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Summary: QUASHIE - BLESSED CHILD BORN ON A SUNDAY
Review: I write to say as a stolen African whose Family made it through slavery WITH our last name in tact, it never ceases to amaze me how loving someones cling to ideas and structires constructed to keep them from re-constructing a prid ein themselves and acceptance of themselves as card-carrying members of the HUMAN (ONE) race. Not only was my Family's name, QUASHIE, bastardized predominanatly in Jamaica to mean fool, boy (condescending reference to an adult male of African Ancestry, but the QUASHIE Warriors mostly Farmers in Their free time, originally from Ghana were sent to Jamaica by the British for it was, for lack of a better way of putting this a holding pen for the unruly. It therefore come as no surprise that a land so rich in resources, is unable to rise and soar, since its masses are so content to keep their brains constipated by continually swallowing whatever band food, their lost souls have been, are being, and will probably go on being fed. By the way, We tend to have Black gums, did they tell You that means Our bites are poisonous. OH AND ALL OPF YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS BORN ON SUNDAYS, ACCORDING TO YOU ARE IDIOTS. That should make for a great discussion over your next pepper pot. But wait, You probably dont remember how to cook that, do YOU?
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Summary: THE LIFE OF BOB MARLEY: A MUST HAVE BOOK
Review: If your into Bob Marley this is a must have book. You will love this book and get hooked on it and won't want to stop reading it. This is a heartpounding book that explains the time period that he lived in and how he made a big impact on the whole world with his music and his attitude towards life. So go to your nearest book store and purchase your book today!xoxo rhino
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Summary: This book is too research-heavy
Review: In my humble opinion, this book is for the Marley fan who wants to read a textbook or encyclopedia about Bob, rather than a novel. This is a book for a fan who has read everything else and wants to dig even deeper. I appreciated the appendices about the disposition of Bob's estate (and the related court proceedings) as well as the paperwork showing a possible CIA plot against Bob. However, the book did not flow well because it was heavy on sometimes-tangential research. In addition, there weren't as many quotes from Bob, his family and other people as I would have liked. I also thought the author was judgmental--for example in writing about Bob's strategy for beating cancer. I also think the writer made undocumented assumptions about Bob's feelings--for example, the author discusses Bob's interpretation of his experience in Zimbabwe without demonstrating how the author arrived at that opinion. Finally, crucial dates are wrong, like the year Damian Marley was born. This book really isn't a top choice for this Marley fan. One love.
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Summary: A pretty good biography--with some reservations
Review: In the 1960's at the confluence of the streams of Jamaican independence and the messianic Rastafarian religion, there came a once in a lifetime musical genius who was born, if not in a stable, then in similarly unpromising surroundingss in the mountains of the Jamaican hinterland. This is a very detailed book that explains a great deal about Bob Marley's background and career. Now I can tell you what a "goverment yard in Trenchtown" (from the lyrics of No Woman, No Cry) means and I know what Duppy Conqueror means. I did not know these things before. This is certainly not a fan biography, or even a hagiography. In fact Marley does not even come across as a particularly likeable or admirable person. Perhaps there is a reason for this. I have a couple of CDs that have interviews with Bob Marley. It seems to me that Marley was not particularly articulate in person, and that what he had to say was all said in his songs. The author had many interviews with Marley in his lifetime, but none of them seem to have been very profound. There is something about the style of the author that I don't particularly like, a certain like of directness or reference points, if you like. In a way he admits this in appendixes in which he says that he really has no way of telling what parts of much of the material he was told in interviews is true--so he just quotes it all, and lets you decide for yourself. In the end it seems to me that White piles up lots and lots of data, but we don't learn much about Bob Marley the man. Maybe in the end the Natural Mystic eludes all attemps to pin him down. But the book does give tons of background information that helps to understand his music, and even the particular events in Marley's life that inspired the lyrics of certain songs. The book is definitely worth having, but the true essence of Bob Marley lies in his music, which, fortunately we can all still enjoy today.
