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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Legend
August 25, 2002
Reviewer: cinematique from Los Angeles, CA
This CD is aptly named; Bob Marley's music has touched
the world, and this compilation does even more justice
to his brilliance than the original release of "Legend"
-- better, crisper sound and "Exodus," in its
complete form. With sweet songs like "Is This Love,
"No Woman, No Cry" (a recording of the famous
live performance), the empowering "Get Up Stand Up,"
and the infectious "Jamming," there is a song
for nearly any mood...The old "Legend" was great,
but this reissue is better. The CD contains a nice mix
of his songs, and it will no doubt remain a popular and
well-respected album.
Songs
of Freedom
When Songs of Freedom was released originally in 1992,
it was a perfect complement to either a greatest hits
collection like Legend or the entire collection of the
reggae master's albums. Songs boasts enough of the recognizable
from Marley's canon to address the hit seeker, but the
set also reaches way, way back to include Marley's first
single, the youthful "Judge Not" from 1962,
and then closes more than four hours later with a 1980
live take of "Redemption Song" from his last
concert. In between are live takes, studio remixes, and,
of course, standard looks at Marley standards, playing
together as a perfect balance between the familiar and
the new. The flow of famous takes increases into CDs 3
and 4, where "No Woman, No Cry" appears from
a 1976 set at the Roxy and where "Jammin'" and
"Exodus" come in mixes that were new to fans
in 1992. Of course these four CDs show in wide-angle view
exactly how fantastic and commercially improbable Marley
was. He was able to popularize tunes about both the repression
of African nations and their liberation while also bringing
to rock audiences an undeniably Jamaican music, breaking
the U.S. and British geographic strongholds on the 1970s
pop and rock marketplace. Never mind that he made Island
Records' first fortune, he also created a body of work
so lasting that a four-CD set heavy on alternate versions
can stand out in any contemporary music collection. For
the 1999 reissue of the original 1992 box set, no new
music has been added. The format has changed, though,
from a long-box presentation to a cube containing individual
slipcased CDs. It's still a remarkable gem. --Andrew Bartlett
Kaya
Beautiful, December 21, 2002
Reviewer: Paul Evelyn from Atlanta, Georgia United States
This is an absolutely beautiful collection of songs from
the heart of Bob Marley; there's not a bad tune on this
album, and if you're not already a Bob Marley fan, you
will be after listening to this. "Misty Morning"
and "Crisis" alone are worth the price of this
record. Do yourself and your loved ones a favor and add
this to your music collection.
Rebel Music - The Bob Marley Story
The legend of Bob Marley (1945-1981) is well served by
this comprehensive and clear-eyed look at the turbulent
life and times of the reggae great. Jeremy Marre's documentary
presents the man as a vitally important artist, but a
flawed--if immensely appealing--human being. The trajectory
of his rise is traced from his humble beginnings as the
son of a poor, teenage mother in rural Jamaica to the
heights of international superstardom in the 1970s. Along
the way, Marre provides a context for the development
of his artistry by exploring the political situation in
Jamaica at the time, the roots of Rastafarianism (to which
he was intensely devoted), and his unconventional relationships
with women. Although he remained close to wife, Rita,
until his death, Marley enjoyed a number of public relationships
with other women (Rita admits she found this difficult;
Marley claims he didn't see anything unusual about it).
The sheer number of interviews is impressive. Aside from
the clips of Marley himself, Bunny Livingstone and Peter
Tosh (the Wailers), Island Records founder Chris Blackwell,
two Jamaican prime ministers (Socialist Michael Manley
and Conservative Edward Seaga), and even a CIA official
(Philip Agee) all make an appearance. The breadth of Marley's
music is represented by over 40 tracks, from the early
ska hit "Judge Not" to later political numbers
like "Africa Unite." Although Marley never actually
considered himself a "political" person, he
was surely a rebel--brave, passionate, committed--in the
best sense of the word. --Kathleen C. Fennessy --This
text refers to the VHS Tape edition.
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Rastaman Vibration
Audio CD
Kaya [Bonus Tracks]
Audio CD
Rebel Music - The Bob Marley Story
DVD
Classic Albums - Bob Marley and the...
DVD
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