There are two Bob Marleys. There's the popular Marley - the writer and performer of smooth reggae infused pop hits such as "Is This Love", "Exodus", and "Buffalo Soldier" who is best represented by the Legend compilation. And there's the legendary Marley, wreathed in ganja smoke and dreadlocks, holding the hands of the opposing political leaders in Jamaica to bring them together, dressed in blue denim and the mysteries of Rastafarianism, who walked honestly among the poor and oppressed with the common touch yet the aura of a prophet - that Marley is best represented by the 1975 Live at The Lyceum album. Marley was both those people. You can listen to both, or you can pay your money and make your choice.
Wikipedia:
Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and musician. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, as well as his distinctive vocal and song-writing style. Marley's contributions to music increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide, and made him a global figure in popular culture for over a decade. Over the course of his career Marley became known as a Rastafari icon, and he infused his music with a sense of spirituality. He is also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity, and was controversial in his outspoken support for the legalization of marijuana, while he also advocated for Pan-Africanism.
Born in Nine Mile, British Jamaica, Marley began his professional musical career in 1963, after forming Bob Marley and the Wailers. The group released its debut studio album The Wailing Wailers in 1965, which contained the single "One Love/People Get Ready"; the song was popular worldwide, and established the group as a rising figure in reggae. The Wailers subsequently released eleven further studio albums; while initially employing louder instrumentation and singing, the group began engaging in rhythmic-based song construction in the late 1960s and early 1970s, which coincided with the singer's conversion to Rastafari. During this period Marley relocated to London, and the group embodied their musical shift with the release of the album The Best of The Wailers (1971).
The group attained international success after the release of the albums Catch a Fire and Burnin' (both 1973), and forged a reputation as touring artists. Following the disbandment of the Wailers a year later, Marley went on to release his solo material under the band's name. His debut studio album Natty Dread (1974) received positive reception, as did its follow-up Rastaman Vibration (1976). A few months after the album's release Marley survived an assassination attempt at his home in Jamaica, which prompted him to permanently relocate to London. During his time in London he recorded the album Exodus (1977); it incorporated elements of blues, soul, and British rock and enjoyed widespread commercial and critical success.
In 1977, Marley was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma; he died as a result of the illness in 1981. His fans around the world expressed their grief, and he received a state funeral in Jamaica. The greatest hits album Legend was released in 1984, and became the best-selling reggae album of all time. Marley ranks as one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of more than 75 million records worldwide. He was posthumously honoured by Jamaica soon after his death with a designated Order of Merit by his nation. In 1994, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked him No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
AllMusic:
Reggae's most transcendent and iconic figure, Bob Marley was the first Jamaican artist to achieve international superstardom, in the process introducing the music of his native island nation to the far-flung corners of the globe. Marley's music gave voice to the day-to-day struggles of the Jamaican experience, vividly capturing not only the plight of the country's impoverished and oppressed but also the devout spirituality that remains their source of strength. His songs of faith, devotion, and revolution created a legacy that continues to live on not only through the music of his extended family but also through generations of artists the world over touched by his genius.
Albums and other recordings
 |
| The Wailing Wailers (1965) |
The first album from Bob Marley is a compilation of the singles that The Wailing Wailers (one of the early names of The Wailers) released during the Sixties. This is not the reggae for which Marley became famous - this is mostly ska and the RnB, calypso and doo wop elements that make up ska. At this stage The Wailers were a vocal group comprising Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. The music was supplied by The Soul Brothers. The Soul Brothers were the house band for Studio One, the Jamaican studio and label that released Marley's early work. The Soul Brothers had developed from The Skatalites, whose most famous hit was "Guns of Navarone", and the Brothers as a group came to an end when they became the little known The Soul Vendors. Studio One was run by Coxsone Dodd who was a significant influence on the emergence of ska and reggae via his importing and playing RnB records in 50s and by his producing Sixties ska records. Marley wrote or co-wrote most of the songs, one of the most notable being "Simmer Down", his first single. The song was about the rude boys in Jamaica who were disturbing dances, possibly because they were paid to by rival sound systems, or because after Jamaican independence young men moved into the townships in the hope of new opportunities, then got frustrated because there were none. Stranger Cole wrote "Rough And Tough" about the rudies, telling them "Who are you/That I/Should be mindful of/You ran for refuge/And were rescued/That's a fact/Then why lie/And try to bite/The hand that feed you/Yes, the good you do lives after you". It was popular, and Marley got in on the act, telling the rudies to "Simmer down, oh control your temper/Simmer down, for the battle will be hotter/Simmer down, and you won't get no supper/Simmer down, and you know you bound to suffer". Not great lyrics, nor great singing by the thin voiced 18 year old Marley, but the message was clear, and the music, by the Skatalites, is lively and danceable. There were a whole bunch of rudie songs in the Sixties, pro and anti - the most well known being "Rudy, A Message To You" by Dandy Livingstone, which was later covered by The Specials under the name "A Message To You Rudy", and the Wailers released a few more of their own, like "Rude Boy" on this album, which had very sparse, unimaginative lyrics simply cashing in on association with the rudies: "Walk the proud land, my friends (with me)", and "Let Him Go": "Rudie come from jail 'cause rudie get bail/You frame him your cell, things he didn't do/You rebuke and you scorn, and you make him feel blue/(Let him go) You got to let him go (let him go), I beg you let him, let him go". "Jailhouse" has more considered and complex lyrics, which complains about the young rude boys being "wrong" and "strong", but also criticises violent police tactics against the rudies, and predicates and calls for the people to rise up and rebel: "Prediction, them people are going wild/(Oh, yeah dem a rude, rude people) ... Shake 'er one time for me sir, right now/(She a rude, rude people) ... Come on children/(Right now, we gonna rule this land)"
The gospel and calypso tinged ska opening track, "Put It On" was re-recorded as "Put It On" for the 1973 Burnin' album, with the slower reggae rhythm of that time.
It's historically interesting as the first album of material released of Bob Marley, though it's not as culturally significant nor as attractive as Prince Buster's 1963 debut I Feel The Spirit, which was the first ska album to be released outside of Jamaica.
Best tracks: "Simmer Down", "Put It On", "One Love".
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
This is Marley's major record label debut. After supporting Johnny Nash on his 1971 tour of Britain, the Wailers ran out of money and were stranded, so they approached Chris Blackwell of Island Records for help. He advanced them the money to fly back to Jamaica, and to cut an album. The band were already in contract to CBS, who took Island to court, but a settlement was agreed, and this became the first Island Records Bob Marley album, the start of their long relationship.
The album was recorded with the same musicians and in the same studios as the Perry albums, the main differences are that Marley was in charge of production, and the album was mixed at Island Studios in London and overdubbed by several rock musicians to make it more commercially appealing to the American market. It has a crisp mature feel; though, while the songs are decent, they are not quite of the quality of those recorded for the Soul Revolution sessions, and a lot of authenticity and feel is missing. It's a little slick and glossy. The additions don't do it any favours at all. In 2001 a deluxe version of the album was released which alongside the Chris Blackwell remixed and overdubbed release also has the previously unreleased original tape as recorded in Jamaica. Compare the Jamaican "Concrete Jungle" with the Blackwell overdubbed version; the Jamaican "Stir It Up" with the Blackwell overdubbed version.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia
The first album after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left, and there is little to mark their separation. Because of publishing issues, previously unreleased songs are credited to Marley's friends and family. Side one opens with three excellent Marley songs, including "No Woman, No Cry", but all three songs are considerably better on the Live! album which will be released the following year (1975), so this album merely becomes an historical curiosity as being where those songs were first released in the UK. An earlier recording of "Lively Up Yourself" had been released as a single in Jamaica in 1971.
