Friday, November 20, 2009
My Account
June 4, 2007
Concert Series: 'Jamming'
By Doug Miller / BobMarley.com
Concert Series: Jamming
The I-Threes, with Marley's wife Rita, help out Bob on "Jamming"
Watch the full video


Available now in our shop:
Exodus DVD/CD set
Exodus vinyl
Exodus CD
Exodus book
Join the Passport Club and get Exodus on USB stick

Bob Marleys "Jamming" is the quintessential party song, the type of number that gets even the most sedate, couch-bound person up onto the dance floor and moving. But beneath the classic, heavy reggae groove and seemingly happy-go-lucky lyrics is another vintage Marley message of strength, defiance and rebellion in the face of racial and religious oppression.

The song came out on what is widely considered to be one of Bob's best albums, 1977's Exodus, and its words reveal the urgency to act that Bob professed through out his all-too-short life. To Bob, "Jamming" meant a lot more than rocking to reggae rhythms. It also meant joining a cause, taking the teachings of Rastafari and applying them to life in order to maintain a peaceful existence in which tolerance and understanding would rule the day.

Naturally, the tempo of the song made it one that demanded inclusion in almost every Bob Marley concert performance, and we've selected one of the best live versions of "Jamming" ever recorded as our newest installment in BobMarley.com's Concert Series.

"Ain't no rules, ain't no vow, we can do it anyhow: I'n'I will see you through," Bob sings in this video presentation, taken from Bob and the Wailers' legendary Rainbow Theatre performance in London on June 2, 1977.

"'Cos everyday we pay the price with a little sacrifice/Jammin' till the jam is through."

This jam is a trance-like, extended one, clocking in at over six minutes and highlighted by multiple dramatic musical breaks that spotlight Bob's dancing.

Bob repeats several verses, including the well-known lines, "We're jammin/To think that jammin' was a thing of the past. We're jammin'/And I hope this jam is gonna last" and "No bullet can stop us now, we neither beg nor we won't bow/Neither can be bought nor sold. We all defend the right/Jah children must unite: Your life is worth much more than gold."

Halfway through the song and at the end, the expert wah-wah soloing of lead guitarist Junior Marvin shines through, coloring the song with the organic, island vibe that made it a hit song in the United States and all over the world.