Easy Skanking in Boston '78 | ||||
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Live album by | ||||
Released | 3 February 2015 | |||
Recorded | 8 June 1978 | |||
Venue | Boston Music Hall (Boston, Massachusetts) | |||
Genre | Reggae | |||
Length | 69:55 | |||
Label | ||||
Bob Marley and the Wailers chronology | ||||
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Bob Marley and the Wailers video chronology | ||||
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Easy Skanking in Boston '78 is the fifth live album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released on February 3, 2015, by Island Records and Tuff Gong. It was recorded at the Boston Music Hall (now The Wang Theatre) on June 8, 1978, as part of the band's Kaya Tour in support of their 10th studio album, Kaya .
Easy Skanking in Boston '78 was released in three separate editions – as a stand-alone CD, on DVD/Dd and Blu-ray. The albums was released by the Marley family on his 70th birthday to honour Marley and his work. [1] It received mixed to positive reviews from music critics.
A year and a half prior to the recording, Bob Marley survived an assassination attempt in Jamaica, taking bullets to the chest and arm. [2] [3] Easy Skanking In Boston '78 was filmed at the Wang Theatre (Boston) in (Boston,Massachusetts). [4] [5] The video footage was shot with a hand-held camera by a fan that Marley allowed to sit right in front of the stage. [6] During the filming of the band's live performance in the Wang Theatre, the cinematographer was forced to change rolls of film from time to time, leaving gaps in the recording of the performance. Animation video elements were produced and added to fill the gaps by S77 group (who have worked with the likes of Bruno Mars, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili,Disney and many more). [7] The tour supported the band's debut solo album, Kaya (1978). [8] Most of the songs on Easy Skanking In Boston ’78 originate from the album, but it also contains the band's past hits. [9]
On February 17, 2015, this remastered unreleased concert was released by the Marley family on his 70th birthday. [10] The DVD/Blu-Ray features video footage never seen of the Band and Marley. [11]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [12] |
Irish Examiner | [13] |
Record Collector | [14] |
Rolling Stone (Germany) | [15] |
Uncut | 7/10 [16] |
David Jeffries of AllMusic stated: "Easy Skanking in Boston '78 marks the beginning of the Universal Music Group's archival Bob Marley series, something made possible by the Marley family, who offered up plenty of archival concert and unreleased studio recordings. This first release is a powerful show, slowly rolling up from midtempo favorites into some kicking and classic Wailers anthems like 'Jamming' and 'Exodus'. The sound quality is excellent and a vast improvement over bootlegs, which still sounded quite good, but it does seem an odd selection to launch the reggae legend's archival series, until one looks at the accompanying video release. [12] Midnight Daver of World a Raggae wrote "This timeless live performance by the 'King of Reggae', and one of the best posthumous Marley albums to date from Island/Universal, is well worth the price of admission and proof positive that there will never be another Bob Marley." [17]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Slave Driver" | Bob Marley | 4:13 |
2. | "Burnin' and Lootin" | Bob Marley | 5:35 |
3. | "Them Belly Full" | Carlton Barrett, Lecon Cogil | 3:37 |
4. | "The Heathen" | Bob Marley | 4:20 |
5. | "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)" | Aston "Family Man" Barrett, Hugh Peart | 5:35 |
6. | "I Shot the Sheriff" | Bob Marley | 4:51 |
7. | "Easy Skanking" | Bob Marley | 3:26 |
8. | "No Woman No Cry" | Vincent Ford | 7:04 |
9. | "Lively Up Yourself" | Bob Marley | 7:49 |
10. | "Jamming" | Bob Marley | 9:42 |
11. | "War/No More Trouble" | Carlton Barrett, Allan Cole / Bob Marley | 6:03 |
12. | "Get Up, Stand Up" | Bob Marley, Peter Tosh | 5:54 |
13. | "Exodus" | Bob Marley | 7:00 |
Total length: | 69:55 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Rebel Music (3 O'Clock Roadblock)" | 5:35 |
2. | "I Shot the Sheriff" | 4:51 |
3. | "No Woman No Cry" | 7:04 |
4. | "Lively Up Yourself" | 7:49 |
5. | "Jamming" | 9:42 |
6. | "War/No More Trouble" | 6:03 |
7. | "Exodus" | 7:00 |
Total length: | 48:02 |
Chart (1978) | Peak position |
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US Reggae Albums (Billboard) [18] | 1 |
Credits adapted from AllMusic. [12]
Natty Dread is the seventh album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1974. Previously Marley had recorded with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer as the Wailers, and this was his first record without them.
Exodus is the ninth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, first released in June 1977 through Island Records, following Rastaman Vibration (1976). The album's production has been characterized as laid-back with pulsating bass beats and an emphasis on piano, trumpet and guitar. Unlike previous albums from the band, Exodus thematically moves away from cryptic story-telling; instead it revolves around themes of change, religious politics, and sexuality. The album is split into two halves: the first half revolves around religious politics, while the second half is focused on themes of making love and keeping faith.
