CHOOSE AN ALBUM Aswad / Live and Direct Anthony B / That's Life Beenie Man / Many Moods of Moses Beenie Man / Art and Life Buju Banton / The Early Years Buju Banton / Inna Heights Buju Banton / Til Shiloh Capleton / More Fire Capleton / Still Blazin Cocoa Tea / Feel the Power Cocoa Tea / RAS portraits Culture / One Stone Culture / Payday Junior Kelly / Love so Nice John Holt / Police in Helicopter Gregory Isaacs / Private Lesson Diana King / Think like a Girl Barrington Levy / Duets Barrington Levy / Englishman/Robinhood Little John / Give the Youth a try Luciano / Messenger Bob Marley / Songs of Freedom Bob Marley&the Wailers/Complete Wailers I Bob Marley&the Wailers/Complete Wailers II The Marley Family Album Max Romeo & The Upsetters/War Ina Babylon Pablo Moses / In the Future & Dub Nicodemus / Dancehall Giant Ernest Ranglin / In Search of the Lost Riddim Augustus Pablo / This is... Augustus Pablo The Skatalites / Ball of Fire Sizzla / Be I Strong Steel Pulse Sound System/Island Anthology Strictly the Best Volume 27 & 28 Sugar Minot / Collector's Collection, Volume I Ron Taylor / Ethiopian Kings Tenor Saw / Fever Trinity / Shanty Town Determination Peter Tosh / Honorary Citizen Yabby You / Jesus Dread COMPILATIONS Essential Dancehall Reggae Jam Down Vibrations Joy Ride Reggae Songbirds

ARTIST: Bob Marley & the Wailers
TITLE: The Complete Wailers 1967-1970 Part I
LABEL: JAD Records
PRODUCERS: Johnny Nash, Arthur Jenkins (disc one); The Wailers, Mortimer Planno, Ted Pounder (disc two); Leslie Kong, The Wailers, Bunny Lee (disc three)
RELEASED: 1998

Three years after the limited run of 1,000,000 copies of the SONGS OF FREEDOM box set sold out, I still get countless queries from Marley fans wondering when it will be re-released or where it can be found. Well, the bad news is that it doesn't look like Island has any plans to reissue that monster compilation any time soon. The good news is that fans can settle for a different box now, the newly released THE COMPLETE WAILERS 1967-1972 PART 1 from JAD Records. Owning this box will make you much cooler than your friends who have SONGS OF FREEDOM; it puts a microscope to a more obscure period in the career of Bob Marley. This compilation documents a tough period in The Wailers' career, when they were struggling for their big break, recording with anyone who will give them a chance. Many of these tracks have never been released or are extremely rare (including what is reported to be the most valuable of all Wailers singles, "Selassie Is The Chapel," which had an initial pressing of 26 copies). THE COMPLETE WAILERS delivers the material that made people like Island Records president Chris Blackwell recognize Bob Marley's genius in the first place, before Marley settled into his eight year run of incredible albums in the seventies.

The Wailers, at this early stage in their career, are experimental, brash, willing to try anything and very prolific. There are countless songs that would become Marley standards when he redid them on later albums (like "Don't Rock My Boat," which became "Satisfy My Soul"). Covers of sixties hits like The Box Tops' "The Letter," The Archies' bubblegummy "Sugar Sugar," and James Brown's "(Say It Loud) I'm Black And I'm Proud" show how Marley's unique mix of pop and message songs evolved from his wide-ranging listening habits. He was always teaching himself how to make popular music: there is a story producer Tommy Cowan tells about catching Bob listening to a Bee Gees record. He asked him why he was listening to that garbage, to which Bob answered, "These guys sold ten million records last year. They must be doing something right and I'm trying to figure out what it is."

The first disc of this compilation is from one session put together by soul singer Johnny Nash, with Bob, Rita Marley and Peter Tosh being backed by Atlantic Records session men like drummer Bernard Purdie and trumpet player Hugh Masekela. The result is some very funky rock steady music that gives a slight twist to the usual Wailers style. Disc two throws together various single releases from 68-70. Disc three is the most cohesive of the set and includes the most material that has appeared in bootlegs over the years: the record THE BEST OF THE WAILERS, which they cut with producer Leslie Kong in 1970. The quality of this release is far superior to bootlegs I have heard of the same material. This is called reggae's first concept album in the liner notes by Bruno Blum (France's leading authority on reggae). In 1970, the Jamaican music industry was built around singles only; artists just did not record long-playing albums. The Wailers were inspired by The Beatles (whom they were often compared to). The album was meant to be a sort of pep talk to themselves, which explains many of the optimistic tracks, like "Cheer Up" and "Soon Come." When listening to this disc, it is amazing to consider that they were only two years from recording CATCH A FIRE, their first masterwork for Island Records, which changed the face of reggae forever.

Even though the cover of this record features a big picture of Bob Marley (along with his name dwarfing the small Wailers tag on it), don't let that fool you-these sessions are from when the Wailers were still a solid group. The bulk of the material found here has all three original Wailers, the most important vocal group in Jamaican history, though many of the songs feature Rita Marley pinch hitting for Bunny Wailer (who was in jail on ganja charges for much of 1968). Peter Tosh is especially prominent throughout, singing lead on classics like "Stop The Train," "Go Tell It On The Mountain" and the previously unreleased "Love."

This is an excellent release; it's well-packaged, with lots of liner notes by experts like Roger Steffens and Bruno Blum, and good sound quality on the recordings themselves. There are two more volumes planned. I recently heard Roger Steffens speaking about this project, and he had such joy in his eyes, sounding like the true fan he is, and not just like the archivist he is known as. I figured if it gets an expert like him that excited, it must mean normal Wailers fans like myself will be pleased with the results. Turns out I was right. This is a great record to buy for someone who has every Wailers album or only one. Don't wait for Christmas to buy this year's box set.

By Lem

Personnel: Eric Gale, Bernard Purdie, Chuck Rainey, Richard Tee, Hugh Masekela, Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Carlton Barrett, Reggie Lewis, Glen Adams, Hugh Malcolm, Jackie Jackson, Lloyd Brevett, Hux Brown, Winston Wright, Gladstone Anderson, "Ska" Campbell, Roland Alphonso, Alvin "Seeco" Patterson, Ras Michael, Larry McDonald, Mikey "Boo" Richards

Songs:
Disc One: Rock To The Rock; Rocking Steady (alternate); How Many Times; Touch Me; Mellow Mood (alternate); There She Goes; Soul Rebel (original); Put It On (alternate); Chances Are (alternate); Love; Bend Down Low (alternate); The World Is Changing; Nice Time (alternate); Treat You Right; What Goes Around Comes Around (original); What Goes Around Comes Around (version)

Disc Two: Don't Rock My Boat (original); The Lord Will Make A Way; Chances Are (original); Selassie Is The Chapel; Tread Oh; Feel Alright (original); Rhythm; Rocking Steady (original); Adam And Eve; Wisdom; This Train (alternate); Thank You Lord (alternate); Give Me A Ticket (original, aka "The Letter"); Trouble On The Road Again; Black Progress (medley of "Black Progress" and "(Say It Loud) I'm Black And I'm Proud"); Black Progress (version); Tread Oh (version)

Disc Three: Sugar Sugar; Stop The Train; Cheer Up; Soon Come; Soul Captives; Go Tell It On The Mountain; Can't You See (alternate); Give Me A Ticket (alternate); Hold On To This Feeling; Mr. Chatterbox (alternate); Soul Shake Down (version); Soon Come (version); Mr. Chatterbox (version); Hold On To This Feeling (version)