Jamaican native Bob Marley inspired many people in his homeland and all over the world with his songs about freedom, togetherness, and political activism. He released many albums during his years of commercial success, leading up to his death on May 11, 1981, at the young age of 36. This album, Legend, is a collection of popular Marley tunes that was released in 1984, just three years after Marley died on May 11, 1981, supposedly from cancer. It was released as both a greatest hits package and as a tribute to Bob Marley’s impact on the world of music.

Band Members/Personnel:

Bob Marley- Lead Vocals, Rhythm and Acoustic Guitars, Percussion
Peter Tosh- Piano, Organ, Guitar, Vocals
Bunny Livingston- Congas, Bongos, Vocals
Joe Higgs- Percussion
Aston Barrett- Bass, Percussion
Al Anderson- Guitar
Carlie Barrett- Drums and Percussion
Junior Marvin- Guitar, Vocals
Tyrone Downie- Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Alvin Patterson- Percussion
Rita Marley- Backup Vocals
Marcia Griffiths- Backup Vocals
Judy Mowatt- Backup Vocals
Earl Lindo- Keyboards, Percussion, Vocals
Earl Smith- Guitars, Percussion
Donald Kinsey- Guitar
Touter- Piano, Organ

Track Listing:

1. Is This Love
2. No Woman no Cry
3. Could you be Loved
4. Three Little Birds
5. Buffalo Soldier
6. Get up Stand up
7. Stir it Up
8. One Love
9. I Shot the Sheriff
10. Waiting in Vain
11. Redemption Song
12. Satisfy my Soul
13. Exodus
14. Jamming

“Legend” opens up with the light hearted, good times love song, “Is This Love”, originally released on 1978’s “Kaya” album. The second song, “No Woman No Cry” was first released on the 1974 album “Natty Dread”, but the version here is taken from 1975’s “Bob Marley Live” album. The organ gives this song a gospel feel to it while Bob sings about political issues.

The third song on this collection is “Could You be Loved”. This song is taken from the 1980 album “Uprising” and it’s a little different from Marley’s other songs. It still has a reggae element, but it’s really more of a pop tune than anything. The fourth track, “Three Little Birds” doesn’t contain any politics or important message. It’s just a bouncy, optimistic little song that is known more for it’s refrain (‘Don’t worry about a thing..cause every little things gonna be alright’) than for its title. It’s a very common song to hear if you ever venture into the Caribbean islands. Local bands love to perform this song for tourists.

“Buffalo Soldier” is the next song, and its one of Marley’s most political efforts. Originally released on 1983’s “Confrontation” album, this song is very direct, with Marley singing about black men who were taken from Africa and brought to America to fight in the Civil War and to kill native Americans. After listening to this song, Marley continues his poltical message with the powerful “Get up Stand up”. Originally released on 1973’s “Burnin” album, this is a song that is very in- your- face, a direct call to political action.

The seventh song on “Legend” is “Stir it Up”. Taken from the 1973 album “Catch a Fire”, this song is soft, smooth, and delicious, with bass guitar and funky instrumentation that, along with the sensuousness of the lyrics, adds to the song’s overall appeal. Next on the list is what some consider to be the quintessential Bob Marley tune, “One Love”. This is a coming together song with some religious elements. Ubiquitously known for its refrain ‘Let’s Get Together and Feel All Right’, this song was even used on television advertisements as part of Jamaica’s tourist promotion efforts.

Ninth on this album is “I Shot the Sheriff”, another political song. This tune was originally released on “Burnin” and it has the distinction of being made a number one song on the U.S. singles chart by another performer- Eric Clapton. It’s a song about oppression, with Marley singing about how the sheriff’s continuous harassment led to him shooting the sheriff in self- defense.

The tenth track, “Waiting in Vain”, was taken from 1977’s “Exodus” album. This song is a basic love song set to a reggae tune and beat. The next tune, “Redemption Song” was originally released on “Uprising” and its one of Marley’s most powerful songs. Sung with nothing but an acoustic guitar for the music, Marley sings about freedom and emancipation of the mind and soul. “Satisfy my Soul”, taken from the 1978 album “Kaya”, is similar to “Waiting in Vain”. It’s another love song with backup vocals from the ladies (Rita, Marcia, and Judy), and it’s reggae through and through.

The final songs on this collection were both taken from 1977’s “Exodus” album. The tune “Exodus” is another important political song with a strong message about exiting oppression. The album then winds up with the song “Jamming”, another bouncy reggae tune that combines politics and religion. It’s not as direct as “Buffalo Soldier” or “Get up Stand up”, but it gets its message across.

Final Thoughts:

“Legend” was released as a greatest hits package in 1984. I remember when this album was released. I was in high school at the time and this album helped to revive Marley’s memory. Although Marley’s diverse fans already owned all of his albums and, therefore, already had all of these songs on other albums, they still rushed to the stores to buy “Legend”. It was still Bob Marley, even if it didn’t contain anything new.

Marley’s songwriting has influenced and inspired people all over the globe. His songs are often laced with religious statements and politics, and those that are the least subtle are among his best. This is especially true of songs like “Buffalo Soldier” and “Get up Stand up”. The lyrics of these songs show that Bob Marley was well aware of the repression that some people of the world have faced and are still facing. “Buffalo Soldier” is like a history lesson, with Marley singing about African American men being “stolen from Africa” and brought by force to America to kill native Americans. “Get up Stand up” is the perfect song to follow “Buffalo Soldier”. Now that you know the history, Marley’s advising you to “Get up, stand up…stand up for your rights…don’t give up the fight”. In other words, it’s time to get off your bum and do something about these political issues.

Marley also likes to sing about love, courtship, and the unification of people. “One Love” is probably his best- known effort in this area. Here, Marley combines the themes of love, togetherness, and religion into a feel- good tune about harmony with man and God. There are a few other love songs on this album as well, like “Is This Love”, “Could you be Loved”, “Waiting in Vain”, and “Satisfy my Soul”. But most of Bob Marley’s most memorable tunes are the political ones. Their messages still ring true even today, in spite of the progress that has been made to free oppressed people of the world.

Some fans might be disappointed that specific songs were not included in this package. However, with someone as legendary as Bob Marley, it would be difficult to include every great hit on one album collection. In fact, many die- hard fans and critics alike consider most every song Bob Marley ever created to be worthy of “greatest hit” status. This collection of 14 songs would probably be best labeled as some of Marley’s most commercially known songs. There are really too many great Bob Marley and the Wailers tunes to place all of them on a single album.

Bob Marley wrote most of the songs on this album himself. The exceptions are “No Woman no Cry”, written by V. Ford; “Buffalo Soldier”, written by Marley and N.G. Williams; “Get up Stand up”, written by Marley and Peter Tosh; and “One Love” written by Marley and C. Mayfield.

Bob Marley was known for his innovativeness in music and his influence on so many people, all over the world, through the words of his songs. He wrote about political oppression, discrimination, slavery, peace, love, religion, and harmony. And, of course, he is also considered the pioneer in reggae music. “Legend” is often regarded as one of the best compilation albums ever produced. Even if you already own each of these songs on other albums, “Legend” is still worth the purchase. It provides a concise set of popular songs that are among the greatest reggae tunes ever created, confirming the musical genius of this man from the Caribbean, Mr. Bob Marley.


Standout Tracks: All of them, but if I had to narrow it down to three, I would choose: Buffalo Soldier, No Woman no Cry, and Stir it Up.



Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews on Bob Marley:

Exodus
Natty Dread
Uprising
Kaya
Catch a Fire (Book)




Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends