#9 The Rasta Renegade.... Bob Marley

Bob Marley was and still is the undisputed king of Reggae music. He was a revolutionary with the soul of a prophet and the heart of a poet. His message and his music has had and continues to have a massive impact on people of all races throughout the entire world. He grew up in total poverty in one of the poorest areas of Jamaica and went on to become the first ever third world super star. He personally made sure that hundreds if not thousands of his fellow Jamaicans were fed each day, setting up a large free soup kitchen near his home. To many in his home country, he was the archetypal hero figure. To the world he was a musical legend and so much more. His untimely departure from this world at the age of 36, came at a time when his vision of 'One World, One Love' that was inspired by his belief in Rastafari, was beginning to be heard and felt. The last Bob Marley and the Wailers tour in 1980 attracted the largest audiences at that time for any musical act in Europe. Today, some 30 years later, his audience continues to widen: to most of us westerners, Bob's apocalyptic truths prove inspirational and often life-changing; in the Third World his impact goes much further. Not just among Jamaicans, but also the Hopi Indians of New Mexico and the Maoris of New Zealand, in Indonesia and India, and especially in those parts of West Africa from which slaves were kidnapped and taken to the New World, Bob is seen as a redeemer figure returning from the mists with each song to reclaim their honor, dignity and freedom. He is the ultimate symbol of racial tolerance (being born half white and half black) and though his timeless message of unity and peace and love.

To me, his music was pure rock, in the sense that it was a publicly voiced expression of his private truth. Reggae music and Bob's music in particular reach down to the deepest parts of my soul and affect me on an intense level. Reggae has always been a part of my life. My parents played it almost continuously the entire time my mom was pregnant with me. They named me after Peter Tosh (Bob's band mate in the reggae supergroup 'The Wailers') and they named my younger sister Marly (after Bob although they took out the 'e'). The sounds of albums 'Catch A Fire' and 'Burnin' reach back to my most primal and early memories. Those were the two albums I was rocked to sleep to almost every night for the first year of my life. For me, I feel that purity and joy of being an infant every time I hear Bob's music and it makes me feel like all will be right in the world. Others find the music affecting them for all kinds of reasons just as valid. With minimal effort you can pick out the component parts of which the myth of Bob Marley is comprised: the sadness, the love, the understanding, the God given talent. Those are facts, although it is sometimes said that there are no facts in Jamaica (Bob was quoted saying "Facts an' facts, an' t'ings an' t'ings: Dem's all a lotta fockin' Bullshit. Hear Me! Dere is no truth but de one truth, an' that is de truth of Jah Rastafari"). There is one more thing of which we can be certain: Bob Marley never wrote a bad song. He left behind the most remarkable body of recorded work. "The reservoir of music he has left behind is like an encyclopedia," says Judy Mowatt of the I-Threes. "When you need to refer to a certain situation or crisis, there will always be a Bob Marley song that will relate to it. Bob was a musical prophet."

To really tell the story of Bob I would have to write a book, so I suggest if you want to know more, check out the biography 'CATCH A FIRE: THE LIFE OF BOB MARLEY' by Timothy White. Tim had the opportunity to interview Bob many times and had a lot of access to him and his world throughout the years. It is a terrific biography and also contains a lot on Jamaican culture and history as well as the history of the Rastafarian religion. I highly recommend it if you want a thorough history on the whole story. The book is the size of a dictionary and aside from the story has included awesome info on discographies and brief bios of some of the other major players.

Aside from the lyrics, Bob's songs are musically as amazing as their message. The sticky accenting of the off beat, the heavy bass tones , the rhythmic drumming that melts in your ears like honey, and the kinky, punchy guitars merge together with the vocal harmonies beautifully in a way no other genre of music had done before. The music just flows out of the speakers at you and moves your soul until the body follows. Bob put it well in the song 'Trench Town Rock' "One good thing about music, when it hits, you feel no pain".

