It’s been well over 40 years since Bob Marley died of cancer at the far too young at the age of 36 yet his profile in pop culture has barely diminished. The biopic movie One Love released earlier this year grossed $180 million at the box office, his posters adorn college dorm rooms, and his face can be seen on t-shirts around the world . Originally released in 1984, Bob Marley & The Wailers’ greatest hits album Legend has been a best seller since its release. It’s the one album that even non reggae fans will have in their collection, the songs it contains are absorbed just by living.
Reviewing Legend in 2024 holds no mystery – it’s a 10/10 and one of the greatest albums of all time. While everyone has their favourite tracks, these are mine…
As the first track on the album, “Is This Love” immediately pulls the lister in with a gentle reggae vibe mixed with some soft rock guitar. “Could You Be Love” was a smash success, going top 10 across Europe when released in 1980. A funky guitar lick rides under the joyous singing of the I Threes vocal trio on both the verses and the classic chorus.
With the US election just a few days away, tensions on both sides are running high, soundbites bleeding into newscasts across the world, especially here in Canada. The central theme of “Three Little Birds” to “Don’t worry about a thing, Cause everything gonna be alright” is a welcome message of positivity. The seemingly simple mantra carries a lot of sunny heft. Surprisingly, “Buffalo Soldier” did not appear on an album until posthumously released on Confrontation in 1983. A fascinating phrase used to refer to Africans stolen from their homeland, brought to America who end up becoming soldiers.
Like Bob Dylan in the 1960s, Marley is often viewed for being of the people, for the people through political songs like the classic “Get Up, Stand Up”. Legend does a very good job of showing different sides to the man on tracks like “Waiting in Vain”. A midtempo track with a terrific percussion breakdown that tells of someone longing for the love of a woman. It’s not for the masses, it’s a personal struggle but one that everyone can identify with.
While the nitpicking on an album like Legend are fairly minor, one of the gripes would be this. “Redemption Song” is a spine-tingling acoustic song that incorporates parts of a Marcus Garvey speech. “Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery/none but ourselves can free our mind”. Marley’s raspy voice is powerful, a true folk classic that is impossible not to join in when he asks, “Won’t you help to sing/These songs of freedom?”. How this does not close this majestic album is a mystery.
Legend is record that I only came to recently. As mentioned, the songs are everywhere, I suppose I never felt the need to hear it as I always hear it just by living. That was a mistake on my part. In his book, All-Time Top 1,000 Albums, author Colin Larkin did not allow greatest hits to be included but in the year 2000 version of the list, there at #60 sits Legend. It received so many votes as one of the greatest albums of all time that it could not be ignored and had to be included. An album whose legend keeps being discovered by a new generation of fans every year.
10/10
The Light Appears 
It’s strange how deeply the US election is permeating the consciousness here in Canada. I read the other day that “it’s like the whole world is awaiting biopsy results.” Here’s hoping for a benign result!
Terrific review, Michael – and well worth the wait (and it’s not every day you get to read a recent review of an older work). 10/10. You’ve inspired me to listen to the album…