Soul Rebels [Remaster] (CD - 1970)

Liner Note Author: David Katz.

Originally issued in 1970, Soul Rebels was the first album credited to Bob Marley & the Wailers, and it was also the band's first full-length collaboration with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, for whom they had already recorded a string of fairly successful singles. Working with the newly configured Upsetters band, Marley and crew delivered a strange and wonderful set of early reggae that at times plays fast and loose with the already established conventions of the genre -- on "My Cup" the beat sounds inside out, while "It's Alright" sounds like a slightly Jamaicanized version of Motown soul. Other songs, such as the beautifully harmonized "Try Me," show their deep roots in rocksteady. One of the most arresting tracks on the album is the Peter Tosh sung "Four Hundred Years," on which Tosh unburdens himself of some of his typically dread pronouncements in his rich, chesty voice. ~ Rick Anderson

Licensed from its original label (Trojan Recordings), this release on Receiver is a reissue of the original 1970 Bob Marley and the Wailers album produced by Lee "Scratch" Perry. The disc is the same, from the track list right down to the sexist commando cover art, and these imminently groovy, R&B-flavored pop gems show no signs of wear.

Marley's compositions from this period, though often overlooked, are excellent. Such tracks as "Try Me," "It's Alright," "Soul Almighty," and "No Water" give off such a unique stylistic charge that they seem particularly fresh in the light of the overkill in Marley's later catalog. Close, sweet backup vocals by the Wailers, tight, propulsive playing from the Upsetters, and Perry's inventive, psychedelic production make this one of the truly great "lost" albums. A must for collectors and a superb introduction to Marley's early, mature work, SOUL REBELS is a keeper. minimize