Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Bob Marley - Songs Of Freedom [1999] (4 x CD's)

BOB MARLEY

Bob Marley - Songs Of Freedom [1999] (4 x CD's)

When Songs of Freedom was released originally in 1992, it was a perfect complement to either a greatest hits collection like Legend or the entire collection of the reggae master's albums. Songs boasts enough of the recognizable from Marley's canon to address the hit seeker, but the set also reaches way, way back to include Marley's first single, the youthful "Judge Not" from 1962, and then closes more than four hours later with a 1980 live take of "Redemption Song" from his last concert. In between are live takes, studio remixes, and, of course, standard looks at Marley standards, playing together as a perfect balance between the familiar and the new. The flow of famous takes increases into CDs 3 and 4, where "No Woman, No Cry" appears from a 1976 set at the Roxy and where "Jammin'" and "Exodus" come in mixes that were new to fans in 1992. Of course these four CDs show in wide-angle view exactly how fantastic and commercially improbable Marley was. He was able to popularize tunes about both the repression of African nations and their liberation while also bringing to rock audiences an undeniably Jamaican music, breaking the U.S. and British geographic strongholds on the 1970s pop and rock marketplace. Never mind that he made Island Records' first fortune, he also created a body of work so lasting that a four-CD set heavy on alternate versions can stand out in any contemporary music collection. For the 1999 reissue of the original 1992 box set, no new music has been added. The format has changed, though, from a long-box presentation to a cube containing individual slip-cased CDs. It's still a remarkable gem. (Amazon)

SONGS OF FREEDOM is an outstanding box set and collection of songs that gives the listener a wonderful overview of not only the growth of this band but of Reggae as a whole.

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Pt1.     Pt.2 

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Track list 
CD1
01 Robert Marley - Judge Not 2:26
02 Robert Marley - One Cup Of Coffee 2:34
03 The Wailers - Simmer Down 2:50
04 The Wailers - I'm Still Waiting 3:07
05 The Wailers - One Love / People Get Ready (Original) 3:21
06 The Wailers - Put It On 3:08
07 The Wailers - Bus Dem Shut (Pyaka) 2:47
08 The Wailers - Mellow Mood (Original) 3:31
09 The Wailers - Bend Down Low 2:30
10 The Wailers - Hypocrites 2:35
11 The Wailers - Stir It Up (Original) 3:12
12 The Wailers - Nice Time 2:45
13 The Wailers - Thank You Lord (Original) 3:41
14 The Wailers - Hammer 2:56
15 The Wailers - Caution 2:44
16 The Wailers - Back Out 2:18
17 The Wailers - Soul Shake Down Party 3:05
18 The Wailers - Do It Twice 2:48
19 The Wailers - Soul Rebel 3:18
20 The Wailers - Sun Is Shining 2:11
21 The Wailers - Don't Rock The Boat 3:39
22 The Wailers - Small Axe 3:32
23 The Wailers - Duppy Conqueror 4:31
24 The Wailers - Mr. Brown 3:56

CD2
01 The Wailers - Screw Face 2:23
02 The Wailers - Lick Samba 2:33
03 The Wailers - Trenchtown Rock (Alternate Mix) 3:28
04 The Wailers - Craven Choke Puppy 2:52
05 The Wailers - Guava Jelly 2:17
06 The Wailers - Acoustic Medley:  Guava Jelly / This Train / Cornerstone / Comma Comma / Dewdrops / Stir It Up / I'm Hurting Inside 12:09
07 Bob Marley - I'm Hurting Inside (Alternate Mix) 3:28
08 The Wailers - High Tide Or Low Tide 4:09
09 The Wailers - Slave Driver 2:51
10 The Wailers - No More Trouble 3:59
11 The Wailers - Concrete Jungle 4:10
12 The Wailers - Get Up Stand Up 3:14
13 The Wailers - Rastaman Chant 3:50
14 The Wailers - Burnin' And Lootin' 4:13
15 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Iron Lion Zion 2:55
16 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Lively Up Yourself 5:10
17 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Natty Dread 3:34
18 Bob Marley & The Wailers - I Shot The Sheriff (Live) 5:26

