Bob Marley & The Wailers - Songs of Freedom

When Songs of Freedom was released originally in 1992, it was a perfect complement to either a greatest hits collection like Legend or the entire collection of the reggae master's albums. Songs boasts enough of the recognizable from Marley's canon to address the hit seeker, but the set also reaches way, way back to include Marley's first single, the youthful "Judge Not" from 1962, and then closes more than four hours later with a 1980 live take of "Redemption Song" from his last concert. In between are live takes, studio remixes, and, of course, standard looks at Marley standards, playing together as a perfect balance between the familiar and the new. The flow of famous takes increases into CDs 3 and 4, where "No Woman, No Cry" appears from a 1976 set at the Roxy and where "Jammin'" and "Exodus" come in mixes that were new to fans in 1992. Of course these four CDs show in wide-angle view exactly how fantastic and commercially improbable Marley was. He was able to popularize tunes about both the repression of African nations and their liberation while also bringing to rock audiences an undeniably Jamaican music, breaking the U.S. and British geographic strongholds on the 1970s pop and rock marketplace. Never mind that he made Island Records' first fortune, he also created a body of work so lasting that a four-CD set heavy on alternate versions can stand out in any contemporary music collection. For the 1999 reissue of the original 1992 box set, no new music has been added. The format has changed, though, from a long-box presentation to a cube containing individual slipcased CDs. It's still a remarkable gem. --Andrew Bartlett Amazon.com

Songs of Freedom *A must have*

Whether you are Bob Marley fan or not this is one of the greatest albums ever. September 30, 2008

So beautiful...

I've been listening to songs by Bob Marley most of my life, but was unaware of it as they were often covered by others. Just recently, though, I've rediscovered his music and started listening seriously, and now I can't stop; almost everything I've heard is simply amazing. It's rare to find an artist who can mix politics, personal stories, love songs and ballads, and do all of them equally well. Bob writes and sings so beautifully, and I am so grateful his music has come back into my life. September 7, 2008

Bob Marley

bob Marley just touches my heart when i listen to him. it reminds me of the evolution. May 8, 2008

Love Songs of Freedom

I ordered this for my husband, a huge Bob Marley fan, and he listens to it all the time. It is great to hear different versions of the classics. I also enjoy these cd's a lot. October 10, 2007

Yes!

Yeah, this is another 5 star album from Bob (all of his are 5 stars). The only thing I would say about this is that if you are going to spend the money to buy this, you're probably wanting A LOT of Bob Marley. I would recommend getting his studio albums first (Catch A Fire, Burnin', Natty Dread, Rastaman Vibration, Exodus, Kaya, Survival, Uprising, and Confrontation). After you have those you may want to get some live Marley, so check out Live at the Roxy and Babylon By Bus. Finally, if you still need more Bob, get this box set. It has a lot of rare stuff on it that you'll definitely enjoy if you like all of those other albums. August 7, 2007

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