Bob Marley & the Wailers recorded with producer/auteur Lee “Scratch” Perry from August 1970 until April 1971, a time during which the Wailers’ mature sound was born, thanks in no small part to Perry, who trimmed away any rhythmic excess while insisting the Wailers deliver songs that were sharpened and focused, and it is no accident that the first of Marley’s many masterpieces began appearing at this time. There are countless editions of these sessions with Perry on the market, and this one at least has liner notes, although unfortunately they aren’t particularly accurate, stating that these recordings were made at Perry’s famed Black Ark Studio when they were in fact mostly recorded at Randy’s (Black Ark wasn’t fully operational until 1973, and Perry made no recordings there until then). The music contained here, though, is wonderful, and these versions of “Kaya,” “African Herbsman,” and “Corner Stone” are all Jamaican classics. – Steve Leggett
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