Musical Development

Bob had enormous success outside of Jamaica. Many European and American fans are in love with Reggae music. I personally got into it because of the positive, upbeat message, the lack of profanity and degrading lyrics in the songs and simply because it was different and more interesting and substantial than American pop music. No two songs of Bob’s sound the same, and if you listen to his records in chronological order, you can hear his message as well as the band’s sound change over time. The older stuff is much more jukebox-style reggae, with more of the high pitched “wailing” that the Wailers were named for. The earlier works are full of raw, determined energy. As the sound progresses, the band adopts more of a pop feel. At the same time, Bob’s voice gets a bit more pleading and desperate. Near the end, especially as he was suffering from cancer, we can hear a more peaceful, resolved sound in his works.

The Wailers recorded their first singles in 1963, enjoying some local success. From then until Marley's death, the Wailers were a constantly evolving entity. The group repeatedly changed musical styles as the Jamaican music scene developed, moving from ska, rude boy music, and rock steady to island reggae and then beyond that to a fusion of rock and reggae that transformed the international music scene (Nash 1).

No two of Bob Marley's songs sound the same- each has its own tone, feel and distinct rhythm. I find that there is a Marley song to fit any mood or situation. Because the Wailers did not "sell out" and copy popular beats, they were able to keep an original sound. The band was passionate about the music and spreading the message of "One Love".

I think that the primary reason Bob’s music is still so popular today is that he actually had something to say and was not simply cranking out songs as fast as possible to make money. He sang to get his message across and the fact that he had chart- toppers and even Time Magazine’s Album of the Century – Exodus- were just pleasant side-effects of his efforts to spread Rasta gospel. “Marley’s continuing worldwide appeal reveals a distinctive blend of moral, spiritual, political and commercial energies (Gilroy 2).”