Search - Bob Marley & Wailers :: Trenchtown Days: Birth of a Legend

Not the Bob you think you know.

Marc A. Coignard | Denver, CO United States | 03/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Most fans of Bob Marely are only fans because they heard the Legend CD. Although a good introduction to Bob Marley's music, its only the tip of a friggin' huge iceberg. Bob Marley's library of work, which is vast, is not limited to the type of reggae he is best known for. Indeed, this disc shows the very roots of the Wailers, back in their humble beginnings as a young Ska group, with a lot of Motown style tunes. One reviewer noted that the CD wasn't like other Bob Marley work he's heard. He's right. Ska, although similar, is not much like reggae. It's simpler, generally includes horns (but not always; see Desmond Dekker as a perfect example of great ska with little, if any, horn section), and has a solid tempo held together by a simple, yet very appealing, drum beat. Reggae is far more diverse, but its roots lie in the same place as Ska does. SO, if you're truly interested in diversity, and listening to truly classic Wailers and Jamican ska, this disc isn't a bad place to start. If you're looking for Bob's more popular reggae sound, stick to his later stuff.



Also Recomended: "The Harder They Come" Motion Picture Soundtrack (Jimmy Cliff, et al), Desmond Dekker "King of Ska", Crucial Reggae Toots and the Maytals (good starter on an amazing Reggae group), Peter Tosh "Scrolls of the Prophet", and the many Trojan Records Box Sets (including the Ska, Skinhead Reggae, Ganja Reggae, and Rudeboy sets.)"