Bob Marley is recognized by Time magazine as being the most influential artist of the last century. His posthumous compilation album 'Legend' has sold over 20 million copies worldwide (lets face it pretty much everyone on earth owns a copy at this point). He also pretty much created his own musical legacy in the form of his eleven children (the majority of whom have gone on to have successful musical careers). His sons Stephen Marley and Ziggy Marley recently won grammies for their respective albums at the start of 2010.


The Facts:

- 11 kids (although I have heard that number could be around 23 in actuality)
- Bob's views on peace and equality so scared his Jamaican government that they tried to assassinate him in 1976.
- The heirs of Halle Selassie believed in Bob so much that they gave him the emperor's ring which was fabled to be the biblical 'Ring of Solomon'. That ring is now entombed with Bob in his tomb/shrine in Jamaica.
- The last words of Bob were to his son Ziggy. They were "Money can't buy you life"
- The lyrics 'Every man got a right to decide his own destiny' rang so true. Bob decided against amputation of his toe when it became cancerous due to his belief in Rastafaria which is strictly against amputation. Unfortunatley for us, that decision cost him his life.

My Fave Album:

Everyone already owns a copy of Legend so I'm gonna go into something more obscure.

Catch A Fire is a dynamite album by the ultimate reggae super group of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. For me, the three of them could never top the music they made together. It is very similar to the way the Beatles members never created the kind of work they did as a team. While I love Bob, he was at times a little soft and I love to describe the dynamic as 'Bob was the Paul McCartney to Peter's John Lennon'. The sound of this album is so amazing you just have to experience it. One of the greatest records of all time, and one that always reaches right down into my soul every time I listen to it. I would recommend this album to anyone who has already heard a bit of Bob but wants to get at the stuff beyond the super hits on Legend. They holy trinity of Bob, Peter and Bunny can't be beat here. They are so amazing together it's a shame they only released this album and 'Burnin', before splitting up to got their separate ways.



Dig this early video, it has all the original Wailers in it ( you can see Peter in the tuque and Bunny in the crazy hat). This video shows exactly what I mean about perfect vocal harmonies. I only wish that the video didn't cut off like it does, it loses the last few seconds and I couldnt find a better one but the video is still awesome. This song contains my fave guitar solo of all time, it is so funky sunglasses will appear on your face and dreads will sprout from your head. This is the good stuff my friends.

#8 His Holiness..... Eric Clapton

"Clapton is God!" That legendary phrase originated from a scrawled graffiti, spray-painted by an admirer on a wall in an Islington subway station in the late autumn of 1967. At the time, it left the young 22 year old guitarist feeling quite embarrassed but it was a fairly accurate statement even then, in regards to Clapton's ability with the guitar. The man plays with such passion and complexity at a speed most guitarists only dream of. It is arguably said that Clapton is the greatest guitarist of all time (though some argue that Hendrix deserves that title). Although he has greatly varied his musical style over the years, it has always remained grounded in the Blues. Yet, in spite of this focus, he is credited as an innovator in a wide variety of genres including Blues-Rock and Psychedelic Rock. After Leaving John Mayall's band, he formed one of the worlds first super-groups 'Cream' and established his legendary skills with the high-volume blues jamming and extended solos of their live shows. In 1974 on his '461 Ocean Boulevard' album, he scored his first solo number one with the cover of Bob Marley's reggae hit 'I Shot The Sheriff' and is largely credited with helping reggae music break through to North American and European audiences.

One of the most interesting things about Eric is that he has always been as troubled in his life as he was gifted. This is a man who knows what pain and suffering is. When ever some one makes the blanket statement that 'No white guy can ever do the blues justice' I have to throw out the rebut "Umm, what about Clapton?".

Why does Eric sing the blues? Well for starters, he was born to a 16 year old mother who was impregnated by a Canadian soldier at the end of the war. His father then promptly left, returning to Canada and never knowing he had fathered a child. Eric was raised by his grandparents believing they were his parents and his mother was his older sister. Years later, his mother married another Canadian soldier, moved to Canada and left young Eric with his grandparents. At age 17 he was kicked out of art college and lived for a time as a busker before being able to get into a band that would have paying gigs. Around this time he began to indulge in alcohol and drugs, a past time that would turn to full blown substance abuse for the better part of the next twenty years. His drug taking and the fanatical devotion of his fans would cause him many personal problems over the years. Just after starting the super-group 'Derek and the Dominoes' with guitarist Duane Allman, he was devastated to learn of the accidental drug overdoes and death of Jimi Hendrix. Soon after this, when drugs and their clashing egos caused Duane Allman to leave 'Derek and the Dominoes' Clapton was devastated yet again when he heard of Allman's death in a motor cycle accident just a short time after exiting the group.

Clapton tried to keep busy for the next few years but began to decline due to the immense amount of heroin and other drugs and alcohol. With the help of Pete Townshend, Clapton underwent a controversial Electro-Acupuncture treatment which successfully rehabilitated him. This rehab was also due in part to Clapton finding God and converting to Christianity. It appeared that things were beginning to go better for Clapton and he eventually married his long time lover Pattie (who was George Harrison's wife... long story). Although clean from drugs, Clapton was beginning to become a serious alcoholic which plagued him for years to come. A few years later he had a daughter with his then mistress and was notorious for his womanizing. He finally admitted he was an alcoholic in early 1982 and on the flight to the treatment center, he helped himself to a great amount of drinks, for fear he may never be able to drink again. Clapton is quoted as saying from his autobiography, "In the lowest moments of my life, the only reason I didn't commit suicide was that I knew I wouldn't be able to drink anymore if I was dead. It was the only thing I thought was worth living for, and the idea that people were about to try and remove me from alcohol was so terrible that I drank and drank and drank, and they had to practically carry me into the clinic."

The drinking rehab was successful and things started to gradually improve for Clapton. He was clean from the years of substance abuse and had new love in his life (in 1986 his new girlfriend gave birth to his first son, Connor Clapton) and he was enjoying himself and his music again. Then in 1990 tragedy struck again, his new friend Stevie Ray Vaughan who was touring with Clapton, died in a helicopter crash between shows. The very next year, Clapton lost his son Connor when the child died after he fell out of a 53rd story window of a friends apartment building. If anyone has the rights to play the blues, it is Eric Clapton.


The Facts:

- Clapton is the only person ever to be inducted three times into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (for the Yardbirds, Cream, and as a solo performer).

- 19 solo albums, 5 with the 'Yardbirds', 1 with John Mayall, 4 with 'Cream', 1 with 'Derek and the Dominoes', and a ton of other albums with many different artists over the years. For the full discography check out (Eric Clapton discography).

-Has played live with pretty much every huge musical figure of the last 50 years.

-Clapton is currently working on an album with former 'The Band' guitarist Robbie Robertson


Fave Album:

How do you pick a fave album from a guy who has had a career this gigantic? I love so much of it that I would have a hard time narrowing it down. I really enjoy his late 60's early 70's period (Cream and Derek and the Dominoes). I would have to say I probably enjoy Derek and the Dominoes' album 'Layla and other Assorted Love Songs' the most.

Layla is a fantastic album in my opinion. Most of the album's material is prompted from Clapton's unrequited affections for his close friend George Harrison's wife Pattie Boyd. This album also contains the song 'Layla' which is one of the greatest Rock and Roll tracks of all time. The song is inspired by Pattie and also from a persian story 'The story of Layla and Majnun' which is the tale of a young man who fell hopelessly in love with a beautiful, unavailable woman and who went crazy because he could not marry her which was pretty much the story for Clapton and his love for Pattie... or at least at the start (he eventually married her, and George had no hard feelings, he even played at their wedding). This album is so full of rich sounds you will wonder how you have lived so long without hearing it. The participation of Duane Allman on this record gave Clapton the chance to really bring some power to the record without unnecessarily calling attention to it. These two power houses of Rock battle neck to neck on this record (sometimes its hard to keep track of who is who) and the sessions bring out the best in them both, with Clapton's rumbling leads perfectly segueing into Allman's Lightning runs. The guitar battles on 'Why does love got to be so sad' alone make this one of the premiere guitar albums in all of rock. Dig this album my friends, it is a treat for your ears.

Tosho's Top Ten Albums of 2009

#10 - Mos Def - The Extacic
Mos Def's 4th studio album dropped like a funky bomb onto the charts this year and while I am not a huge fan of his previous works, I found this album to be a delightful mix of older rap styles yet also showing a large amount of growth in the 36 year old hip hop artists career. This album is a gem that features several diverse musical styles, including Soul, Afrobeat, Jazz, Latin, and a generous helping of funky Groove beats. He’s out to show fans and non fans alike that he is still a universal ghetto advocate with unwavering respect and admiration for the streets of his hometown Brooklyn and the tradition of hip-hop itself. There’s still some classic Malcolm X speeches, Arabic prayers, and some Spanish style grooves, but injecting some new flavor in the record is production from indie luminaries J Dilla, Madlib, Oh No and the Neptune’s Chad Hugo as well as guest spots from the legendary, longtime collaborator Talib Kweil, West Coast neo-soul experimentalist Georgia Muldrow, and samples of legendary Nigerian musician Fela Kuti (one of my faves in the genre of world music).
This album was a refreshing amount of funk in a relatively lack luster 2009.

#9 - The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love
The fifth album by Portland rockers The Decemberists merges further into the realm of heavy lyric based progressive rock sort of reminiscent of an acoustic Queensryche and is a classic style rock opera at heart. All the songs contribute to a unified narrative, similar to the use of recurring stories in 'The Crane Wife'. Songwriter Colin Meloy stated he originally intended the album to be a musical play. The plot features a woman named Margaret (voiced by Stark) who falls in love with a shape-shifting Forrest dweller named William (voiced by Meloy). A jealous forest queen and William's mother (voiced by Worden), the villainous Rake (also voiced by Meloy) and an ensemble of recurring characters bring conflict to the album's overall story arc. Its modest and mellow and easy to enjoy without any gross overproduction common to many so called rock operas. The album, while heavily story driven has still got enough going on musically that they could still pull it all off in a live setting. With guest vocals by Jim James (one of my fave artists at the moment), this album definitely wormed its way into my heart and made the top ten and is probably my fave of all their works so far.

#8 - Neil Young - Fork in the road
This album is getting back to the basics for Neil and is the first album of his I have really enjoyed since 2003's 'Greendale'. The theme this time around was inspired by Neil's car that was rebuilt to run on alternative energy . This album has a straight forward and honest feel to it. If rock music was a journalistic news program, this album would have been Neil's angry editorial. The subject matter of this fine rant? That, though not quite as boldly signposted as in his 'Living With War', it is still announced pretty plainly. I thought this use of a bit more subtlety makes for a more interesting listening experience as I thought 'Living with war' was a little over the top. The subject on this new album is the recession here in North America and it’s a topic Young chooses to address using one of his most consuming passions, an everyman metaphor: the love of cars. I was really glad when I heard this album because while it was not a fave in terms of Neils work, it was a step up from the majority of the stuff he has done in the last few years (see Chrome Dreams 2, or Prairie Wind). It was also way better then a lot of the stuff that has been released by the majority of artists this year. Neil is proving once again that the greats from the classic rock era still have something to offer and many thanks to them for that because they are still out there keeping rock alive, at least for the moment.

