A "dictionary" on the songs of Bob Marley: such was the project of Elodie Maillot, a journalist. A serious piece of archive research that decodes Marley's themes
Elodie Maillot is a journalist for various media such as France Culture, RFI and Vibrations magazine. Above all a passionate fan, she travelled extensively to discover the music, until the day she arrived in Jamaica… This "dictionary" has a solid preface by Roger Steffens, archivist and collector specialising in documents on Bob Marley. Like any good dictionary worthy of the name, the order is alphabetical. One quickly realises that this dictionary form is only a pretext for discovering not just the life of one man but of a whole people. For each song the year, album name, label and reference are given. It is in fact more about the private or historical context in which the songs were written and recorded than about music proper. The author has done serious archive research and many will discover the story of rarities such as (at random) Dracula (instrumental version of Mr Brown), Hooligan (1965) or Oh my darling (a 1967 duet with Marcia Griffiths).
Tackling various subjects
Some tracks get a few lines of explanation and others two pages, with no apparent logic. The author uses certain entries to deal with various subjects linked to Jamaican history and Rastafarianism. Buffalo Soldiers gives information on US history, Dub Feeling is an opportunity to look back at the birth of dub, My Cup at the Marley / Perry relationship, Pound get a blow at the IMF and the World Bank, and Rastaman Chant dwells on Rasta precepts. The book is enlivened by the always interesting remarks of figures such as Johnny 'Dizzy' Moore, Tyrone Downie, Lester Sterling, Steve Barrow and Cedric Im Brooks. Elodie Maillot even sought out a journalist from the Catholic magazine "Croire Aujourd'hui" to clear up certain biblical mysteries. Drawing on the Wailers' earliest recordings, she also describes very well the influence of American music on Jamaica. Likewise, most of the references to the Bible are explained. As you read, you pass through the major episodes of Bob Marley's life. Any fan can only enjoy this read in which you almost hear the Wailers' music.
Although the order is not chronological and it is not a biography, the whole is not disjointed. The author has visibly worked on the entirety of Bob Marley's 'legal' discography. Unfortunately there is no discography in these 318 pages. This "Dictionnaire des chansons de Bob Marley" does not bring very specific new elements, but Elodie Maillot delivers here a fine tribute to Bob Marley.
