Bob Marley – The Untold Story

by Chris Salewicz, Harper Collins, 420 pages, $39.99.

REVIEWED BY SHARYN CROFT

Last updated 11:38 27/01/2010

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Bob Marley not only gave reggae to the wider Western world, he also introduced the mainstream population to the Rastafari religion, dreadlocks and the religious inhalation of the spliff.

In a random street survey that could range from K' Road to the smarter streets of Stoke, it would be a rare interviewee who couldn't quote from Three Little Birds or at least hum the melody to One Love. In short, Marley changed everything, and as an icon is almost as recognisable as the golden arches.

Music writer Chris Salewicz begins when he interviews Marley in 1979, then skips back and unfurls the biography. After a promising start, the volume descends into what feels like a dull history lesson from school instead of the "untold story" of one of the most charismatic musicians of the 20th century.

Rather than exciting new material, there seems to be chapter upon chapter of wading through a long chronology of industry executives and other minor characters, and also a tiring predilection for listing dry facts without the spark to bring the era (and especially the man) to life. But the photos are stunning, and with perseverance, there are insights to be garnered.