Wikipedia
All songs written by Marley, though credited to friends and family
Best albums
My choice:
Live! (10)
Exodus (9)
* Far Out
| Released | 1965 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 1964–65 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | Ska |
| Length | 36:01 |
| Label | Studio One S1001 |
| Producer | Clement Dodd |
- Side one
- "(I'm Gonna) Put It On" (Marley, Clement Coxsone Dodd) - 3:06
- "I Need You" (Marley) - 2:48
- "Lonesome Feeling" (Marley, Bunny Livingston, Peter Tosh) - 2:50
- "What's New Pussycat?" (Burt Bacharach, Hal David) - 3:02
- "One Love" (Marley) - 3:20 An unacknowledged reworking of "People Get Ready" by Curtis Mayfield
- "When the Well Runs Dry" (William Bell) - 2:35
- Side two
- "Ten Commandments of Love" (The Moonglows) - 4:16
- "Rude Boy" (Marley) - 2:20
- "It Hurts to Be Alone" (Junior Braithwaite) - 2:42
- "Love and Affection" (Marley) - 2:42
- "I'm Still Waiting" (Marley) - 3:31
- "Simmer Down" (Marley, Dodd) - 2:49
Neville “Bunny” Livingston (Bunny Wailer) - vocals
Robert “Bob” Nesta Marley - vocals
AllMusic: 7
Score: 4
A five year gap since The Wailing Wailers. And the first Marley/Wailers album to be recorded as an album and released - the album The Best of the Wailers (1971) was recorded before Wailing Wailers, but released after. This is the first of two albums to be produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry, notable for his studio techniques which deepened and intensified the music, made it more serious and "adult". Perry had been a pioneer in moving ska to rocksteady, and by the early Seventies he was moving rocksteady into reggae and already developing dub music. Eight of the twelve songs are by Marley. Tosh wrote two, and the other two are covers.
There is a clear and distinctive change from the early ska dominated tracks on The Wailing Wailers. This is recognisably modern reggae with a recognisable Marley sound. The title track "Soul Rebel" is a collaboration between Marley and Perry, and sounds very modern, with echo and heavy bass by The Upsetters - Perry's band who supplied all the music on the album. It's the best track on the album. "Try Me" is a chugging piece of rocksteady. "It's Alright" is American soul, mostly Motown, and sounds like a cover, Marley following that genre so closely. "No Sympathy" is American funk, mostly Stax. And so it goes on - even though purposely recorded as an album rather than a collection of individual songs, the end result is an album of individual songs, each following a different musical influence. It's as though Marley hasn't yet found a voice of his own. The most distinctive voice on the album is that of Perry, his band, and his production. "400 Years", a Tosh composition, stands out, and is the second best track on the album. It's a short album - twelve tracks, but only two go over three minutes, and they don't break four minutes, and the production runs them closely together. The last track, "My Sympathy", is an instrumental. It is not an essential album - more of a footnote to Marley's career.
Best tracks: "Soul Rebel"; "Try Me"; "400 Years";
Bob Marley - vocals
Wikipedia
 |
| Soul Rebels (1970) |
A five year gap since The Wailing Wailers. And the first Marley/Wailers album to be recorded as an album and released - the album The Best of the Wailers (1971) was recorded before Wailing Wailers, but released after. This is the first of two albums to be produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry, notable for his studio techniques which deepened and intensified the music, made it more serious and "adult". Perry had been a pioneer in moving ska to rocksteady, and by the early Seventies he was moving rocksteady into reggae and already developing dub music. Eight of the twelve songs are by Marley. Tosh wrote two, and the other two are covers.
There is a clear and distinctive change from the early ska dominated tracks on The Wailing Wailers. This is recognisably modern reggae with a recognisable Marley sound. The title track "Soul Rebel" is a collaboration between Marley and Perry, and sounds very modern, with echo and heavy bass by The Upsetters - Perry's band who supplied all the music on the album. It's the best track on the album. "Try Me" is a chugging piece of rocksteady. "It's Alright" is American soul, mostly Motown, and sounds like a cover, Marley following that genre so closely. "No Sympathy" is American funk, mostly Stax. And so it goes on - even though purposely recorded as an album rather than a collection of individual songs, the end result is an album of individual songs, each following a different musical influence. It's as though Marley hasn't yet found a voice of his own. The most distinctive voice on the album is that of Perry, his band, and his production. "400 Years", a Tosh composition, stands out, and is the second best track on the album. It's a short album - twelve tracks, but only two go over three minutes, and they don't break four minutes, and the production runs them closely together. The last track, "My Sympathy", is an instrumental. It is not an essential album - more of a footnote to Marley's career.
Best tracks: "Soul Rebel"; "Try Me"; "400 Years";
| Released | December 1970 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | August – November 1970 |
| Studio | Randy's Studio 17, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 33:09 |
| Label | Trojan |
| Producer | Lee Perry |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Soul Rebel" | Bob Marley | 3:19 |
| 2. | "Try Me" | Marley | 2:45 |
| 3. | "It's Alright" | Marley | 2:34 |
| 4. | "No Sympathy" | Peter Tosh | 2:13 |
| 5. | "My Cup" | James Brown | 3:34 |
| 6. | "Soul Almighty" | Marley | 2:42 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7. | "Rebel's Hop" | Curtis Mayfield, Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Marley | 2:38 |
| 8. | "Corner Stone" | Marley | 2:28 |
| 9. | "400 Years" | Tosh | 2:33 |
| 10. | "No Water" | Marley | 2:08 |
| 11. | "Reaction" | Marley | 2:41 |
| 12. | "My Sympathy" | Marley | 2:41 |
Bob Marley - vocals
Bunny Wailer - vocals
- Alva Lewis – guitar
- Glen Adams – keyboard
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass
- Carlton "Carlie" Barrett – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 4
I think the title is Soul Revolution Part II, though the album is commonly known as Soul Revolution. There was a "dub" version (vocals removed) of this album, which was partly released in plain cover and partly released in Soul Revolution Part II covers with the word DUB added. There is general uncertainty as to if there was an album released called Soul Revolution, and I have not seen a cover with that name, though there are reports that some of the original album labels said Soul Revolution, while ALL the covers said Soul Revolution Part II. Trojan records were not interested in distributing it in the UK, and Perry lost faith in the three Wailers. It was rejected by Trojan Records due to the poor sales of Soul Rebels, so only had a limited released in Jamaica, and there is a lot of uncertainty about the release, with some theories that it was first released in 1974 when Marley was more famous, and that the only release in 1971 was with the Wailers' vocals stripped off, with Perry asserting that as it was his band, The Upsetters, who were playing the music, he didn't have to pay The Wailers any royalties. With no money and no record, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer did not want to work with Perry any more, and this was the last set of recordings that Marley and the others did for Perry. It contains some good songs, though not all were released on this album. An album of the sessions was released in the UK and America as African Herbsman, which is the more complete album.
The opening track is in a dub style, as is "Sun is Shining", the rest is mostly rocksteady. It is a smooth, gentle album, absent the energy and anthemic qualities of Marley's best work, but is highly attractive, with a feel of Marley's later more commercial albums such as Exodus and Kaya. A number of the tracks would be reworked on later albums. Overall a pleasant album with good songs, but one that doesn't quite pull together. Certainly, though, the best of the early Wailers.
 |
| Soul Revolution Part II (1971) |
I think the title is Soul Revolution Part II, though the album is commonly known as Soul Revolution. There was a "dub" version (vocals removed) of this album, which was partly released in plain cover and partly released in Soul Revolution Part II covers with the word DUB added. There is general uncertainty as to if there was an album released called Soul Revolution, and I have not seen a cover with that name, though there are reports that some of the original album labels said Soul Revolution, while ALL the covers said Soul Revolution Part II. Trojan records were not interested in distributing it in the UK, and Perry lost faith in the three Wailers. It was rejected by Trojan Records due to the poor sales of Soul Rebels, so only had a limited released in Jamaica, and there is a lot of uncertainty about the release, with some theories that it was first released in 1974 when Marley was more famous, and that the only release in 1971 was with the Wailers' vocals stripped off, with Perry asserting that as it was his band, The Upsetters, who were playing the music, he didn't have to pay The Wailers any royalties. With no money and no record, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer did not want to work with Perry any more, and this was the last set of recordings that Marley and the others did for Perry. It contains some good songs, though not all were released on this album. An album of the sessions was released in the UK and America as African Herbsman, which is the more complete album.
