Customer Reviews

Babylon By Bus

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Babylon by Bus" was, when originally issued in 1978, the second official live album by Bob Marley (1975's "Live" being the first). "Live" of course is best known for the definitive version of "No Woman No Cry", but I will go out on a limb here, and suggest that "Babylon by Bus" is not only better than "Live", but one of the best live albums, ever.

Things immediately kick off with a blaze with "Rastaman Vibration", and the party never stops from there. Bob's backup band and singers are in top form througout. Highlights are many, including "Punky Reggae Party", "Rate Race" (surprisingly, perhaps, a tune written by Rita Marley, Bob's wife), "Concrete Jungle" and "Rebel Music". It also contains the better known "Is This Love" and "Jamming".

If there is one Bob Marley I would recommend to anyone, this is clearly the one. Furthermore, at 73 min. (originally a double vinyl album), this is the best bang-for-the-buck Marley album. Essential in anyone's CD collection.

I rarely give 5 star ratings so take this seriously. I am usually critcal of live recordings due to poor sound quality or unbalanced mixes. This is not only a great performance with great sound quality but my favorite Marley album. In fact, it is my favorite reggae album period. Several tracks are even better than the studio version. You will not be disappointed.

Although most Marley fans are more than familiar with Babylon by Bus as an exceptional live album that Marley recorded while on tour in Europe (mostly recorded in Paris) in 1977-78, many of the more pedestrian fans remain completely unaware of its existence. War/No More Trouble, with Marley exhibiting such unparalleled and genuine passion during its performance, makes for undoubtedly the most powerful song on this CD. And, suffice it to say, all of the other 'hit' songs do not disappoint by any stretch. A must own for any true Marley fan -- period.

At least one of the earlier reviews recommends novice listeners start with this cd before going to the greatest hits package. I would say that the novice would do well to buy this package and Legend (the original single disc is recommended here because I do not own the new expanded version and cannot comment on its contents).
I still recommend this cd if you are looking to move beyond the novice level.
So, anyone with any interest in Bob Marley should own Babylon by Bus.
These songs were taken from numerous stops on his 1977/78 tour of Europe but the sequence sounds like one big show. This is not the intimate show that you get on something like Live at the Roxy - it's music festival big. The overall feeling reminds me of reggae festivals we used to have at the beach when I was growing up on the coast of NC.
The atmosphere is big but Marley and the band never seem overwhelmed as they rise to the occasion on each song. The audience is taken along on a fantastic reggae trip.
Don't let any more time pass without these great performances in your collection.

The trouble with live albums is that techically the music is never as good as on studio albums. But Bob Marley is one of those performers who I enjoy live just as much as in the studio. I have three different live albums of his, and they are all great, but I think that what perhaps gives this one the edge is that it has the best song selection. The versions of Stir It Up, Rebel Music, Heathen, and Is This Love are particulary excellent, and the only track I'm not crazy about is Jamming, which is possibly my favorite Marley number, but just not in this version.

But what you do get here is a great rowdy, thumping performance of a baker's dozen of Marley favorites, mostly in extended versions, with some fine guitar soloing and and hand-clapping, foot-stomping, sing-along audience making for great atmospherics.

I love playing this album on my daily commute to and from work, and sometimes wish I had a bit further to travel. It would also make an excellent gift for the Marley fan who has a few of the studio albums, but wants to live (or relive) the experience of a live performance of one of the world's greatest stars...

This is not an actual live concert, but rather 2 or 3 from the Bob Marley and the Wailers 1977-78 tours of Europe. During this time period the band was gaining much more popularity. The Wailers were much bigger in Europe than they were here in the states, but none the less this is still a record that should be purchased by anyone wanting to start a reggae collection. This was the first Bob Marley and the Wailers cd I puchased, and after listening to it I couldn't stop. If you think the Wailers are good in the studio, they will blow you away with their live performances here. This cd is of very good quality, and the rythm section of the Barret brothers dominates everything. There are some great bass lines, and some even better drumming displayed on this record. I highly reccommend this to anyone who is a fan of the Wailers, and even if you aren't a fan this will make you into a fan.

"Babylon By Bus" captures Bob Marley & the Wailers in the middle of the European leg of the "Kaya" World Tour in 1978. The album shows the band performing with amazing, spellbinding energy. Nearly every hit from the Marley repertoire up to that point in his career is here from "Stir It Up" to "Is This Love". This shows Marley near the height of his career, having become a musical icon all over the world as he thrust reggae into the mainstream of music just two years earlier with "Rastaman Vibration".

The best song on the album is the closing track, "Jamming," with a stellar guitar solo. Also outstanding with an even more impressive guitar solo is "Heathen". This album is phenomenal, and in my opinion, a great addition to, and better than 1975's "Live!" album. If you buy this, you won't be disappointed in the least.

Turn down the lights, turn up the bass, and light one- this CD is bound to blow your mind. The precussion and bass will make your jaw drop, especially on tracks like War and Exudos. This CD is really what Bob Marley is all about. Listening to Bob live is really a different experience and this CD does a good job capturing his live energy. Its worth every cent.

I'm just a casual reggae fan, I'll admit, and I much prefer hearing it played live to listening to records (my former home in North Carolina made that possible fairly often). Maybe that's why I love this CD so much. Legend culls Marley's biggest hits, but it's a grab bag and feels like it. However, this CD is a coherent piece that captures the artist's true soul, with definitive versions of many classics that didn't make it onto Legend, like "Lively Up Yourself" and "Rebel Music."

Those who love 20th-century music, not just reggae, should add this to their collections as one of its towering works. Enough said.

This is my favorite album from Bob Marley and the Wailers and I own all of the Tuff Gong Albums. "Punky Reggae Party" gives me chills when I hear the crowd sing back to him. It's got classic tracks that many will be familiar with and quite a few that introduce new listeners to his music beyond Legend and his other greatest hit compilations. What I truly enjoy is hearing the composition of the music with the band, back-up singers and Marley's vocals blending together and captured live.