Every Little Thing Gonna Be Alright (35 page)

LUDES:
Ras Tafari delivered a speech at the United Nations Organization in 1968 in California. This speech was put into the song “War.” (“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior . . . ”)

ANDERSON:
I think it was a great idea that Skill brought to Bob’s attention that the lyrical content was so powerful that it could be put into a song and he did. He just arranged it the way he wanted to have it heard.

LUDES:
So the chords of the song were made by Bob Marley?

ANDERSON:
It was made by the band, pretty much, yeah, and Bob, with Bob’s direction, yeah.

LUDES:
Most of the songs were composed by Bob Marley?

ANDERSON:
Let’s say like 70% of it was. Bob would write the songs and the band would write the music. A lot of times we would change chords and play other rhythms that he wasn’t aware of, that was gonna be in the song.

He had the song idea and we would hear the song collectively and change it and make it as best as it could possibly be and he was with the best.

LUDES:
Can you remember the time when Bob Marley composed “Redemption Song”?

ANDERSON:
We were touring a lot in California these days. I think Wia Lindo had a lot to do with that song, you know. He wrote a lot of lyrics to give Bob the completion of that song.

And he also composed with him the several live segments you can see on tapes where Wia is with him playing guitar, you know. Bob was very accepting of anything that sounded outstanding, lyrically, you know. And he would incorporate it into his own song writing and songs.

LUDES:
Do you know why Bunny Wailer (Bunny Livingstone) and Peter Tosh left the band?

ANDERSON:
I think they just wanted to have an opportunity to see how far they would go by themselves. But Bob’s records are still selling more so than Peter’s and Bunny’s are, you know. Unfortunately I mean, but this is the way it is.

The first two records that they all did as solo records were classics! All of them, you know! And so together they are great songwriters apart they are still great songwriters and musicians.

They just needed to take a break from each other, I think, musically. I think they were all gonna come back together eventually. It’s just one of those things that goes around, you know, like you leave off and then you come back.

KLAUS LUDES:
It’s still hard for you that Bob Marley is not with the band . . .

EARL “WIA” LINDO:
Yeah, that he has passed and GONE ON HIGHER,
(laughing very seriously)
that’s the way I think of it, you know.

Myself and Tyrone, I think, Tyrone and myself, we were very deeply afflicted by everything, the whole karma of everything. It’s a very traumatic thing, because it seems just in the prime of our youth when we were looking to take over the world, you know. We were on the edge of taking over the world like we were going into a new dimension.

But spiritually I know that we would not be shaken from our spiritual position with God, with Rastafari.

The Father knows who are the Chosen Ones and who he has chosen to be with him and to be on his right hand side of God, you know. So no event on earth can shake us from that!

LUDES:
What’s the reason why the Bob Marley and the Wailers music is so impressive?

LINDO:
Because when we write we write from a kind of high universal kind of plain of ideas, you know. From a high platonic plain of ideas.

We are like—we can feel—you know, you get that universal consciousness, you can feel the whole world in your consciousness, mind. I think, Bob is very gifted that way, you know what I mean. Even when we feel like we are equally as high as he is it’s like, you know,
(looking down on the ground)
it’s like he is just looking down here like that, still!

It seems I’m always there when the ideas, when Bob has his ideas, you know when,
(getting excited)
like a brainstorm, when he gets that brainstorm idea: BOOM!!! Like that, you know. I always happen to be there.

LUDES:
Where did Bob compose? In the studio or at home . . . ?

LINDO:
On the road. On the road a lot. A lot of compositions, like:
men see their dreams and aspirations crumble in front of their face and all
their wicked intentions to destroy the human race
(from “Chant down Babylon”)
.
You know them kind of lyrics. I heard him compose that in Brussels!

LUDES:
The last song that Bob Marley composed was ‘Redemption Song’. Redemption Song does not have roots reggae rhythm. But to me it is the most impressive song. How could he write such powerful lyrics and music?

LINDO:
There’s ideas in our minds, you know, like the magnetism in the atmosphere. We had that and it was going on and it was very strong.

LUDES:
And did he compose it in the studio . . . ?
LINDO:
No, when we were on the road.

LUDES:
Really!?

LINDO:
Yes. I think it was in Stuttgart. One Love Peace Concert in 1978.

