Now deprived of both Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, this was the first album credited to Bob Marley And The Wailers. It has to be said that it loses a little of the vibe of the first two albums, just slightly.
Tosh’s ear for a melodic tune was a big miss. As would be the case for the remainder of his career, Marley’s material could be broadly categorised as “rebellion, Rasta and romance”. Songs would fall mainly into one of the three categories (including “roots” in with “Rasta”).
On this album, the energetic Lively Up Yourself, the devout and appealing So Jah Seh and the Soul Rebels soundalike Natty Dread express a now fully-dreadlocked Marley’s growing Rasta consciousness, as his dreads grew longer, album cover by album cover.
Just how good does Lively Up Yourself sound, by the way? Re-recorded, this version has so much more bassy oomph than the original from three or four years earlier. This new recording of it captures the song's innate melodiousness to, as Marley exemplified just how unique he was in his ability to merge message and melody. Indeed, at the risk of repeating myself, the song is a Marley classic, full of laid-back skanking rhythm and an enthusiastic invocation to the faithful.
Them Belly Full (But We Hungry) and the bluesy and gritty Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Road Block) both show Marley's indignant fire burning at its brightest. Again, both carry a powerful message yet are simultaneously catchy and singalong, possessing strong hooks. The latter is particularly resonating.
The rasta rhythms of the closer, Revolution and the folky Talkin' Blues, with its acoustic guitar intro also pull no punches in confronting social problems head on.
The album's romance-seduction is found in the rocksteady beat of Bend Down Low, with its “I-Threes” backing vocals heralding something Marley would use a lot from now on, and the somewhat low-key undercooked original version of the later to become iconic No Woman No Cry. Marley credited the song's composition to a disabled friend from the yard, Vincent Ford. He did it as a favour, helping his friend out with some royalties from an album track. Little did he know he had signed away the composition earnings of possibly his greatest song, popularised by 1975's Live! album version. Marley kept to the deal, I believe.
Just as on Catch A Fire, other instruments are used to augment the traditional reggae of drums, bass and keyboards - acoustic guitar, lead rock guitar, saxophones, horns (such as on Lively Up Yourself) and the increasing use of multiple female backing vocals. It was something that worked well then and Marley continued it throughout his career.
After the seismic blast of the first two albums and the success that would follow with Live, Rastaman Vibration, Exodus and Kaya, this always had the feel of a “treading water” album, which is a bit of a shame, as it contains some good material.
Non-album tracks
The non-album track from the sessions was Am-A-Do, an appealing, call-and-response skank with a strong Marley vocal and equally confident female backing vocals. Some fine wah-wah guitar arrives near the end. There doesn't seem any real reason for it not having been included on the album.
Also from the same period, probably comes the unfinished-sounding but still good version of Bend Down Low which appeared on the album in its rootsier, flute-enhanced version) and the eventual posthumous hit, the dubby Iron, Lion, Zion. The latter is an appealing workout with an infectious rhyming chorus.
