Customer Reviews

One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & the Wailers

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I love Bob and I own "Legend", which arguably could be considered a Greatest Hits CD as well. Therefore, I was sort of surprised when this album came out because there is so much overlap between songs. Nevertheless I bought this album and I have to say the additional songs on this album and not on "Legend" (Turn Your Lights Down Low, So Much Trouble in the World, Iron Lion Zion) compliment this classic Bob Marley album and make this well worth the purchase even though I own "Legend".

If you do not already own "Legend", hands down this has to be a better choice if you are looking for a single CD as your Bob Marley collection. If you are a bigger fan, be sure to check out his 4-cd box set "Songs of Freedom".

The basics : "One Love" drops one track from "Legend" ("Satisfy My Soul") and adds seven others. Both CDs use the live version of "No Woman, No Cry", while "One Love" substitutes the full band version of "Redemption Song" for "Legend"'s acoustic version. "One Love" presents its tracks in chronological order, while "Legend" is programmed more for listening pleasure or party play. You really can't go wrong with either choice (assuming you don't wish to dig a little deeper with the box set), but even though "One Love" gives better representation to all of Marley's Tuff Gong albums, "Legend" remains a sentimental favorite. Five stars to "One Love" though. By the way, Tuff Gong is reissuing all its Marley CDs in newly-remastered versions over the summer and fall of 2001 (even though they already sound great).

This updated Bob Marley greatest hits collection was released 20 years and one day after the legendary Jamaican singer's funeral, 10 days after his untimely 1981 death from cancer at 36. It closed a 20-year career that still seemed brief, and a legacy inspiring world music and alternative rock styles, and US/Third World relations, to this day.

"One Love" is brighter-sounding, more generous sounding 1984's "Legend," reggae's top-selling LP and itself a model of packaging and artist respect. Marley's beloved hits are here, among the only reggae tracks most casual listeners have heard: the serene "One Love/People Get Ready," (used consistently in TV commercials), the sinewy "Jamming" and "Stir It Up" (an earlier hit for Johnny Nash), the infamous, strident "I Shot The Sheriff" and "Get Up, Stand Up." These songs slide from personal to political to spiritual to sensual casually, as slyly as Peter Tosh's legendary keyboard work cushioned Marley's guitar and trademark percussion. The first sounds of New Wave (Police, U2) is difficult to comprehend without these classic tracks.

You also hear Marley's deep love for American soul in "Roots, Rock, Reggae" (sounding like James Brown in ballad mode), his clever wordplay in "Iron Lion Zion" and his compelling, hypnotic concert sound in 1975's "No Woman, No Cry." ("One Love" lacks tracks from 1978's remarkable "Babylon By Bus" live set).

Despite evocative photographs and superb Ted Jensen remastering, "One Love"'s annotation lags behind "Legend." Billboard editor/Marley biographer Timothy White contributed an historical essay and song-by-song commentary to the 1984 set, acknowledging Marley bandmates Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and the I-Threes (including widow Rita Marley) for their contributions. "One Love," meanwhile, only lists Wailer members between 1972-81.

But the quality of its music and packaging still makes "One Love" yet another superb collection from UTV, Universal Music's catalogue division releasing bright-sounding artist and label compilation updates ("Classic Motown," "Pure Disco," greatest hits sets from Tom Petty, Tom Jones, Ella Fitzgerald and others) and bringing revered music into the 21st century. "One Love" is a recommended, intelligent purchase for those dissatisfied with the fewer songs on "Legend," but unwilling to purchase Marley's expansive box set "Songs of Freedom."

THE BAND: "The Wailers" (1972-1981) are Bob Marley (lead vocals, guitar, percussion), Peter McIntosh (piano, organ, guitar), Bunny Livingston (congas, bongos), Aston Barrett (bass, percussion), Carlton Barrett (drums & percussion), Karl Lindo (keyboards), Karl Smith (guitar), Donald Kinsey (guitar), Julian Marvin (guitar)... and other assorted players over the years.

THE DISC: (2001) 20 tracks in chronological order of release - clocking in at approximately 78 minutes. Contains a 19-page booklet with page by page song listing, the album the songs came from, the year released of each song, numerous pictures, band members, and thank you's (no lyrics). Digitally remastered sound. Label - Tuff Gong / Island.

COMMENTS: "One Love" is a wonderful CD. A notch better than "Legend" due to 5 extra songs and crisp remastering. You'll find 14 of the 15 songs from "Legend" here (minus ""Satisfy My Soul"). The necessary extra songs you get are "Iron Lion Zion", "So Much Trouble In The World", "Roots, Rock, Reggae", "Turn Your Lights Down Low" and the hit or miss bonus "I Know A Place" (never released). This compilation grabs from most of Marley's popular works... 2 songs from the CD "Burnin'", 1 from "Kaya", 1 from "Natty Dread", 1 from "Survival", 1 from "Confrontation", 2 from "Uprising", and a stunning 6 from his most succesful studio album "Exodus". You also get a better rendition of the "Redemption Song" featuring the whole band and not just Marley and his guitar. There are a few tunes I miss from "Kaya" and 2 tunes in particular I miss from "Natty Dread" ("Lively Up Yourself" and "So Jeh Seh"). If you own no Marley, this is THE place to start. Nice liner notes and photography as well - the sleeve cover photo is one of the best naturally posed pictures of Bob Marley I can remember. When you think of the MASTER of reggae, you MUST think of Bob Marley... and this is his best single compilation to date. Seems like it was just last year when he died (1980)... the time flies by and his music still sounds fresh and current. The legend lives on! Great disc.

