Bob Marley: Lyrical Genius

Rating:
Summary: A Very Passionate Over-Analysis
Review: Bob Marley was clearly a lyrical (not just musical) genius in league with Lennon or Dylan, and it's about time someone did an in-depth analysis and homage to the words of the master. Kwame Dawes is just the man to do it. He's a poet by trade with a very lyrical prose style of his own, making this book a very enjoyable and pleasant read. And unlike Western critics who often miss the point of reggae, Dawes is a native Jamaican who came of age during Marley's most productive era, and even lived in Bob's neighborhood for a time. Dawes uses his homegrown perspective to extremely good effect throughout this book, showing us that Marley's work was not as "exotic" or even "groundbreaking" as Westerners usually thought. Instead, it was based solidly in the long-term cultural, political, and musical traditions familiar to real Jamaicans. Dawes also has an even-handed take on Rastafarianism, explaining that it really is a rather undeveloped belief system (even in the eyes of the Rastas themselves), but it lent great strength and willpower to its devotees, most notably Bob himself. Ultimately, Dawes is very passionate about his subject matter, especially in terms of the background and influences that shaped Marley's art. But when it comes to analyzing the lyrics, Dawes is often too passionate.

Around 80% of this book is dedicated to the lyrics, and the result is an often repetitive and worshipful over-analysis, as Dawes believes that Bob can do absolutely no wrong. On average, songs receive at least four or five pages of line-by-line analysis that is often overkill, maxing out with a very unnecessary sixteen pages for "Concrete Jungle." Dawes often digs deeper into word-by-word coverage, and even syllable-by-syllable in "No Woman No Cry." The problem is that his analyses rely on the unproven assumption that Marley actually put the utmost care into every single word as if he were a straight-ahead poet, rather than a songwriter who also had to worry about rhythms and melodies. Dawes' contention that every single aspect of a song's lyrics had the utmost deep meaning really starts to weigh this book down. He even assumes total meaningfulness in the pop/rock clichés of lighter-weight songs like "Waiting in Vain."

There is also regular conjecture and opinionating on the biblical or cultural references that inspired Marley, and as usual, their weighty significance. This backfires with at least a few noteworthy songs, like the strangely short analysis (just three paragraphs) for "Three Little Birds." In the booklet for the Songs of Freedom box set, Marley is quoted as saying that this song really was inspired by three little birds on his doorstep, but here Dawes unconvincingly makes references to the Trinity with no evidence. Dawes is clearly qualified to tackle this analysis of Marley's art, but his lofty conceptions of constant significance in the lyrics often threaten to collapse under their own weight. Imagine if someone did an in-depth word-by-word analysis of Dawes' poetic works. He would surely appreciate the student's efforts, but would he necessarily agree with that person's opinions on every single word? [~doomsdayer520~]

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Book
Review: this Book goes straight to the Matter&that is the Genius of Bob Marley as a Lyricist.Marley truly made you feel his words&you understood how He was Feeling as a Black Man&How He viewed the World&It's surroundings. He touched a Nerve on so many issues&the Wrtings are broken down so well by Kwame Dawes.it's Great to Get a Book on Bob Marley from a Black perspective.the Man's words meant so much back in the day&still do.

Rating:
Summary: Finally, A Jamaican Perspective On Marley!
Review: This book is remarkable in a few ways. It's one of the few books on Bob Marley that is written by a Jamaican. It's one of the few books on Bob Marley that's written by a black person. And it's one of the few books that actually pushes the envelope of what we thought we knew about Bob Marley. I have a healthy appreciation for a 'home-grown' perspective and I'm grateful to read a black Jamaican's interpretation of Marley's art and life. There are contributing factors in Marley's world that are shared by others in similar conditions. These 'others' are best equipped to speak on the cause-effect relationship of life to expression. Unfortunately, the myth of "objectivism" lends more credence to a total outsider's perspective to the detriment of a more intimate account. This author lays that to waste. He doesn't shy away from discussing Marley as a black man, as a member of a global black identity, as a Jamaican, as a musician, as a Rasta, etc.

Kwame Dawes is an excellent writer and he strikes me as someone I'd enjoy sitting down to talk with. This is dense subject matter and it easily could have turned into an encyclopedia. He condenses a lot of background and tangential relationships into this examination of Marley's poetry, and he does so skillfully. I did feel that the book was a bit rushed near the end, and the last chapter seemed a bit unfinished, but other than that, I have no complaints.

I consider myself a fairly good student of The Wailers, and I feel capable of exploring the references and cross-references with others. But I have to submit to Mr. Dawes' superior insight. There were cases where I disagreed with his lyrical interpretation on minor points, or his overlooking of "Bend Down Low" and "Bad Card" (one of my favorite Wailers songs) but for the most part I found myself paying closer attention to ostensibly small nuances of the lyrics. I even found myself digging back into my long-forgotten copy of Kaya to re-evaluate my relationship with that album.

The most valuable aspect of this book, for me, is it's ability to extract even more mileage from Marley's legacy. The arrangement of the book into Marley's musical "periods" while associated with Island Records is quite interesting. I didn't buy it at first, but the author presents a strong case. His analysis of Confrontation was equally compelling. His ability to reposition 'posthumous' releases into earlier periods gave me a lot to think about and reconsider.

We need more books like this. One exploring Peter Tosh would be nice.

If you are a Marley fan, do yourself a favor and buy this book, read it cover to cover. Write in it. Mark it up. Disagree with it. Keep it for reference. Then read it again. The only thing that would have improved this book would be an accompanying website for public discussion of the material.