#7 - Rancid - Let the Dominoes Fall
It's no secret that Punk Rock has been sucking serious ass for quite a while now. Rancid are one of the only bands in existence right now that I would actually qualify as 'Punk Revivalists' The boys released this dynamite record (their 7th and their first in six years) in June of 2009. This album is what I love about a classic punk record. It is stuffed full of 3 chord awesomeness and the energy of a side street biker brawl. It gets you moving and up out of your seat ready for mischief. You get the feeling that something off the wall is coming, sort of like your trapped in an early 90's generation x' movie. The simple minimalistic guitar chords, and the power punk drum beats are totally late 70's classic punk style that a thousand albums could be spawned from. The main driving focus here remains the teeth-shattering street punk bombast that has been the group’s calling card for over 15 years. There are plenty of musical and stylistic left turns on this album that will surprise longtime fans while enticing new listeners to harbor a new appreciation for Rancid. 'Let the Dominoes Fall' definitely deserves a warm welcome in a year that had such wishy washy wannabe post 9/11 Punk.

#6 - Mason Jennings - Blood of Man
On his 8th and best album to date, Jennings begins to delve much darker. This is something I have been hoping he would try out for a while. 'Blood of Man' draws forth haunting tales of madness, addiction and loss, accompanied perfectly with warm, gritty electric guitar riffs and raw, powerful vocals. This wonderful addition to his previous works was conceived, written and recorded over the span of a few short weeks and really gives off that raw unpolished feel that helps make it a classic. It comes across as very genuine and straight from the heart which makes it easy to listen to. A great album for putting on on a rainy Sunday and curling up with a book or a cup of hot chocolate. I really liked this quote from Mason about this album: ''I wrote about how hard it is to be 34 and be a parent and sane and married and true and positive and yourself and a man and funny and a decent person and a not decent person and human and in love. I turned the music up so loud so often that my ears rang every night. I wrote about death, of course. I wrote about life. I wrote about pain and addiction. And I let it flow and left it raw. I worked fast and I let my heart lead. What you have is exactly the music I listen to in my van and the way I have given it to my friends on CD-Rs. My hope is that it can help where help is needed. Music saved my life and I am so grateful for it. Thank you for listening. Rock.''
Fair enough Mason, its a great album and thank you for writing it.

#5 - Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom (live)
This album is an instant classic and if you haven't had a chance to listen to it you should do so at once. I have heard from a few different people that have seen Tom Waits live, that this album is as close to the real deal as you can get. Tom is one of that rarest breed of artists who occupies a place that is truly unique in all of music. His career is now into its fourth decade and just as strong as ever. With that unmistakable voice, Waits adopts numerous variations of the down-on-his-luck vagabond drifter persona that he brings to life with his songs in a way few others can match. He brings it all to life perfectly on this record. The songs fit together so well and are faves from all over the last thirty years. His career has seen him take on the role of everything from carnival barker to bohemian beat-poet, to seedy piano-bar lounge singer. This live album comes from Waits' sold out 2008 tour across the states that gathered massive critical acclaim and saw Waits playing in cities he has never played before (you can hear him clearly enjoying himself). The songs, which come from all over the tour, are handpicked by Waits himself and lend a personal feel to the selection of the tracks. This is a great album to check out if you have never really given Waits much of a chance before as it is a very listener friendly album. I highly recommend it to fans of Toms, or anyone who is looking to get into a fantastic and very rare type of musician.

#4 - Levon Helm - Electric Dirt
Following on the heels of his 2007 grammy winning comeback album 'Dirt Farmer', Levon has brought the same crew back for this wonderful followup record. While this album doesn’t stray far from its predecessor’s template, it continues to recapture the voice and persona that animated The Band landmarks like “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”. The musical palette, however, is wider this time round, emphasizing the breadth of Helm’s interests rather than the stuff of his roots. This album has a bit of urgency to it, possibly having to do with Helm's battle with (and victory over) throat cancer. This album bounces out of the starting gate declaring that it's time to party! Overall, Helm’s recent work embraces the past alongside the present in a way that is inviting, joyous, and thoroughly satisfying. It proves once again that there have been few vocalists in the past 50 years of popular music who project such a natural authority as Levon Helm.