For many years, "Legend" was the only truly great compilation of this man's life's work but if you don't already have that album or if you are new to Bob Marley and want to find out what all the fuss is about, this hard-to-find version is really the best that there is. 20 great track selections and one track, the last one, that's not even on any other Marley album and most importantly of all, the sound quality is brilliant! Too many albums use the "remastered" claim too easily and sometimes even falsely to get you to "upgrade" from the album you already have but this is not one of them as this disc has been remastered to perfection. If you are not too wild about "live" performances just like me, then don't worry too much about the more expensive 2-disc version as this great one-disc version will more than suffice. Great track selections, great sound quality, great value for money, this is THE Bob Marley one-disc compilation album to get. Highly recommended!

These days, record companies seem to put out varying versions of artists' greatest hits. Its at a point where these companies think they can make money by changing the tracks.

This is very evident with this Bob Marley compilation. Thirteen of the twenty tracks are from the top selling Legend compilation. By the way Legend has sixteen tracks(twowhich are bonus tracks). Ok, the Redemption Song is a group version here as compared to the acoustic one on Legend. And this compilation has seven additional tracks. Of these seven tracks, I find the melodies of Iron Lion Zion, Turn Your Lights Down Low,and Lively Up Yourself to be quite good. The others are not bad but somehow seem to not be on the same level as such classics as Jamming, I Shot The Sheriff, Waiting In Vain, and Get Up Stand Up.

Therefore, if you like these extra seven tracks as much as the other Marley Classics, pick this CD up at once. Otherwise Legend may be the better purcahse for those who want the quick study on Bob Marley.

After hearing Bob Marley's exceptional sounds after these many years, you'll surely feel a sense of nostalgia that will surely make you feel all misty-eyed. One Love, a digitally re-mastered collection of all the best Bob Marley and the Wailers songs recorded before his 1980 death from cancer, has in our opinion replaced Marley's Legend as the ultimate and best reggae recording ever. Despite all those `tribute' albums to Marley with tracks recorded by various, virtually unknown reggae artists, nothing beats actually hearing old Bob and his Wailers singing psychedelic tunes about jamming in the streets and shooting sheriffs. Released exactly 20 years after Marley's untimely passing, the album has been created for casual fans as well as the hardcore completist in a set that plays in chronological date of release rather than `compilation tape' style. The recording includes everything from "Stir It Up"; the band's first major hit in 1973, right up to the Marley-written, Lee `Scratch' Perry-produced rarity "I Know a Place" giving the listener an insight into how Marley's message in his songs changed from just having fun in something like "Jamming" to political views on Jamaica through "Redemption Song". The most enjoyable track on the CD though still has to be the live version of "No Woman, No Cry" with its organ-driven background sounds and its hypnotic concert audience making you feel like old Bob's singing right in front of you. The superb and previously under-appreciated "Sun Is Shining" is also included on the CD, making it practically a perfect collection and allowing you to hear the "non-Funkstar-De-Luxe-DJ" version of Marley's great song. Containing a great booklet of photo-to-cover-art images of all of Marley's albums, this CD is definitely the finest collection of Bob Marley tunes you can lay your hands on. Get it now, no matter what.

The music and instrumentation on this disc is unbelievable. I would reccommend this over Legend if you could only buy one Wailers disc for your collection. The set covers all of the Albums from this musical genius' career and really shows why his cd's are still selling 25 years or so after his death. This cd covers more than Legend and in my opinion is better. The booklet tells you a little about each of the albums, so if you like a certain few songs and how they sound, you can go and buy the album and get more of the same type sound. One Love offers a few rare songs like Iron Lion Zion and I Know a Place. This disc is probably the best start to learning about Bob Marley and his amazing band the Wailers.

This is an amazing collection! 20 classic Marley tracks plus two new ones! The unreleased track I KNOW A PLACE should be on the radio - and apparently this is the only CD you'll find it on, and the other rare track is the band version of REDEMPTION SONG -another must have. Very cool packaging, I love the cover!

Jamaica born Bob Marley left a legacy for fans old and new to enjoy now and forever ~ one of the first in the "world of reggae" ~ almost everything he and the Wailers recorded was a hit or a definite impact during his musical journey to immortalization.

There have been literally hundreds of albums released with much of the material on this CD, but with one difference ~ this release is inclusive featuring his top hits in a highly digital remastered content.

Let's take a look at the stand outs ~ "STIR IT UP" (1973) ~ "GET UP, STAND UP" (1973) ~ "I SHOT THE SHERIFF" (1973), was a big, big hit and by the way was later recorded by Eric Clapton ~ "NO WOMAN, NO CRY" (1975), recorded before a live audience ~ "EXODUS" (1977), simply electrifying performance ~ and lastly the highlight is "ONE LOVE/PEOPLE GET READY" (1977), with a deep and sensitive message for everyone.

Hats off to ~ Bill Levenson & Maxine Stowe (compilation producers) ~ the Marley Family ~ Island Def Jam Music Group ~ Tuff Gong ~ UTV Records of Universal Music for distributing this one-of-a-kind collections from a legendary icon, whose memory will live on through his music ~ BOB MARLEY!

Total Time: 78:55 on 20 Tracks ~ Island Def Jam Music... ~ (2001)