Bob Marley & The Wailers
Babylon By Bus

THE REVIEW

Jamaica: A summer evening, on a tropical beach drinking a Bitter or some tropical juice, with your Hawaiian shirt between a palm tree and a stall selling some dresser figurines and some Bob Marley-shaped ashtrays.

A little further away, one of his concerts is taking place. And you feel like immersing yourself in those reggae sounds dotted with a thousand chords and notes, each representing an emotion from those percussion instruments. An even greater emotion is given by the shouts and choruses of the crowd, which can be heard throughout the album, and how they can be heard, a kind of continuo bass, but less heavy. Also, just by looking at the cover, you immediately identify: one of those typical '60s and '70s Cuban and Latin American-style vans probably headed to one of his concerts, just to remind you of the scene.

The tracks: "Positive Vibration", "Punk Reggae Party", "Exodus", "Stir It Up", "Rat Race", "Concrete Jungle", "Kin Reggae", "Lively Up Yourself", "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)", "War/No More Trouble", "Is This Love", "Heathen", "Jamming", are a mix of reggae sounds, a pinch of percussion, phenomenal acoustics (considering the year it was recorded), truly a good live album.

And now there's nothing left to do but sip that bitter, on those tropical beaches with your Hawaiian shirt between a palm tree and a stall, yes, that stall next to my computer full of good records, between the video cassette shelf and the stereo playing Bob Marley.