The World Needs More Bob Marely [Video]

With today being 4/20 I played a little something different on the Riff this afternoon. It was so refreshing to hear a little Bob the radio. And with the summer coming (and gigging more frequently) I decided it was time to add a few songs to my own repertoire including some Marley.

I did Marley’s ‘Lively Up Yourself’ for today’s Mystery-Riff (What a great jam!), but considering most of my gigs this summer will be solo performances, ‘Lively Up Yourself’ doesn’t bode too well without a band behind you. So I had to pick another one and went with ‘I Shot the Sheriff’. Although I know Bob Marely is the creator of the song I will forever think of Eric Clapton when I hear it. I’ve seen Clapton 3 times, but only remember hearing him play ‘I Shot the Sheriff’ once. And I will never forget it. It was at what is now known as the Times Union Center and on the way out I recall saying to my friend “That solo in I Shot the Sheriff was the highlight of the night and worth the price of admission alone.” Seriously, I would have paid $50-$60 to walk in just for that jam and then turn around and leave afterwards.

After watching this video it appears to me that Clapton must really get a great vibe from this tune as I think he chooses some of his best licks for the jam at the end of this one. I put up one of Marley's versions of the song as well. You can decide which one you like better. But either way, I still think the world needs more of Marley's music. Even if it's a cover. You can catch me giving it a rip every Friday evening this spring/summer outside of ‘R Bar’ (formerly Envy) on Pearl St. Albany.