BOB MARLEY: LIVE AT THE ROXY (1976/2003)
1) Introduction; 2) Trenchtown
Rock; 3) Burnin' And Lootin'; 4) Them Belly Full (But We Hungry); 5) Rebel
Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock); 6) I Shot The Sheriff; 7) Want More; 8) No Woman
No Cry; 9) Lively Up Yourself; 10) Roots Rock Reggae; 11) Rat Race; 12)
Positive Vibration; 13) Get Up, Stand Up/No More Trouble/War.
Although this performance, recorded at The Roxy
in West Hollywood on May 26, 1976, had been widely bootlegged ever since its
original radio broadcast, it was not until the release of the complete
performance, together with its lengthy encore, in 2003 on Tuff Gong Records
that it became sort of a consecrated Holy Grail for Marley fans, quite a few of
whom now swear by it as the ultimate Marley live album, putting both Live! and Babylon By Bus to shame. This means that it at least merits a
separate mention, if not necessarily a lengthy review.
The encore is actually the kernel of the legend:
without it, the performance was already previously available as a bonus disc
on the «deluxe» edition of Rastaman
Vibration (yes, «grabbing for cash» is a practice not unfamiliar to people
dealing with the legacy of the world's most famous Rastaman). It is a 24-minute
non-stop medley of ʽGet Up, Stand Upʼ, ʽNo More Troubleʼ, and ʽWarʼ, one that
not only confirms that most reggae songs can indeed be played to the exact same
rhythm pattern without a single change (as if we didn't know!..) but also
confirms that the Wailers were perfectly able to hold a steady, unnerving,
unyielding, constantly energetic groove for as long as Jah was willing them to
hold it. There are no build-ups, or climaxes, or gimmicks, or audience teasers
— the team sounds pretty much the same at any given moment, but somehow, the
performance does not ever get boring or really feel like 24 minutes, probably because of Bob's ability to hold the
listener's interest by merging three songs into one and making it look as if he
is slowly building up to the «vocal
climax» of ʽWarʼ, and then gradually taking us back down through the same
stages.
Other than that, Live At The Roxy is perfectly solid, but I could not confirm that
the quality of the performance definitively «trumps» the rest of Bob's live
catalog or anything. For one thing, Earl ʽChinnaʼ Smith on lead guitar is a
decent player, but too humble for an arena performance: Julian Marvin's arrival
in 1977 would change things significantly, adding more lyrical individuality
to the music, whereas Live At The Roxy
is really all about the collective groove, and there is nothing wrong with
that, but maybe not for 86 minutes. For another thing, this is already Bob
Marley in his «mission» era, where there is a constant danger of putting more
emphasis on the «message» than the «music» — on a purely technical level, there
is no accusation that could be justified against the band's playing, but
instinctively, I still prefer the live band on the 1973-74 recordings, prior to
the departure of Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
That said, if you belly hungry for another
Marley live album, and "now you get what you want, do you want
more?", that kind of thing, Live At
The Roxy is indispensable. One major argument in its support is the
excellent sound quality — although all of Bob's live albums were recorded
indoors, The Roxy must have had the best acoustics of 'em all, so that you
really get to hear all the musicians close-up and uninhibited by the audience
or by empty space, almost as
intimately as if they'd been recording in a radio studio. Plus, I think this
one has the only live version of ʽWant Moreʼ to be released on an official
album — a fine, tense, desperate song to be played live and really get the
juices flowing, somehow overlooked elsewhere. Probably I could scramble together
a few other minor arguments as well, but on the whole, such things should
rather be left to seasoned Marley veterans, so I will just say goodbye here
with a conventional thumbs up.
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