BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS
Greatest Hits At Studio 1 (Heartbeat)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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Clement "Coxsone" Dodd had a legendary ear for potential hits, which made his Studio 1 a focal point for the brutally competitive Jamaican music scene of the sixties. When he first heard a young vocal quintet, proteges of the great Joe Higgs, he recognized potential, but it's hard to imagine that he recognized how much potential was truly there. Within a year, the departure of Junior Braithwaite and Beverly Kelso would leave a trio that would own five of the top ten places on the Jamaican charts in 1965. The Wailers, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Neville Livingston, created memorable ska and rock steady and were central to the development of reggae, a musical evolution that can be traced through the 18 tracks on this compilation. They could also crank out some remarkably good, remarkably straight forward R&B, and there's evidence of that here, too.

Greatest Hits At Studio 1 is a great collection, containing some of the Wailer's finest performances and seminal versions of songs that would become trademarks for the group and its individual members for decades to come. With backing from the Skatalites and other legends of Jamaican music, this is better than a collector's item - this is a listener's joy.

Track List:

One Love * (I'm Gonna) Put It On * Simmer Down * Treat Me Good * Who Feels It Knows It * Cry To Me * It Hurts To Be Alone * Dreamland * Let Him Go * Sinner Man * Jailhouse * Love And Affection * Maga Dog * I Am Going Home * I Need You So * I'm Still Waiting * And I Love Her * Sunday Morning

[Pick this up at www.rounder.com.]

© 2003 - Shaun Dale