By my estimation, the most important musician in my life time.
"He not only transformed music and culture as we knew it, but he transcended it."
November 9th, Howdy all! It’s “Fantastic Friday” on the Live Vinyl Lovefest! And on Fantastic Friday you know what we do … we break out the legends, the greatest of all time. Today I present to you Robert Nesta Marley a.k.a. Bob Marley and The Wailers "Live". I’ll say it. I’m not afraid. America needs it’s own Bob Marley right now. An artist who has the gravitas and credibility to be called into action in an effort to calm the tensions between two warring factions, and bring them together. Bob Marley was “next level” at doing that. He not only transformed music and culture as we knew it, but he transcended it. It’s my opinion that Bob Marley is one of, if not the most important artist to arrive in the last 100 years. Now, you could bail out and base that purely on his record sales as he’s one of the largest selling artists of all time, but Bob Marley’s influence and impact on music was so much more than record sales and revenue.
I remember my first exposure to Reggae music while living in Kansas City in the late 70’s, early 80’s. There was a Reggae band working out of Lawrence Kansas called “Pat’s Bue Riddim Band”. No, not a Reggae cover band, an actual Reggae band. I know, I know, say it with me out loud … “There are a bunch of white guys in Kansas playing Reggae?” … I know, I get what you’re thinking. But here’s the deal. They were THE REAL DEAL. Actual white guy Rastas living in Kansas. “PBR” were the first US based band to play at Jamaica’s Reggae Sunsplash Festival in 1982. Whaaaa? The recording of that performance was nominated for a Grammy for Best Reggae Album. Whoa? And, that record might just make an appearance on the LVL some day. “I’m not sayin, I’m just sayin”
So ya see, that's just one teeny-weeny example. To say that Bob Marley had a big influence on music is simply gross understatement. And to say that Bob Marley changed and reshaped the world and all of it’s cultures through that music is NOT overstatement.
I recently purchased a new 180 gram version of Bob Marley and the Wailers “Live!” and it is astonishing how great it sounds. This epic, legendary recording took place in mid 1975 at the Lyceum in London and was recorded by Steve Smith in the Rolling Stones Mobile. It was mixed at Basing Street Studios by Phill Brown. Live sound engineer Dave Harper is credited as well.
Simply put friends, if you don’t have Bob Marley’s music in at least one little corner of your life, let alone your record collection … well, I’ll let you ponder the magnitude of that loss.
By the way. LVL will be on hiatus for one week while I am in Vegas mixing the Latin Grammy’s. They won't let me have a turn table at FOH :-( Wish me luck!
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