The opening track is in a dub style, as is "Sun is Shining", the rest is mostly rocksteady. It is a smooth, gentle album, absent the energy and anthemic qualities of Marley's best work, but is highly attractive, with a feel of Marley's later more commercial albums such as Exodus and Kaya. A number of the tracks would be reworked on later albums. Overall a pleasant album with good songs, but one that doesn't quite pull together. Certainly, though, the best of the early Wailers.
Best tracks: "Keep on Moving"; "Put It On"; "Duppy Conqueror"; "Kaya"; "African Herbsman"; "Sun is Shining"
A version of the album was released by Trojan Records in 1973 as African Herbsman - this is reviewed below.
This is not actually a Bob Marley/Wailers album as they don't appear on it. It is an album by The Upsetters. The tracks have all been remixed to remove the vocal contributions by the Wailers.
| Released | 1971 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 1970–71 |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 34:24 |
| Label |
|
| Producer | Lee Perry |
All tracks written by Bob Marley, except where noted.
- Side one
- "Keep on Moving" (Rainford Hugh "Lee" Perry, Curtis Mayfield) 3:09
- "Don't Rock My Boat" 4:33 (a version of this song appeared on Kaya (1978) as "Satisfy My Soul")
- "Put it On" 3:34
- "Fussing and Fighting" 2:29
- "Duppy Conqueror V/4" 3:25
- "Memphis" 2:09
"Duppy Conqueror V/4[version 4]" is a version of the song "Duppy Conqueror" in which parts of the vocals have been left off, such that it in effect alternates between the vocal version of the song and an instrumental version of the song.
- Side two
- "Riding High" (Neville Livingston, Cole Porter) 2:46
- "Kaya" 2:39
- "African Herbman" (Richie Havens) 2:24
- "Stand Alone" 2:12
- "Sun Is Shining" 2:11
- "Brain Washing" 2:41
"Riding High" and "Brain Washing" - lead vocals by Bunny Wailer.
- Bob Marley – vocals
- Peter Tosh – vocals, melodica
- Bunny Livingstone – vocals
- Music by:
- Alva Lewis – guitar
- Glen Adams – keyboard
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass
- Carlton "Carlie" Barrett – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score: 5
This sounds more dated than the previous two albums. That's because this was recorded by producer Leslie Kong in 1970 just before The Wailers worked with Lee "Scratch" Perry. It's smooth, attractive, poppy and commercial. It's rocksteady, a Jamaican music style that sat between ska and reggae, and it doesn't have the lasting appeal or significance of the work Marley did after recording it, but it is somewhat pleasant, retaining some of reggae's musical roots such as gospel and calypso, giving it a somewhat dated Sixties feel with smiling images of gently dusky Jamaican bikini glad maidens on sunny beaches with palm trees gently swaying to the beat - a romantic feel of innocence, harmony and sunshine that contrasts with the political vigour and realism, of Marley's later work. I can't completely dislike it, but it's difficult to truly praise it.
OK, so I like "Stop the Train" (Tosh) and "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (Tosh/Traditional).
 |
| The Best of The Wailers (1971) |
This sounds more dated than the previous two albums. That's because this was recorded by producer Leslie Kong in 1970 just before The Wailers worked with Lee "Scratch" Perry. It's smooth, attractive, poppy and commercial. It's rocksteady, a Jamaican music style that sat between ska and reggae, and it doesn't have the lasting appeal or significance of the work Marley did after recording it, but it is somewhat pleasant, retaining some of reggae's musical roots such as gospel and calypso, giving it a somewhat dated Sixties feel with smiling images of gently dusky Jamaican bikini glad maidens on sunny beaches with palm trees gently swaying to the beat - a romantic feel of innocence, harmony and sunshine that contrasts with the political vigour and realism, of Marley's later work. I can't completely dislike it, but it's difficult to truly praise it.
OK, so I like "Stop the Train" (Tosh) and "Go Tell It on the Mountain" (Tosh/Traditional).
| Released | August 1, 1971[1] |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 1969–70 |
| Studio | Dynamic Sound Studios, Kingston, Jamaica[1] |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 30:43[1] |
| Label | Beverley's |
| Producer | Leslie Kong[1] |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Soul Shakedown Party" | Marley | 3:09 |
| 2. | "Stop the Train" | Peter Tosh | 2:20 |
| 3. | "Caution" | Marley | 2:43 |
| 4. | "Soul Captives" | Marley | 2:03 |
| 5. | "Go Tell It on the Mountain" | Traditional | 3:15 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Can't You See" | Tosh | 2:42 |
| 7. | "Soon Come" | Tosh | 2:23 |
| 8. | "Cheer Up" | Marley | 2:03 |
| 9. | "Back Out" | Marley | 2:18 |
| 10. | "Do It Twice" |
- Bob Marley – vocals
- Peter Tosh – vocals, melodica
- Bunny Livingstone – vocals
- Music by Beverley's All Stars:
- Gladstone Anderson – piano
- Winston Wright – organ
- Paul Douglas – drums
- Jackie Jackson – bass
- Lloyd Parks – bass
- Lynford "Hux" Brown – guitar
- Radcliffe "Rad" Bryan – guitar
- Lynn Taitt – guitar
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score: 3 1/2
 |
| Catch A Fire (1973) |
 |
| Catch A Fire (2001) |
This is Marley's major record label debut. After supporting Johnny Nash on his 1971 tour of Britain, the Wailers ran out of money and were stranded, so they approached Chris Blackwell of Island Records for help. He advanced them the money to fly back to Jamaica, and to cut an album. The band were already in contract to CBS, who took Island to court, but a settlement was agreed, and this became the first Island Records Bob Marley album, the start of their long relationship.
The album was recorded with the same musicians and in the same studios as the Perry albums, the main differences are that Marley was in charge of production, and the album was mixed at Island Studios in London and overdubbed by several rock musicians to make it more commercially appealing to the American market. It has a crisp mature feel; though, while the songs are decent, they are not quite of the quality of those recorded for the Soul Revolution sessions, and a lot of authenticity and feel is missing. It's a little slick and glossy. The additions don't do it any favours at all. In 2001 a deluxe version of the album was released which alongside the Chris Blackwell remixed and overdubbed release also has the previously unreleased original tape as recorded in Jamaica. Compare the Jamaican "Concrete Jungle" with the Blackwell overdubbed version; the Jamaican "Stir It Up" with the Blackwell overdubbed version.
Despite all the claims for how the album made Marley famous, it didn't sell well - even after the release of Burnin', Marley and the Wailers were still largely unknown without a hit record, either single or album. It wasn't until 2020 that Catch A Fire sold a 100,000 copies in the UK. It was the combination of Clapton's cover of "I Shot The Sheriff" in 1974 and the release of the live version of "No Woman, No Cry" from the Live! album a year later in 1975, that got people to really start to pay attention to Marley, and to reggae in general.
Best tracks: "400 Years" (Tosh); "Stop That Train" (Tosh); "Stir It Up" (Jamaica version); "Concrete Jungle" (Jamaican version)
Reviews: Rolling Stone (1973);
Classic Albums documentary on Catch A Fire.
2001 CD release
Reviews: Rolling Stone (1973);
Classic Albums documentary on Catch A Fire.
| Released | 13 April 1973 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | May–October 1972 |
| Studio | Dynamic Sound Studios, Harry J. Studios and Randy's Studios, Kingston, Jamaica; mixed at Island Studios, (Notting Hill) London |
| Genre | Reggae[1] |
| Length | 37:51 |
| Label | Tuff Gong, Island |
| Producer | Bob Marley, Chris Blackwell |
All songs were written by Bob Marley, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Concrete Jungle" | 4:13 | |
| 2. | "Slave Driver" | 2:54 | |
| 3. | "400 Years" | Peter Tosh | 2:45 |
| 4. | "Stop That Train" | Peter Tosh | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)" | 3:55 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Stir It Up" | 5:32 |
| 7. | "Kinky Reggae" | 3:37 |
| 8. | "No More Trouble" | 3:58 |
| 9. | "Midnight Ravers" | 5:08 |
2001 CD release
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Concrete Jungle" | 4:11 | |
| 2. | "Stir It Up" | 3:37 | |
| 3. | "High Tide or Low Tide" | 4:40 | |
| 4. | "Stop That Train" | Tosh | 3:52 |
| 5. | "400 Years" | Tosh | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)" | 4:00 | |
| 7. | "Midnight Ravers" | 5:05 | |
| 8. | "All Day All Night" | 3:26 | |
| 9. | "Slave Driver" | 2:52 | |
| 10. | "Kinky Reggae" | 3:40 | |
| 11. | "No More Trouble" | 5:13 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Concrete Jungle" | 4:13 | |
| 2. | "Slave Driver" | 2:54 | |
| 3. | "400 Years" | Tosh | 2:45 |
| 4. | "Stop That Train" | Tosh | 3:54 |
| 5. | "Baby We've Got a Date (Rock It Baby)" | 3:55 | |
| 6. | "Stir It Up" | 5:32 | |
| 7. | "Kinky Reggae" | 3:37 | |
| 8. | "No More Trouble" | 3:58 | |
| 9. | "Midnight Ravers" | 5:08 |
- Peter Tosh – organ, guitar, piano, vocals
- Bob Marley – guitar, vocals
- Bunny Wailer – bongos, conga, vocals
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass guitar
- Carlton "Carlie" Barrett – drums
- Rita Marley – backing vocals
- Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals
- John "Rabbit" Bundrick – keyboards, synthesizer, clavinet
- Wayne Perkins – guitar
- Tommy McCook – flute
- Jean Alain Roussel – piano, keyboards
- Robbie Shakespeare – bass guitar (Concrete Jungle)
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 5 / Jamaican version: 6 1/2
Often termed a compilation album, this is actually a revised version of Soul Revolution Part II - the additional tracks were recorded at the same sessions and released as singles. So this could be considered Soul Revolution II with bonus tracks. Among the added tracks are "Lively Up Yourself" and "Trenchtown Rock", so this is a better album than Soul Revolution Part II, though released three years out of date, which seems par for the course with the earlier Marley releases.
 |
| African Herbsman (1973) African Herbsman (1973) |
Often termed a compilation album, this is actually a revised version of Soul Revolution Part II - the additional tracks were recorded at the same sessions and released as singles. So this could be considered Soul Revolution II with bonus tracks. Among the added tracks are "Lively Up Yourself" and "Trenchtown Rock", so this is a better album than Soul Revolution Part II, though released three years out of date, which seems par for the course with the earlier Marley releases.
All tracks written by Bob Marley, unless noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lively Up Yourself" | Bob Marley | Non-album single (1971) | 2:53 |
| 2. | "Small Axe" | Marley | Non-album single (1970) | 3:54 |
| 3. | "Duppy Conqueror" | Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 3:44 |
| 4. | "Trenchtown Rock" | Marley | Non-album single (1971) | 2:57 |
| 5. | "African Herbsman" | Richie Havens | Soul Revolution (1971) | 2:24 |
| 6. | "Keep on Moving" | Perry, Curtis Mayfield, Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 3:09 |
| 7. | "Fussing and Fighting" | Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 2:28 |
| 8. | "Stand Alone" | Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 2:12 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9. | "All in One" (medley pt.1) | Neville Livingston, Marley | Non-album single (1971) | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Don't Rock the Boat" | Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 4:33 |
| 11. | "Put it On" | Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 3:33 |
| 12. | "Sun Is Shining" | Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 2:15 |
| 13. | "Kaya" | Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 2:39 |
| 14. | "Riding High" | Neville Livingston, Cole Porter | Soul Revolution (1971) | 2:44 |
| 15. | "Brain Washing" | Marley | Soul Revolution (1971) | 2:38 |
| 16. | "400 Years" | Peter Tosh | Soul Rebels (1970) | 2:32 |
Wikipedia
AllMusic:
Score: 6
A mixed bag. A slight improvement on Catch A Fire - the production is more in tune with the band and their aims rather than fighting against the reggae with intrusive "rock" overdubs, and the songs are stronger, with some of Marley's most notable songs ("I Shot The Sheriff") and most militant ("Get Up, Stand Up"). A number of the songs however are re-recordings of earlier and better versions (original "Small Axe", 1973 "Small Axe"; original "Duppy Conqueror"; 1973 "Duppy Conqueror"; original "Put It On"; 1973 "Put It On"); and all the best songs were covered much better on the 1975 Live! album. As such the bulk of the songs on the album are best found elsewhere, so this becomes more an historical record than something essential. It is notable as the final album of the original Wailers, as after this Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the band.
 |
| Burnin' (1973) |
A mixed bag. A slight improvement on Catch A Fire - the production is more in tune with the band and their aims rather than fighting against the reggae with intrusive "rock" overdubs, and the songs are stronger, with some of Marley's most notable songs ("I Shot The Sheriff") and most militant ("Get Up, Stand Up"). A number of the songs however are re-recordings of earlier and better versions (original "Small Axe", 1973 "Small Axe"; original "Duppy Conqueror"; 1973 "Duppy Conqueror"; original "Put It On"; 1973 "Put It On"); and all the best songs were covered much better on the 1975 Live! album. As such the bulk of the songs on the album are best found elsewhere, so this becomes more an historical record than something essential. It is notable as the final album of the original Wailers, as after this Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the band.
| Released |
|
|---|---|
| Recorded | April 1973 |
| Studio | Harry J. Studios, Kingston, Jamaica mixed at Island Studios, Notting Hill, London |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 38:28 |
| Label | |
| Producer |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Get Up, Stand Up" | Bob Marley, Peter Tosh | 3:15 |
| 2. | "Hallelujah Time" | Jean Watt | 3:27 |
| 3. | "I Shot the Sheriff" | Marley | 4:39 |
| 4. | "Burnin' and Lootin'" | Marley | 4:11 |
| 5. | "Put It On" | Marley | 3:58 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Small Axe" | Marley | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Pass It On" | Jean Watt | 3:32 |
| 3. | "Duppy Conqueror" | Marley | 3:44 |
| 4. | "One Foundation" | Tosh | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Rasta Man Chant" | Traditional; arranged by Marley, Tosh, Livingston | 3:43 |
AllMusic: 10
Score: 5 1/2
 |
| Natty Dread (Oct 1974) |
The first album after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left, and there is little to mark their separation. Because of publishing issues, previously unreleased songs are credited to Marley's friends and family. Side one opens with three excellent Marley songs, including "No Woman, No Cry", but all three songs are considerably better on the Live! album which will be released the following year (1975), so this album merely becomes an historical curiosity as being where those songs were first released in the UK. An earlier recording of "Lively Up Yourself" had been released as a single in Jamaica in 1971.
| Released | 25 October 1974 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 1974 |
| Studio | Harry J. Studios, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 38:59 |
| Label | Island/Tuff Gong |
| Producer | Chris Blackwell and The Wailers |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lively Up Yourself" | Bob Marley | 5:11 |
| 2. | "No Woman, No Cry" | Vincent Ford | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" | Leon Cogill, Carlton Barrett | 3:13 |
| 4. | "Rebel Music (3 O'clock Roadblock)" | Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart | 6:45 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "So Jah Seh" | Rita Marley, Willy Francisco | 4:27 |
| 6. | "Natty Dread" | Rita Marley, Allen Cole | 3:35 |
| 7. | "Bend Down Low" | Bob Marley | 3:21 |
| 8. | "Talkin' Blues" | Leon Cogill, Carlton Barrett | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Revolution" | Bob Marley | 4:23 |
- Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Aston Barrett – bass guitar
- Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion
- Bernard "Touter" Harvey – piano, organ
- Jean Roussel – Hammond organ, keyboards
- Al Anderson – lead guitar
with:
- The I–Threes (Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt, Marcia Griffiths) – backing vocals
- Lee Jaffe - harmonica
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 10
Score: 4 1/2
The album and the moment that made Marley famous. Eric Clapton had opened the door for Marley with his excellent cover of "I Shot The Sheriff", released as a single from 461 Ocean Boulevard, it became a global hit - top 10 in over ten countries. Marley then boldly stepped through that door with the release of the awesome "No Woman No Cry" from the Live! album in 1975, which was a modest hit in the UK, but brought him greater attention. The concert at the Lyceum took place over two nights, 17th and 18th June 1975, and was sold out within hours due to the interest in Marley generated by Clapton's cover of "Sheriff". It was believed for years (possibly due to erroneous information in Moskowitz's The Words and Music of Bob Marley which implies that only the second show was recorded) that the recording is from the night of the 18th - but, as shown on the deluxe release, both nights were recorded, and most of the tracks on the original album were recorded on the 17th, with only one, "Lively Up Yourself", recorded on the 18th.
This is a stunning album - the moment when Marley achieved musically what he had been looking for - the blending of his beloved Jamaican music and lifestyle, with that of Western rock. Clapton had shown him the way with his cover of "I Shot The Sheriff", and Marley took that template and made it his own. This is truly the moment when Jamaican reggae and Western rock come together in a powerful and mystical blend. The recording wasn't dubbed or edited - what you hear on the record is what people heard that night; and the audience sound - not just the cheers and claps, but the conversations that happen in a rock crowd, can be heard. This puts the listener right there, as though you are part of that sweaty, excited crowd that night in the Lyceum. The recording of "No Woman, No Cry" is brilliant - there is chatting going on, there is some feedback, but band and audience are as one in their sharing of that moment, and both are feeding off each other, and the band play as they have never played before or since. Not even the second night is as full of emotion and tension and excitement as the first. This is rare magic. The album as a whole is one of the greatest live albums ever released, and "No Woman No Cry" is the greatest live track ever recorded. Best heard on headphones.
UDiscoverMusic;
Wikipedia
 |
| Live! (1975) |
The album and the moment that made Marley famous. Eric Clapton had opened the door for Marley with his excellent cover of "I Shot The Sheriff", released as a single from 461 Ocean Boulevard, it became a global hit - top 10 in over ten countries. Marley then boldly stepped through that door with the release of the awesome "No Woman No Cry" from the Live! album in 1975, which was a modest hit in the UK, but brought him greater attention. The concert at the Lyceum took place over two nights, 17th and 18th June 1975, and was sold out within hours due to the interest in Marley generated by Clapton's cover of "Sheriff". It was believed for years (possibly due to erroneous information in Moskowitz's The Words and Music of Bob Marley which implies that only the second show was recorded) that the recording is from the night of the 18th - but, as shown on the deluxe release, both nights were recorded, and most of the tracks on the original album were recorded on the 17th, with only one, "Lively Up Yourself", recorded on the 18th.
This is a stunning album - the moment when Marley achieved musically what he had been looking for - the blending of his beloved Jamaican music and lifestyle, with that of Western rock. Clapton had shown him the way with his cover of "I Shot The Sheriff", and Marley took that template and made it his own. This is truly the moment when Jamaican reggae and Western rock come together in a powerful and mystical blend. The recording wasn't dubbed or edited - what you hear on the record is what people heard that night; and the audience sound - not just the cheers and claps, but the conversations that happen in a rock crowd, can be heard. This puts the listener right there, as though you are part of that sweaty, excited crowd that night in the Lyceum. The recording of "No Woman, No Cry" is brilliant - there is chatting going on, there is some feedback, but band and audience are as one in their sharing of that moment, and both are feeding off each other, and the band play as they have never played before or since. Not even the second night is as full of emotion and tension and excitement as the first. This is rare magic. The album as a whole is one of the greatest live albums ever released, and "No Woman No Cry" is the greatest live track ever recorded. Best heard on headphones.
UDiscoverMusic;
| Released | 5 December 1975 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 18 July 1975 |
| Venue | Lyceum Theatre, London |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 45:15 |
| Label | Island |
| Producer | Bob Marley and the Wailers, Steve Smith, Chris Blackwell |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Trenchtown Rock" | Bob Marley | A-side of 1971 single | 4:23 |
| 2. | "Burnin' and Lootin'" | Bob Marley | Burnin' | 5:11 |
| 3. | "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" | Leon Cogill, Carlton Barrett | Natty Dread | 4:36 |
| 4. | "Lively Up Yourself" | Bob Marley | Natty Dread | 4:33 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "No Woman, No Cry" | Vincent Ford | Natty Dread | 7:07 |
| 6. | "I Shot the Sheriff" | Bob Marley | Burnin | 5:18 |
| 7. | "Get Up, Stand Up" | Bob Marley, Peter Tosh | Burnin | 6:28 |
- Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Carlton Barrett – drums
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass
- Tyrone Downie – keyboards
- Al Anderson – lead guitar
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
with:
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 9
Score: 10
There is quite a Western sound on this album with synths and saxophones. It's a pleasant though fairly modest album. There are no key songs on the album - it appears to be a transitional album where Marley is consolidating Western sounds to become more appealing to a wider audience. It was a commercial success in America, being his first album there to reach the Billboard Top Ten, presumably on the success of the live single "No Woman, No Cry".
Not an album that many would have in their top ten of Marley albums.
 |
| Rastaman Vibration (1976) |
There is quite a Western sound on this album with synths and saxophones. It's a pleasant though fairly modest album. There are no key songs on the album - it appears to be a transitional album where Marley is consolidating Western sounds to become more appealing to a wider audience. It was a commercial success in America, being his first album there to reach the Billboard Top Ten, presumably on the success of the live single "No Woman, No Cry".
Not an album that many would have in their top ten of Marley albums.
All songs written by Marley, though credited to friends and family
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Positive Vibration" | Vincent Ford | 3:34 |
| 2. | "Roots, Rock, Reggae" | Vincent Ford | 3:38 |
| 3. | "Johnny Was" | Rita Marley | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Cry to Me" | Rita Marley | 2:36 |
| 5. | "Want More" | Aston Barrett | 4:14 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Crazy Baldhead" | Rita Marley, Vincent Ford | 3:12 |
| 2. | "Who the Cap Fit" | Aston Barrett, Carlton Barrett | 4:43 |
| 3. | "Night Shift" | Bob Marley | 3:10 |
| 4. | "War" | Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Rat Race" | Rita Marley | 2:50 |
| Released | 30 April 1976 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | late 1975–early 1976 |
| Studio | Harry J. Studios, Joe Gibbs Studio, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 35:21 |
| Label | |
| Producer | Bob Marley & The Wailers |
- Bob Marley – vocals
- Earl "Chinna" Smith – guitar, percussion
- Al Anderson – guitar
- Carlton Barrett – drums
- Aston Barrett – bass guitar
- Jean Alain Roussel – Hammond Organ on "Positive Vibrations" and "Roots, Rock, Reggae"
- Tyrone Downie – keyboards
- I Threes – backing vocals
AllMusic: 8
Score: 4
The album that made Marley a global superstar. The tracks running from "Exodus" to "One Love" create a moment of pure pleasure.
 |
| Exodus (1977) |
The album that made Marley a global superstar. The tracks running from "Exodus" to "One Love" create a moment of pure pleasure.
| Released | 3 June 1977 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 1976 and January–April 1977 |
| Studio | Harry J. Studio, Kingston, Jamaica and Island Studios, London |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 37:24 |
| Label | |
| Producer | Bob Marley and the Wailers |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Natural Mystic" | 3:28 |
| 2. | "So Much Things to Say" | 3:08 |
| 3. | "Guiltiness" | 3:19 |
| 4. | "The Heathen" | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Exodus" | 7:40 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Jamming" | 3:31 | |
| 7. | "Waiting in Vain" | 4:16 | |
| 8. | "Turn Your Lights Down Low" | 3:39 | |
| 9. | "Three Little Birds" | 3:00 | |
| 10. | "One Love/People Get Ready" | Bob Marley, Curtis Mayfield | 2:52 |
- Bob Marley: lead and backing vocals, guitars
- Junior Marvin: electric guitars
- Aston Barrett: basses
- Carlton Barrett: drums
- Tyrone Downie: synthesizer, electric piano, organ and backing vocals
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson: percussions
- Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Judy Mowatt: backing vocals
AllMusic:
Score: 8
Aiming for a bigger audience, this is commercial pap. Weak songs presented in a slick manner. It sold, but doesn't work as a sustained work of art. The best song is the simplistic poppy but gently charming "Is This Love". But stuff like that is not why Marley became respected, and stuff like that will not by itself sustain respect for Marley nor be a genuine level of serious interest in the years to come. Live! and Exodus are the works that will endure. This is a pleasant, easy listening album that is right on the borderline of kitsch - there is some modest appeal in the kitsch of "Easy Skanking": it makes me smile, but it doesn't move me or make me admire.
Wikipedia
 |
| Kaya (1978) |
Aiming for a bigger audience, this is commercial pap. Weak songs presented in a slick manner. It sold, but doesn't work as a sustained work of art. The best song is the simplistic poppy but gently charming "Is This Love". But stuff like that is not why Marley became respected, and stuff like that will not by itself sustain respect for Marley nor be a genuine level of serious interest in the years to come. Live! and Exodus are the works that will endure. This is a pleasant, easy listening album that is right on the borderline of kitsch - there is some modest appeal in the kitsch of "Easy Skanking": it makes me smile, but it doesn't move me or make me admire.
| Released | 23 March 1978 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | January – April 1977 |
| Studio | Island Studios, London, England |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 36:59 |
| Label | |
| Producer | Bob Marley & The Wailers |
All songs written by Bob Marley.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Easy Skanking" | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Kaya" | 3:15 |
| 3. | "Is This Love" | 3:52 |
| 4. | "Sun Is Shining" | 4:58 |
| 5. | "Satisfy My Soul" | 4:31 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "She's Gone" | 2:25 |
| 7. | "Misty Morning" | 3:33 |
| 8. | "Crisis" | 3:54 |
| 9. | "Running Away" | 4:15 |
| 10. | "Time Will Tell" | 3:29 |
- Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass, percussion
- Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion
- Tyrone "Organ D" Downie – keyboards, percussion
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
- Junior Marvin – lead guitar
- Rita Marley – backing vocals
- Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals
- Judy Mowatt – backing vocals
- Vincent Gordon –Trombone
- Glen Da Costa – trumpet
- Winston Grennan – drums
Wikipedia
AllMusic: 8
Score: 4
A live album recorded in Paris during the 1978 Kaya Tour. It is in marked contrast with the transcendental moment that is the Live! album - this is a commercial album aimed at the pop audience that Marley had now gathered. The songs are carefully chosen to be fun, widely appealing, party songs - gone are most of the political songs, and the moments of reflection such as "Trenchtown Rock", "No Woman, No Cry", "Them Bellyful", "Get Up, Stand Up" (we have the weaker "Rat Race" and "Concrete Jungle" instead). This is just an album to put on and dance to, or have as trendy background music during a relaxed dinner party. This is a fun album, but it's not an album that will endure for all time. The band are professional, and the recording is top quality. But it all feels rather empty, and, sadly, a little tasteless. The tour (and the album), despite the showmanship, and the slick music, did not break America, as Marley and Chris Blackwell hoped, but it did take Marley and reggae into Asia and Australia for the first time so it did open new markets, and consolidate Marley as not just the leading reggae artist, but as a world class artist.
UDiscoverMusic;
Marley's most significant album, and - for me - his best album is Live!. He was largely unknown up to that point, despite the success of Clapton's cover of "I Shot The Sheriff". In retrospect, there have been claims of the importance of Chris Blackwell's overdubbed Catch A Fire, but the album actually didn't sell well, and it was only later, when Marley became famous, that people went back and bought that album. And even then it continued to sell slowly, it wasn't until 2020 that it reached 100,000 sales in the UK.
It was the Live! album, and the release of "No Woman, No Cry" as the lead single, that caught people's attention.
Sometimes things just come together. On that first night at the Lyceum, the atmosphere was just right. The recording of the second night has been released, and it's good, but not quite the same. Something special happened that night. And, bless him, Blackwell released the recording of that night with nothing added and nothing taken away. No overdubs. No attempting to clean up the bass line, the feedback, nothing. Just as it happened. It's an album to listen to very loud with headphones, and you are there in the theatre - down near the front, feeling the bass vibration from the speakers, hearing those around you talking and responding. It's a transitional moment for the band. They had noted what Blackwell had done to their Jamaican recorded Catch A Fire album (which Blackwell now admits is the better version, but he says he needed to soften the authentic sound to make it more palatable for an American audience), and they had particularly noted what Clapton had done with "I Shot The Sheriff" from Burnin'. That night they played authentic rhythmic soulful reggae, but they did it with the rock attitude that made the difference. The rock was not dubbed on. The rock was not played by someone else. This was the moment that Marley did it himself, and by fuck he outdid Clapton. The band blast out the into to "I Shot The Sheriff" with 100% more rock attitude than Clapton. A great recording is not just the songs, it's the playing of the songs, and the atmosphere. Live! is a great album because all the songs are great, and all are played here better than they had been played in the past, and better than they would ever be played again.
So, for me, I'd choose Live!
After Live! comes Soul Revolution Part II (which is the only title it was released under, though some early copies had just Soul Revolution on the label, though sold in the Soul Revolution Part II cover) or, better still, the repackaged (not a compilation as such but Soul Revolution Part II with bonus tracks) African Herbsman as it contains "Lively Up Yourself" and "Trenchtown Rock". I would suggest that those who like Catch A Fire, but have not played either Soul Revolution Part II or Soul Rebels, that you give those albums a listen (they are available on YouTube but not Spotify). The sound and feel is similar, but the songs are a tad better, especially Soul Revolution Part II. Soul Rebels is important as that is Marley's first reggae album - his first album The Wailing Wailers is ska while the second The Best of The Wailers (released out of sequence after Soul Rebels and Soul Revolution Part II, but recorded earlier) is rocksteady. Soul Rebel does have some rocksteady moments, but it is mostly reggae, especially the blistering opening track "Soul Rebel". Yes, if you like Catch A Fire, go back to the start and listen to Soul Rebels. Marley and the band didn't need Blackwell's tamperings and overdubs, they just needed an audience prepared to listen.
 |
| Babylon By Bus (1978) |
A live album recorded in Paris during the 1978 Kaya Tour. It is in marked contrast with the transcendental moment that is the Live! album - this is a commercial album aimed at the pop audience that Marley had now gathered. The songs are carefully chosen to be fun, widely appealing, party songs - gone are most of the political songs, and the moments of reflection such as "Trenchtown Rock", "No Woman, No Cry", "Them Bellyful", "Get Up, Stand Up" (we have the weaker "Rat Race" and "Concrete Jungle" instead). This is just an album to put on and dance to, or have as trendy background music during a relaxed dinner party. This is a fun album, but it's not an album that will endure for all time. The band are professional, and the recording is top quality. But it all feels rather empty, and, sadly, a little tasteless. The tour (and the album), despite the showmanship, and the slick music, did not break America, as Marley and Chris Blackwell hoped, but it did take Marley and reggae into Asia and Australia for the first time so it did open new markets, and consolidate Marley as not just the leading reggae artist, but as a world class artist.
