Customer Reviews

Best of the Wailers

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If you are anything more than a casual Marley fan, this album is definitely one to seek out. Despite its title this is not a compilation but in fact the very first Wailers project conceived and executed as an album in Jamaica way back in 1970. The titles all come from the same short-lived sessions for Leslie Kong who died shortly after finishing the record. If you like the raw sounds of the early reggae recordings by the Wailers (especially the Lee Perry produced Upsetter recordings) as much or more than the polished later studio efforts of Marley's solo career, this is a great album, worth having for Caution alone, a masterpiece by Marley, long underappreciated, and one of his greatest recordings. The groove they achieve on this track, led by a tingling lead guitar line, is extraordinary. Back Out and Do It Twice, both also written by Marley are also classics, especially Back Out with its laid back resentment. Peter Tosh's compositons are also excellent, expecially Stop the Train, and the only track that could possibly be called weak is a rather tepid version of the traditional Go Tell It on the Mountain. If this is the same version I own, released through Universal International in 2004, then the sound quality is quite good for such an old recording, though it varies from track to track. It is roughly comparable to the sound that the four tracks from this record that are on the Songs of Freedom boxed set have. The sound of the original recordings is actually quite different from the Perry sessions, having a less reverb-laden more Uptown feel typical of Kong. Seek out this album for a great listen to an early Reggae album (and it should be quite affordable too). Not quite as essential as the Perry recordings, but almost.

This is the Wailers first full Jamaican album produced by Leslie Kong. This is not one of the thousands of cheesy "Best Of" collections. The title was an attempt to get this album sold outside Jamaica. This is a must have early recording when the Wailers were a group and not a back up band. The original Stop the Train with lead vocals from Peter Tosh is worth the price alone. Many of the tracks are on "The Essential Bob Marley and the Wailers" compilation with some great Lee Perry produced tracks. I personally enjoy listening to the first album by one of my favorite bands in its original form.

If you don't know Bob, Bunny or Peter, this is your basic Wailers 101 to start from zero.