Bob Marley & The Wailers
One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers

THE REVIEW

Excellent album for the choice and quality of the material: to simplify, one could say … there's a lot here! Recommended therefore both for those who occasionally need a shot of vintage reggae without wasting time searching through old LPs, and for millennials who – aside from having heard some tracks here and there – want to get to know more closely one of the legends of our music.

Of course, the subtitle “The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers” might seem pretentious, with the risk of coming off as one of those greatest hits collections with some filler that for an artist are a bit like the cemetery of creativity. Here, however, there is no deception: 20 tracks truly among the most important, presented in chronological order and with correct information on the original album, from «Stir It Up» for “Catch A Fire” (1973) to «Could You Be Loved» and «Redemption Song» from “Uprising” (1980).

For the albums released posthumously, there is «Buffalo Soldier» from “Confrontation” and the last gem «Iron Lion Zion» from “Natural Mystic”. Perhaps the remix of «I Know a Place» could have been avoided but I don't want to be too picky, just as a specific comment on such significant pieces that would take ten pages seems unnecessary to me. It's better to listen and let oneself go to the charm of music played a thousand times and still exciting.

If, however, I had to point out my favorite song, I would say «Turn Your Lights Down Low», (relatively) little known but very seductive, and also because “Exodus”, its reference album, represented in this collection by four tracks, could represent the peak of Bob Marley's production, before the beginning of his physical troubles.

And finally, last note, this CD is also recommended for its beautiful graphic part: very accurate in the information, with the reissue of the original album covers and the iconic image of the Rastafarian “Lion of Judah” closing the booklet. There is no shortage of touching photographs to refresh our eyes. In a few months – on May 11, 2021 – it will be forty years since the great soul of Robert Marley left us: there is just enough time for those who want to delve deeper … to start with this album!