UDiscoverMusic;
| Released | 10 November 1978 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 25–27 June 1978 (Paris) 1975, 1976 (London) |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 73:39 |
| Label | Tuff Gong/Island |
| Producer | Bob Marley and the Wailers, Chris Blackwell and Jack Nuber |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Positive Vibration" | Vincent Ford | 5:50 |
| 2. | "Punky Reggae Party" | Bob Marley, Lee Perry | 5:51 |
| 3. | "Exodus" | Marley | 7:41 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Stir It Up" | Marley | 5:17 |
| 5. | "Rat Race" | Rita Marley | 3:41 |
| 6. | "Concrete Jungle" | Marley | 5:37 |
| 7. | "Kinky Reggae" | Marley | 4:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8. | "Lively Up Yourself" | Marley | 6:18 |
| 9. | "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)" | Aston Barrett, Hugh Peart | 5:20 |
| 10. | "War / No More Trouble" | Allen Cole, Carlton Barrett, Marley | 5:28 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Is This Love" | Marley | 7:27 |
| 12. | "The Heathen" | Marley | 4:29 |
| 13. | "Jamming" | Marley | 5:54 |
- Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
- Carlton Barrett – drums
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass
- Tyrone "Organ D" Downie – keyboards
- Junior Marvin – lead guitar
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
- Al Anderson – lead guitar
- Earl "Wire" Lindo – keyboards
- Rita Marley – backing vocals
- Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals
- Judy Mowatt – backing vocals
AllMusic: 10
Score: 4
 |
| Survival (1978) |
The music is toned down here. Soft shuffle rhythms and dozy wallpaper melodies paint a rather grey monotonous picture that so lacks interest it is decidedly boring. Great for playing if you are having difficultly getting to sleep. So it all rests on the lyrics, and Marley has tried to do a What's Going On album. Full of political commentary and urging people to unite, it should be Marley's big statement. But it's so flat. The words are simplistic and direct, with no imagery, no emotion, nothing to hang on to. It's a parental lecture to which everyone is going to shut their ears. There's no spark in the music, and no spark in the lyrics. Good intentions don't always turn into good actions. And being preached to in such a monotonous and unimaginative way is never going to excite anyone. Of course, being by Marley, it sounds better than such an album should. Even so, .....
| Released | 2 October 1979 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | January–February 1979 |
| Studio | Tuff Gong Recording Studio, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 38:02 (original) 44:25 (2001 remastered) |
| Label | Island/Tuff Gong |
| Producer | Bob Marley & The Wailers, Alex Sadkin |
All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "So Much Trouble in the World" | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Zimbabwe" | 3:51 |
| 3. | "Top Rankin'" | 3:10 |
| 4. | "Babylon System" | 4:21 |
| 5. | "Survival" | 3:53 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Africa Unite" | 2:54 | |
| 7. | "One Drop" | 3:51 | |
| 8. | "Ride Natty Ride" | 3:50 | |
| 9. | "Ambush in the Night" | 3:12 | |
| 10. | "Wake Up and Live" | Bob Marley, Anthony Davis | 4:58 |
- Bob Marley – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, percussion
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass, rhythm guitar, percussion
- Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion
- Tyrone "Organ D" Downie – keyboards, percussion, backing vocals
- Alvin "Seeco" Patterson – percussion
- Junior Marvin – lead guitar, backing vocals
- Earl "Wire" Lindo – keyboards
- Al Anderson – lead guitar
- Rita Marley – backing vocals
- Marcia Griffiths – backing vocals
- Judy Mowatt – backing vocals
- Headley Bennett – alto saxophone
- Ronald "Nambo" Robinson – trombone
- Melba Liston – trombone
- Luther Francois – trombone
- Junior "Chico" Chin – trumpet
- Jackie Willacy – trumpet
- Micky Hanson – trumpet
- Lee Jaffe – harmonica[5]
AllMusic: 6
Score: 4
 |
| Uprising (1980) |
Marley's final album before succumbing to cancer is the culmination of his aim to become a one world musician - the blend of Western music and reggae is here both complete and sublime. This contains Marley's most realised, most commercial and at the same time most anthemic and beautiful songs. "Could You Be Loved" and "Redemption Song" are the stand out tracks, but the whole album is a delight.
| Released | 10 June 1980 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | January–April 1980 |
| Studio | Tuff Gong Studios, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 35:53 |
| Label | Tuff Gong/Island |
| Producer |
All tracks are written by Bob Marley.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Coming in from the Cold" | 4:30 |
| 2. | "Real Situation" | 3:08 |
| 3. | "Bad Card" | 2:50 |
| 4. | "We and Dem" | 3:12 |
| 5. | "Work" | 3:41 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Zion Train" | 3:36 |
| 7. | "Pimper's Paradise" | 3:27 |
| 8. | "Could You Be Loved" | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Forever Loving Jah" | 3:52 |
| 10. | "Redemption Song" | 3:47 |
- Bob Marley – lead vocal, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar
- Aston "Family Man" Barrett – bass, piano, guitar, percussion
- Carlton Barrett – drums, percussion
- Carlton "Santa" Davis – drums
- Tyrone Downie – keyboards, backing vocal
- Alvin Patterson – percussion
- Junior Marvin – lead guitar, backing vocal
- Earl Lindo – keyboards
- Al Anderson – lead guitar
- I Threes (Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt) – backing vocals
AllMusic: 9
Score: 7
 |
| Chances Are (1981) |
Compilation album of largely unreleased mid period recordings, released a few months after his death by Warners Records who purchased the rights to the recordings. Pleasant, but largely insignificant.
| Released | October 1981 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 1968–1972 |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 32:03 |
| Label | WEA, Cotillion (U.S.) |
| Producer | Bob Marley, Larry Fallon, Danny Sims |
- "Reggae on Broadway" (5:20)
- "Gonna Get You" (3:16)
- "Chances Are" (5:03)
- "Soul Rebel" (3:58)
- "Dance Do the Reggae" (4:38)
- "Mellow Mood" (3:22)
- "Stay With Me" (3:00)
- "I'm Hurting Inside" (3:40)
AllMusic: 4
Score: 4
 |
| Confrontation (1983) |
Compilation of unreleased material from the later part of his career, released by his record label. Nicely done. Contains the hit "Buffalo Soldier".
| Released | 23 May 1983 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | ca. 1977-80, April–May 1982 |
| Studio | Tuff Gong Studios, Kingston, Jamaica |
| Genre | Reggae |
| Length | 37:47 |
| Label | Tuff Gong/Island |
| Producer | Bob Marley & the Wailers and Errol Brown, Rita Marley (executive producer) |
All tracks are written by Bob Marley, except where stated.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Chant Down Babylon" | 2:36 | |
| 2. | "Buffalo Soldier" | Bob Marley, N.G. Williams | 4:17 |
| 3. | "Jump Nyabinghi" | 3:44 | |
| 4. | "Mix Up, Mix Up" | 5:02 | |
| 5. | "Give Thanks" | 3:16 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Blackman Redemption" | 3:33 | |
| 7. | "Trench Town" | 3:12 | |
| 8. | "Stiff Necked Fools" | 3:25 | |
| 9. | "I Know" | 3:21 | |
| 10. | "Rastaman Live Up" | Bob Marley, Lee "Scratch" Perry | 5:26 |
- Bob Marley – lead vocals, background vocal, rhythm guitar
- Aston Barrett – bass, guitar, percussion
- Carlton Barrett – drums, akete
- Tyrone Downie – keyboards, background vocal
- Junior Marvin – lead guitar, background vocal
- Earl Lindo – keyboards
- Alvin Patterson – percussion
- I Threes (Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt) – backing vocals
- Glen DaCosta – tenor saxophone
- David Madden – trumpet
- Ronald "Nambo" Robinson – trombone
- Devon Evans – percussion
AllMusic: 6
Score: 5
 |
| Legend (1984) |
There's some good songs on this best of album, but "No Woman, No Cry" stands out. It's the live version from the Lyceum. And then as the album unfolds, and two other songs that were on the Live! album play in their original and somewhat flatter studio versions, and some lesser songs are selected over tracks from Live!, like "Trenchtown Rock", "Burnin' and Lootin'", "Them Belly Full (But We Hungry)" and "Lively Up Yourself", it becomes apparent just how wonderful the Live! album actually is. Legend is a really good compilation album - very popular, covering most of Marley's later and most commercial songs. It tells the story of the popular Marley. But it doesn't really deal with the legendary Marley.
