Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Rastaman Vibration (Bob Marley & The Wailers: Exodus)


"Axe-Ceee-Dos! Movement of Jah people!" Not very many people can sing with a thick, indecipherable accent & make it sound fooking cool, but Bob Marley is one of em. Was just jammin' to this masterclass of an album over the weekend & never ceases to amaze me just how utterly fooking brilliant this album still sounds today.

And what is even more amazing, there are music fans who are NOT moved by this man's genius. Better yet are those who give the "one or two songs, ok lar" response when all they've heard is bloody Buffalo Soldier & No Woman, No Cry.

This album rocks with a vitality & energy that give all the songs here an urgency that is quite simply illuminating. Maybe, it was the fact this was recorded shortly after a Marley was shot in an assassination attempt. Maybe, it was some fooking super-strength gun jah. Whatever the muse, Exodus is a prime example of a musician touched by a higher power. Me remembers watching a vid of him laying down the vocal tracks to Could You Be Loved clad in only a singlet & sandals, and me kids you not, you could literally see an aura around his dreadlocks.

Me truly hopes those who don't own a copy to take the time to download this absolute gem of an album. As the cliche goes, every home should have one . . .

As usual, me looks forward to reading yer comments on the LP as well as yer fave Marley moments. Below is a typically scintillating performance of the title track in California, 1979. Irrreeeeeee, maaan!


ps: Fer more info, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exodus_(album)

pps: Track listing: Natural Mystic" – 3:28; "So Much Things to Say" – 3:08;
"Guiltiness" – 3:19; "The Heathen" – 2:32; "Exodus" – 7:39; "Jamming" – 3:31; "Waiting in Vain" – 4:15; "Turn Your Lights Down Low" – 3:39; "Three Little Birds" – 3:00; "One Love/People Get Ready" (Marley, Curtis Mayfield) – 2:53

11 comments:

Life's Like That said...

Bro, once again I would like to mention that one man's meat is another man's poison! Not fair to say that a person who is not moved by his music is an odd one. A boyband lover(Let me clarify I am not one) may say the same of you la! Nuff said!

anfield devotee said...

LLT: You know what dude, whatever la . . . you are always telling me how you are looking fer music that moves you but not once have you bothered to explore something new.

Instead of giving it a go, you decide to lecure me on "fairness" & odd cliches.

Sorry to have wasted yer time . . .

Kerp (Ph.D) said...

yo!

'I Shot The Sheriff' comes third after NWNC and Buffolo Soldier...hehehe...

Jamming's the most familiar track from this particular outing. i remember in one of the Simpsons' episodes, Chief Wiggum was singing away to this tune while enjoying some pots with a blind guy.

kevo said...

Well done AD. Yeah man, BM is definitely from a different planet. Outstanding songwriting and the simple nonchalant melodies are simply magic. Me agrees no doubt, his music is a mover alright. May The Mighty Jah eternally bless his soul...

Achilles said...

AD: Yah man.... for me, BM has always been my beach music... but second to Floyd lah. Floyd's division bell is me ultimate favourite beach music and a must take item on every holiday.

I am sure most of you have visited Rasta pub in Langkawi.... its a must for all BM fans. Cheap booze, good live music and the breeze of the beach.... ahhhhhhhh

Life's Like That said...

AD : There u go again! I have listened to BM b4 but he obviously doesn't move me the way he does you. That's my point! Everyone has their own favourite!

mozHASturnedINTOaMartian said...

eeeeeeeeeeYYYYYYYYYYY MONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!

howjAh doin thairrrr? yer flailin' rasta caught yer tongue yet?:))) mwahahhaaa...okay okay will try(yet again) to effectively contribute somethin' proper herein; truth bein -i think yu have covered the essentials all prim n proper.

".....not very many people can sing with a thick indecipherable accent & make it sound foooking cool.." - that was a lastik of scathingly polished rubber seeds to the friggin' balls.

if there's one purveyor of that..probably now infamous young-ish quote...."its better to burn out that fade away"...its this legend for many; almost a saint for me.

true, the man did not get to the brink of suicide nor portray a tortured soul amplifed on barbiedowners.

but listen, tell me somethin' - would you have ever expected a skanky sandal-wearin' rastaflocked 20 somethin' westindiyan (..or thereabouts), scratch his every other soothing dampened alternate chord one stroke up n' one stroke down into the souls of many a facade? before him, even dekmo come no close.

a neo-nazi angst-filled skinhead punk (white or otherwise) may vent his anger on and piss or anything ..er non-aryan (or otherwise)..but plug on the chords of giddaaaappp-standdauuppp...
"bob marley? no, no..he not black..he cool..he aryan on the inside"..

