BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS Schallplatten & CDs

Review: 'Mr. Brown' is among the most coveted songs by Bob Marley and the Wailers, as it cemented the bond between Marley and Upsetter Lee 'Scratch' Perry, with the latter producing the track in his famed home studio Black Ark. Based on a popular ghost story about a spectral clown allegedly seen riding around Jamaican countryside in a three-wheeled coffin (three vultures were said to have been perched on top of the coffin, one looking for a 'Mr. Brown'), the song takes thorough advantage of popular folk consciousness in its spooky production and stick-in-your-mind charm. This 12" version also comes with the melodic plodders 'Natural Mystic' and 'The Heathen'.

Review: Reportedly written and recorded after hearing The Clash's cover of Junior Murvin's 'Police & Thieves', 'Punky Reggae Party' isn't one of the more celebrated releases in Bob Marley's discography. Yet there's so much to like about it, as this reissue of the original Jamaican 12" proves. For starters, it saw Marley and the Wailers reunite in the studio with legendary producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry, whose stylistic ticks and subtle touches are evident throughout. It was produced in 1977 at height of disco fever (something Perry was particularly suspicious of, believing that it was leading Rastafarian youths astray) and the A-side is a genuinely epic reggae 'disco mix' that rolls out to nine minutes and includes some fine scat freestyling from Marley. The similarly epic flip-side dub is not Perry's wildest, but undeniably dancefloor ready.