The Old Grey Whistle Test / Bob Marley

alphonse

alphonse

Jedi Master
When I was a kid, there was a live TV programme on BBC2 called “The Old Grey Whistle Test” , a late night music programme that featured more “serious rock” as opposed to pop and chart Hits. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Grey_Whistle_Test)

In 1973 I was about 12 years old and had moved from a lovely happy and gentle primary school to a tougher and unpleasant secondary school. I was incredibly unhappy.

Then one night I couldn't sleep and went in to the living room and switched on the telly. Bob Marley and the wailers were featured on the show live playing “stir it up” And for me, it was a life changing moment. I had never heard of them before.

It felt like the music massaged my soul, and looking back now, recognise that I was almost in a state of shock. It lifted my spirits so much, that the very next morning after 18 months increasing distress, I told my parents exactly how unhappy I was.
Of course they knew, but they didn't realise how desperate I felt, and they arranged to move me to another school after the summer holidays. It was great and I was happy again.

I went on to learn much more about Jamaican Music, and Bob Marley especially reading everything I could find. He seemed to me to really care about mankind and used Music a message of peace. I still listen to my “Legend” CD when I feel low and it does the trick

Here is the Youtube clip from that performance. I found the instrumental section astounding.

I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JE3WaSETf8k
 
Hey alphonse! I have a DVD, "The Old Grey Whistle Test" a "best hits" with performances by many.
You might enjoy that!
 
Yeah... I loved Bob, too. Still do... It is very emotional music for me. Ever seen the video of his peace concert during a particularly violent presidential election? He brought the 2 politicians on stage by calling them out all of a sudden, and so they would not lose face, both came on stage. There is lightning flashing and Bob dancing around with his crazy dreads. Pretty sweet...
 
Thank for this Alphonse, :D

Bob Marley is one of the strangest cultural phenomenom of the last century on this planet. And the very fact is that it is not only him, but dozen of amazing artists mostly coming from the worst ghettos (prefiguring the future ghettos around the world) getting on the top of the western world charts (Third world, Steel Pulse, Cimarons, Burning Spear etc...etc In France, even the mainstream singers started singing reggae tunes, reggae influence was a tsunami in the West and the East!!). Anf there can't be no conspiracy theory that the record industry would have chosen them, the fact is that they were amazingly good and thus profitable. It seem to me as if a kind of grace mixted with hard work ( rasta promoted a philosophy emulating hard work to succeed). For the first time around blacks were no more inferiorized and the poorest had another voice after the killing of the revolutionary heroes.

Bob Marley has been a turning point in my life to, for the better . I tend to think that the Obama phenomenon is a by-product of Natty Dread influence in the world.

Patience, as to the event you mention it doesn't need the lightning to make of it a great amazing moment, it really was an effect from a camera flash.

Is there any precedent in the world history, where a musician, a troubadour, has such an impact in his own land but also in the whole planet and up to now? Maybe Guru Nanak... But Guru Nanak, as great as he may has been (respect), has never avoided a civil war and maybe civil wars. This event is definitely something amazing, like his appearence during the ceremony of the so-called Zimbabwe independance. It must be reminded that Bob Marley was definitely a target for the CIA who considered him as highly dangerous.

I have been thinking a lot about that event which can also be seen as the begining of an attempt of recuperation of the Rasta phenomenon by the PTB, thus leading to Obama....
Furthermore, reggae is not just a black jamaican phenomenon
http://www.danwei.org/chinese_reggae_pioneers.php

A couple of decade later, in China:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdLNdYSnrtM :)

And then you can even find this propaganda which demonstrates reggae is a serious issue :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-E_9ADC-kA
 
Just to precise that one of the comment on the chinese stuff says:"the song is talk about an female Bodhisattva in chinese Buddhism religion"...
 
It is important that I add, about the Matishyaou comment I made that many people of jewish cultural origin in Israël and elsewhere are promoting the universal message of Rastafari in opposition to that guy who is nevertheless a very good singer. :cool2:
 
In memoriam Bobby Holcomb, the great Polynesian (tahitian) rasta painter, poet and singer. A great Tahitian figure died in 1991, ask Tahitians...

