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08/04/2004 Bob Marley - giant of 20thC music
Bob Marley was one of the giants of 20thC music. He's one of a handful of musicians loved across the generations: his life-affirming message appeals to most owners of a soul, irrespective of age, colour, class, and gender. Marley's global triumph started with Catch A Fire, the first Island/Tuff Gong album, in 1972. And Marley's burning creativity taught many western consumers to start listening, not just to reggae, but also to other musics from the Third World: apart from leaving a matchless musical legacy, he paved the way for World Music. Bob Marley's strongest album is probably 1977's Exodus (One Love, Natural Mystic etc). Legend, the 1984 sampler, is one of the most successful, and engaging, compilation albums in popular music: every home should have one. Listeners seeking to dig deeper should also hear Songs of Freedom, the superb career-spanning 78-track 4CD box. And Universal's exemplary reissue/remaster programme is preserving Marley's Island legacy with appropriate reverence. Though he was recording for a decade before signing to Island, the early Marley/Wailers material can be confusing - not helped by some ultra-discount box sets. The 1960s material is due to become more accessible with the release of Grooving Kingston 12, the first of 3 x 3CD reissue box sets covering the pre-Island sides, originally released on the JAD label. The first box, with about 70 tracks, is imminent. It includes some rougher versions of material later sanitised for Island release for international markets (eg Trenchtown Rock). Well worth checking out - if you're already familiar with the mainstream Island material. Gerry Smith
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