Introduction to Bob Marley

I agree that the Barry Diament masterings are worth getting.
The copy of Exodus I have has the budget/cheap edition packaging, but there's nothing cheap about the mastering. I think the mastering is available with the full packaging, but beware if the artwork is important to you.

 

And its tenets, as a religion, are so easily digestible....

 

I was once touched by His noodly appendage.

 

I’m confused as to what this turned into, but I accept it.

 

Apologies. Would love to know how you get on with Bob's catalogue. It is always fascinating to see what people who are fresh to a major artists work find for themselves. I often rediscover or even develop a new appreciation based on others perspective. Where have you go to so far?

 

That's how I started...great suggestion. I have just about his whole catalog on vinyl. Just didn't like his really early one's, but from Rastaman Vibration onward love just about all of them. This is the one rare live album I still play.

 

I don't mind haha, funny stuff.
I like to listen to each album a dozen times before moving onto the next so I'm still up to Natty Dread but I think I'm done with it. Brilliant album but from Bend Down Low until Revolution I think the quality severely drops. The first 4 songs rank as some of his best to me though, and So Jah Seh and Natty Dread are almost as good.

 

Interesting as Revolution would be in the running as one of my favourite Bob tunes. I always find Natty Dread to be a very evocative record strongly based on what was around him where he lived. On Rastaman Vibration he seems to start the process of expanding his vision.

 

After you're done with the Island albums and you want
to dig into the older stuff. Check out the compilation
Original Cuts. It's got the original versions of songs
re-recorded during the Island years. Plus a few versions.





It is missing the tracks from Studio One. I recommend
it a lot. Because it is a good transition from the Island
tracks to the Lee Perry and self-produced stuff. You
are already familar with the songs and you can explore
the different sound of the early Wailers.

If you want to dig deeper.
How to buy: Bob Marley the early years
Bob Marley - Pre-Island - Am I missing anything critical?
Bob Marley Got legend what next?
Favourite Bob Marley deep cuts?

 

Sorry to necro again but does anyone have a favourite version of Exodus? I have 3 versions to pick from on iTunes. Which sounds the best? I can get all of them so I’m not worried for content included and I’ll be listening in the original song order so I’m just wondering which sounds the best.
There’s the Deluxe, the 30th anniversary version and Exodus Remastered.

 

I imagine most forum members would recommend the version mastered by Barry Diament, but I doubt it's available from iTunes.

 

What is its exact name? Just ‘Exodus’? I couldn’t find anything specific on Google.

 

I would imagine that the mastering for the main album for all of these is the same, the one done in 2001 by Ted Jensen, at least it is for the "Remastered" and the "Deluxe", don't know about the "30th". For content I'd pick the Deluxe. The old Diament mastering is not available anywhere as a download or stream, as far as I'm aware.

My favourite Exodus is the original UK pressing of the LP, but that doesn't help you I guess...

If you look here any CD from 1990-2000 will have the Barry Diament mastering (and will say so on the back): Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus

 

Bob Marley & The Wailers - Exodus

 

Favorite version of Exodus = BBB

 

There's also the 40th Aniv version of Exodus. Well two versions. Deluxe and normal 40th. So many versions to pick! For some reason was listed under a different artist so don't show up.

 

The "normal" version has the regular album and a remix (using alternate elements from the original recordings, and with some moder overdubs, but rather tastefully done), the "Deluxe" adds a disc of live material. I don't know if the main album was remastered, I have it laying around still in it's plastic, haven't gotten around to it yet...

 

I started way back with legend and Babylon by bus. Have since got it all. My go to is always Talkin Blues.

 

Down the rabbit hole you go.

 

I'm bringing this tread back to life....IMHO the best version of the Exodus album is an original UK pressing on vinyl- if you can find a 1st pressing in good shape then you're really home. But any of the later pressings up to the mid 80's are almost as good...

 

I guess this proves that 100% of Swedes find the UK first press of "Exodus" to be the best, this is important research.

 

Personally, I like to start at the beginning when I'm getting into something new. So my advice would be to pick up an early Wailers comp and work up through the discography from there. That stuff is just so joyful and romantic and perfect Sunday morning drinking coffee with the one you love music. This version of Small Axe is one of my favorite songs of all time:

 

That version is really good, I find the mixes on a lot of those old cuts are really bass heavy. IIRC 400 years is just insane (though having it on a lot of fly-by-night compilations might have something to do with it.) But this one is more balanced, probably also my favorite of that crop.

I do hate seeing it labelled as 'Bob Marley and the Wailers' though.

 

Yea definitely not hi-fi. The Songs of Freedom box set is the best source I've heard. Who even knows if those original tapes even exist anymore?