Spotify Sunday: The essential Bob Marley

I first became aware of Bob Marley when I heard ‘Put It On’ by the Wailers, and their version of Tom Jones’s ‘What’s New Pussycat’, in 1967. These tracks in turn led me to discover the ska songs recorded at Studio One, such as the blueprint of Bob’s all- time world classic ‘One Love’ and their first Jamaican chart-topping single, ‘Simmer Down’.

However, it was the landmark album Soul Rebel, produced by Lee Perry, that really blew me away: haunting harmonies and powerful lyrics, set to a lean, bass-driven set of dense reggae rhythms, the sparseness of which provided the perfect backdrop for the glorious vocals of Bob and his fellow Wailers, Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingstone. The Barret Brothers, Carlton (drums) and Aston (bass), provided the backbone of the rhythms and eventually became full-time members of The Wailers, after the group was signed to Island Records by Chris Blackwell.