Iron Lion Zion

Song: Iron Lion Zion
Artist: Bob Marley
Album: Iron Lion Zion





A friend and I were recently discussing Bob Marley, his legend, greatness, etc. and I realized that I don’t know his catalog that well. But I also got thinking about him as an artist and putting him in the context of 2007. While not a huge reggae fan, I was really taken with Bob’s son Stephen’s debut album “Mind Control” that came out earlier this year. He’s almost vocally a dead ringer for his father and while his music balances between classic reggae and updated hip hop, I still found it to sound very classic, or timeless. In the vein of “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” or Common’s recent records.

What struck me was thinking about how positive Bob’s music was and how little of that exists today. The optimism and “one love” vibe of his music is sadly something of the past. We have gotten too use to pessimism and abject irony. But… as a positive guy I do not give up hope! And know that the earth is ready for a re-birth of such, and there has got to be the musician out there that will spearhead this. Could you please stand up?

While “Legend,” the definitive single-disc hits collection, is an absolute MUST for any music fan (if you are to have just ONE reggae album, that should be it) I am sure there are many riches within the Marley canon to be found. Specifically, I remember this track, “Iron Lion Zion” being released around 1992, posthumously, that had a found-footage music video released and played on Alternative Nation or 120 Minutes way back in MTV’s pre-decade old history. It’s a great track, and I am sure there are much more like it to discover.

What’s your favorite Marley track?

Enjoy.

Gotta love YouTube… found that video: