them above his
head as the crowd stood in amazement. Spectators saw a hope of
ending the misery and violence plaguing Jamaica.
Musician Eric Clapton notched his first No. 1 US single in 1974
with "I shot the sheriff." he British rock star called
Marley a great lyricist and musical genius.
Marley was disciplined.
He started each day with exercise, usually jogging or playing a
game of soccer. While on tour Marley would board a the group bus,
pull out a worn, pocket-size cash book and jot down the previous
evenings earning.
Even at the height of Marley's success he rarely indulged in the
luxuries of fame. "I handle fame by not being famous...I'm
not famous to me," he said.
Marleys's residence, Island House in Kingston served as a meeting
place for his friends family and strangers. Jamaicans down on
their luck often could find help there.
As each school year started, mothers who couldn't afford school
uniforms for their children would line up at the house. The'd
leave with the money they needed.
Each month Marley's business manager cosigned 6000 checks that
went out to individual Jamaicans whom Marley supported
"Marley did this because he considered himself a
representative of his people," Steffens said.
Marley died of 1981 from melanoma that had metastasized to his
brain.
Nearly 20 years later, no reggae musician has come close to
Marley's stature. The reason? No one has put together a combo
like Marley's. Steffens says: Marley had more charisma standing
still on stage with his eyes closed than five punk rockers
bouncing off the walls, Steffens says "That's the way he was
."
Wednesday
This was an
interesting/thought provoking post from the Reggae Usegroup:
Subject: How Reggae has affected your life!
From: KahanaFalls@webtv.net
Date: 10/19/2000 3:04 PM Tokyo Standard Time
Message-id:
<17505-39EE8F06-1@storefull-614.iap.bryant.webtv.net>
Well, I'm sure everyone has their story so let me hear it I
"m interested in knowing how reggae has affected, Inspired,
& changed your life.
For me I give thanks every day that I listen to reggae for it's
like a teacher to me, showing me the right so I don't do the
wrong. Reggae feeds my soul spiritually and mentally and without
it who knows what I would be doing now? Music can affect someone
so much it's amazing.
Thursday
In the new Beatles anthology
book on page 93 George stated ".....Arthur Alexander used a
peculiar drum pattern, which we tried to copy, but we couldn't
quite do it, so in the end we'd invent something quite bizarre
but equally original.
A lot of the time we tried to copy things but wouldn't be able
to, and so we'd end up with our own version. (I'm sure that's how
reggae came about). I think people were playing calypso music and
listening to rock'n'roll in the Sixties and thought, "We'll
try that," but they couldn't do it and it came out as
reggae. Now we all try to play reggae and can't "
Friday
For the people who do not know me, the next post is facetious:
Downside of trading:
I do not understand why everybody can't send me all their stuff
without getting anything in return.
Trading is very time consuming.
These days with the net, one has to go back and forth with
Instant Messages, and e mail.
It goes something like this:
I'll get back to you, have to check my collection,
I'll have to check the track list,
I'll have to see if it's a full copy,
I'll have to see if the tape or CD is a board or audience copy,
I'll have to see if its from a Radio broadcast.
I'll have to see if a song was cut, by the person who gave it to
me.
I'll check what night the show is from, and so and so on.
Then there is a next level of trading:
which has to do with some of the more deceitful aspects, such as
"no copies." As someone previously wrote, everybody has
traded "no copies." Now, one has to keep their story
straight and remember whom gave what and what was the
conversation that took place 6 months ago and who can you tell,
that you got the item,
One has to keep track of whom should know, that you have the item
and so on. Eventually, bad liars like myself will get caught
since they can't keep their story straight. (I can honestly say
I've been truthful and upfront religiously, except once)
The last aspect of trading I hate is the vinyl/hard copy of
something verses a tape of something.
True it's "all about the music," and not whether the
wax is blue green or purple, but tapes can be and eventually will
be circulated.
Once the vinyl or original copy is traded, it's gone.
Personally, I love vinyl, the sound, the look, the aesthetics,
the history behind the single, the matrix #, the graphics, the
condition and grading. I could mention the smell, (refer to the
movie the Matrix)
In the past I've traded some incredible items for tapes that are
now common place. Just to show my stupidity, I will give some
examples of "good deals gone bad":
About 10 years ago, the song "Cry to me," was billed as
the missing acoustic song from Songs freedom (it was cut). I
believe for that I traded a clean green vinyl copy of "There
She Goes." Now "Cry to me " available on CD.
For a super rare Marley tape that is somewhat circulated, I
traded my only copy of the bootleg/fake Black Ark/white label,
black letter copy of Road Block/Talking Blues. I have since
replaced that vinyl item for a lot of money.
About 1993, I traded for one song (2 minutes) of the bedroom
tapes, I traded a mint "Amen" and "Hey
Senorita" by Rita and Peter, and some other stuff.
Of course this is the price one has to pay to get new stuff. No
pain no gain. "You get out what you put in" and all
those other trite sayings.
Saturday
Bunny Wailer starts political party
By ANDREW CLUNIS, Freelance Writer
VETERAN singer Bunny Wailer has announced the formation of a new
political party which, he is convinced, can resurrect Jamaica.
Wailer said the charter of the United Progressive People (UPP)
party would be published shortly in newspapers and that he would
be offering himself as a candidate for Member of Parliament in
the next general election.
"If it is the people's will that I be selected to a position
with responsibility for making certain decisions, I will
definitely respond," he said.
The main tool of mobility of the UPP will be music of a
revolutionary and educational nature and its core members will be
those singers and musicians who have used music over the years to
effect change in the country, said the singer.
"The emphasis will be on a musical campaign. The songs are
there and there are many more to come, but we will find a way to
get people to listen and accept the message," he said.
Lamenting the state of the education system Wailer said that
"if we continue to raise the young the way we are doing, we
are heading for more disaster. The young people today don't seem
to have the capacity to understand what is going on around them
and determine their future," he said.
On the matter of ganja legalisation, Wailer said it was time for
the herb to be decriminalised.
"Ganja is not only for smoking as some people would have you
believe. But this is something that is needed by the people
medicinally and otherwise...We can solve Jamaica's economic
crisis through the manufacturing of hemp-based products."
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