Search - Bob Marley & Wailers, Bob Marley & The Wailers :: Live at the Roxy, Hollywood, California, May 26, 1976 - The Complete Concert

*****Want more!

Jonathan M. Mason | Punta Gorda, FL USA | 07/05/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I could never figure out which was the best of the Marley albums, so eventually I bought all the Island era albums and a few more too... then I bought this one. Now I know which is the best--it's this one!I love both of the other live albums, Live and Babylon By Bus. They are both great, with fine song selections, and raucous, thumping performances of favorite concert numbers. But they are stadium rock, I mean reggae, and the clapping, singing crowds are out there in the distance. With this one it feels like a club atmosphere. It may have been more that a quarter century ago, but this CD set takes you RIGHT THERE. You are right in the audience, but close to the stage. The sound quality is awesome, the performances are glowing, and the finale on the second CD makes you wish it would go on for ever.I assume that if you are reading this that you are broadly familiar with Mr. Marley's songs, so I won't even attempt to describe them, All I will say is that if you like this line up of songs, you are going to love this album.I would buy this even before Legend. In fact I did, come to think of it.Here is the key to my star ratings.* A really worthless CD...
** A CD that has some good stuff, but some major defects...
***An OK CD that will please fans of the artist in question...
****An excellent CD that represents the best work of the artist in question and can be bought with confidence...
*****An absolute classic that is the best, or among the best, of its genre. Your collection should start here."

What the archives yield...

Carsten Knoch | Toronto, ON Canada | 06/27/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's interesting to see what the archives can still yield after all these years. According to an interview with one of the audio restoration engineers that I read somewhere on the web, there are hundreds of hours of unfinished Marley tapes in the vaults, many of which have now been transferred to digital and are being reviewed for possible remaster and release.This is a 'legendary' show (according to the marketing copy) from 1976 at the Roxy in Hollywood. Disc 1 was previously released in 2002 as part of the Deluxe edition of Rastaman Vibration. The second disc here, containing one short track and a 25-minute medley, is what's really new in this release. The short track, a version of "Positive Vibration" is really pretty awful (terrible keyboard sound), but the 25-minute medley of "Get Up Stand Up"/"No More Trouble"/"War" is pretty excellent and the band is definitely rocking out on this encore. Overall, I'd say this isn't a bad release, but definitely aimed at hardcore Marley collectors.If you're looking to start out an essential Marley collection, you're probably better off with some of his classic live records released during his lifetime (Live! or Babylon By Bus). If you're looking for a good introduction to Marley, try the remastered version of "Legend", the one Marley compilation nobody should be without.Lastly, it's important to say here that this is definitely an "official" Marley archives release on his family's label, Tuff Gong. There are so many substandard Marley releases out there containing early material whose copyright circumstances aren't too clear that this one stands out as an interesting new release."

One of the best live recordings ever

deadoligist | In the trees where the powder is best | 01/09/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although I never had the pleasure to see Bob live, I have seen enough archival footage to know what an electric performer he was. Listening to this CD I can almost feel myself in the audience. This is a reggae sonic explosion. There is so much going on musically from great guitar solos to the incredible backing and harmonies of the I-Threes that I find myself listening to 20-30 second sections over and over again, they are that good. I put this in my car about 5 days ago and it has not come out. The medley on disc two is just mesmerizing. This would make it to the desert island with me and I am sure that I would never get sick of it. Truly an amazing performance by an incredible man(band) that should be cherished. Natty Dread!"