Vivien Goldman is a writer, broadcaster, musician and professor of punk and reggae at New York University. Her journalism has appeared in the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Interview and the Daily Telegraph, among others. Originally from London, she now lives in Brooklyn, New York. This is her fifth book.
In this dense but well-written work, veteran journalist Goldman examines the cultural, political and violent roots of Bob Marley's classic record Exodus. Goldman is undeniably as intrepid and insightful as music journalists come-and this effort clearly required every ounce of her talent. In setting the stage for what would become Marley's masterpiece, she reached beyond the Exodus sessions themselves into the early history of Marley and the Wailers, into the hornet's nest of Jamaican politics and the island's international history and African history, as well as the mystical, often contradictory, tenets of Rastafarianism. It is all necessary background for what made Marley both the searing performer he was and the iconic figure he would become-a fame that would nearly kill him. Just days before a planned free concert in 1976, Marley, his wife, Rita, and Don Taylor were wounded by gunmen, forcing Marley to flee to London, where Exodus was recorded. This is no pop music hagiography but a brimming, tightly constructed examination not just of Marley's life and music but of human nature itself and the struggle for freedom. The more casual fans of Marley may not follow; those who do will see deeper into the man and his music than ever before. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
This May marks the 25th anniversary of reggae superstar Bob Marley's death; to mark the occasion, many publishers are issuing new material on the artist. Goldman's account of the recording of Marley's famous 1976 album, Exodus, joins a crowded field of more than 50 biographies. It stands out owing to the author's tight prose, attention to detail, and insider access. A British music journalist who was present during a lot of key points in the process, she draws on her archival tapes and new interviews with Marley's friends, associates, and Wailers bandmates; enough reggae background is woven into the narrative to show the significance of the album, and an entire chapter is devoted to the meaning and recording of each song. Goldman's description of Marley's near-assassination in Jamaica and later exile in England better detail those events than standard biographies. Thus, this book is a good addition to the long-acknowledged best biography, Timothy White's Catch a Fire. Recommended for all large reggae collections and academic music libraries covering Caribbean popular music.-Bill Walker, Stockton-San Joaquin Cty. P.L., CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
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