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Bob Marley’s Redemption Song is the final song on his album ‘Uprising’ in 1979. The lyrics are derived from a speech given by Jamaican publisher, journalist, entrepreneur and orator Marcus Garvey. Rita Marley has said about this song “he was already secretly in a lot of pain and dealt with his own mortality, a feature that is clearly apparent in the album, particularly in this song”.

Old pirates, yes, they rob I
Sold I to the merchant ships
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the almighty
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly
Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our minds
Have no fear for atomic energy
‘Cause none of them can stop the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look? Ooh
Some say it’s just a part of it
We’ve got to fulfill the book
Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?

‘Cause all I ever have
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Redemption songs
Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery
None but ourselves can free our mind
Woh, have no fear for atomic energy
‘Cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time
How long shall they kill our prophets
While we stand aside and look?
Yes, some say it’s just a part of it
We’ve got to fulfill the book
Won’t you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
‘Cause all I ever had
Redemption songs
All I ever had
Redemption songs
These songs of freedom
Songs of freedom

Another Bob Marley documentary is in the works and it’s being done with the approval and help of Ziggy Marley and family. Ziggy selected director Kevin MacDonald who’s done movies such as ‘The Last King of Scotland, ‘One Day In September’ and ‘Touching the Void’ (now that sounds like a good time!!). Ziggy said in a statement:

“We went to Kevin initially as an acclaimed documentarian but what has been most important to the family is his obvious passion for and interest in my father’s life as a musician and person.”

MacDonald says: “What made Bob tick is probably unanswerable but viewers will certainly feel that they know him a little better after seeing our documentary. I am grateful to the Marley family for entrusting me with their heritage.”

The movie should be out on May 11th which is the 30th anniversary of Bob Marley’s death.

Bob Marley’s final live performance was September 13, 1980 in Pittsburgh, PA and it will be released for all of us to enjoy on February 1st. It will be a 2CD/3LP set called ‘Bob Marley & the Wailers – Live Forever: The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA, September 23, 1980’. Wow what a title.

Here’s the tracklisting:

Disc one:
1. “Greetings”
2. “Natural Mystic”
3. “Positive Vibration”
4. “Burnin’ and Lootin’”
5. “Them Belly Full”
6. “The Heathen”
7. “Running Away”
8. “Crazy Baldhead”
9. “War/No More Trouble”
10. “Zimbabwe”
11. “Zion Train”
12. “No Woman, No Cry”

Disc two:
1. “Jamming”
2. “Exodus”
3. “Redemption Song”
4. “Coming in from the Cold”
5. “Could You Be Loved”
6. “Is This Love”
7. “Work”
8. “Get Up Stand Up”

Ain’t this a bunch of shit. A U.S. District Judge in Manhattan said that UMG Recordings is the rightful owner of copyrights to five of Bob Marley’s albums that he put out during 1973 and 1977, which is basically his best stuff. The albums are Catch a Fire, Burnin’, Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibrations and Exodus.

The Marley family accused UMG of intentionally withholding royalties from the Marley company, Fifty-Six Hope Road Music Ltd. They also said that UMG failed to consult them on licensing decisions which included ringtones.

This judge said “Each of the agreements provided that the sound recordings were the ‘absolute property’ of Island. Whether Marley would have recorded his music even if he had not entered the recording agreements with Island is beside the point.”

It’s great to see another form of art coming out that I haven’t seen much of.  Mark Evans takes large pieces of leather hide and carves/shaves images into them creating beautiful pieces of art using only knives. Pretty sick shit. Here’s a couple of his pieces. Got to his site to check out more.