LOS ANGELES (By Sujata Murthy/ UMe Records) - In the year
Bob Marley would have turned 60, the past, present and future of his music are celebrated not only with the first
Bob Marley & The Wailers greatest hits package to include both his early sides and his Island Records hits but also a new recording and two new remixes. Along with 17 vintage tracks, Africa Unite: The Singles Collection (Island/Tuff Gong/UMe), released November 8, 2005, spotlights "Slogans," the first new official Marley track released in more than a decade. It is believed Marley recorded the song in a Miami bedroom in 1979. The tapes were kept at Marley's mother's house and last year the reggae legend's sons Stephen and Ziggy revisited the acoustic demo. In 2005, Stephen overdubbed the tracks with other instruments, including guitar by Eric Clapton. Stephen and Ziggy produced "Slogans" specifically for this release.
Another new recording is a remix of "Africa Unite," whose original was heard on the 1979 album Survival. The song is presented here in an anthemic remix by will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, who was personally invited to create the remix by Rita Marley, Bob's wife. Also new is the Ashley Beedle Remix of "Get Up, Stand Up Vs. Jamrock," a mash-up of Bob's classic and "Welcome To Jamrock," the 2005 hit from youngest son Damian.
Africa Unite: The Singles Collection commemorates Marley's life on record just as the 2005 Africa Unite concert in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on his 60th birthday (February 6) commemorated it on stage. Africa Unite: The Singles Collection includes the early classics "Soul Rebel," "Lively Up Yourself," "Trenchtown Rock" and "Concrete Jungle" alongside the Island hits "I Shot The Sheriff," "Get Up, Stand Up," "No Woman, No Cry," "Exodus," "Jamming," "Could You Be Loved," "One Love/People Get Ready," "Roots, Rock, Reggae," "Waiting In Vain," "The Sun Is Shining," "Is This Love," "Three Little Birds" and "Buffalo Soldier."
Also issued is the DVD premiere of Live! At The Rainbow in a two-disc package that adds to the 1986 concert homevideo more than 20 minutes of exclusive interviews and footage recently shot in Kingston, Jamaica, of a visit to The Bob Marley Museum and Tuff Gong Studios, plus the award-winning 1988 documentary Caribbean Nights: The Bob Marley Story. The latter includes interviews with family and friends, and rare archival footage, and has been augmented for this edition by 20-plus minutes of exclusive interviews and new video of Marley's birthplace and final resting place, Nine Mile.
For the 1977 concert at London's Rainbow Theatre, the group performed quintessential versions of "No Woman, No Cry," "Lively Up Yourself," "Rebel Music" and more. For its DVD debut, Live! At The Rainbow's video has been digitally enhanced and its audio digitally remastered in both 5.1 Surround Sound and stereo.
Marley's stature in music grows with each passing year. Africa Unite: The Singles Collection and Live! At The Rainbow continue his legacy.
