Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On

There are countless collections of Bob Marley & the Wailers' pre-Island Records material on the market, many of which are little short of being licensed bootlegs drawn from somebody's vinyl collection. This two-disc set isn't too bad as these poorly annotated compilations go, sticking pretty close to the Wailers' late-'60s and early-'70s roots phases, a period that arguably saw the group at its peak, particularly as a collective. Included here are Wailers self-productions from 1967 ("Hypocrites") and 1971 ("Redder Than Red," "Screw Face," "Trench Town Rock") interspersed with Leslie Kong productions from 1970 ("Go Tell It on the Mountain," "Soul Captives," "Do It Twice") and Lee "Scratch" Perry productions from 1970 and 1971 ("Small Axe," "African Herbsman," "Mr. Brown," "Duppy Conqueror"), all making for a set that actually holds together pretty well. Just don't expect a whole lot of track annotation. ~ Steve Leggett|