Bob Marley – Cool amateur film from Easy Skanking show in Boston, 1978

In 1978, legendary Boston concert booker, Fred Taylor (read the Music Museum of New England biographies on his life here and here) and his company H-T Productions, were doing one-off shows at the Music Hall in Boston.  They booked Bob Marley & The Wailers during the period that the group was promoting it's Kaya album and tour. This show in Boston was dubbed Easy Skanking in Boston '78.  Filmed by a solo hombre with the audio beautifully captured, it was recently released from the Marley family vault and made available in February 2015 for the first time.

Just below is the recently released video of I Shot The Sheriff from this show. What I really love about it is that it was shot by a solo hombre, meaning there was only one camera operator and he used film! It's cool hand-held footage, from one perspective in the front row of the event, and as enjoyable as many professionally filmed concerts that switch back and forth to additional cameras. A animation house, known as S77, filled in some blanks on this production, with some nice transitions, perhaps to cover gaps during the periods when the camera man was switching out rolls of film in his camera. Turn it up & enjoy!

Bob Marley – "I Shot The Sheriff" (live) | Easy Skanking In Boston '78

And we found one more clip from this wonderful release that is a song that captures the essence of Bob's fight for the underdogs of the world in a quest for liberty and freedom, that is not reserved only for the privileged. When Bob Marley proclaims: "Yeah, Rastafari. Until the philosophy which hold one race as superior and another inferior, is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned", one should know what song is coming. WAR

Bob Marley - War (live) | Easy Skanking In Boston '78

Review the full array of digital, DVD/BluRay and Vinyl offerings related to this recent February 2015 release. here.

Connect direct with the offical Bob Marley website at BobMarley.Com, on Facebook.Com/BobMarley and Twitter.Com/BobMarley

Connect direct with the record label Bob Marley founded, known as Tuff Gong, with daughter Cedella Marley as current CEO, at TuffGong.Com and Facebook.com/tuffgonginternational  and Twitter.com/tuffgongstudio

Just below is a photo of the original handbill, now considered collector's item. Wolfgang's Vault has one for sale. Click here to view the item.

Clapton covers Marley - I Shot The Sheriff

In honor of Bob Marley's 70th birthday on Friday, February 6, 2015, the Music Television family of sites has been featuring the music and remembering the very humble, yet powerful activist and human rights leader whose music inspired many other great artists to achieve higher highs in their lives and careers. Such was the case with Eric Clapton, who covered Bob Marley's song titled I Shot The Sheriff, just about one year after Bob Marley & The Wailers' released it on their 1973 album titled Burnin'.

In 1974, Eric Clapton reluctantly recorded I Shot The Sheriff for his album titled 461 Ocean Boulevard. Clapton was reluctant because he did wish to be unintentionally disrespectful to Marley. However, when he ultimately did record it, rumor has it that Marley was pleased with Clapton's take. The song ended up being Eric Clapton's only #1 hit, yet so far in the U.S. and it reached the #9 position in the United Kingdom. A subsequent windfall of new ears listening to Bob Marley occurred as a wider audience, at the time, became more aware of reggae music and who Bob Marley was.  Clapton's success with the song helped bring Marley more into the mainstream consciousness. In 2003, Clapton's cover of the I Shot The Sheriff was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

There are many versions of Eric Clapton covering the song, both in the studio and live in concert. The filmed performance, just below, was filmed live at a concert at Hyde Park. As if to pay tribute to Marley's passing, the song starts off more gently as a pavane before breaking into the power of the song. Next, is one more version of Eric Clapton with Mark Knopfler and lastly, a wonderful live film of Bob Marley performing his song. Turn it up and enjoy!

Eric Clapton - I Shot the Sheriff - Hyde Park (Live)

Another great one was filmed live in Tokyo with Mark Knopfler.

Eric Clapton & Mark Knopfler - I Shot The Sheriff (Tokyo, 1988)

Here is a wonderful live take of Bob Marley, performing his song, live in concert.

Bob Marley - I Shot The Sheriff

Connect direct with Eric Clapton at EricClapton.Com

Connect direct with Bob Marley at BobMarley.Com, Facebook.Com/BobMarley and at Twitter.Com/BobMarley