Uprising
Uprising (1980)
Island must have loved Marley. Sure, he was cantankerous and a womaniser and demanded all kinds of bonkers cancer treatments that didn't work, but he delivered them at least one platinum selling album per year from 1973 to 1980.
"Coming In From The Cold" and "Bad Card" are both excellent and I am glad I have them in my life. Solid.
"Real Situation" is probably only worthy of comment because of the
"total destruction the only solution" lyric. A nice phrase which is a good 'nuum signifier: referenced by Mad Cobra on a soundclash tape and then sampled by DJ Scud for his "Total Destruction" anthem on Maschinenbau. (Repress soon come).
"We And Dem", "Work", and "Zion Train" are just average.
"Pimpers Paradise" does that awful 70s rock thing where the lyrics are some middle aged man perving over a fallen woman with a thin veneer of social concern. It reminds me of something Rod Stewart would do in his later years. The I-Threes singing "Every Need Got An Ego To Feed" is great though and I like imagining that they are sending Bob daggers at the same time because they have had enough of his bullshit for one day.
Let's not fuck around though. There are actually only two tracks on the this album:
1. "Could You Be Loved" is possibly one of the most incredibly joyous tunes ever recorded - it's so good I think it actually stands outside of the Marley oeuvre in some weird space disco utopia that doubles up as the ultimate wedding party you're every going to go to. I mean, I'm sure your latest post-garage avant dance underground banger is great and all, but it's not as good as this, is it? The 12" is also excellent.
2. "Redemption Song" is exactly what is wrong with Marley in one song isn't it? THIS is where the irritating white dread with terrible tattoos gets the idea of busting out the acoustic guitar and fake patois. I mean, yes, there
is that Saxon soundtape where Tippa does a riff on the "pirates rob I" line to tear into people ripping off lyrics and YES it probably is quite heart rending and inspiring the first time you hear it as an impressionable youth. But that was a long time ago. And I can't unhear the crimes committed against music in its name by buskers now.
I tell you what though - there's a "band" version of "Redemption Song" at the end of some CDs and it sounds EVEN WORSE, like an awful covers band doing their one reggae tune.
Overall - excellent if you can prune the hell out of it in a playlist.
Back a yard in 1980:
Barrington Levy - Robin Hood
Black Uhuru - Sinsemilla
Gregory Isaacs - Lonely Lover
Johnny Osborne - Fally Lover
Michael Prophet - Righteous Are The Conqueror
The first Scientist LPs...
Next up:
Confrontation