| Released | May 1984 |
|---|---|
| Recorded | 1972–1983 |
| Genre | Roots reggae |
| Length | 51:01 |
| Label | Island, Tuff Gong (Reissue) |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Is This Love" | Bob Marley | Kaya (1978) | 3:52 |
| 2. | "No Woman, No Cry" (Live) | Vincent Ford | Live! (1975) | 4:05 |
| 3. | "Could You Be Loved" (7" Edit) | Marley | Uprising (1980) | 3:33 |
| 4. | "Three Little Birds" | Marley | Exodus (1977) | 2:56 |
| 5. | "Buffalo Soldier" (Remix) | Marley, Noel Williams | Confrontation (1983) | 5:24 |
| 6. | "Get Up, Stand Up" | Marley, Peter Tosh | Burnin' (1973) | 3:17 |
| 7. | "Stir It Up" (Edit) | Marley | Catch a Fire (1973) | 3:38 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original release | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Love/People Get Ready" | Marley, Curtis Mayfield | Exodus (1977) | 2:52 |
| 2. | "I Shot the Sheriff" (Edit) | Marley | Burnin' (1973) | 3:46 |
| 3. | "Waiting in Vain" (Remix) | Marley | Exodus (1977) | 4:10 |
| 4. | "Redemption Song" | Marley | Uprising (1980) | 3:48 |
| 5. | "Satisfy My Soul" (7" Edit) | Marley | Kaya (1978) | 3:45 |
| 6. | "Exodus" (Remix) | Marley | Exodus (1977) | 5:24 |
| 7. | "Jamming" (Remix) | Marley | Exodus (1977) | 3:17 |
AllMusic:
Score: 6
Discography
- The Wailing Wailers (1965)
- Soul Rebels (1970)
- Soul Revolution (1971)
- The Best of The Wailers (1971)
- Catch a Fire (1973)
- Burnin' (1973)
- Natty Dread (1974)
- Rastaman Vibration (1976)
- Exodus (1977)
- Kaya (1978)
- Survival (1979)
- Uprising (1980)
- Confrontation (1983)
- Live! (1975)
- Babylon by Bus (1978)
Marley's most significant album, and - for me - his best album is Live!. He was largely unknown up to that point, despite the success of Clapton's cover of "I Shot The Sheriff". In retrospect, there have been claims of the importance of Chris Blackwell's overdubbed Catch A Fire, but the album actually didn't sell well, and it was only later, when Marley became famous, that people went back and bought that album. And even then it continued to sell slowly, it wasn't until 2020 that it reached 100,000 sales in the UK.
It was the Live! album, and the release of "No Woman, No Cry" as the lead single, that caught people's attention.
Sometimes things just come together. On that first night at the Lyceum, the atmosphere was just right. The recording of the second night has been released, and it's good, but not quite the same. Something special happened that night. And, bless him, Blackwell released the recording of that night with nothing added and nothing taken away. No overdubs. No attempting to clean up the bass line, the feedback, nothing. Just as it happened. It's an album to listen to very loud with headphones, and you are there in the theatre - down near the front, feeling the bass vibration from the speakers, hearing those around you talking and responding. It's a transitional moment for the band. They had noted what Blackwell had done to their Jamaican recorded Catch A Fire album (which Blackwell now admits is the better version, but he says he needed to soften the authentic sound to make it more palatable for an American audience), and they had particularly noted what Clapton had done with "I Shot The Sheriff" from Burnin'. That night they played authentic rhythmic soulful reggae, but they did it with the rock attitude that made the difference. The rock was not dubbed on. The rock was not played by someone else. This was the moment that Marley did it himself, and by fuck he outdid Clapton. The band blast out the into to "I Shot The Sheriff" with 100% more rock attitude than Clapton. A great recording is not just the songs, it's the playing of the songs, and the atmosphere. Live! is a great album because all the songs are great, and all are played here better than they had been played in the past, and better than they would ever be played again.
So, for me, I'd choose Live!
After Live! comes Soul Revolution Part II (which is the only title it was released under, though some early copies had just Soul Revolution on the label, though sold in the Soul Revolution Part II cover) or, better still, the repackaged (not a compilation as such but Soul Revolution Part II with bonus tracks) African Herbsman as it contains "Lively Up Yourself" and "Trenchtown Rock". I would suggest that those who like Catch A Fire, but have not played either Soul Revolution Part II or Soul Rebels, that you give those albums a listen (they are available on YouTube but not Spotify). The sound and feel is similar, but the songs are a tad better, especially Soul Revolution Part II. Soul Rebels is important as that is Marley's first reggae album - his first album The Wailing Wailers is ska while the second The Best of The Wailers (released out of sequence after Soul Rebels and Soul Revolution Part II, but recorded earlier) is rocksteady. Soul Rebel does have some rocksteady moments, but it is mostly reggae, especially the blistering opening track "Soul Rebel". Yes, if you like Catch A Fire, go back to the start and listen to Soul Rebels. Marley and the band didn't need Blackwell's tamperings and overdubs, they just needed an audience prepared to listen.
Best albums
My choice:
Live! (10)
Exodus (9)
Uprising (8)
African Herbsman / Soul Revolution Part II (6 / 5)
Burnin' (5 1/2)
Catch A Fire (5)
Legend (5)
A summary of a sample of other opinions:
Exodus 33
Catch A Fire 26
Natty Dread 11
Legend 8
A summary of a sample of other opinions:
Exodus 33
Catch A Fire 26
Natty Dread 11
Legend 8
Uprising 7
Survival 5
Soul Revolution II /African Herbsman 5Burnin' 3
Kaya 3
Live! 2
Combined:
Exodus 42
Exodus 42
Catch A Fire 31
Live! 18
Legend 17
Uprising 15
Natty Dread 11
Soul Revolution II /African Herbsman 10
Burnin' 8
* Far Out
* UCR
* BEA
* Guardian
* TopTens
* Ranker
* GE
"No Woman No Cry" 5 4 5 4 5 5 1 1 (9) = 44 L Y
"Redemption Song" 2 1 4 5 4 2 5 2 (9) = 37 L
"Three Little Birds" 4 1 3 1 4 (6) = 20 L
"Get Up, Stand Up" 4 1 1 3 (5) = 19 L Y
"One Love" 3 1 1 5 (5) = 16 L
"Could You Be Loved" 1 1 1 1 4 (6) = 15 L
"Buffalo Soldier" 1 1 1 3 2 (6) = 15 L
"Is This Love?" 3 1 1 1 1 (6) = 14 L
"Stir It Up" 2 1 2 3 (5) = 14 L
"I Shot The Sheriff" 1 1 1 1 1 (6) = 12 L Y
"Jamming" 2 1 1 (4) = 9 L
"Concrete Jungle" 4 (2) = 7
"Satisfy My Soul" 3 (2) = 6 L
"Trenchtown Rock" 1 (2) = 5 Y
"Waiting In Vain" 1 (2) = 4 L
"Exodus" 1 (2) = 4 L
"Natural Mystic" 1 (2) = 4
"Positive Vibration"
"Natural Mystic" 1 (2) = 4
"Positive Vibration"
"Soul Rebel"
"Turn Your Lights Down Low"
"Slave Driver"
"Easy Skanking"
"Rasta Man Chant"
"Bend Down Low"
* Guardian
* Smooth
* UDM
* TopTens
* Gold
* Ranker
Links
Summary
[Note: Aspects which go toward final score are given a rough percentage figure of how much that aspect may have influenced the overall score. However, some bands may well exceed that percentage, particularly if their main focus is in that area.]
Voice/Musicianship (15%)Distinctive, warm, affecting.
Image/Star quality (5%)Huge. Legendary.
Lyrics/Music (20%)Solid. Exciting. Transitional. Authentic.
Impact/Influence (10%)Wow!
Popularity (5%)Big. Global.
Emotional appeal (5%)Warm. Exciting.
Authenticity (15%)Yes. Wanted to be popular, and allowed Blackwell to adjust his sound to reach a wider audience, but did stay essentially true to his style and his roots.
Art (5%)Earthy and political rather than artistic.
Classic albums/songs (5%)Live!, Exodus, and Catch A Fire. Various songs leading with "No Woman No Cry". Significant contribution.
Originality/Innovation (5%)Yes. Championed and spread the music of Jamaica. Was more song focused than looking for innovation, but was significant enough to be influential in gaining attention to a music form that many musicians were not really aware of.
Legacy (10%)Massive. And will be a representative of the oppressed and the ethnic and the little known, and a model for unity and freedom for many years to come. The image is perhaps greater than the music.
Total: 60/100
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