After all, as another of Bob’s rarest songs- “Selassie Is The Chapel” makes clear-the Ethiopian Emperor was regarded as more than a Black King, he was a fulfillment of prophecy, a deity incarnate. “Jah guide and protect us,” he sings as if he’s wrenching every note from his very soul, “when we’re wrong correct us.” Hauntingly beautiful.Īfter the international press reported the death of Emperor Haile Selassie I on 27 August 1975, at the age of 83, following a coup d’etat, devout Rastfarians were understandably distraught. One of the sweetest songs Bob Marley ever sang, this profession of undying devotion-addressed to a friend moreso than a lover-that segues into a memory of his mother praying for him as a child. Re-issed on the 1986 Island Records compilation Rebel Music, it “Some a leaf, some a branches,” Bob observes. This little-known 1975 Tuff Gong single predates the popular American miniseries by two years. “Natty Dread want a shuffle,” Bob sings passionately, “Not looking for nothing to scuffle.” (Nash recorded some of Marley’s best-known compositions.) Although the deal would prove to be short lived, some worthwhile music survives-including this smooth, sweet pop song about the latest dance craze sweeping the island.Ī 1977 Scratch Perry production, this tune uses the metaphor of cheating at cards and dominoes to express the wickedness of the Babylon system as it downpresses poor people. While visiting Jamaica, American recording artist Johnny Nash discovered Bob Marley and quickly recruited him to work with JAD Records, the label he formed with his business partner Danny Sims. Thirty-six years later it hits harder than ever.īob Marley sang some beautiful love songs, few of them as sad as this one, an unreleased out-take from the Survival sessions that didn’t exactly fit the theme of the album, which featured tracks like “Africa Unite” and “Zimbabwe.” Leaving aside all speculation as to who may have inspired the song, this poignant slice of heartbreak is as real as it gets. Audio After The Jump… “Babylon Feel Dis One”Īccording to Roger Steffens & Leroy Jodie Pierson’s Bob Marley and the Wailers: The Definitive Discography, this officially unreleased gem was a rough demo laid down during Bob Marley’s last-ever recorded session. If you know all ten of these already, nuff respect. A serious reggae fan will have heard at least a few before. Most will come as a revelation to your average Legend listener. In honor of Robert Nesta Marley’s 71st Birthday, we’ve gathered some of our favorite rarities and under-rated Marley classics. But like the song says, “Half the story has never been told.” Even if you’ve collected all of Marley’s albums for Island Records you could still spend a lifetime exploring his work with Scratch Perry, Coxsone Dodd, Leslie Kong, Danny Sims, or Randy’s Studio 17. It’s a good bet the actual numbers are a lot higher, but let’s just say that the 15 tracks on that album have served as most people’s introduction to the Tuff Gong-and to reggae music overall. The Songs That Made The Gong A Legend Are Not All On Legendīob Marley’s greatest hits collection Legend is the top-selling reggae album of all time, with at least 15 million copies sold-according to the RIAA website.
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