Rastaman Vibration
It is hard to believe that in 1976, when Rastaman Vibration was first released in America, it took Bob Marley into the Top Ten alongside disco records and corporate rock. Despite the good cheer of the title track and the upbeat "Roots, Rock, Reggae," Rastaman Vibration contains some of Marley's most intense images of oppression, paranoia and despair. Tracks such as "Who the Cap Fit," "Crazy Baldhead" and "War" are offered by the Wailers with dire urgency as Marley's brutal visions are echoed by his own church choir, the I-Threes. Twenty-six years on, neither Marley's music nor his message has lost its sting. In addition to a grab bag of bonus songs, this expanded edition also contains a real prize: live tracks recorded in 1976 at the Roxy in Hollywood.