Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal Vol. 157 - The Hunt for Classic Music: Shockingly Good Reggae! Bob Marley

Irregular Hidden Masterpieces Expedition

This month's “Vagabond Synth Nerd’s Journal” will focus on Bob Marley, who made a brief appearance in the last volume.

Reggae is a genre of music derived from indigenous music in Jamaica, a small country in the Caribbean Sea. The music, with its distinctive beat emphasizing the backbeat, was favored by many musicians, and it did not take much time for this genre and for Bob Marley to take the world by storm.

Reggae, a newer kind of music

After coming out of a long tunnel, Eric Clapton released a solo album under his name, 461 Ocean Boulevard, in 1974. The album was number one in the U.S. and marked Clapton's return to reggae music.

461 Ocean Boulevard / Eric Clapton

This highly acclaimed album contained music that was unfamiliar at the time. The title song is “I Shot the Sheriff”. The music was in the reggae genre, and the song was written by Jamaican musician Bob Marley.
Eric Clapton covered the song, and “I Shot the Sheriff” soared up the Billboard charts, reaching number one in the United States. It was the first time that reggae music, which had not been previously recognized, came to the forefront.
Nevertheless, this “I Shot the Sheriff” was quite removed from actual reggae music. Listeners to this music at the time, attracted by the quality of the songs and the unusual rhythms, embraced reggae. However, they did not accept actual reggae music, but rather they accepted “the new rock star Eric Clapton’s music”. It may have been that the music was catchy and well-liked as pop music.
It is no exaggeration to say that the quality of a song determined the course of both reggae music and pop music.
I believe that Bob Marley’s reggae music had a certain universality that penetrated into people's hearts.

When Bob Marley came to Japan, I visited Nakano Sun Plaza as a part time roadie for his band. I brought my amps to the smoky stage and immersed myself in their music.

Recommended album: Bob Marley & The Wailers Live! (1975)

Released in 1975, this classic album by Bob Marley & The Wailers will forever remain marked by history.
My honest impression when I listened to it in 1976 was that it “didn't ring a bell”. This was because I was listening to more established music such as Yes and Pink Floyd at the time. The music of Bob Marley and the Wailers was the opposite. The records were muddy, indigenous, and packaging looked a little rough. It is no exaggeration to say that I felt repulsed by it……
However, the more I listened to the album, the more I became addicted to the charm of reggae.
It is just hot. It is full of unknown charm that is not found in commercialized music. The message that Bob Marley wanted to convey came directly to us as a mass of sound. I had never heard music like this before.
After this, I fell in love with reggae music and was further baptized in reggae music.
The sound and music must have been shocking to listeners who had been poisoned by music that was easy on the ears.
The album is credited with some of Bob Marley's best-known early songs, such as “Get Up, Stand Up,” “No Woman, No Cry,” and “I Shot the Sheriff”.

Recommended song: “I Shot the Sheriff”

Eric Clapton's “I Shot the Sheriff” is a completely different kind of music. The songs on Clapton's album are flavored with pop music, and thinly wrapped with the inherent muddiness of reggae.
On the other hand, what about the live performance of Bob Marley’s “I Shot Sheriff”? I feel the strength of the original song was stripped of its pops makeup. In addition to that, I bowed my head in total respect to the quality of the music. From the intro to the chorus and beyond, some parts are more intricate than Clapton's. For example, Clapton's “I Shot Sheriff” is a very good example of a song that is more intricate than the original. There is a phrase after the intro that is not in Clapton's original “I Shot~,” and the song that starts from the chorus is sung by the female chorus members instead of Marley. As a song, Marley's is the better choice.
As is the case with Bob Marley's music in general, the live recording is more dynamic with more emphasis on the strength of reggae.
The keyboardist for the Wailers is Tyrone Downey. He plays on the Hammond C-3, Fender Rhodes piano, and Horner clavinet. In particular, the Hammond organ is found to be the core of the Wailers' sound.

Recommended song: “No Woman, No Cry”

A reggae ballad masterpiece. I have never heard a song like this before in the commercial music genre. It is a beautiful ballad with the air of reggae. The way Marley and the chorus band weave together the melody line that Marley wrote is very moving. Tyrone Downey's Hammond sounds beautiful.

Musicians, albums, and recommendations featured in this issue

• Artists: Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, Tyrone Downey, etc.
• Albums: 461 Ocean Boulevard, Live!
• Songs: “I Shot Sheriff”, “No Woman, No Cry”

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