Going Dutch with Marley and the Wailers

Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

A Dutch reggae fan has revisited the five times Bob Marley and the Wailers performed in The Netherlands between 1976 and 1980 with Babylon By Bus, a comprehensive feature recently posted on his website.

Martijn Huisman, a journalism graduate of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, said Babylon By Bus was initially a personal project, but grew as he delved into the reggae legend's visits.

"It started out as a research project as little to nothing was known about Marley's visits to the Netherlands," Huisman, 25, explained.

"Because I don't have the money or connections to get it more 'officially' released, I put it up on my website (oneplanetoneworld.com) as a PDF-file for anyone interested," he continued.

Erasmus first posted Babylon By Bus (which is also the title of Marley and the Wailers' 1978 live album) on his website on May 11, the 30th anniversary of Marley's death, but an updated version was issued in August.

Marley first performed in The Netherlands 35 years ago when his career was taking off internationally through well-received albums like Natty Dread and Rastaman Vibration.

His first show took place in Amsterdam, followed the next year by a gig in The Hague. In July 1978, Marley did dates in Rotterdam and Geleen. His last appearance in The Netherlands took place in Rotterdam.

Huisman said there is an odd story behind the Geleen show.

"It was not sold out and, therefore, had to be moved from a large outdoor venue (a football stadium with a capacity of 20,000) to a small ice rink in order for the organiser not to go bankrupt," he related.

"Eventually, only about 4,000 people showed up in the ice rink."

The other concerts took place in larger cities like Amsterdam, where Marley and reggae had a much larger appeal.

Huisman interviewed several persons involved with the shows for his piece.

They include Evert Wilbrink, former manager for Island Records at BMG-Ariola Benelux, who was responsible for distribution of Marley's albums in The Netherlands, neighbouring Belgium and Luxembourg; Leon Ramakers, who organised four of the five concerts; and Jan Smeets, promoter of the Geleen show.

He also sought out Mike van der Linde, a Marley collector who was 12 years old when he attended the 1980 Rotterdam concert.

Huisman, who is from Rotterdam, has been listening to reggae since he was 10 years old. He says Marley's music is still popular in The Netherlands, with radio stations playing his music especially in the summer.