LUDES:
When you watch the video of the One Love Peace Concert in 1978 you see many performances of many musicians, but the performance of Bob Marley and the Wailers was outstanding, historical.

LINDO:
We wanted to prove we are harder than that! Like we are trying to prove that we are harder than that! We are just a harder thing than just making commercial success, you know what I mean!? We can chart nyabinghi, you know!

No other group could do that, I don’t think. They couldn’t do that. Because they were too materially focused. They didn’t . . . their perception of the mind was limited. So, that’s why that was such—how you call it—“historical.”

T
he date is permanently etched on Junior Marvin’s mind. “Jan. 14, 1977—that was the day I joined The Wailers. I’ll never forget it, what it meant to me to be playing with Bob Marley.”

The late reggae giant, who died of brain cancer in 1981, remains a national hero in his native Jamaica. Internationally, his records still sell in the hundreds of thousands, and his songs of rebellion and faith are regarded as anthems of the genre.

And though reggae music has soldiered on since his death, no single performer has emerged to carry on Marley’s visionary quest.

And so it is left to Marvin and other veteran Wailers (drummer Carlton Barrett, bassist Aston Barrett, percussionist “Secco” Patterson, keyboardist “Wia” Lindo, guitarist Al Anderson and new rhythm guitarist Owen Reid) to continue the cause.

Marvin, who sings and plays lead guitar, is the first to admit the impossibility of living up to his former leader’s reputation.

“There’s no one who could ever fill Bob’s shoes,” he says. “But for me, it’s done out of respect and love for Bob, which is something I felt before I even joined the band.”

Originally from Jamaica, Marvin was educated in England and later went to the States, where he joined bluesman T-Bone Walker’s group. He also did session work with Billy Preston and Ike & Tina Turner.

“When I finally met Bob, he was looking for someone with different styles of music who could help reggae develop and reach more people. He thought there were touches of Hendrix in my playing.”

Marley’s missionary zeal in promoting reggae to new audiences is still being felt on this tour, says Marvin.

“Marley and the Wailers went to New Zealand in 1979 and planted a few seeds. Now, his music has laid down roots there with young people who never saw him but found out about his music from others.

“The crowds were huge.”

The current Wailers devote more than half their 90-minute show to Marley standards, mainly culled from his late ’70s albums,
Exodus
and
Rastaman Vibration
.

“We helped him write a lot of those songs, so we feel almost a part of them,” says Marvin.

For years, the Wailers’ recording rights and royalty claims were tied up in litigation as claimants to the Marley legacy fought bitterly over control.

“We stayed together even though a lot of people tried to tear us apart,” says Marvin. “The lawyers wanted us to just be a backing band for (Marley’s wife and reggae singer) Rita Marley. I guess she was influenced a lot by her lawyers and a lot of bad moves were made.”

The Wailers have won the right to tour again and record under their own name, with an album tentatively set for release this spring. Some of the tracks will be recorded when the group is in Toronto next week.

Marvin says the band has also launched an $11-million suit for lost royalties.

“But the money isn’t the big issue. Whether we’re making money or not, we just want to be back on the road and keep the musical foundation as strong as Bob left it.”

“Remembering Bob Marley” by Rita Marley. Copyright © 1995 Rita Marley; “Cedella Marley Launches a Distinctive Line of Customized Denim and Leather Reminiscent of Her Father’s Rude Boy Style.” Copyright © 2001 Catch A Fire; “Marley: Tale of the Tuff Gong (excerpt)” by Charles Hall, Mort Todd, Gene Colan, Tennyson Smith, and John Costanza. Copyright © 1994 Bob Marley Music. All reprinted by permission of Bob Marley Music/M+ Management.

“Bob Marley: The Story Behind
Chances Are
.” Reprinted courtesy of Atlantic Records.

“I Was a Wailers” by Lee Jaffe. Copyright © 2002 Lee Jaffe. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Bob Marley Is the Jagger of Reggae” by Patrick Carr. Copyright © 1975 Patrick Carr. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Musicmakers: Bob Marley and the Wailers,” by Vernon Gibbs. Copyright © 1976.

"Innocents in Babylon: A Search for Jamaica Featuring Bob Mar-ley and a Cast of Thousands" by Lester Bangs. From CREEM July 1976. Used with permission of CREEM Media, Inc. Copyright 1976/2004.
CREEMMagazine.com

“The Rasta Prophet of Reggae Music Speaks” by Thomas Terrell. Copyright © 2000 Thomas Terrell. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Reggae Way to Salvation,” by J. Bradshaw. Copyright © 1977.

“Bob Marley: Movement of Jah People” by Vivian Goldman. Copyright © 1977 Vivian Goldman. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Chapel of Love: Bob Marley’s Last Resting Place” by Chris Salewicz. Copyright © 1983 Chris Salewicz; “Bob Marley in Zimbabwe: The Untold Story.” Copyright © 1995 Chris Salewicz from
Bob Marley: Songs of Freedom
by Adrian Boot and Chris Salewicz. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“So Much Things to Say: The Journey of Bob Marley,” by Isaac Ferguson. Copyright © 1982.

“One Love” by Robert Palmer from
Rolling Stone
, February 24, 1994. Copyright © 1994
Rolling Stone
L.L.C. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of
Rolling Stone
L.L.C.

“Chanting Down Babylon: The CIA & the Death of Bob Marley” by Alex Constantine. Copyright © 2002 Alex Constantine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Bob Marley’s Star Finally Rises in Jamaica” by Howard Cambell. Copyright © 2000
The Michigan Citizen.
Reprinted by permission of
The Michigan Citizen.

“Marley’s Ghost in Babylon: A $30 Million Wrangle over a Tangled Estate” by Jerry Adler with Howard Manly. Copyright © 1991 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Newsweek, Inc.

“Talkin’ Over: Marley Estate Case Ends; Island Logic, Family Can Purchase Assets” by Maureen Sheridan; “Chris Blackwell: An Interview with the Founding Father of the Reggae Music Industry” by Tim White; “Early Wailers: Fussing & Fighting; Ska Compilation Generates Intrigue” by Don Jeffrey; “Marley Deal Prompts Lawsuit; Producer Sues Family, Universal” by Eileen Fitzpatrick. All copyright © 1991–2003 VNU Business Media, Inc. Used with permission from
Billboard Magazine
.

“Let’s Get Together and Deal All Right” by Kirk Semple. Copyright © 1992
Miami New Times.
“Only Natural: The Marleys Carry on Their Father’s Mission—As They See It” by Celeste Fraser Del-gado. Reprinted by permission of
Miami New Times.

“Bob Marley: Rastaman, Reggae Musician,” by Rose Blount.

“Bob Marley Live: Reggae, Rasta, and Jamaica Fourteen Years After Marley’s Death” by Mark Jacobson. Copyright © 1995
Natural History
Magazine
. Used by permission of
Natural History Magazine.

“Reggae and the Revolutionary Faith . . . the Role of Bob Marley” by Michael Manley. Courtesy of the Jamaican People’s National Party.

“Marley Boys Set to Popularize Reggae” by Anya McCoy. Copyright © 1998
Variety Magazine
/Reed Business Publications. Reprinted by permission of
Variety Magazine/
Reed Business Publication.

“Redemption Day” by Alice Walker. Copyright © 1986 Alice Walker. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Bob Marley: In the Studio with the Wailers” by Richard Williams. Copyright © 1973 Richard Williams. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“A Good Smoke with Peter Tosh” by Stephen Davis. Copyright © 1979 Stephen Davis. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“Bunny Wailer, Reggae Survivor: Last of Wailers Returns to Reggae Road” by Mitch Potter. Copyright © 1987
The Toronto Star.
“Wailers Keep Spreading Marley’s Message” by Craig MacInnes. Copyright © 1990
The Toronto Star.
Reprinted with permission— Torstar Syndication Services.

“Still Wailing; Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett of the Wailers Is Keeping a Reggae Tradition Alive” by Joshua Green. Copyright © 1998 Joshua Green. Reprinted by permission of the author.

“The Wailers’ Al Anderson” by Klaus Ludes. Copyright © 1998 Klaus Ludes,
Classical Reggae Interviews
, Germany [
www.classicalreg-gaeinterviews.org
]. “The Wailers’ Earl ‘Wia’ Lindo” by Klaus Ludes. Copyright © 1998 Klaus Ludes,
Classical Reggae Interviews
, Germany [
www.classicalreggaeinterviews.org
]. Reprinted by permission of the author and
www.classicalreggeinterviews.org
.