Bob Marley and the Wailers: The Definitive Discography [Paperback]

..wow...I never thought this could be done. Frankly put, the recorded legacy of Bob Marley and the Wailers is a mess. It's a wash of tiny regional pressings, unlabeled seven-inch singles, multiple dub/instrumental mixes, DJ pressings, and items so rare that they are virtually non-existant ("Selassie is the Chapel" anyone?). With that in mind, publishing a complete discography seems to me the work of madmen.

Well, I guess that means Steffens and Pierson are mad in the best possible way...after much promise and anticipation, they have done it. This book is just amazing -- not only does it list all the stuff Bob, Peter, and Bunny have recorded seperately and apart, it lists what albums or singles (if any) the songs came out on, who played on it, who produced it, where it was recorded, and what format it was recorded too! That's on top of copious annotation and anecdotes and photos!

The big surprise with this book is that, unlike a lot of dull academic-seeming discographies, this really tells a story. It's like reading a novel to discover -- through the discography -- how these three artists changed over time, grew apart, embraced techology, etc.

In addition to the discography, about a quarter of the book is devoted to nice capsule bios of the three main players and (best of all) a rollickingly fun essay by the authors about the art and obsession of record collecting.

If you buy any Marley book this year, make it this one.

"Bob Marley And The Wailers: The Definitive Discography" is one of the best books written on the subject of Bob Marley and The Wailers. Its an amazing reference.

Anyone who know a little about the Jamaican music industry knows how hard facts on recording sessions are to come by. Dates and musicians are often unknown. (After all, Jamaica often described as the place where facts don't seem to exist.) But the expertise of the authors, dogged research and extensive interviews with the likes of Bunny Wailer reveal a wealth of information on every release (and the unreleased recordings) of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer as well as a serving of the other members of the extended Wailers family.

The discography is cross referenced several ways. Added to this is an extensive label color label gallery, the personal recollections of the authors and succinct and interesting mini biographies on The Wailers filled with previously unreported information.

The result is a book that I thought could never exist. Yet here it is. So I finally know what tracks Ernest Ranglin played guitar on. And finally know why the drums on Coming In From The Cold sound different. And now know when Seeco Patterson first began recording with the Wailers. And was surprised to see Denzil Lange doing a few sessions with the Wailers. And even mores suppressed to see Doris Troy doing a session with the Wailers, whose work bridges Pink Floyd to Bob Marley. And was happy to see Wailers reserve vocalist Constantine "Dreamy Vision" Walker receive proper place in the sun. And see all those unreleased songs and taped live performances by Bob. Including some that reunite him with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailers in 1975. And so on and so on.

So get out your Wailers collection, spin the discs and open up this book. It will add a new level to your enjoyment of the music.

Roger, Leroy & Bunny - Thanks to thease 3 this book is here and it is GREAT! So much info about the original band The Wailers. Bob, Bunny & Peter are the main topics but this book also covers the rest of The Wailers band. It is a great book for the serious reggae collector or for the casual fan. Lots of great photos and the art work that was used on the orginal vynal records is in this book too.

Thank You Roger,Leroy & Bunny for taking the time to put this out for us. Much Raspect for this!

Jah Guide

Burt