Bob Marley Trenchtown Rock: Anthology '69-'78 CD - Import

Recorded between 1969 & 1978. Includes liner notes by Laurence Cane-Honeysett.

This excellent 2002 Bob Marley collection presents many of the legendary reggae artist's finest songs from 1969-'78, including "Soul Shakedown Party," "Duppy Conqueror," "Soul Rebel," "Kaya," and many more.

Somewhere between LEGEND--the definitive single disc Bob Marley collection--and the four-disc career spanning box SONGS OF FREEDOM lies this impressive collection. TRENCHTOWN ROCK: ANTHOLOGY '69-'78 will fill in the gaps for those only familiar with the former while more completist Marley fans may have these recordings in other places. Essentially covering the early Wailers period before the 1974 departure of Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, the two-disc set concentrates on Marley as a single member of an impeccable band in its prime--rather than as a solo artist. Throughout 52 tracks (many of them produced by a young Lee "Scratch" Perry), Marley's voice blends in elevating harmony with Wailer's and Tosh's over spry ska, rock steady, and classic roots reggae rhythms. Many fine moments here--like groovy "Stop the Train" and the classic protest song "Presser Man"--highlight Peter Tosh's as a frontman while others--such as "Trench Town Rock" and "Lively Up Yourself"--present Marley in a much rawer, looser sound than his renowned Island output of the mid and late '70s.

UK compilation, spanning 1969-78 features the perfect cross-section of the cream of Bob Marley recordings outside of Island Records vault. Improved sound quality, packaging & annotation are far superior to other collections. These recordings include some of Marley's most memorable work. Housed in a slipcase. 2002.

All tracks have been digitally remastered.

British edition.

Compilation producer: Laurence Cane-Honeysett.

Personnel includes: Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingstone.

Producers include: Ted Pounder, Edward "Bunny" Lee, Leslie Kong, Lee "Scratch" Perry.

Q (3/02, p.137) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Magnificent..."
The Wire (2/02, p.65) - "...Contains some of The Wailers' least affected and most ecstatic tracks, many of them early takes that would later turn up rerecorded during the Island years..."
Mojo (Publisher) (3/02, p.121) - "...This comp explains how a Jamaican doo wop singer morphed into the face and voice of multi-racial protest rock."
NME (Magazine) (2/16/02, p.39) - 9 out of 10 - "...Marley would never match the genre-defining brilliance shown here...dominated by tracks recorded with Lee Perry between '69 and '71 when they effectively ivented roots reggae..."