Bob Marley - Bob Marley

The Ghost Of Bob Marley

Advantages: Old favourites remixed as "urban duets"
Disadvantages: Not for the purists; this isn't real reggae

---WHO'S THIS THEN?--- Why, it's Bob Marley: without a doubt the man who single-handedly brought reggae to the attention of the planet. He recorded some 700 tracks and 40 albums between 1965 and 1981. Albums, such as 1984's perfect Legend, are still being issued, and "lost tapes" were still being rescued as recently as 2001. He died in 1981 of lung cancer. ---WHAT'S THIS ALBUM LIKE?--- It's a bizarre concept. The mastertapes of old Marley tracks were handed to various rappers and singers in 1998 to add vocals or remix the tracks in a contemporary style. The results are at once spooky, sacreligious and intriguing. This album was released in 1999 amid a bluster of publicity and the first single release from the album was the Lauryn Hill-assisted "Turn Your Lights Down Low". Lauryn HIll is Bob Marley's daughter-in-law, by ...

waynehorrigan 10.08.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Chant Down Babylon - Bob Marley

Legend - Bob Marley & The Wailers

Advantages: Fantastic tracks, very listenable album
Disadvantages: Sun is SHining is not on it

Since seeing The Wailers perform at the London Rise Against Racism festival, it reminded me of how many great songs they have in their repertoire with Bob Marley and decided it was long overdue to buy a Best Of compilation. The album starts off with Is This Love the Marley penned classic from 1978 and the song really needs no introduction. It was taken from the Kaya album, which revolved around the duel themes of love and marijuana, and this instance the song was about love. It is a beautiful song, and certainly at the Rise concert, got the crowd singing. It is followed by No Woman, No Cry originally from the Natty Dread album and is about the struggle of life in the Trenchtown, the rundown part of Kingston, Jamaica where Bob grew up with his mother after his father died. The version of the song on Legend is not from Natty Dread ...

Essexgirl2006 19.07.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Legend [Remastered] - Bob Marley

Bob Marley - King of Reggae?

Advantages: A great Ras
Disadvantages: Overshadowed his Contemporaries

Sitting in a Reggae bar in Halkidiki, Northern Greece, I got into some pleasant conversation with the Greek barmaid. As 'One Love' played on the sound system she told me, over the top of some very loud bass, that Bob Marley was the King of Reggae. I paused for an instant before replying because this was a statement I had heard many, many times before. It occurred to me that this statement might not, necessarily, be correct. If it was correct, then it could only be in the sense that Elvis Presley was King of Rock ?n' Roll. Elvis certainly had the greatest voice of all time but his main achievement was to set the stage for others who came later - as Buddy Holly once said, 'Without Elvis none of us could have made it'. So where, you might ask, does Marley fit in with Rock ?n? Roll? Well, I reckon Marley's greatest achievement was ...

tel1 10.03.2005 · Read full review
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Review of Bob Marley