Performer Notes

Personnel: Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Tommy McCook, The Upsetters.
Producers: Lee "Scratch" Perry, Bob Marley.
Compilation producer: David Katz.
Includes liner notes by Dave Katz.
One of Bob Marley & the Wailers' finest collections, AFRICAN HERBSMAN belongs alongside CATCH A FIRE and NATTY DREAD as an essential Marley recording. There are three reasons why AFRICAN HERBSMAN is significant. For starters, it is a treasure trove of some of Marley's best songs. Though these tunes were written and recorded in the early 1970s, Marley would revisit them--in concert and in re-recordings--throughout his career. The celebratory "Lively Up Yourself," the winsome and wise "Small Axe," the swaying "Don't Rock the Boat," and the escapist dream "Kaya," are only a few of the gleaming gems here.
More importantly, perhaps, AFRICAN HERBSMAN captures the Wailers at their peak as a band. With Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh's high, sweet harmonies prominent throughout, and the Barrett brothers' impeccable rhythms, the Wailers are an unstoppable unit (and provide a focus lost on some of Marley's solo albums). But the most distinguishing quality of these sessions is Lee "Scratch" Perry's remarkable, unique production. Unlike the rock-oriented sound of the Chris Blackwell-produced CATCH A FIRE (released the same year), HERBSMAN has pure Jamaican roots--on top of the fine material and performances--making it one of the defining documents of reggae.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (5/29/03, p.69) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...[The album] includes lyrical pleas for peace and exhortations to lively up your party self that Marley reworked to brilliant effect in his subsequent solo years..."

Spin (6/03, p.104) - "...This comp is loaded with raw early takes of future Marley classics....In their lo-fi, soul-fire glory, they're nearly all as deep or deeper than the versions you know..."

Vibe (12/99, p.156) - Included in Vibe's 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century