#3 - The Tragically Hip - We Are The Same
OK, I seriously enjoyed this album. This is a moodier, quieter and prettier affair than usual, with slower, more passionate songs, more acoustic guitars and plenty of grooves. The album as a whole has a more outdoors feel to it. It's like the sort of Hip Album you would hear the boys turn out around a campfire one mid summer night in Ontario. This album might have turned off a few Hip purists out there by being a bit of a departure from earlier work but if you want early hip go toss on 'Road Apples' or 'Day For Night' and rock on, but if you want to see a fantastic band that is not afraid to progress and show growth you will dig this record. In many ways it reminds me of the 'Phantom Power' album with its mellow grooves and easy, natural feel. The boys are still a bunch of proud Canadians with songs like the last recluse' that contain the lyrics
"Who are you. the last recluse? Who are you the last Canadian goose"
While some might put this album down, I think that after 26 years together, 11 studio albums and a reputation as one of the best live shows ever, it is a true sign of greatness that the Tragically Hip’s 12th album sounds as fresh, strong and relevant as anything they’ve ever done.

#2 - Bob Dylan - Together Through Life
Dylan, who turned 68 in May of '09, has never sounded as ravaged, pissed off and lusty, all at once, as he does on 'Together Through Life'. I usually describe this album to friends as carrying on from 'Modern Times' but showing that Dylan wasn't afraid to get a bit more down and dirty with it. Bob and his crew stopped by my area on their 'Modern Times' tour and in my opinion he is at the top of his game right now. There is an unmistakeably grim magnetism coursing through these 10 new songs and most of it is captured in Dylan's vividly battered vocals. Above everything this is a record about love, its absence and its remembrance. It all comes through brilliantly in such a way that I instantly fell in love with this album. 'Together Through Life' was generally hailed as one of the best records Dylan has released in years (should I mention it's his 46th?). The warmth of this album is uncanny. It is as if you are curled up in front of a fireplace in a rocking chair listening to him play you these songs that he had just written. A feeling of roughness plays through the record, as if many of the tracks were first takes that just worked so well they left them at that. Dylan's throat has never been anyone's idea of clear and soaring. But he has always stated that as a young folk singer, he strained to sound older and more sorely tested than he was, as if he had known the hard times of the Great Depression firsthand. He's finally there, with an authentically pitted instrument ideally suited to the devastated settings of these songs and the rusted farm-shed production present in this phenomenal album.

#1 - Monsters of Folk- Monsters of Folk
In a year that saw me gradually listening to more and more folk rock sounds, this album was both a great surprise and a much needed album. When I heard that My Morning Jacket's front man Jim James was releasing an album with long time friends Connor Oberst and Mike Mogis, I was sufficiently stoked to say the least. I did some checking and found it interesting that the band was formed in 2004 when the members were on tour with their respective bands and solo projects. After playing together both on-stage and backstage, they started working together on various material. Due to the members' main projects, Monsters of Folk did not wrap up their first album until 2009. It was WELL worth the wait! Of all the so called 'Super Groups' that are springing up lately (Chickenfoot and Them Crooked Vultures to name a few), Monsters of Folk are really the only one that could be called super. So well favoured was this album that they were referred to by certain critics as this generations 'Traveling Wilburys' (although they sort of sound a bit more reminiscent of CSNY). After the first listen, the only flaw that I could see was that Jim James had only brought 5 songs to the mix here, but after another listen that turned into a plus because this album has helped me get into the work of Connor Oberst who brings some of my fave tracks to this album (Ahead of the curve in particular). Everyone shines on this record, although James, whose lead vocals open and close the set, beams brightest. The eclecticism of his latest 'My Morning Jacket' sounds are brought into sharper focus by the company of his new bandmates. I am hoping this is the start of much more to come for the Monsters. This album shows off the talents of these four men at the top of their respective games but creates something here that is greater then the sum of their individual parts.