Shakedown: Marley Remixed

It is difficult to imagine why the world needs techno dance remixes of Bob Marley tunes. Most of Marley's early material has been reassembled and repackaged countless times, given the Jamaican propensity for recycling rhythms, versions, DJ toasts, dub plates, and dubious licensing agreements, leaving his discography a tangled, confusing minefield -- up until he signed with Island Records, that is. Marley's work on Island is what most people are familiar with, and the label has carefully guarded and maintained that legacy. So let's be clear about what Shakedown: Marley Remixed is not. It is not an album of remixes from anything Marley did on Island Records. The tracks here are drawn from his time with Coxsone Dodd at Studio One (Marley and the Wailers recorded some 70 songs there between 1963 and 1966) and songs recorded with producer Lee "Scratch" Perry, whose work with Marley is arguably the best stuff either of them ever did. So what actually works here? Not much. Groove Deluxe's remix of "African Herbsman," Marley's recasting of a Richie Havens song, is momentarily interesting, as is "Rock Steady," remixed here by Alex Natale, but in all cases, everything Jamaican about these songs has been surgically removed. Can you dance to this stuff? Sure, but you could dance to the original versions, too, and that's still the way to go. ~ Steve Leggett|