Bob Marley

This interesting two-disc collection isn't exactly the "roots" of Bob Marley, since it consists of tracks recorded with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry between August 1970 and April 1971 and Marley had been working in and releasing material from Jamaican studios for some ten years by this time, and it isn't even a Marley anthology, really, because there are dozens of tracks here by the likes of Dave Barker, Johnny Lover, Big Youth, Perry's Upsetters, and Marley's fellow Wailers Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh. This period working with Perry, though, is considered by many to be Marley's creative peak, and it's fascinating to catch a glimpse of the musical community that rotated around the Wailers and Perry at this time. There are a few Marley tracks where he handles the lead vocals, but the balance of things here are Upsetter "dubs" (actually more like proto-dubs, since Perry simply presents the backing tracks with the vocals removed), versions of songs by artists outside of the immediate Wailers group delivered over the same rhythm tracks, and a nice dose of Livingston (a beautiful version of "Dreamland") and Tosh (his fine versions of "Maga Dog," "Arise Blackman," and "Downpresser"). Casual listeners may find themselves wishing for more actual Marley sides, but those familiar with this era of Marley's development may well find this more fringe material quite interesting and even revelatory. ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide