I have been thinking a lot about a new format for this blog. The correct choice seems to be taking the entire thing to a video format on YT or a social media platform. Would this be in addition to, or instead of the written blog? I'm not sure. I feel that writing is more suitable for longer think-pieces and collated musings (which is what I tend to do) and shorter snippets where you can comment without necessarily having to say anything profound. However, video is more immediate and relatable.
Either way, I could churn out reviews and thoughts of catalog music indefinitely. That's why I love the Pitchfork Sunday Review so much. Long form pieces on classic albums with a modern reviewer's perspective. Eric Harvey's piece on Bob Marley's "Legend" is outstanding -- the best of these PF reviews that I have come across. It's an extensively researched piece, and I learned so much. Harvey persuasively argues that "Legend" recast Marley's legacy as a photogenic, radio-friendly crossover star, rather than a militaristic rebel. In turn, the album flipped the entire popular narrative of reggae music on its head. In the 70's rock and punk bands would borrow (or steal) from reggae when they wanted to sound dangerous and threatening, in part as a reaction to anodyne FM soft rock. After "Legend", reggae became the music of sunshine and good vibes for a newfound audience of middle class white listeners who bought the album in the millions.
I don't believe there's a sensible counter-argument to this. Marley released thirteen studio albums, and "Legend" doesn't come close to covering all the facets of his music. David Robinson, the Island record executive who compiled the tracks on "Legend", admitted as much, namely, that they saw a mass marketing opportunity amongst an untapped white listenership. Is it really such a problem though? Harvey would say yes, seeing as "Legend" sanitizes Marley in a way that he certainly never would have chosen for himself if he were alive. However, Greatest Hits compilations always target the casual fan, most of whom buy music sparingly and rarely delve deeply into an artist's catalogue. More serious listeners can always use the GH compilation as a gateway into buying the individual albums, which was precisely Harvey's experience vis a vis "Legend". Was Marley wronged moreso than hundreds of other artists whose music has been packaged and repackaged countless times? Greatest hits collections come with loads of statistical anomalies. Many of the top RIAA certified albums are compilations, and many of those were double albums (that count as two units). I believe that "Legend" is the second biggest selling GH album of all time -- albums sold, not units sold -- behind only the Eagles juggernaut GH album. To paraphase an old saying, 18 million Bob Marley fans can't be wrong. "Legend" is still a steady seller, confirming its cross-generational appeal.
My own experience in Jamaica as a foreigner is not meant to be taken as representative. However, as a personal note, when I was in Jamaica in 1992 as part of a school program, the sellers in the market were only too happy to push any and all sorts of Marley merchandise onto us enthusiastic teenagers. In Jamaica, a national hero like Marley is a once in a generation public figure, in a sense he belonged to everyone. When it comes to profiting from his name, capitalism can't simply be split among racial lines.
