🎵 Bob Marley & The Wailers – The Best of The Wailers (1971)
The Best of The Wailers is a unique and often misunderstood release in the discography of Bob Marley and The Wailers. Despite its title, it is not a traditional “greatest hits” album, but rather a cohesive studio collection recorded under the production of Leslie Kong and released on Beverley's Records.
The album captures the group in a transitional phase, blending early roots reggae with polished vocal harmonies and tighter song structures compared to their Studio One era.
📀 Tracklist
- Soul Shakedown Party
- Stop the Train
- Caution
- Go Tell It on the Mountain
- Soon Come
- Can't You See
- Soul Captives
- Cheer Up
- Back Out
- Do It Twice
- Soul Almighty
- Kaya
🎙️ Album Credits
- Lead Vocals / Guitar: Bob Marley
- Vocals / Guitar: Peter Tosh
- Vocals / Percussion: Bunny Wailer
- Producer: Leslie Kong
- Label: Beverley's Records
- Backing Musicians: Beverley’s session players
🔍 Musical Style & Context
Recorded just before the group’s collaboration with Lee "Scratch" Perry fully took shape, The Best of The Wailers represents a cleaner, more structured sound compared to their earlier work.
Key characteristics include:
- A shift toward early roots reggae grooves
- Strong emphasis on melodic vocal harmonies
- Less experimental production compared to Perry-era recordings
- Themes of love, resilience, and emerging social awareness
Tracks like “Soul Shakedown Party” and “Stop the Train” highlight the group’s growing songwriting maturity, while “Kaya” introduces themes that Marley would revisit later in his career.
🎯 Fun Facts & Trivia
- The album’s title was chosen by the label and did not reflect the band’s intention, leading to confusion among listeners.
- Leslie Kong was known for his clean, radio-friendly production style, contrasting with Lee Perry’s raw experimentation.
- Several songs were re-recorded versions of earlier tracks from the late 1960s.
- “Soul Shakedown Party” became one of the group’s early international singles.
- The album was one of the last projects before the Wailers shifted toward a heavier roots sound.
🤯 Did You Know?
- Leslie Kong passed away shortly after the album’s release, making this one of his final major productions.
- “Kaya” would later be re-recorded and become the title track of a 1978 album by Marley.
- The sessions for this album helped the band refine their sound before their global breakthrough with Island Records.
- Despite being overshadowed by later releases, this album is considered a key bridge between early ska/rocksteady and roots reggae.
🌍 Cultural Legacy
While often overlooked, The Best of The Wailers plays a crucial role in understanding the band’s evolution. It captures a moment where their music became more accessible and refined, just before their transformation into global icons.
Its legacy includes:
- Showcasing the final phase before the Perry collaborations
- Highlighting the group’s songwriting development
- Preserving early versions of songs that would later become classics
- Acting as a stepping stone toward international success.
