Live At the Roxy: The Complete Concert

The uninitiated often think of Reggae as the sort of lazy and amiable music that leaves the listener ambling about with a glint in their reddened eyes and a song of love in their heart. Anyone laboring under these delusions should immediately acquire this painstakingly assembled two-disc set which finds Bob Marley preaching fire and righteousness to an audience of uncomprehending Los Angelinos. By 1976 Marley had long ago abandoned the pacifist sentiments of early recordings like “Simmer Down”, adopting instead the indignant stance of the long-suffering revolutionary. Live At The Roxy also serves as a showcase for the considerable instrumental prowess of the Wailers’ rhythm section. They're in unusually fine form here, and play with an inspired ferocity that invests classics like “Trenchtown Rock” and “Roots, Rock, Reggae” with a determinedly ragged edge, mimicking Marley’s strained but impassioned vocals. A candid and soulful snapshot of Marley and The Wailers at their commercial and creative peak.