May he be peacefully in 5th d :D These strange Bob Marley offspring are everywhere to be found...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC1OgiauWUs
On this clip one can see his paintings
ww.youtube.com/watch?v=o4N73QgKzo0&NR=1

About his love for painting, beautiful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mTmmjqW34U&feature=related

A tribute to his roots, with the people for whom he has been an enlighted voice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbApug3DwD4&feature=related

Respect :lol:
 
sankara said:
Patience, as to the event you mention it doesn't need the lightning to make of it a great amazing moment, it really was an effect from a camera flash.
Click to expand...

lol... Is that what it was? I have always been prone to the most dramatic possible interpretation of an event. Yes even so... A very beautiful moment... And musically, this concert is very nice.

sankara said:
It must be reminded that Bob Marley was definitely a target for the CIA who considered him as highly dangerous.
Click to expand...

Some lines from Rat Race (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3St0Q2e_74&feature=related):

"I'm singin' that
When the cat's away,
The mice will play.
Political violence fill ya city, ye-ah!
Don't involve Rasta in your say say
Rasta don't work for no C.I.A."

and this little gem:

"Don't forget your history
Know your destiny
In the abundance of water,
The fool is thirsty.
Rat race, rat race, rat race!"

and

"Oh, it's a disgrace
To see the human-race
In a rat race, rat race!
You got the horse race;
You got the dog race;
You got the human-race;
But this is a rat race, rat race!"
 
I've never been into Reggai but Bob Marley is another thing. He's fantastic, great meaningful songs and great playing. Great video.
 
I grew up listening to Brother Bob, Third World, Burning Spear, Peter Tosh, etc. These artists filled our radio & airwaves from the 70's through the 80's and I can say there was less violence on the streets of the Virgin Islands. People & communities were put in a conscious mode of being. Family was still the biggest influence. STO was basically how our ancestors survived. What was best for the majority was the way we made decisions. Not everyone was STO, but they were the majority. Our community was small enough that most folks knew everyone in their neighborhoods and protected children and elders in their community.

During that time, our political leadership began implementing the idea of gaining greater self-sufficiency and independent thinking. Most of the Caribbean Nations were struggling against their heavy reliance on their colonial governments hand outs and demanding a seat at the economic table. All one has to do is go back to the establishment of slavery and how this hemisphere was thrust into globalization by it's encounter with Colombus and all others who left their shores to exploit the yet untapped natural resources of "The New World". There are so many dynamics that make up the lives of those on our BBM and even though these are the situations we find ourselves in today our lives would be different if there was a balance between STS & STO.

The advent of Reggae helped us to seek to better ourselves instead of being mad and violently pissed off when we sit down and evaluate the horrible things that happened to our ancestors. Reggae for me helped to quell that anger and instead allowed me to realize that by embracing and learning our history made me not want to repeat those actions that brought us to this point in the first place.

For anyone who is interested in Bob Marley, his children put on a Unite Africa Video celebrating Brother Bob's 60th anniversary and explores some of his ideas/ideals as well as historical video & stills. http://www.reggaelifestyle.com/africa-unite-a-celebration-of-bob-marleys-vision/

He advocated peace. My 2 cents.

His "War" song contains excerpts of Emperor Haile Selassie speech presented at the United Nations.

Until the philosophy which hold one race superior
And another
Inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned -
Everywhere is war -
Me say war.

That until there no longer
First class and second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes -
Me say war.

That until the basic human rights
Are equally guaranteed to all,
Without regard to race -
Dis a war.

That until that day
The dream of lasting peace,
World citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued,
But never attained -
Now everywhere is war - war.

And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes
that hold our brothers in Angola,
In Mozambique,
South Africa
Sub-human bondage
Have been toppled,
Utterly destroyed -
Well, everywhere is war -
Me say war.

War in the east,
War in the west,
War up north,
War down south -
War - war -
Rumours of war.
And until that day,
The African continent
Will not know peace,
We Africans will fight - we find it necessary -
And we know we shall win
As we are confident
In the victory

Of good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah! /fadeout/
 
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