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Summary: Good Use of Knowledge
Review: It is a regrettable fact that too many music books are inadequate. Biographers tend to review the music and omit narrative. One hopes for flow and encounters just data taken from album jackets and the like. Despite its length, a complete and skilled picture is acquired of Mr. Marley, such as one would find in a life of W.E.B Dubois instead of all the gushed blurbs seen in pop star-type writing. The writing has care and respect. Commendable, and highly recommended.
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Summary: A book you won't want to put down
Review: It's been some time since I read this book TWICE. First bumping into it at the library and then buying my own copy on-line... As you start to read this book, it is as though the lights are turned down low and the projectionist starts to roll the movie - it is entirely absorbing. Bob's life, the changing times, the Jamaican political scene, the protagonists and antagonists - the Chris Blackwells and Scratch Perrys - the hanger-on-ers and the End. Marley's life is better than any fiction - as can be said for each of the players in this true tale. In a way, Chris Blackwell even offers an unexpected "Bond" connection.... The book will give you an escape from wherever you are now and a deeper understanding of the person behind the stage persona you see in the videos... Like a perfect cup of coffee in the morning, or a great album such as Marley's "Legends" album filling the air of your room, you will enjoy the read this book provides.
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Summary: Still The One
Review: Once you've gone into all of the many, many of the available inquiries, this one shares the most on Bob Marley and why he's a legend.
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Summary: Fascinating work from rock's premier journalist
Review: One of the better music biographies I have ever read. I knew a bit about Marley and his music before picking this up (and the 1998 edition is the most up-to-date), but this really clued me in. And I, unlike some readers, appreciated the solid background on Jamaica, reggae, and Rastafarianism, all of which are essential to understanding Bob Marley. I would have liked more anecdotes, stories, and information about his recording and touring (patriculary during the late '70s heydey), but White mysteriously does not delve much into this. And it did what a good music bio should - further investigate and listen to the music of the subject. Jah, mon!
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Summary: CATCH A FIRE: THE DEFINITIVE EDITION, DUE SEPT. '98
Review: One of the most acclaimed music biographies ever published, CATCH A FIRE: THE LIFE OF BOB MARLEY is also an electrifying social history of Jamaica, the rise of Rastafarianism, and the global impact of reggae as pioneered by visionary cultural prophet Bob Marley. The forthcoming 'Definitive Edition' of this landmark book (which has been published everywhere from Brazil, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the British Commonmwealth, to Japan and the Czech Republic!) is fully revised and expanded, with new material on reggae in Jamaican society; the C.I.A. and The Soul Rebel; the legal battles over Bob's legacy; and the saga of the next generation of musical Marleys--plus a comprehensive, updated discography, background notes, and four extensive appendices filled with new information on the legendary artist known as the Tuff Gong! There has never been a more complete and in-depth source on Bob Marley than CATCH A FIRE: THE LIFE OF BOB MARLEY, and THE DEFINITIVE EDITION ! ! of the renowned classic is now more sweeping in scope than ever before. Whether your're a hard-core fan, a serious student of Caribbean culture and politics, or a new convert, don't take a 'soon come' approach to this autumn publishing event! Instead, act now, and reserve your copy in advance! As Bob Marley himself once sang, "You think it's the end, but it's just the beginning!"
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Summary: Reggae Love All Together
Review: Some good books on Bob out there. This one, it can be stated, has the most information on everything about the past and the present. The work of Bob's children is there. Peter Tosh's story is also told. This is a total immersion job that gives a massive picture, with politics, offical documents to back it up. There's plenty about how the Jamaican people reacted to reggae when it came on strong, and Bob's special meaning for them. It makes you feel you are with the characters all the way, next to them. Another person here talks about "Spirit Dancer"--that's the beautiful photo book. Same writer here did the intro chapter. Much history here. Much love to you, Bob!
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