Bob Marley: The Untold Story

I am avid Bob Marley fan. Truth be told the first half of the book was hard to read. The parts about Bob's life in nine miles and Trenchtown were interesting but the minutia about every little detail about Bob's initial recording work was hard to read. I didn't want to skip that part cos I was afraid I would miss something important. When I got to the 2nd half I couldn't put the book down, reading it every where I went, the salon, the bus, at night - it is indeed a very thorough account. I'm about to read Timothy White's Catch a Fire which I've read is the most definitive account but I don't know if any book can surpass this one in terms of detail. There are some parts where I question whether they are fact or fiction, e.g. The I-Threes were about to be replaced and also Bob confronted his attempted assassins. MInd you in an earlier part of the book he states that the assassins were never identified. I give it 5 stars because I could not put this book down.

This book appealed to me because of Salewicz's history as a journalist with New Music Express and his association with Punk Rock in the late 70's. I read Stephen Davis' book on Bob Marley many years ago and figured this book would have a different angle. It covers a lot of Bob's early life, which is heart breaking but also makes for terrific contrast to his rise as an international star. It gave me a better understanding of Bob's struggle and why he wrote and composed the way he did. He was a deeply religious and spiritual man and it's refreshing to read about that aspect of him in this day and age where religious devotion has such association with negativity and violence. Some readers might glaze over at the minute details of his relationships with managers and the parade of musicians that come and go (at times even I, a huge fan, couldn't keep track of everyone) but it's very in depth and a tremendously enjoyable read.

An important book if you have been touched by the music of Bob Marley, especially those songs that you could feel arose not only from a spiritual well-spring, but from the ghettos of Jamaica and experiences that were authentically in solidarity with the Third World and those in poverty. The book goes into much detail into his life and work, and, if one has listened to all of Bob's albums and felt that different things were going on historically and musically, this read will help you truly sort them out. I read the book hoping to understand more of the social justice aspect of his work, and I feel that it helped me to do that, though it also helped me to revisit so much that I love about the art of Bob Marley and the Wailers. Much about Peter Tosh in the book as well, an artist who helped to shape my political consciousness at a young age like no other back in the 1980's. I found the evidence that the CIA sponsored the assassination attempt on Marley very important, and some other material of this sort was included, but I wish that there was more."...Bob's true rebel spirit lies in his devastatingly accurate depictions of ghetto life and official oppression and corruption. The pain of 'Slave Driver; the anger of 'Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)', 'The Belly Full (But We Hungry)', and 'Rat Race'; the inspired vision of recording Haile Selassie's speech to the United Nation as 'War'; in his raising aloft the arms of Prime Minister Michael Manley and opposition leader Edward Seaga in an effort at unity; in his forming relationships with Kingston's gang leaders in an effort to cool them out; in his dispensing thousands of dollars at a time to penniless mothers; in his efforts to bestride the racial and economic barriers inherent in Jamaica and throughout Babylon; in his establishing the concept of 'Babylon' in our culture and souls. And isn't it curious that Bob Marley is seen as a rebel because he had a genuine belief in peace and an end to oppression?"

This is an interesting history, jammed with events, names, and places that give a lasting impression of Bob Marley's life and music. It keeps moving, has good background material with each new chapter, and has lots of musical information. It's great reading; after reading it, it's the kind of book you keep for reference - all in a compact format with an excellent index. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

it provided a peek into his life

Amazing book. Well researched and a thorough look at the life of this incredibly talented man who died way too young.

I read this book with great interest. It is my first Marley biography so I don't have much to compare it with. But I know the music very well, which is where this writer lost points with me. He wrote that "Buffalo Soldier" was about Native Americans who fought in the US Civil War. This demonstrates a profound, unforgivable misunderstanding of the song and, indeed, The Marley Canon. It's like saying Dylan's "Maggie's Farm" is about picking grapes in a vineyard. The book also suffers quite significantly from the author's inability to understand patois - and his apparent inability to find someone who does. These elements seriously undermined my appreciation and trust in an otherwise fine and well researched biography.

I imagine if you are reading this you already know one book on Marley is only part of the story.Having read Rita Marley’s book, this one fleshes out more of the story and contradicts quite a few things from hers. That said I found this engrossing and informative.I gave it 4 stars due the fact that the last 4 years of his life are not given the detail that the first part of the book offered. The earlier albums are given much more attention than those that came later.To really get a feel for his life read this book and Rita’s and a couple more and draw your own picture of his life.