Bob Marley: Spiritual Journey

An indication of how mainstream Bob Marley and his music have become is provided by the appearance of this marginal DVD/CD package. The 55-minute video program offers precious little footage of Marley himself or any of his more significant cohorts such as Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, or Lee ‘Scratch' Perry, and the picture quality is variable. Rather, the DVD features footage of former Jamaican prime minister Edward Seaga speaking at Marley's funeral and venerating him in an interview (ironic stuff to anyone familiar with Seaga and Marley's history), as well as a relatively long clip of the familiar footage of Marley being interviewed by a persistent journalist concerned about Rastafarian drug abusers (Marley declines the opportunity to caution young fans against use of the evil weed, preferring to try to explain Rastafarianism). Extras include an audio interview with Marley and a picture gallery. The CD contains songs such as “Soul Almighty,” “Rebel's Hop,” and “Keep on Moving” from the time when Bob, Peter, and Bunny were co-equal Wailers (the songs on both the DVD and the CD clearly feature Bunny's and Peter's vocals, although neither is credited). This stuff is probably from the tapes that Scratch sold without the Wailers' approval when their business relationship started to unravel, but it's hard to say for sure without any discographical documentation. There are better, more comprehensive Marley biographies available on VHS and DVD--including Rebel Music: The Bob Marley Story (VL Online-1/02)--and far superior compilations of early Wailers music available on CD. Other than for Marley or reggae completists, this is not a necessary purchase. Aud: C, P. (M. Tribby)