coupla of skanky machas bummin on the rusted carboots in dingy hometowns of nowheremalaysiana while layaning the buzz - wonder what to play just to chill the prevailing numbness hittin' the jaws - "machaaaaa...puttt marleyyy on deiii..." and skank the night away killin' the blues.

i attended this gig/show/concert once. well, it was a long time ago; throwback ten years or so. it was considered quite a big scale back then - we're talkin sunway amphitheatre here (far cry from piccadily huh..mwahhahah). then came on this bunch of fellas, one of them poignant for his well-fertilized rasta. this was a band, then in the news and famed for the release of their first opus. technically awesome, concurrently tight and ky-jelly greased. the interesting thing was this band played 3 very interesting covers on that day:
a) a version of good ol' annie the lennox's eurthymic "sweet dreaammmmss" - done with a twist of lemon;

b) followed by complete aural-reversal of their established sound - their very own reggae number, this truck called "legagggaaaalizeeeeee it"; and

c) well c - take a guess.

the chock-chock-chocky scrappin of thud dampened guitars were played and the house went bonkers; flailin bodies to the ground and everywhere, and waheyy? a death/grind/metal heavy-ish band yu say? well isnt' that normal? freaky moshin and all?
oh hang on - i forgot to tell yu it was a number of mr.marley's.
"gidddaaaaaapppp standaaaappppp..standddaappp for ya righhthhhhhtttt"...tell me how more anthemic do yu want it if yu want the floor to rattle beneath yu?

*sigh* coming back to the point, i guess what im tryin to say is here is a fella, that deserves respect in more ways than one, if not music for what he has achieved; be it commercial or critical acclaim - this is one dude whose acidic merit dilates no respite. it speakson its own.

there were many a ska, rocksteady and reggage star before him but none branded their ox.hardnosed punks loved him, postpunks ripped him off, heck i wouldn't be suprised if justin k.broderick had it on his own playlist (btW - PREMO - without yu - me no hear/no know what is the godfleshhh...PUREEREEEEEEEEE...monomonomonononontreeemmmaaatttaaaaamonomon..mwahahhahahha).

wait, hang on before yu fellas kill me. i got one more point to add aside from my usual rant about how unique the dudes voice and sound is - is this..

it is very difficult to make something so simple sound so good, not many can do that - much like saying something potent in a few simple words - much unlike me of course... this dude does it with the most basic chords and the few simple words strung together - would have ever strung words such as "..emancippate yersellff ffrom mentaal slavery..." and fit it with
that 3 or 4 basic chords? the other good comparison would be a band like nirvana. nothing much, but take a listen and it sticks don't it?

later mon. and sorry yet again. had to vent somewhere.

appreciatively,
moz. no woman no kry, no fark no die.

Tinesh said...

Ahhh beach mode songs :D Reggae is good shiiiiit brrooooo. especially when you stoned by the beach brooooo... And before you light up te joint, always remember to say:

Excuse me while I light my spliff.

Easy skankin mon!

No woman no cry, no ganja we die :D

peace, love, empathy

anfield devotee said...

LLT: There me goes again? What about you? "Everyone has their own fave?" Well, tell me something me don't know. This happens to be mine & me wanna share. Apo masalah?
Me knows you have heard Bob. But have ye heard this LP in full? Aren't you even curious to see why TIME magazine named this album the GREATEST of the 20th century? That's me point. Music is about sharing & spreading the good news. Ahhh nevermind . . .

Achilles: Last time me was in Langkawi, Rasta Pub was closed fer off season or shut early. Shame.
Hope you downloaded this (if you don't already own a copy).

Kerp: This is me fave album next to Rastaman Vibration. And yes, if Chief Wiggum could dig this why can't chinaman accountants?

Tinesh: Would reggae have ever escaped the confines of the Carribean if not fer The Mighty Wailers?

Moz: Me believes the local band yer refering to is The Republic of Brickfields featuring Jah Mighty dreads Aru. And thanx fer a classic Moz rant. Did you get me email with all the links?

Jorji said...

i love marley,peter tosh and a few reggae artist/band.
sapa tak suka marley? ada yg betul2 hooked sampai ikut jah lifestyle.cool.

yet, no woman no cry is always refered as 'takda perempuan,takda la nangis'

as far as i'm concerned,and i bet all people know lah,i hope, no woman no cry is .plis woman dun shed no tears..kot? stop crying or wahai perempuan janganlah kau menangis...

or whatever lah.

thats another story.

me a few times ada tengok local reggae band such ROB and pure vibration..what do u think about em?

anfield devotee said...

j or ji: Aru is a friend, so canna say anything bad bout ROB.

Yer absolutely rite bout No Woman No Cry. But then again, great tunes can mean different things to diff people. So no harm there.

Who doesn't dig Bob? Hmmm, you best check out LLT's defensive comments (above) . . . & er, Chinaman accountants.