The Best of the Wailers by Bob Marley & The Wailers (CD - 08/31/2004)

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"The Best of the Wailers" (08/31/2004) Reggae Marley, Bob, Hip-O RecordsBob Marley & The Wailers: Bob Marley (vocals, guitar); Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer (vocals). Contrary to what its title may indicate, THE BEST OF THE WAILERS is not a greatest-hits collection; it was conceived, rather, as an original album. Further, THE BEST OF represents the Wailers' early reggae work (when the band was transitioning from their ska roots into a deeper rocksteady groove, a sound that would eventually be streamlined on their 1973 Island Records debut, CATCH A FIRE). Here producer Leslie Kong, who had achieved success outside Jamaica with records by Desmond Dekker and Toots & the Maytals, gives the Wailers a cohesive pop sound (compared to other Wailers' recordings of the time) in order to broaden the band's appeal. Ironically, this 1970 record initially went unreleased outside of Jamaica (the group had to wait a few years to take over the world), making this a hidden gem in the Wailers' discography. Peter Tosh gets an unusual share of the spotlight here (he sings on four cuts, including the excellent "Stop That Train"), and Bob Marley's singing, heavily influenced by the American R&B of the time, is searing and soulful. The burbling rhythms, exuberant Rasta vibe, and the sweet, ragged harmonies of Marley, Tosh, and Bunny Wailer coalesce here to serve up an outstanding sampler of roots reggae.

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