Review: Bob Marley and The Wailers

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Bob Marley and The Wailers
“Greatest Hits at Studio One”
(Heartbeat)

Perhaps no other group did more to popularize reggae music than The Wailers. This mighty force in reggae had its starts as a trio produced by Clement Dodd in Jamaica’s legendary Studio One. This collection takes us back to those seminal days when the group was a vocal trio: Marley, Peter Tosh and Neville Livingston. It was at this time the group recorded early versions of “One Love” and “Simmer Down”, heard on this release.

There is a proto-ska sound to these recording that includes backing musicians that later figured heavily in the ska movement: Tommy McCook, Lloyd Brevett, Roland Alphonso, etc. This is the sound influenced by American radio that emerged out of Jamaica and later diverged down two paths: ska and reggae.