CD3
01 Bob Marley - No Woman, No Cry (Live at the Roxy) 5:22
02 Bob Marley - Who the Cap Fit 4:42
03 Bob Marley - Jah Live 4:15
04 Bob Marley - Crazy Baldheads 3:10
05 Bob Marley - War 3:36
06 Bob Marley - Johnny Was 3:46
07 Bob Marley - Rat Race 2:49
08 Bob Marley - Jammin' (12  Mix) 5:45
09 Bob Marley - Waiting in Vain (Advert Mix) 3:59
10 Bob Marley - Exodus [12  Version] 7:25
11 Bob Marley - Natural Mystic 3:28
12 Bob Marley - Three Little Birds (Alternate Mix) 2:56
13 Bob Marley - Running Away (London Version) 4:14
14 Bob Marley - Keep on Moving 5:44
15 Bob Marley - Easy Skanking 2:56
16 Bob Marley - Is This Love (Horns Mix) 4:00
17 Bob Marley - Smile Jamaica 3:13
18 Bob Marley - Time Will Tell 3:32

CD4
01 Bob Marley - Africa Unite 2:54
02 Bob Marley - Survival 3:52
03 Bob Marley - One Drop 3:51
04 Bob Marley - One Dub 3:53
05 Bob Marley - Zimbabwe 3:47
06 Bob Marley - So Much Trouble in the World 3:57
07 Bob Marley - Ride Natty Ride [12  Version] 6:22
08 Bob Marley - Babylon System 4:18
09 Bob Marley - Coming in From the Cold [12  Version] 6:04
10 Bob Marley - Real Situation 3:09
11 Bob Marley - Bad Card 2:48
12 Bob Marley - Could You Be Loved (12  Mix) 5:26
13 Bob Marley - Forever Loving Jah 3:52
14 Bob Marley - Rastaman Live Up 5:21
15 Bob Marley - Give Thanks and Praise 3:14
16 Bob Marley - One Love People Get Ready [12  Version] 7:08
17 Bob Marley - Why Should I 3:33
18 Bob Marley - Redemption Song (Live) 4:08

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10 comments:

  1. Butterboy, many thanks for this great overview of Bob Marley and his music. He died very young in 1981 and when he did the baton was dropped and it has not been picked up since. Although this is mostly sunshine music, much of it has a serious message. Really good stuff :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Man from Mordor.
      I always enjoy this set.
      Cheers.

      Delete
  2. BB I don't know what happened to my comment. I mentioned that I had not ripped my own copy but that the posting of the reissue would be great.
    Also I mentioned about the ambient versions by Bill Laswell that are worth checking out.
    Thanks again. (I should remember to look for my comment before I leave.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can't say I noticed it previously, lemonflag.
      I hope I didn't delete it by accident.
      Are you refering to this. https://www.discogs.com/release/375365-Bill-Laswell-Ambient-Compendium
      Cheers.

      Delete
    2. The Bill Laswell ambient Marley is really quite good! But I am a huge Laswell fanboy

      Delete
    3. https://www.discogs.com/master/75311-Bob-Marley-Dreams-Of-Freedom-Ambient-Translations-Of-Bob-Marley-In-Dub
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cynyizJdNuY
      Enjoy.

      Delete
  3. There is one song from Bob Marley that I rarely see on compilations and I have only seen on CD once, back in the 80's when there weren't many CD's available. I bought it because, well it was Marley, and there weren't many to choose from back then. I had to drive an hour to get to the closest store that had CD's. Anyway I never saw the CD again, but it had a brilliant song called "Milkshake and Potato Chips". Very obviously is early Bob Marley and it says with Peter Tosh and Rita Marley. I have the song on my blog: https://polinatewtc.blogspot.com/2023/01/reggae-pick-2.html

    ReplyDelete