Slipping Into Darkness: War's Influence on the Wailers

...ever go through a book so fast when you first read it that later, you find yourself re-reading it and finding shite you'd gleaned over or outright forgot you'd read? I'm re-reading Vivien Goldman's The Book of Exodus…the Making and Meaning of Bob Marley's Album of the Century and am reminded of a thought I'd had years ago, back in my tiny apartment in New York City when I tangentially made the connection between the music of the funk/rock band War and the original Wailers (Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingston and Marley)...my microphany occurred as I went about one of my weekend rituals of reading magazines and books with the record player on, while listening to a stack of vinyl LPs from the 70s...


...After All Day Music was done which was originally released in early 1971, I slapped on my copy of the Wailers' Burning album that dropped about two years later in 1973 and noted how funky, though firmly rooted in the (then) new reggae sound it was...you can hear it on sticky cuts like "Duppy Conqueror", "Pass it On", "Burnin and Lootin'" and check the chorus on "Get Up, Stand Up" and compare/ contrast it with the tune below-- that match is pretty much note for note...I didn't jump to any conclusions back in my NYC bed sit and assumed that one had an influence on the other as I kept reading on that cold winter day on the Upper West Side but recently I came across this other guy who touched on said subject matter about the which made me think of my rumination years ago and hence this post...if you're into the music (and it's lore/ history) as much as I, you might want to check out that post as I think the argument holds some water... oh yeah, read Vivien Goldman's book too, it's rockin, esepecially if you enjoy reading true accounts of the rock 'n roll scene from a fly on the wall-- I found a grip of rock-related insights in there...and now, the funk...

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