One of Bob Marley & the Wailers' finest collections, AFRICAN HERBSMAN belongs alongside CATCH A FIRE and NATTY DREAD as an essential Marley recording. There are three reasons why AFRICAN HERBSMAN is significant. For starters, it is a treasure trove of some of Marley's best songs. Though these tunes were written and recorded in the early 1970s, Marley would revisit them--in concert and in re-recordings--throughout his career. The celebratory "Lively Up Yourself," the winsome and wise "Small Axe," the swaying "Don't Rock the Boat," and the escapist dream "Kaya," are only a few of the gleaming gems here.More importantly, perhaps, AFRICAN HERBSMAN captures the Wailers at their peak as a band. With Bunny Livingston and Peter Tosh's high, sweet harmonies prominent throughout, and the Barrett brothers' impeccable rhythms, the Wailers are an unstoppable unit (and provide a focus lost on some of Marley's solo albums). But the most distinguishing quality of these sessions is Lee "Scratch" Perry's remarkable, unique production. Unlike the rock-oriented sound of the Chris Blackwell-produced CATCH A FIRE (released the same year), HERBSMAN has pure Jamaican roots--on top of the fine material and performances--making it one of the defining documents of reggae.
1973
1. Lively Up Yourself 2. Small Axe 3. Duppy Conquerer 4. Trenchtown Rock 5. African Herbsman 6. Keep On Moving 7. Fussing And Fighting 8. Stand Alone 9. All In One 10. Don't Rock The Boat 11. Put It On 12. Sun Is Shining 13. Kaya 14. Riding High 15. Brain Washing 16. Four Hundred Years 17. Memphis - (with The Upsetters) 18. Live - (live, ly Up Yourself Version, with Tommy McCook) 19. More Axe 20. Axe Man, The - (Small Axe version) 21. Zig Zag - (Duppy Conqueror version) 22. Grooving Kingston 12 - (Trench Town Rock version) 23. Moving Version - (with Big Youth) 24. Keep On Skanking 25. Copasetic - (All In One Version)