Catch a Fire is the fifth studio album by the reggae band The Wailers, released in April 1973. It was their first album released by Island Records. After finishing a UK tour with Johnny Nash, they had started laying down tracks for JAD Records when a disputed CBS contract with Danny Sims created tensions. The band did not have enough money to return to Jamaica, so their road manager Brent Clarke approached producer Chris Blackwell, who agreed to advance The Wailers money for an album. They instead used this money to pay their fares back home, where they completed the recordings that constitute Catch a Fire. The album has nine songs, two of which were written and composed by Peter Tosh; the remaining seven were by Bob Marley. While Bunny Wailer is not credited as a writer, the group's writing style was a collective process. For the immediate follow-up album, Burnin', also released in 1973, he contributed four songs. After Marley returned with the tapes to London, Blackwell reworked the tracks at Island Studios, with contributions by Muscle Shoals session musician Wayne Perkins, who played guitar on three overdubbed tracks. The album had a limited original release under the name The Wailers in a sleeve depicting a Zippo lighter, designed by graphic artists Rod Dyer and Bob Weiner; subsequent releases had an alternative cover designed by John Bonis, featuring an Esther Anderson portrait of Marley smoking a "spliff", and crediting the band as Bob Marley and the Wailers.
Steel Pulse are a roots reggae band from the Handsworth area of Birmingham, England. They originally formed at Handsworth Wood Boys School, and were composed of David Hinds, Basil Gabbidon, and Ronald McQueen (bass); along with Basil's brother Colin briefly on drums and Mykaell Riley. Steel Pulse were the first non-Jamaican act to win the Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album.
Survival is the eleventh studio album by Bob Marley and the Wailers released in 1979.
Rastaman Vibration is the eighth studio album by Jamaican reggae band Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in April 1976.
Kaya is the tenth studio album released by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978. The album consists of tracks recorded alongside those present on the Exodus album in 1977.
Bob Marley and the Wailers were a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae band. The founding members, in 1963, were Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, and Bunny Wailer.
Babylon by Bus is a live album released by Bob Marley and the Wailers in 1978. The tracks on this album are considered, with two exceptions, to be from the Pavillon de Paris concerts over 3 nights, 25–27 June 1978, during the Kaya Tour, though there are discrepancies in the track listing.
Legend is a compilation album by Bob Marley and the Wailers. It was released in May 1984 by Island Records. It is a greatest hits collection of singles in its original vinyl format and is the best-selling reggae album of all-time, with over 12 million sold in the US, over 3.3 million in the UK and an estimated 25 million copies sold globally. In 2003, the album was ranked number 46 in Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time", maintaining the ranking in a 2012 revised list, but dropping to number 48 in the 2020 revised list.
Aston Francis Barrett, often called "Family Man" or "Fams" for short, is a retired Jamaican musician and Rastafarian.
The Wailers Band are a reggae band formed by Aston Barrett in 1989, one of several spinoffs from Bob Marley and the Wailers.
"Is This Love" is a song by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released on their 1978 album Kaya. The song became one of the best-known Marley songs and was part of the Legend compilation. It peaked at number 9 in the UK charts upon its release in 1978. A live rendition of the song can be found on the Babylon by Bus live album from Paris in 1978.
Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers were a Jamaican-American reggae family group whose line-up consisted of the children of musicians, Bob Marley and Rita Marley, which includes lead singer Ziggy Marley with Sharon Marley, Cedella Marley, and Stephen Marley. Formed in 1979 in Brooklyn, New York, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers members began their musical endeavours in their pre-teens under the name the Melody Makers.
Robert Nesta Marley was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements of reggae, ska, and rocksteady, as well as his distinctive vocal and songwriting style. Marley's contributions to music increased the visibility of Jamaican music worldwide, and made him a global figure in popular culture. Over the course of his career, Marley became known as a Rastafari icon, and he infused his music with a sense of spirituality. He is also considered a global symbol of Jamaican music and culture and identity, and was controversial in his outspoken support for democratic social reforms. In 1976, Marley survived an assassination attempt in his home, which was thought to be politically motivated. He also supported legalisation of marijuana, and advocated for Pan-Africanism.
New Kingston is a Progressive Reggae group whose members combine their Jamaican heritage with the urban sounds of their New York home, New Kingston are a family band consisting of brothers Tahir, Courtney Jr., and Stephen along with their father, Courtney Panton Sr. A first-generation Jamaican-American, Courtney the elder was active in New York's reggae scene before turning his sons on to the music of their island heritage. Born out of jam sessions in the family's Brooklyn basement, the brothers began their career playing Bob Marley and Earth, Wind & Fire covers at parties and gatherings around the neighborhood. By 2010, they'd become focused on their own writing, which fused R&B, hip-hop, and dancehall with traditional reggae sounds. With each brother writing and offering vocals, Courtney Sr. filled in on bass. Following their self-released debut, In the Streets, New Kingston went on a European tour with rising reggae star Collie Buddz, playing a number of prominent festivals. Their sophomore LP, 2013's Kingston University, earned them a deal with New York label Easy Star Records, which issued their third LP, Kingston City, in early 2015. Boasting an increased production value and guest spots by the Tribal Seeds, The Wailing Souls, Sister Carol, and Sugar Minott, Kingston City raised the band's visibility considerably, topping Billboard's reggae chart upon its release. An EP, Kingston Fyah, arrived in the summer of 2016.
Neville O'Riley Livingston, known professionally as Bunny Wailer, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and percussionist. He was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he is considered one of the longtime standard-bearers of reggae music. He was also known as Jah B, Bunny O'Riley, and Bunny Livingston.
Winston Hubert McIntosh, OM, professionally known as Peter Tosh, was a Jamaican reggae musician. Along with Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, he was one of the core members of the band the Wailers (1963–1976), after which he established himself as a successful solo artist and a promoter of Rastafari. He was murdered in 1987 during a home invasion.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bob Marley: